Good News Agency – Year VII, n° 15
Weekly - Year VII, number 15 –
15th December 2006
Managing Editor: Sergio Tripi,
Ph. D.
Rome Law-court registration
no. 265 dated 20 June 2000.
Good News Agency carries
positive and constructive news from all over the world relating to voluntary
work, the work of the United Nations, non governmental organizations, and
institutions engaged in improving the quality of life – news that doesn’t “burn
out” in the space of a day. Editorial research by Fabio Gatti (in charge) and
Elisa Peduto. Good News Agency is published in English on one Friday and
in Italian the next. It is distributed free of charge
through Internet to the editorial offices of more than 3,700 media in 48 countries and to 2,800 NGOs.
It is an all-volunteer service
of Associazione Culturale dei Triangoli e della Buona Volontà Mondiale,
NGO associated with the United Nations Department
of Public Information. The
Association has been recognized by UNESCO as “an actor of the global movement for a culture of peace” and it has
been included in the web site http://www3.unesco.org/iycp/uk/uk_sum_monde.htm
International legislation – Human rights – Economy and development
Solidarity – Peace and security – Health
– Energy and Safety
Environment and
wildlife – Culture
and education
Welcome
Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union!
The European Council meeting
of 14-15 December will welcome the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU.
To celebrate this important occasion, the Commission is organising a major
event in the centre of Brussels hosted by President José Manuel Barroso and
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, and open to all. Representatives of
Bulgaria and Romania as well as of the Member States will be present. The
colourful event is open to the public.
Welcoming Bulgaria and Romania
to the EU, President Barroso said: “Finally the moment of celebration has
arrived. 1 January 2007 will be an important day in European history.
Bulgaria’s and Romania’s accession to the EU completes our historic fifth round
of enlargement, which peacefully reunified Western and Eastern Europe.” (…)
The world’s biggest ever
gingerbread, representing a giant map of the EU, will be unveiled. The map will
have record dimensions (3x3 metres), so it has been submitted for an entry in
the Guinness Book of Records. The President of Romania and the Prime Minister
of Bulgaria will complete the enlarged EU’s map by inserting two pieces
corresponding to the maps of their countries into the gingerbread map of the
EU. (…) The European Commission welcomes everyone to this celebration. For
further info consult: http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement
Human
Rights Day, December 10
“…On this
Human Rights Day, we reaffirm that freedom from want is a right, not merely a
matter of compassion. Fighting poverty is a duty that binds those who govern as
surely as their obligation to ensure that all people are able to speak freely,
choose their leaders and worship as their conscience guides them ….“ Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Human Rights Day is observed
by the international community every year on 10 December. It commemorates the
day in 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Its formal inception dates from 1950, after the
Assembly passed resolution 423 (V) inviting all States and interested
organizations to adopt 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day.
The High Commissioner for
Human Rights, as the main UN rights official, and her Office play a major role
in coordinating efforts for the yearly observation of Human Rights Day.
The Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) helps protect and promote
all human rights around the world. Headquartered in Geneva, the Office is also
present in over 40 countries. OHCHR works to ensure the enforcement of
universally recognized human rights norms, including through promoting both the
universal ratification and implementation of human rights treaties and respect
for the rule of law. It also aims to remove obstacles to the full realization
of all human rights and to prevent or stop human rights abuses.
Human
Rights Day 2006:
MADRE’s
Partners Confront Violence against Women and Girls
New York, December 10 -On
Human Rights Day, and at the close of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender
Violence, MADRE, an international
women’s human rights organization, emphasizes the imperative to combat violence
against women and girls worldwide. In partnership with community-based women’s
groups in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East,
MADRE supports a wide range of programs that confront gender-based violence
within a broad-based human rights framework. In the midst of armed conflict,
humanitarian disaster, and entrenched gender inequality, MADRE’s sister organizations
are on the front lines combating violence against women and girls:
In Iraq, MADRE partners
with the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) to protect women from an
epidemic of violence unleashed by the US invasion. Since 2004, OWFI has opened
five women’s shelters for women seeking refuge from rape, kidnappings, forced
marriage and other forms of gender-based violence, and established the
Underground Railroad for Iraqi Women, a network that enables women to escape
"honor killings".
In Kenya, MADRE partners
with the Umoja Uaso Women’s Group, an organization founded by Indigenous
Samburu women, many of whom are survivors of gender-based violence. With MADRE
support—including teacher trainings and school supplies—Umoja provides
community-based education for young girls and boys as a means to promote human
rights. In rural, isolated areas such as Samburuland, girls are often assaulted
when walking to schools miles from home. Umoja’s school has been instrumental
in reducing girls' risk of rape because it allows them to avoid traveling long
distances.
In Haiti, where incidents
of rape and other human rights violations have escalated sharply in recent
years, MADRE partners with KOFAVIV to meet rape survivors' immediate needs and
help bring perpetrators to justice. KOFAVIV provides survivors with counseling
and free, high-quality medical care, including testing and treatment for HIV
and other sexually transmitted infections, prenatal care for women who become
pregnant as a result of rape, and medical certificates, which are important for
prosecuting perpetrators in court.
In Colombia, a decades-long
civil war has displaced millions, the vast majority of whom are women and their
families. Over 11,000 children have been recruited by armed forces, and 25
percent of combatants are under the age of 18. MADRE partners with Taller de
Vida in Bogotá to provide critical services for displaced Afro-Colombian and
Indigenous women and youth, and offer peaceful, viable alternatives for young
people who are at risk of being recruited as child-soldiers.
Learn more about MADRE’s programs.
http://madre.org/programs/index.html?tr=y&auid=2205343
European
Seminar in January / February 2007 on the Empowerment and Integration of
Immigrant Women in the EU
EWL
new project on gender and immigration
In July 2006, EWL was awarded a
grant - under the European Programme on Integration and Migration (EPIM) - to
develop a European project with and for immigrant women living in the EU. EPIM was launched by the Network of European
Foundations for Innovative Cooperation (NEF) in the Autumn 2005, in order to
open a debate and encourage broader commitment to the development of
constructive integration policies at the EU level and to engage the widest
possible range of stakeholders in society in this process.
