Good News Agency - year 10th, no.171 - 30 April 2010

“…In conveyingthe appreciation of the Head of Statefor the passion and the professionalism with which you spread, above all among the young, the culture of "good news",I would like to take this opportunity of adding my personal greeting”. (From the letter of the Adviser for the Press and Information of the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, to the Editor of Good News Agency, 12 October 2007.)

Good News Agency

Weekly - year 10th, number 171 –30thApril 2010

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 10,000 media and editorial journalists in54 countries and to 3,000 NGOs and 1,700 high schools, colleges and universities. It is an all-volunteer service of Associazione Culturale dei Triangoli e della Buona Volontà Mondiale, an educational charity associated 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” andit is a member of the World Association of Non Governmental Organizations.

Contents

International legislation – Human rights – Economy and development – Solidarity

Peace and security – Health – Energy and Safety – Environment and wildlife

Religion and spirituality – Culture and education

International legislation

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More countries sign on to illegal fishing treaty

Signature by Russian Federation brings total to 16

Rome,29 April - Five more nations have signed the FAO-brokered treaty that once it enters into force will deny access to fishing ports to ships involved in illegal fishing.The new signatories include: Australia (27/04/2010), Gabon (26/04/2010), Peru (3/03/2010), New Zealand (15/12/2009) and the Russian Federation (29/04/2010).This brings the number of countries that have signed the "Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing" to sixteen.

Signatures represent a signal of support for the Agreement and are an important first step in the process, followed by ratification at the national level and then official notification of ratification to FAO.Once notice of the 25th ratification is received by FAO, the Agreement will become active. It will be the first legally binding international treaty focused specifically on the problem of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. (...)

Eleven other FAO members -- Angola, Brazil, Chile, the European Community, Iceland, Indonesia, Norway, Samoa, Sierra Leone, the United States and Uruguay -- signed the Agreement in November 2009 after its text was approved by the FAO governing conference.
"Once it becomes active, this will be the most significant international treaty dealing with fisheries since the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement," said Changchui He, FAO's Deputy Director-General, following the signing of the Agreement by Andrey Krainiy, Head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries of the Russian Federation, on April 29 during a ceremony at FAO. (...)

The text of the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing is available online.

New treaty body on pollution registers established

Geneva, 23 April - The first meeting of the governing body of the 2003 Kiev Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR), which entered into force on 8 October 2009, concluded in Geneva yesterday. The Parties to the Protocol committed to achieve full and effective implementation of the Protocol and called on Signatories and other interested States to accede to the instrument. The meeting culminated in the adoption of a declaration and set of decisions providing the foundation for the future work under the Protocol.

The PRTR Protocol was drawn up under the auspices of the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, known as the Aarhus Convention. However, the Protocol is open to States that are not Parties to the Convention. It is also open to accession by States from outside the UNECE region. Thus, despite its important link to the Aarhus Convention, the Protocol has some of the characteristics of an independent treaty with a potentially global scope.

In an opening address to the meeting of the Parties, Ján Kubiš, UNECE Executive Secretary, underlined the importance of the Protocol as a tool for promoting greater transparency: “The Protocol establishes a new international benchmark in securing public access to information on threats posed to our environment by toxic emissions,” he said. “It will enable ordinary citizens, simply using the Internet, to find out about the major sources of polluting emissions in their immediate neighbourhoods.” (...)

UNECE’s Industrial Accidents Convention celebrates its 10th anniversary

Geneva, 20 April - UNECE celebrates the 10th anniversary of its Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents, which entered into force on 19 April 2000.

The Convention aims at preventing industrial accidents as well as preparing and responding to it should an accident occur. In its first 10 years, the Convention has contributed to enhance safety culture at industrial plants. It also facilitated the cooperation between different public authorities to work together in a coordinated way on industrial safety e.g. regular authorities’ coordination meetings held in the Republic of Moldova, or the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Over the years, many countries have improved their mechanisms to identify hazardous plants in accordance with the Convention. As a result of this work national experts are using the same criteria for the classification of chemicals and location criteria across the UNECE region. (...)

“The Convention is an example of how countries can work to solve transboundary safety issues. The improvement in industrial safety is an essential component for safer communities and a cleaner, healthier environment” said Ján Kubiš, UNECE Executive Secretary. (...)

