Good News Agency, 19 December 2008
Good News Agency
Weekly - year 9th, number 16 - 19December 2008
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. It is distributed free of charge through Internet to the editorial offices of 4,000 media in49 countries and to 2,800 NGOs and 500 high schools, colleges and universities. It is an all-volunteer service of Associazione Culturale dei Triangoli e della Buona Volontà Mondiale, NGOassociated with the United Nations Department of Public Information. The Association has beenrecognized by UNESCOas “an actor of the global movement for a culture of peace” and it has been included in the web site
Contents
International legislation – Human rights – Economyanddevelopment – Solidarity
Peace andsecurity – Health– Energyand Safety – Environment and wildlife
Religion and spirituality – Cultureand education
International legislation
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94 Nations sign global ban on cluster munitions
More likely to join treaty protecting civilians.
Oslo, 4 December - The new international treaty banning cluster munitions, which opened for signing on December 3 and 4, 2008, is one of the most important measures that nations have taken to protect civilians from the deadly effects of armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said today. By the close of the signing conference in Oslo, 94 nations had signed the treaty, which bans cluster munitions outright and provides strong humanitarian provisions for their cleanup and assistance to victims. (…)
The new treaty has a groundbreaking provision requiring states that join it actively to discourage other nations from using cluster munitions in joint military operations. Signatories include dozens of stockpilers and former producers and users of the weapon. Eighteen of 26 NATO nations, including the UK, France, and Germany, signed the agreement. Those signing included some of the most severely affected states, such as Laos, Lebanon, and Afghanistan, which made a surprise announcement that it was signing after a change of heart by President Hamid Karzai. The number of signatories is expected to increase quickly. (...) The agreement will become binding international law six months after 30 signatories have ratified it. Four ratified in Oslo: Holy See; Ireland; Norway and Sierra Leone. (…)
New human rights instrument closes vital protection gap, says top UN official
12 December - The United Nations human rights chief has welcomed the General Assembly’s adoption of an important new instrument to strengthen the protection of economic, social and cultural rights, stressing that it gives a voice to victims of violations. “The approval of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is of singular importance by closing a historic gap,” stated UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.
The Protocol, adopted during the Assembly’s 10 December meeting commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, will enable victims to complain about violations of the rights enshrined in the Covenant at the international level for the first time. Ms. Pillay stressed that the Protocol provides a voice to victims of human rights violations. It also “makes them better equipped to enlist the international community’s help to address their plight.”
The Optional Protocol will now be opened for signature during 2009 and enter into force once it has been ratified by ten States.
Scottish climate bill could set global example
Edinburgh, Scotland, 9 December - The newly published Scottish Climate Change Bill has the potential to become a world leading piece of legislation if it receives cross-party backing from Scottish MPs, according to WWF-Scotland. The targets in the bill include a 50 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and a cut of 80 per cent by 2050. It also sets out measures to tackle shipping and aviation emissions, as well as emissions from all six greenhouse gases, not just carbon dioxide.
WWF-Scotland campaigners have so far conveyed over 25,000 messages of support for the bill from around the world and Dr Richard Dixon, Director of WWF Scotland, said: “It’s vital that MSPs back strong measures already in the bill and work constructively to improve it further.”
Scottish Climate Change Minister Stewart Stevenson said: “As a government we are determined to have carbon assessment at the heart of our decision-making. We are breaking new ground with our carbon assessment project which will ensure climate change impacts are considered in future budgets and spending decisions.” (...) Scottish Green MSP Patrick Harvie said: “I believe it can be the foundation for the most effective legislation yet delivered on climate change anywhere in the world, but it still needs a lot of work.”
Human rights
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Brazil’s Supreme Court upholds rights of Indigenous Peoples
12 December - A vote in Brazil’s Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the reservation of Raposa Serra do Sol on the frontier between Brazil and Guyana/Venezuela. The vote is seen as a victory for all Indigenous Peoples across Brazil.
The Supreme Court’s vote is a milestone in the thirty-year battle of the Makuxi, Wapixana, Ingarikó, Taurepang and Patamona indigenous peoples for the recognition of their constitutional right to their ancestral lands. (...)