Under this project, EWL will organise
a European Seminar in January / February 2007 on the empowerment and
integration of immigrant women in the EU. The objectives of the project are:
1) to provide a starting point
from which immigrant women living in the EU begin to articulate their own
experiences and concerns and to advocate their rights to European
decision-makers; 2) to initiate a debate at European level on the urgent need
for a gender-specific approach to integration/migration policies; and 3) to
develop and strengthen networking opportunities between immigrant women.
For more information, contact
Clarisse Delorme (delorme@womenlobby.org
) at EWL secretariat.
European
Union’s budget 2007: new framework, new programmes, new financial rules to
boost growth in EU-27
Brussels, 14 December - A
record increase of spending for programmes strengthening the sustainable growth,
competitiveness and cohesion of the European economy – the first yearly budget
of the new Financial Framework 2007-13 translates better the Union's political
priorities into budgetary figures. "The new Financial Framework becomes a
new financial reality from now on", said Dalia Grybauskaitė,
Commissioner for Financial Programming and Budget, after today's adoption of
the 2007 budget by the European Parliament. "Once implemented, the new
budget will give the significant boost to innovation, transport, education and
training programmes bringing concrete improvements which should benefit many
people across the Union. It is an undeniable proof of the changes in European
thinking and should pave the way - in future – to the further modernisation of
EU finances".
The adopted budget amounts to
EUR 126.5 billion in commitment appropriations [1],
an increase of 5.0% comparing to 2006. It corresponds to 1.08% of the EU Gross
National Income (GNI). The payment appropriations [2] will amount to EUR 115.5 billion, or an increase of 7.6% in nominal
terms. It represents a level of only 0.99% of EU-27 GNI.
The new financial rules,
agreed together with 2007 budget, will simplify access to EU funding, cut red
tape particularly for small scale beneficiaries while improving transparency –
the public all over Europe will soon be able to know who receives EU funds in
regional and agricultural policies. (…) Official information of the European
Commission is available at any time at http://europa.eu.int/rapid/
New
US$23 million IFAD loan to boost thousands of rural enterprises in
North-Eastern Brazil
Rome, 8 December –
Approximately 20,000 poor people will participate in a new IFAD-supported
development project to create and consolidate family-owned rural enterprises in
Brazil’s semi-arid North-East region. More than 100,000 people are expected to
benefit from the project as a result of increased incomes, improved living
conditions and multiplying effects within the regional economy. The US$47 million North-East Rural Family
Enterprise Development Support Project will be partly financed by a US$23
million loan from the International Fund for Agricultural Development. The
project loan agreement was signed today by Ms Liana do Rego Motta Veloso,
Deputy Attorney General, Ministry of Finance and IFAD’s President Lennart Båge,
at IFAD headquarters. Brazil’s Ministry
of Agrarian Development will contribute US$22 million to the programme while
US$2 million is to be invested directly by project participants.
The North-East region is home
to the largest concentration of poor rural people in Brazil. The project will
initially be implemented in the Xingó area, where rural poverty is prevalent,
and help poor families involved with the development of small agro-industries
and other rural enterprises to enhance their business skills and increase their
incomes.(…) There are already some 600,000 rural small enterprises and
microenterprises, both formal and informal, in Brazil’s North-East region. Most
of these enterprises, which include food products and textile handicrafts, are
the result of initiatives of poor rural women. With this loan, IFAD will have
provided funds for six projects in Brazil since 1980, totalling about US$141
million.
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2006/44.htm
New
development project to improve rural financial services in the Gambia
Rome, 8 December – About 180,000
poor people in rural areas of the Gambia will have better access to savings
plans, credit, insurance services and business advice, thanks to a new
development project working with the country’s key microfinance institutions.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will largely finance
the US$8.73 million Rural Finance Project with a loan of US$6.12 million and a
grant of US$400,000. The agreement for the loan and grant were signed today by
Ms Ada Gaye, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Department of State for Finance
and Economic Affairs for the Republic of The Gambia, and IFAD President Lennart
Båge at IFAD’s headquarters. The project will provide skills and technical
training to local microfinance institutions in six rural divisions in the
Gambia. The training will help project participants identify and develop new
financial products, such as business development services for rural clients, as
well as improve their information management systems and expand the reach of
their services. Rural finance institutions will plan, carry out and evaluate
the project and its impact on clients. There will also be an annual evaluation
by village men and women to generate recommendations for further activities. By
the end of the six-year project, participating finance institutions are
expected to reach over 70,000 new rural customers. (…)
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2006/45.htm
Vietnam
to be First Pilot Country for 'One UN' Reform Programme
8 December - Kemal
Derviş, Head of the UN Development Group and Administrator of the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP), joined the government of Vietnam today to
announce its selection as the first “pilot”
country in the UN’s effort to unify and make more efficient and responsive its work
at the national level. Vietnam is at
the forefront of the UN move to deliver as one, said Mr. Derviş. The UN family has to combine the diversity
of skills and mandates present in our agencies to realize our tremendous
potential as partners in development.
The One UN pilot program will
include at least five other countries and aims to move beyond coordination to
consolidating a single presence in countries.