US-Nigeria create new ‘strategic partnership’: State Dept

6 April - The United States on Monday announced the launch of a US-Nigerian Binational Commission to bolster bilateral ties on energy, regional security, good governance and a range of other issues. The new “strategic partnership” makes Nigeria the first African nation to be afforded such a status under the Barack Obama administration. It also provides a forum for talks on creating greater transparency and improving the Nigeria’s accountability and fiscal responsibility, thereby helping the African country fulfill its potential as a regional leader, US officials said.

Along with South Africa, Nigeria is one of “two key, critical countries on the continent,” said Johnnie Carson, assistant secretary of state for African Affairs and a former US ambassador to several African nations, as he unveiled the accord, which goes into effect on Tuesday. (...) Carson said Monday that at the heart of the US-Nigeria accord is an emphasis on good “governance, transparency and integrity.” (…)

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Human rights

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Human rights meeting in the Asia-Pacific region

27 April - Delegates attending the Bangkok conference were given the opportunity to review and discuss the evolution and benefits of a number of regional human rights mechanisms including the most recent, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights which met for the first time in April 2010. “The 15th Workshop on Regional Cooperation for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Asia-Pacific Region, hosted by the Royal Thai Government was attended by representatives from the UN Human Rights office, several national human rights institutions and civil society organisations and delegates from more than 30 States. (...)

Through the initial Workshops, member states agreed on a ‘building block’ approach to the development of regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights, focusing initially on national-level strategies. (...)

A new world record: Universal Declaration in 370 languages

23 April - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has set a new world record of being the most translated text. The UN Human Rights office has received a certificate from the Guinness Book of Records stating that the Declaration has been translated into in 370 languages and dialects from Abkhaz to Zulu. A decade ago the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) received a certificate from the Guinness Book of Records as the most translated document in the world. At that time, the UDHR was available in 298 languages and dialects. Since then, the UN Human Rights office has received a constant flow of translations. The latest additions are all found in Russia: Karelian, Nenets, Nganasan, Veps, Tuvan, Shor, Altay, Khakas, Yakutian and the Evenki language, which is also used in Mongolia and in the People’s Republic of China. They are spoken in different areas of the country but all share some historic elements. (...)

As High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the UDHR, on 10 December 2008, the UDHR is “a single short document of 30 articles that has probably had more impact on mankind than any other document in modern history.” (...)

Protect migrant domestic worker rights

20 April - Caritas is launching a campaign to urge employers and governments to protect migrants who work in people’s homes as maids, nannies and carers from exploitation. These workers are often women. They risk long working hours, no social security protection, poor wages and violence. Abuses are difficult to detect as they occur in people’s homes. Employment in private households accounts for about one-third of all female employment in Asia, for example, according to the International Domestic Workers’ Network (IDWN).

The campaign has been launched ahead of the International Labour Organization’s annual conference in June, when a draft convention to protect domestic workers will be examined.

“An international convention would underline that domestic work is work, thus people performing this work have rights like other workers,” said Martina Liebsch, Director of Policy at Caritas Internationalis. “Maids, nannies and carers help us to educate our children, to take care of the elderly or to go to work. They need our respect and recognition.” (...)

UN human rights expert welcomes British law to stop predatory financial funds

20 April - A United Nations human rights expert on foreign debt today welcomed a landmark debt relief law in the United Kingdom which limits the ability of so-called “vulture funds” to sue the world’s poorest countries in British courts for repayment of debts, saying they could have ramifications for a recent court verdict involving Liberia.

“This law marks the first occasion on which a country has banned profiteering by vulture funds,” said Cephas Lumina, in his role as the UN Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights. “I commend the UK for taking a critical step to halt the profiteering of vulture funds at the expense of both the citizens of distressed debtor countries and the taxpayers of countries that have supported international debt relief efforts,” Dr. Lumina added in a statement released by his office in Geneva. (...)

Mexico leads countries in UN ‘Blue Heart’ human trafficking campaign

15 April - Mexico became the first country today to launch a national version of the United Nations-led “Blue Heart” campaign against human trafficking, which is regarded as one of the most lucrative forms of illegal activity for criminal groups. (...)

As part of Mexico’s launch, more than a dozen emblematic buildings were lit up in blue across the capital, Mexico City, in a symbolic act to raise awareness about the Blue Heart campaign.