Journalists in Tajikistan help citizens protect their rights
Almaty, 10 December - Tajik journalists improved their reporting on human rights issues thanks to a series of trainings organized by a local media association in cooperation with UNESCO. Citizens’ complaints to media regarding human rights violations increased in Tajikistan since September 2008, reported the Tajik Association of Independent Electronic Mass Media Organizations (TAIEMM). (…) Some 35 journalists from independent newspapers, TV and radio companies in Sogd and Khatlon regions, and in the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, followed the training in human rights which was organized by TAIEMM with the support of UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC). (…) This training series was specifically designed to give journalists practical knowledge and skills necessary for television and radio reporting, preparation of articles and conducting of interviews. (…)
Seven human rights fighters receive top UN awards
10 December - The United Nations General Assembly today awarded its top human rights prize to seven global advocates ranging from a Congolese doctor who treats female victims of sexual violence, a nun who fought for indigenous rights before her murder in Brazil, and the assassinated Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto.
The UN Prize in the Field of Human Rights, awarded every five years, was presented at a General Assembly ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
The winners are former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour; United States ex-Attorney-General Ramsey Clark; Executive Director and co-founder of Jamaicans for Justice Carolyn Gomes; Denis Mukwege, co-founder of the General Referral Hospital of Panzi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); Human Rights Watch, represented by its executive director Kenneth Roth; Ms. Bhutto; and Dorothy Stang of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur who was murdered in Brazil three years ago. (...)
Genocide Prevention Task Force delivers blueprint for U.S. Government to prevent genocide and mass atrocities
8 December - The Genocide Prevention Task Force today released its final report on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The report makes the case for why genocide and mass atrocities threaten core American values and national interests, and how the U.S. government can prevent these crimes in the future.
Jointly convened by the United StatesHolocaustMemorialMuseum, The American Academy of Diplomacy, and the United States Institute of Peace, the Task Force began its work last November with the goal of generating concrete recommendations to enhance the U.S. government’s capacity to recognize and respond to emerging threats of genocide and mass atrocities. “The world agrees that genocide is unacceptable and yet genocide and mass killings continue,” said Madeleine K. Albright, former Secretary of State and Co-Chair of the Genocide Prevention Task Force. “We believe that preventing genocide is possible, and that striving to do so is imperative both for our national interests and our leadership position in the world.” Read More UN Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
Round-table on the political participation of women in the Maghreb
26 November - UN-INSTRAW and the Center for Arab Women Training and Research (CAWTAR) organized a National- Round Table on the Political Participation of Women in the Maghreb, on Wednesday, 26 November 2008, at CAWTAR headquarters in Tunisia. This will be the third round table, following those that were held in Morocco and Algeria, to be organized within the context of the joint UN-INSTRAW/CAWTAR project “Strengthening Women’s Leadership and Participation in Politics and Decision-Making in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia,” which was launched in June 2008 with funding from the Spanish Government. (...) This project contributes to strengthening the integration of women in political life and in decision-making process in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia -countries that are considered to be open to women’s participation in those areas, having asserted their willingness to promote women’s rights and having ratified the most important international instruments and conventions aiming at the achievement of gender equality in the exercise of political rights. (...)
Economy and development
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United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation - 19 December
By resolution 58/220 of 23 December 2003, the General Assembly decided to declare 19 December, United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation. This was the date on which the General Assembly endorsed the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries.
The Assembly also urged all relevant United Nations organizations and multilateral institutions to intensify their efforts to effectively mainstream the use of South-South cooperation in the design, formulation and implementation of their regular programmes and to consider increasing allocations of human, technical and financial resources for supporting South-South cooperation initiatives.
Irrigation key for Africa’s food security - Diouf
Urges Global “Early Reaction Fund” for countries in crisis
Sirte, Libya,15 December- Water management is “a key element” in food security, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf told a ministerial conference on “Water for Agriculture and Energy in Africa: the Challenges of Climate Change” which opened here today. The conference is organized by FAO, as the Chair of UN Water, together with the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Government and in collaboration with stakeholders including the African Union, the African Ministers’ Council on Water Development, the African Development Bank and the Economic Commission for Africa.
During the three-day conference ministers from 53 African countries will consider a “Blue Revolution” programme designed to harness Africa’s largely untapped water resources to its development. The conference aims at setting the scene for moving from talk to action. The $65 billion, 20-year programme details the irrigation and hydroenergy investments required in each country. (...)