The Vietnam pilot will comprise six participating agencies UNICEF, UNDP,
UNFPA, UNIFEM, UNV and UNAIDS and commitments are expected from others to join
or cooperate with the programme in the near future. The "One UN" plan means agencies will work as one
team, with the aim of avoiding fragmentation and duplication of efforts. The
goal is to ensure a unity of purpose, coherence in management and efficiency in
operations while maintaining the distinct personality, agenda, and purpose of
the different agencies. (…)
“Vietnam is always pushing us
to do things better, to be ever more responsive and efficient, and the UN team
here is working to answer that call for more effective assistance,” said UN
Resident Coordinator John Hendra. “With
this very exciting pilot opportunity, Vietnam is being recognized for its
openness and drive to make the UN work better. (…)
UN-HABITAT
pledges special funding to help 1,000 Ghana slum families
Accra, 06/12/2006, UN-HABITAT
last week pledged funding to help 1,000 poor families in Accra, Ghana secure micro-credit
loans for business and home improvement as part of a field testing budget in
the slum of Old Fadima. UN-HABITAT Executive Director, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka told
a community meeting during a visit to the slum that the money amounting to some
US$27,500, would be disbursed through the Ghana Homeless Peoples Federation as
part of a pilot project in recognition of the efforts made by the community
which has mobilized itself to raise funds. The Old Fadama community,
derogatively known as “Sodom and Gomorrah” is Ghana’s largest squatter
settlement. Located in the heart of Accra, the community of some 30,000 people
has been under constant threat of eviction. It was established by migrant
workers and internally displaced people from northern Ghana, most of whom came
to town to find jobs and other economic opportunities. The homeless federation
will be assisted in the management of the project by People's Dialogue of Human
Settlements of Ghana. Both groups are affiliated with Slum/Shack Dwellers
International.
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=4171&catid=5&typeid=6&subMenuId=0
Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation grant will support introduction of the Ultra
Rice® technology in developing countries
December 6 - What if there
were a way to increase nutrients in rice, the staple food of more than half of
the world’s population? How many children could be saved from iron deficiency?
How many birth defects could be prevented?
PATH’s Ultra Rice technology,
a “grain” reconstituted from nutrient-enriched rice flour, can be mixed with
natural rice to help fight micronutrient deficiencies in vulnerable
communities. It is already in use or under consideration in a handful of
rice-consuming countries. Now PATH has received a $US6 million grant from the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to facilitate broader access to, and
greater use of, fortified rice. (…)
http://www.interaction.org/newswire/detail.php?id=5548
In
Latin America's Cities, Unemployment Drops and Job Creation Increases
But
social security coverage for salaried workers remains below that of the past
decade
5 December - Following more
than a decade of persistent growth in unemployment, the past four years
(2002-2005) have seen a decrease in urban unemployment rates in most Latin
American and Caribbean countries. This trend, and the parallel upturn in job
creation in cities, are factors that have contributed to recent advances in
combating poverty.
These are among the findings
of the latest Social Panorama of Latin America 2006, released yesterday by the
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). The year 2002
saw a reversal of the unemployment trend, the report notes, and the beginning
of a partial recovery in waged employment. The regional unemployment rate,
based on official figures from the countries, went from 11.0% to 9.1% between
2002 and 2005, and is expected to decrease even further in 2006, to about 8.5%.
At the same time, the yearly job creation rate increased between 2003 and 2005,
as compared to the 1991-2002 period. In 2003-2005, the total number of
job-holders in urban areas rose by just over 5.3 million per year, well in
excess of the 3.3 million per year increase over the 12 previous years.(…)
The ECLAC report cautions that
unemployment in Latin America continues to be high - around 3 percentage points
above the 1990 level. This is partly due to rising rates of participation in
the labour force, primarily through the increasing incorporation of women:
between 2002 and 2005, around 2.8 million women and 2.5 million men joined the
workforce, compared with 2.2 and 2.0 million, respectively, in 1990-2002.(…)
FAO,
IFAD and WFP executive heads in joint visit to northern Ghana
Joint
Ghana visit highlights field level cooperation
Accra/Rome, 5 December - Amid
growing calls for reform and coherence among United Nations partners, the heads
of the three Rome-based food and agriculture agencies demonstrated their
determination to strengthen joint efforts to reduce hunger and poverty at the
grassroots level by visiting Ghana’s food insecure Northern Region this week.
While in Ghana, the Food and
Agriculture Organization, the International Fund for Agricultural Development
and the World Food Programme reviewed joint initiatives in support of the
Government’s efforts to attain food security for the country’s entire
population. (…)
FAO, IFAD and WFP share the
vision of building a food-secure country through a twin-track approach:
provision in the short term of assistance to hungry households to meet their
education, health, and nutrition needs and building medium and long term
sustainable livelihoods through agricultural and rural development. (…)
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000452/index.html
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant will support introduction of the Ultra Rice® technology in developing countries
December 6 - What if there
were a way to increase nutrients in rice, the staple food of more than half of
the world’s population? How many children could be saved from iron deficiency?
How many birth defects could be prevented?
PATH’s Ultra Rice technology,
a “grain” reconstituted from nutrient-enriched rice flour, can be mixed with
natural rice to help fight micronutrient deficiencies in vulnerable
communities. It is already in use or under consideration in a handful of
rice-consuming countries. Now PATH has received a $US6 million grant from the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to facilitate broader access to, and
greater use of, fortified rice. (…)
http://www.interaction.org/newswire/detail.php?id=5548
UNICEF
celebrates 60 years for children
New York, 8 December - Six
decades after its inception as a temporary relief agency, UNICEF is marking its
60th anniversary today, celebrating its many achievements on behalf of children
all over the world. Born from the ashes of World War II, UNICEF’s first mission
was to provide milk, food, blankets and medicine to millions of European
children left hungry, homeless and weakened by war. Serving more than six million meals a day, it quickly earned the
nickname, “milkman to the world’s children.” Once the children of Europe were
on their way to recovery, UNICEF broadened its mandate beyond European borders
to help children suffering from poverty and illness throughout the world. Ever since then UNICEF has been on an
evolutionary journey, adapting to meet the needs of children in an ever
changing world. (…)
Perhaps UNICEF’s greatest
achievement has been putting children at the center of the international
development agenda. No longer a
separate cause with separate concerns, children are an important part of global
strategies to reduce illness, poverty and mortality while boosting education,
gender equality and environmental sustainability. In short, they are at the
very heart of the Millennium Development Goals. In the coming years UNICEF will continue to push for the needs of
children, entering its efforts on reaching MDG targets by 2015. Highlights of
the 60th anniversary celebration include a commemorative meeting at the UN
General Assembly, the screening of a new UNICEF documentary, “Wake Up World,” a
photo exhibit and multi-media art show entitled, “Mosaic UNICEF,” and, of
course, a celebration with children.