More than 2.4 million people – up to 80 per cent women and girls – are currently being exploited as victims of human trafficking, either for sexual or labour exploitation, the UN has said. Other forms of human trafficking include domestic servitude, the removal of organs and the exploitation of children. (...)

In June, Spain is expected be the next country to join the Blue Heart global awareness campaign.

ADRA empowers minority Vietnamese women through literacy

Silver Spring, Md., USA, April 13 - In northeastern Vietnam, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is working to promote and improve the social status of ethnic minority women in the country’s mountainous Cao Bang province through a three-year educational project, the agency reports.

The Literacy Class Empowers Ethnic Minority Women (LICEEM) project, whose main goal is to reduce illiteracy rates among more than 1,500 people belonging to ethnic minorities in the region, is primarily targeting women aged 26 to 35 living in the districts of Bao Lam, Bao Lac and Ha Quang within the Cao Bang province. This initiative also aims to reduce gender disparities in basic education.

Additional components of this ongoing project include raising awareness of topics related to ethnic minority girls and women, organizing classes in literacy and numeracy for project beneficiaries, providing training for literacy facilitators, and establishing and facilitating Women’s Union Literacy Clubs as a way to provide participants with an additional venue for literacy learning. (...)

Economy and development

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IFAD Executive Board approves debt relief for Haiti

Agreement sets up US$50 million debt relief programme for outstanding debt

Rome, 23 April - Things are looking up for the people of Haiti with the Executive Board of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) approving a debt-relief package for the disaster-stricken nation in its meeting this week. “The agreement provides the basis for permanent debt forgiveness of Haiti’s debt burden to our organization,” said Kanayo F. Nwanze, IFAD President. “Without this type of relief, Haiti would have been hard pressed to repay its outstanding loans to the organization, to the detriment of the critical reconstruction and development activities. With the generous contributions from our members - plus a significant investment on our part - we are breaking that cycle.” (...)

“A small portion of Haiti’s debt was already forgiven by organizations like IFAD under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative, but the bulk remained,” said Josefina Stubbs, Director of IFAD’s Latin America and the Caribbean Division. “By relieving the country of this burden, we are freeing up funds for redevelopment and reconstruction.” (...)

G20 Labour Ministers meet Obama – education and training on the G20 agenda

22 April - G20 labour and employment ministers met yesterday with President Obama and presented him with their recommendations to meet the challenges that the economic crisis is posing for workers and their families worldwide. This was the first time that ministers responsible for labour markets in the 20 largest economies in the world had met. The ministers reviewed the massive programs launched in the last year to respond to the crisis and discussed additional measures to ensure a sustained recovery that produces enough jobs for workers. The labour and employment ministers also discussed a 21st century job skills training strategy. Under the heading “Prepare our workforces for future challenges and opportunities” they stated that “education, lifelong learning, job training and skills development strategies should be prioritized and linked to growth strategies.” (…) Together with other Global Unions, EI will continue to work closely with the ILO and the OECD on the development of effective strategies for Vocational Education and Training in all countries – whether in the G20 or not.

Harvesting hope: building sustainable solutions to climate change in Nicaragua

April 22 - MADRE is celebrating Earth Day by celebrating the many women who are combating the harmful effects of resource exploitation, industrial agriculture, and environmental destruction.

In Nicaragua, MADRE and our local partner Wangki Tangni established Harvesting Hope, a project that trains women in small-scale organic farming and livestock-management. We provide seeds, ongoing training and farm animals. MADRE and Wangki Tangni recently provided organic watermelon, cabbage, squash, tomato and cucumber seeds for 125 small organic farms and coordinated four farmers’ markets. (...)

Through Harvesting Hope, MADRE and Wangki Tangni have trained thousands of women on the North-Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua. (...)

Value chain approach to boost farmers’ incomes, food security in Philippines

New USDA-funded project to build skills, resources of 25,000 farmers

Davao City, Philippines, April 21 - A new $5.4 million project aims to increase the incomes and food security of 25,000 farmers in the Philippines by harnessing local value chains to increase opportunities and sustainability in growing high-value crops like cocoa, coconuts and rice. (...) Working in targeted Mindanao provinces, the three-year USDA-funded CoCoPal program will link its activities to the local farming systems approach called palayamanan, which derives its name from palay (rice) and kayamanan (wealth). Palayamanan combines rice with other high-value crops through the efficient use of farm resources to ensure that farmers can produce more while retaining soil fertility, according to ACDI/VOCA. (...)