Sri Lanka: Community credit reduces risk for poorest
by Patrick Fuller, International Federation in Sri Lanka
12 December - In the years since the tsunami struck, most of the affected families along Sri Lanka’s coastline have received some form of help to rebuild their homes and restore their livelihoods. But it is not uncommon to find that humanitarian assistance programmes have failed to bring lasting benefits to some of the poorest and most marginalized families. One of the key obstacles has been gaining access to loans and financial services via the commercial banking sector. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) have stepped in to help some of these families via a partnership with SANASA, a well respected Micro Finance Institution (MFI) cooperative, with more than 800,000 members and 25 years of experience in Sri Lanka. A four-year pilot project is beginning in the southern district of Matara where 750 of the poorest families in the district will be provided with access to SANASA’s micro-finance services. (…) Backed by the Swedish Red Cross and Belgian Flanders Red Cross societies, the project aims to strengthen, diversify and protect livelihoods in a way that is sustainable over the long term. (…)
Applications open for social innovation contest for Latin America and the Caribbean
Given its positive results in identifying innovative ideas, the contest was extended for another year
11 December - The invitation to take part in the fifth annual Experiences in Social Innovation competition, organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is now open. The deadline for application is16 January 2009. The contest was originally set to end in 2008, but given its positive results in identifying innovative ideas, it has been extended for another year.
The 2008-2009 cycle follows four prior successful contests, in which a total of 4,400 applications have been submitted. Of these, 60 have been elected finalists, from the following countries: Argentina (8), Belize (1), Bolivia (3), Brazil (19), Chile (2), Colombia (9), Cuba (1), Ecuador (3), El Salvador (1), Guatemala (1), Haiti (1), Mexico (1), Paraguay (2), Peru (6), St. Lucia (1) and Uruguay (1). The competition focuses on innovative initiatives in eight areas: community health, primary education, youth programmes, income generation, corporate social responsibility, volunteer work, rural/agricultural development and food security/nutrition. (...) The four contest cycles have awarded prizes for a total of US$268,000. (...)
USD 30.17 million loan from IFAD to empower rural women and reduce poverty in the Mid-Gangetic Plains of India
Rome, 11 December- A USD30.17 million loan to the Republic of India from IFAD will assist in increasing the social and economic empowerment of rural women, giving them greater access to microfinance and business development services.
The total cost of the Women’s Empowerment and Livelihoods Programme in the Mid-Gangetic Plains is USD52.47 million. The loan agreement was signed today in Rome by Shri Arif Shahid Khan, Ambassador of the Republic of India to Italy and Lennart Båge, IFAD President.
The Mid-Gangetic Plains constitute India’s largest pocket of poverty in terms of population. The rural economy suffers from acute population pressure, low crop productivity and inequitable land tenure. Women experience deeper deprivation here than elsewhere in India because of strong patriarchy and rigid caste divisions. As well as increasing access to financial institutions, the programme will empower rural women by establishing grass-root organizations and increasing their participation in local government.(...)
India receives more funding from IFAD than any other country in the world. To date, IFAD has financed 22 programmes and projects in India, approving loans for a total of USD595.3 million.
Rwanda: food and nutrition interventions for PLWHA
2 December - ACDI/VOCA has won a five-year, subagreement from Catholic Relief Services on the Ibyiringiro project to support improved services available to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Rwanda. USAID and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program provides funding for the project, which will address four main impediments to improving the livelihood security and resiliency of households impacted by HIV and AIDS: a lack of available resources to expand the quantity and quality of services to PLWHA and OVC households already receiving food rations; a lack of strong community-based organizations to consistently support PLWHA and OVCs; insufficient economic opportunities for PLWHA and OVC households; insufficient weaning food and targeted nutrition education to HIV positive mothers to prevent the transmission of HIV to their infants after six months of exclusive breastfeeding.
ACDI/VOCA will be primarily working with local cooperatives in cooperative development, including training in management, financial systems and governance.
Solidarity
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International Human Solidarity Day - 20 December
International Human Solidarity Day was established by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2005 as an initiative in the fight against poverty. (A/RES/60/209)
International Human Solidarity Day is:
A day to celebrate our unity in diversity
A day to remind governments to respect their commitments to international agreements
A day to raise public awareness of the importance of solidarity
A day to encourage debate on the ways to promote solidarity for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals including poverty eradication
A day of action to encourage new initiatives for poverty eradication.
Flood-stricken Papua New Guinea receives UN assistance
16 December - The United Nations is sending a disaster assessment team to Papua New Guinea after severe sea swells hit the northern shoreline, affecting up to 60,000 people, according to government estimates. The possibility of water-borne disease is one of the major health concerns and timely and adequate water and sanitation assistance is required, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today. The swells destroyed houses, food and water supplies. Main needs identified by the government include water containers, tarpaulins, water purification tablets, food rations and insecticide-treated anti-malarial bed-nets. The surge, which damaged crops and led to the loss of gardening tools, hit eight provinces and left some 34,000 people in need of immediate aid, according to the national Red Cross. The six-member UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team will arrive in Port Moresby, the capital, tomorrow to reinforce relief efforts already undertaken by the UN country team.