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_37435.html
Atlanta, Georgia, USA,
December 7 - Three highly respected American philanthropies have committed a
total of $2.5 million to CARE to meet the urgent needs of people who have been
harmed by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Darfur. In separate pledges, the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Howard G. Buffet Foundation have
each contributed $1 million towards CARE's work in Darfur, and Pam Omidyar's
Humanity United has pledged $500,000.
"Thousands of displaced
people continue to suffer in Darfur from violent attacks and lack of
life-saving resources. These generous grants will allow us to reduce the number
of child deaths, replenish depleted food supplies, and improve access to water
and sanitation in Darfur," said Paul Barker, CARE's country director in
Sudan. (…)
The situation in Darfur has
often been called the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. The newest
commitments of funding will be used in health care, water and sanitation and
food security, as well as projects to help families gain livelihoods to support
themselves. (…)
CARE has worked in Sudan since
1979, implementing projects in health, livelihoods, food security, water and
sanitation, relief operations around Khartoum and other parts of the country,
and peace advocacy. CARE was among the first agencies to respond to the Darfur
emergency when it began in 2003. The agency remains deeply concerned about
violence against vulnerable people in the region.
http://www.care.org/newsroom/articles/2006/12/20061207_darfur_grants.asp
6 December - To follow up on
its relief shipments to Pakistan earlier this year, Clear Path International
has funded the education of 55 girls and young women whose school was destroyed
by a powerful earthquake that shook the region a year ago.
In March, Clear Path sent two
containers of medical equipment, surgical supplies and orthopedic devices to
Mensehra near the epicenter of the earthquake. One of the containers also
included hundreds of bags of clothes, tents, sleeping bags, tools, household
goods, school supplies and other in-kind donations from more than 100 families
on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
One of the containers was
funded by the Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island, whose members also assisted in
the collection of the relief goods at Sakai Elementary. The other container was
funded by Susila Dharma International based in Vancouver, B.C.
After the shipments, Susila
Dharma International provided more than $3,000 to Clear Path to help support
the schooling of the girls in the Siran Valley in temporary quarters set up by
Pak Relief & Development Society, a Pakistani non-governmental organization.
Funding so far has paid for the hiring of three teachers, school supplies,
rent, utilities and equipment to continue the girls' education interrupted by
the natural disaster and until their school can be rebuilt. (…)
http://clearpathinternational.org/cpiblog/archives/000803.php#000803
International Federation boosts its efforts to help
flood victims in Kenya and warns of more floods to come in Africa
6 December - The International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is launching a revised
emergency appeal for 26.3 million Swiss Francs (21.9 million US$/ 16.5 million
€) to support the Kenya Red Cross Society in its response to the current
flooding affecting most parts of the country, especially the North-East and the
Coastal regions. It aims to assist around 563,000 people over the next four
months.
According to figures released
last week, approximately 723,000 people have been affected in different parts
of the country and about 60,000 people have been displaced in the coastal,
western and eastern provinces of Kenya. At least 34 people already died. Out of
the total number, more than 315,000 people are cut off as a result of destroyed
road links and bridges, especially in the Ijara district. The health situation
is particularly alarming. (…)
Kenya Red Cross volunteers are
increasing their efforts to reach the most vulnerable people and provide them with
emergency help, using helicopters and boats when necessary. The appeal includes
the provision of water purification tablets and sachets to 176,000 people while
emergency water supplies will be provided to 151,000 persons through 23 mobile
water treatment plants. Some 10,000 emergency latrines will be built for
200,000 displaced people. (…)
http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/pr06/8706.asp
Howard Chang
Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 4
December - As the second anniversary of the South Asia’s killer tsunami
approaches, the youth of Aceh together with Rotary Club Jakarta Gambir in
Indonesia, and Rotary Club Turramurra Australia will dedicate a children’s
village in a youth center in Banda Aceh as part of their continuing effort to
help youngsters orphaned by the disaster. The village of Gampong Anak of the
Rotary Youth Center will officially open after the dedication ceremony, set for
10 a.m. on Dec. 4, 2006.
The project was initiated by
the Indonesian Rotary clubs with support from Rotary clubs around the world.
Immediately after the tsunami struck, the District’s Task Force determined such
a center was needed as a base for the ongoing assessment of the needs of the
region’s hundreds of displaced and orphaned children. Local Rotarians and
volunteers will oversee the Youth Center programs.Expected to attend the
dedication are Aceh Governor Azwar Abubakar and Rotary International President
Bill Boyd. A 15-member delegation from the Rotary Club of Turramurra, which
donated US$1.0 million to the project, also will attend.
The Rotary Youth Center
complex includes the Gampong Anak “children’s village,” consisting of 12 group
homes, each housing 8 children and two “mothers”.
Geneva, 4 December - Among the
greatest needs currently being expressed in villages are non-food relief items.
The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), through its humanitarian relief
arm, Inter-Church Network for Development and Relief (ICNDR) in Lebanon, has
outlined a distribution plan that includes agriculture assistance and essential
winter supplies. (…)
Another huge need identified is in
the psychosocial sector. ICNDR, in collaboration with the Church of Sweden
(CoS), will provide a range of services throughout Lebanon from now until
January. Equipment will be provided for children with mental and physical
handicaps, and entertainment events for children ages 3 to 6 are planned. (…)
December and January will see
the continuation of water and sanitation work implemented by Norwegian Church
Aid in support of ICNDR. When work is completed, which is expected to be by the
end of January 2007, the joint team will have distributed 5,000 water-storage
tanks; repaired, laid and fitted water pipes in 10 villages; trucked water into
11 villages; provided 15 generators;
distributed 10,250 hygiene kits; provided other general services such as
emptying septic tanks and purifying water. In all, water and sanitation efforts
are being completed in more than 80 Lebanese villages by NCA and ICNDR. (…)
4 December - Thanks to a big
effort from about 700 volunteer refund collectors at this year's Roskilde
Festival, DanChurchAid and Roskilde Festival announce the record-breaking
result of DKK 1.5 million (approx. € 202,000). The profits are donated to two
of DanChurchAid's Cambodian partner organisation, Ponleur Kumar and Friends, who
both work on preventing and fighting modern slavery. DKK 956,743 (approx. €
128,421) was the result after eight days of collecting refund from bottles,
cans and cups at this year’s Roskilde Festival. That is the same as every
festival-goer donating an average of 12 bottles to the festival’s humanitarian
focus.
The great result is achieved
thanks to a huge effort from about 700 voluntary refund collectors and support
from the Roskilde-goers at this year’s festival.
With the campaign ’Act against
Slavery,’ Roskilde Festival and DanChurchAid focused on modern slavery in
Cambodia. The profits from the campaign are donated to two Cambodian
organisations Ponleur Kumar and Friends who both work on preventing and
fighting modern slavery. (…)
Vatican City, 4 December – In
the wake of the devastation caused by Typhoon Durian (Reming), which lashed large
parts of the Philippines last Thursday, Caritas volunteer teams from the 16
affected dioceses and archdioceses in Bicol and Southern Tagalog regions
immediately swung into action, providing relief and solace to affected
populations. As part of their long-term social and development work with
communities, Church schools and parish centres became an immediate refuge for
thousands of families across the affected regions. In the diocese of Legazpi, 3,700 families from eight towns in the
area are being provided with shelter, food and solace by diocesan Caritas
relief teams. Nine hundred sacks of
rice have already been dispatched to affected dioceses in the Bicol and
Southern Tagalog regions and some parts of Central Luzon.
Caritas diocesan relief teams
are currently assessing the situation and establishing priority immediate
response needs. Caritas Philippines has launched an appeal for US$ 1.3 million
to the Caritas network, targeting a month-long relief operation for more than
15,000 families. (…)
Caritas
Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development, and
social service organisations present in 200 countries and territories.
http://www.caritas.org/jumpNews.asp?idLang=ENG&idChannel=35&idUser=0&idNews=4575
Lynne
Ward - Vukoni Lupa-Lasaga
Johannesburg, South Africa, 29
November - A team of five Rotary-sponsored international students are
participating in a 2,010-kilometre (1,249-mile) hike from Johannesburg to Cape
Town, South Africa, to highlight the plight of AIDS orphans. The 20-day event
will start on 2 December. The hike’s duration and distance are intended to underscore
the bleak prediction that in the absence of concerted efforts, there will be 20
million AIDS orphans in Africa by 2010. Currently, there are 12 million. Also,
2010 is the year that South Africa hosts the World Cup, locally a passionately
anticipated soccer event.
Along the way, the hikers who
are students at Johannesburg’s University of the Witwatersrand will raise funds
for Rotary club-sponsored AIDS orphans projects in Africa. Four of them are
Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars, receiving scholarship funding from The Rotary
Foundation.
“Why am I spending 20 days of
my life walking across South Africa?” asks development studies masters student
Ryan McDonnell from near Boston, Massachusetts, USA. “I want to challenge the notion that ordinary individuals can’t
make a tangible difference in the lives of others. Too often we make excuses
that we don't have the ability, the time, the energy or that the problem is
simply too big.” McDonnell notes that it is easy to give up in the face of the
mind-boggling HIV/AIDS statistics. His colleagues have equally powerful reasons
for joining the effort cosponsored by South African Rotary clubs and Rotary
clubs around the world. (…)
With the support of nonprofit
organization Hope Worldwide, Rotary clubs are implementing community-led
responses to the needs of AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in Botswana,
Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zambia. In
addition to training more than 40,000 caregivers to AIDS orphans, the project
aims to provide support for more than 146,000 orphans in the next five years.
Tens of thousands of Rotarians are involved with community-based projects that
are helping to improve the lives of millions of HIV/AIDS affected Africans. The
hikers will describe the experiences of the 20-day journey on the Rotary Aids
Hike blog at http://rotaryaidshike2006.blogspot.com/
http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/presscenter/releases/2006/294.html
Author(s): Site Admin
8 December - Nine years after
signing the Mine Ban Treaty, the Indonesian parliament approved the
ratification bill on 7 December 2006. The Canadian Ambassador to Indonesia and
Els Coolen from the Indonesian Campaign to Ban Landmines were present when the
bill was approved. Indonesia, whose constitution includes aiming for world peace,
has now finally taken the last step towards action on this front. It is hugely
significant that the fourth most populous nation in the world has thrown its
weight behind the movement to promote a mine free world.
As the only step left in the
process is the final signature of the President, Indonesia will be able to
present its ratification at the next Mine Ban Treaty Intersessional Meetings
which will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, in April 2007.
Together with Poland and the
Marshall Islands, Indonesia was one of the three remaining states to have
originally signed the Mine Ban Treaty and had not ratified it yet.
http://www.icbl.org/news/indonesia_ratification
December 7 - Japan , through
its embassy in Jordan, and Norwegian People’s Aid have signed an agreement
where The Japanese Grass Root Fund will support one of NPAs demining teams
consisting of 25 deminers working in Jordan throughout 2007. The agreement is
worth USD 165,000 and will be used for manual mine clearance on the border
between Jordan and Israel , between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea.
The Government of Japans Grass
Root Fund aims to aid self-supporting socio-economic development activities to
benefit sectors at the grassroots level. Norwegian People’s Aid is conducting
mine clearance in Jordan n
collaboration with the National Committee for Demining and Rehabil- itation
(NCDR) for the purpose of meeting Jordans commitments under the Mine Ban
Treaty. More specific obectives are releasing dangerous areas in Jordan for
infrastructure, housing, agriculture, manufacturing and service industries and
to support the foundation for a sustainable and competent national humanitarian
mine action entity in Jordan.
http://otto.idium.no/folkehjelp.no/?module=Articles;action=Article.publicShow;ID=4465
Beirut, Lebanon, 5 December –
Despite the serious political crisis gripping Lebanon, threatening to derail
the country’s peace, 23 people met today in Beirut for a four-day peace-building
and reconciliation training session. The session is based on Peace-building: A
Caritas Training Manual, which was recently translated into Arabic. The
participants are of various faiths, and come from Caritas member organisations
in Djibouti, Morocco, Libya, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and
Lebanon. The solidarity shown by the Confederation has enabled this initiative,
which is being carried out by the Caritas Middle East Regional Office, to
happen, thus allowing all members to be witnesses of charity and builders of
peace.
http://www.caritas.org/jumpNews.asp?idLang=ENG&idChannel=35&idUser=0&idNews=4586
Nepali Army starts process of
clearing landmines (NEPAL)
4 December, Xinhua News Agency
- Nepali Army (NA) has initiated the process of clearing landmines it had
planted to deter the combatants of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) (formerly
known as guerrilla) during the 11-years conflict, The Kathmandu Post daily
reported.
“We have already started the
process of clearing landmines by establishing Mine Action Center at our
headquarters,“ the English language newspaper quoted Prabin Bahadur Khadka, a
Major in NA, as saying. He said that the NA would establish five separate Mine
Action Centers in five NA divisions across the country and the technical team
would carry out needed surveillance of landmines and other explosives. He
informed that the NA currently has some 12,000 anti- personnel mines planted in
its different base areas. He also made it clear that they have recordings,
markings and fencing of all landmines and devices planted in their positions.
http://www.landmine.de/en.titel/en.news/en.news.one/index.html?entry=en.news.0d7dafc03b760000
22 November - H.e. Ms. May
Britt Brofoss, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway in Slovenia, and Mr. Goran
Gačnik, Director of ITF, signed the Memorandum of Understanding at the
17th ITF Board of Advisors Session held in Ljubljana on 22 November 2006. The
Memorandum of Understanding was signed between ITF and the Kingdom of Norway
for donation in the amount of 3,700,000.00 NOK.
Norway has already contributed
to ITF this year for demining activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia,
while the funding covered by the respected Memorandum of Understanding has been
an additional contribution for demining activities in Serbia.
Norway remains one of the ITF
biggest donors and valuable contributors to mine action efforts in South East
Europe.
International
donors up funding to fight H5N1 avian flu
Assistance
to Africa increased
Bamako/Rome, 8 December - The
UN Food and Agriculture Organization today welcomed additional funding from the
international donor community to continue the fight against the deadly H5N1
avian flu virus. Some US$475 million was pledged today at the end of a major
three-day international donor conference on avian flu in Bamako, Mali.
Alexander Müller, FAO
Assistant Director-General, told the conference that avian flu remains a
“potent threat around the world – both to animals and humans.” Mr Müller urged
donors to make Africa “a top priority for resources and technical assistance in
the battle against avian influenza”, warning that ”one weak link can lead to a
domino effect, undoing all the good that we have achieved so far. Now is no
time for complacency.” (…)
Donors have strongly supported
FAO’s work to help countries contain bird flu. So far, FAO has used US$10
million of its own funds and has received US$66 million from donors with
agreements signed for another US$25 million. A further US$60 million is in the
pipeline.
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA,
December 4 - The Adventist Development and Relief Agency is combating the
spread of HIV and AIDS in Togo through educational programs that raise
awareness about HIV and AIDS. According to the Integrated Regional Information
Network, Togo, a small country of five million people, has the third highest
prevalence of HIV and AIDS in West Africa with some 200,000 HIV-positive people
in Togo.
ADRA Togo’s HIV and AIDS awareness
project, implemented in collaboration with the Red Cross and a local health
center, involves staff visiting villages throughout Togo, discussing subjects
such as HIV prevention, symptoms, contamination, and attitudes towards those
who are affected. During the programs, peer educators perform skits, songs,
dances, poems, and other entertainment education to teach students about the
disease. Attendees also participate in question and answer games about HIV and
AIDS.
In October alone, the sessions
impacted nearly 1200 students and their teachers. The majority of these
students come from poor rural areas and are between the ages of 12 and 24. The
entire project, which is valued at more than $36,000, began in January 2006 and
is scheduled to end in December. (…)
http://www.interaction.org/newswire/detail.php?id=5542
by Charlotte Brudenell,
ACT-Caritas
Nyala, South Darfur, Sudan, 1
December - To mark World AIDS Day (December 1), the Sudan Council of Churches
(SCC), a local partner of ACT-Caritas, has organized three days of events in
Nyala town, the capital of South Darfur state. "Celebrating World AIDS Day
creates an opportunity to raise awareness," says Lokman Mohammed, acting
HIV/AIDS coordinator at SCC. "People in Darfur need to open their eyes
about HIV/AIDS. There is a great deal of ignorance about the disease, and as a
result, people do not know how to protect themselves."
Under the slogan "Ignorance
+ risky behavior = AIDS", SCC aims to inform people about HIV/AIDS and
promote safe practices throughout the campaign. (…)
The campaign focuses on young
people, as they are one of the groups that is most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, but
they also have the potential to play a big role in tackling the epidemic. (…)
New report shows improvements
in child survival in Africa, but more than a million African babies still die
in the first month of life
Johannesburg, South Africa,
November 22 - Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most dangerous region in the world
for a baby to be born, with 1.16 million babies dying each year in the first 28
days of life, but six low-income African countries — Burkina Faso, Eritrea,
Madagascar, Malawi, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania — have made
significant progress in reducing deaths among newborn babies, according to a
new report published today by a consortium of nine international organizations
including Save the Children.
The report, Opportunities for
Africa’s Newborns, brings together new data and analysis from a team of 60
authors from the group, called The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child
Health, (PMNCH). To view the entire report, go to www.pmnch.org
“Good news does come out of
Africa, “said Dr. Joy Lawn, co-editor of the report, who works in Africa for
Saving Newborn Lives, a program of Save the Children. “While the survival of
the African child has shown almost no improvement since the 1980s, the fact
that during 2006 several large African countries have reported a dramatic
reduction in the risk of child deaths gives us new hope of more rapid progress
to save Africa’s children.” (…)
http://www.savethechildren.org/newsroom/2006/new-report.html
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Zambia : International
Federation signs a Water facility agreement with the EU
by Tapiwa Gomo, Lusaka
8 December - The provision of
water and sanitation is the beginning of poverty reduction among poor
communities. This was the message sent by Dr. Mukesh Kapila, the International
Federation’s Special Representative for HIV and AIDS during the signing of a
Contribution Agreement between the International Federation and the European
Commission in Lusaka, Zambia.
Under the Agreement, which is
under the 1st Call for Proposals for Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific - European
Union (ACP-EU) Water Facility, the European Commission will provide €1.84
million from the 9th European Development Fund (EDF) to support water and
sanitation interventions in Zambia implemented by the Zambia Red Cross with
support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies, the British and Swedish Red Cross societies.
The project is co-financed
with the Federation who will contribute €610,000, bringing the total project
cost to €2.45 million (US$3.2 million). (…)
http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/06/06120803/index.asp
Chinese
company makes, exports thousands of solar cookers
A company in China reports
that it produces 80,000 solar cookers per year, selling 50,000 in China and exporting
30,000 to countries such as Pakistan, India, the United States, and Brazil. Tom
Rick, a spokesman for the Yancheng Sangli Solar Energy Co., Ltd., says that
1.84 million solar cookers have been produced by the company since it began
manufacturing them in 1983.
The concentrator-type solar
cookers are comprised of two reflectors totaling 1.5 square meters of
collection area. The reflectors are made of thin cast iron with a highly
reflective aluminum coating. Each reflector focuses a concentrated beam of
light onto an area five centimeters in diameter under the cooking pot. The
cooker is rated at 800 watts and is designed so that the reflectors are close
to the ground, giving the cooker a low center of gravity for greater stability
in wind. The company reportedly was the first to standardize production of
solar cookers in China, and its cookers were selected by the Chinese government
for distribution in fuel-strapped Tibet. The sunny western provinces of China,
such as Sichuan, Xinjiang, and Guizhou, are other important markets for the
cookers. (…)
http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scrnov06.htm
Costa
Rica - "Renewable Energy for the Developing World" workshop, 22-27
January
Solar Energy International’s
next "Renewable Energy for the Developing World" workshop will be
held 22-27 January, 2007, at Rancho Mastatal environmental learning and
sustainable living center. The center is located in the last virgin rainforest
of Costa Rica’s Puriscal County. The property shares a significant border with
the splendid La Cangreja national park, in Sabana Grande. Much of the six-day
workshop will be hands on: participants will help a women’s cooperative build
and use solar ovens, design and install a solar-electric system, and build a
methane biodigester, amongst other things. The workshop will also include
overviews of social and cultural issues related to working in the developing
world. The registration fee of $650 covers food, lodging and all in-country
transportation. Contact: Solar Energy International, P.O. Box 715, Carbondale,
Colorado 81623, USA. Tel: 970-963-8855, fax: 970-963-8866, e-mail:
sei@solarenergy.org, Web: www.solarenergy.org
http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scrnov06.htm
Vesna Peric Zimonjic
Belgrade, December 9 (IPS) -
The controversy over construction of a major highway in western Romania that
threatens to destroy the precious Retezat and Domogled natural reserve parks
has been put off at least for now. Authorities have decided to temporarily halt
the project after the environmental aspect of building the much advertised
Route 66a came into focus, with leading experts calling for the plan to be
dismantled. (…) Greenpeace had been warning that construction of the road was
illegal, and that hastily drawn up plans to use international funds had
bypassed necessary licences from planning commissions, environmental agencies
and the Scientific Council of the Retezat Park. Construction of the
controversial road has reached a point now only a kilometre from Retezat
forest. The road was meant to connect the towns of Petrosani and Baile
Herculane, long neglected in broader development plans.
Retezat and nearby Domogled in
that region are considered among the last remaining unspoilt forests in Europe.
Situated in the west of the country in the southern Carpathians region, they
are home to more than 1,200 plant species, some 60 of them found only in this
area. They are also home to many animal species long driven out of other areas
of Europe by industrialisation and modern life. (…)
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=35783
Brussels, 8 December -
Corporate responsibility on social and environmental matters is gaining ground
in Europe. Two years after the European Multistakeholder Forum on Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) representatives from business, trade unions,
national governments, academia and other organisations, at the initiative of
the European Commission, discussed progress achieved on implementation of the
forum's recommendations and the way forward. They concluded that more and more
European businesses are adopting CSR practices and invited all stakeholders to
play an active role in making Europe a pole of excellence on CSR.
Vice-President Günter Verheugen and Commissioner for Social Affairs Vladimir
Spidla addressed the meeting together with a number of Members of European
Parliament and other high-level representatives. Participants agreed that a
wide CSR uptake in the EU can be further promoted by intensifying cooperation
between different stakeholder groups. The European Commission attaches growing
importance to socially and environmentally responsible behaviour by enterprises,
identifying CSR as an essential ingredient for the European strategy for
sustainable growth and more and better jobs. (…) More information:
European Commission policy on
CSR: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/csr/policy.htm
CSR Forum Review Meeting: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/csr/forum_2006_index.htm
Kiev
to Host Ministerial Conference on Carpathian Convention
EU
Joins Effort to Promote “Carpathian Space”
Kiev, 8 December - The seven member governments of the
Carpathian Convention will meet in Kiev next week for a three-day conference on
protecting the natural and cultural heritage of the mountainous areas of
Central and Eastern Europe. Ministers of Environment will attend a high-level
session on the final day to adopt an action programme setting out their
priorities for achieving greater environmental, social and economic well-being
for the Carpathian region. (…) The Framework Convention on the Protection and
Sustainable Development of the Carpathians, which entered into force on 4
January of this year, seeks to strengthen regional cooperation, sustainable
development and environmental protection in the Czech Republic, Hungary,
Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine. The Convention joins together
four EU Members, one acceding country and two EU neighbors thus providing a
unique framework for European cooperation. To advance this cooperation on
environment and sustainable development, the European Commission and its
partners are investing €4.5 million to promote the concept of a “Carpathian
Space”. The aim is to provide a common strategic vision for the countries and
peoples of this historically marginalized European mountain region. (…)
Over 50 non-governmental
observer organizations are expected to participate in the Conference; they will
organize the “Carpathian celebrations” as a cultural event on the final
day. (…)
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=496&ArticleID=5449&l=en
The
Future of the Iraqi Marshlands
UNEP
Reveals New Data on Marshlands Recovery and Progress in Bringing Clean Water to
Marsh Arab Communities
Tokyo, 7 December – Almost
half the Iraqi Marshlands, considered by some as the original biblical “Garden
of Eden” and an ecosystem of global importance, has recovered to its former
1970s extent. At the same time, up to 22,000 people living in the area are now
getting access to safe drinking water and approximately 300 Iraqis have been
trained in marshland management techniques and policies. A series of community
led environmental awareness campaigns have been organized by local leaders and
residents, and an internet-based Marshland Information Network (MIN) has been
set-up. These are some of the results from the first phase of a Japanese funded
project that will be presented to a meeting of high-level Iraqi officials,
local community leaders and representatives of the international donor
community in Kyoto, Japan tomorrow.
The project, “Support for
Environmental Management of the Iraqi Marshlands”, is managed by the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It is helping the Iraqi people to restore
the marshlands and manage them in a sustainable manner, as well as providing
safe drinking water and sanitation systems to marshlands communities lacking
access to these basic necessities.
The Iraqi Marshlands are one
of the world’s largest wetland ecosystems. By the time the former Iraqi regime
collapsed in 2003, these Marshlands – with their rich biodiversity and unique
cultural heritage – had been almost entirely destroyed. Extensive ecological
damage to this area, with the accompanying displacement of much of the
indigenous population, was identified as one of the country’s major
environmental and humanitarian disasters.(…) Building on the success of the
project’s first phase, a second phase was recently launched with financial
support from the Japanese and Italian governments. This next stage of the
project focuses on data collection and analysis of water, environmental and
socio-economic indicators to support the development of a marshland master
plan, further technical training, awareness raising and additional clean
drinking water provision.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=496&ArticleID=5450&l=en
UNICEF
Executive Director honours the father of the ‘Green Revolution’
New York, 4 December - UNICEF
Executive Director Ann M. Veneman presented the annual Quality of Life Award to
Norman Ernest Borlaug, father of the ‘Green Revolution’, in New York today.
“Borlaug has seen hunger up close, and in response, he has dedicated his life
to feeding the world,” said Ms. Veneman. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Dr.
Borlaug developed strains of high-yield disease-resistant wheat that he
introduced, alongside modern agricultural production techniques to much of the
developing world. The resulting ‘Green Revolution’ was a dramatic improvement
in agricultural productivity that swept the globe in the 1960s. Today, he is
using the same techniques to increase food production in Africa. “From having
seen hunger during my travels to Africa and other parts of the globe, I hope
that countries around the world will heed Norman Borlaug’s call and one day
bestow the man who dedicated his life to feeding the world with the biggest
prize of all – the prize of a world free of hunger.”
The International Quality of
Life Awards have been presented by Auburn University each year since 1994. The
Awards honour those who have made significant contributions to individual,
family and community well-being. Past honorees have included Archbishop
Emeritus Desmond Tutu of Capetown, South Africa; Madeleine Albright, former
U.S. Secretary of State; and Catherine Bertini, former Executive Director,
World Food Programme.
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_37345.html
“Age
of Connectivity: Cities, Magnets of Hope”
Caring
Communities for the 21st Century: Imagining the Possible
Friday
,9 February 2007 International
Conference 10am – 6pm United Nations Headquarters
As part of a series of
Interlinked Congresses addressing the “Age of Longevity” held in cities around
the globe, this free conference is organized in coordination with United
Nations partners: Programme for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat), Programme on
Ageing, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Department of Public Information;
World Olympians Association, NGOs, and the private sector. The Conference is in support of the United
Nations Commission for Social Development and 7th Global Forum on Building
Trust in Government. The “Age of Connectivity” interrelates basic elements that
influence our quality of life – innovative rethinking of the basic
elements -- family, education, health,
housing, multi-levels of government, and the ICT Information Highway – and creates a unique opportunity to
encourage a quality blueprint for an enriched “Society for All Ages.”
Successful case studies,
public/private partnerships, and perspectives of local authorities, NGOs and
business will be featured. The Conference’s purpose is to build bridges and
develop projects, services and products that support the needs of people of all
ages. Each month the world’s older
population increases by 1.2 million! Program will address: Social and Economic
Sustainability through Technology, Rural and Urban Development,
Entrepreneurship, Employment, e-learning, e-health, e- government, Networks,
Capacity Building. ” When perceived with an open mind, these interrelationships
offer endless opportunities for us all. (…)Registration Deadline 5 February
2007
www.un.org/events/agingcf.htm www.international-iccc.org
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