Good News Agency
A culture of peace is emerging in all fields of human endeavour
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 in 54 countries and to 3,000 NGOs and 1,500 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 It is a supporter of the Global Movement for the Culture of Peace. In the final report of the Decade for a Culture of Peace project (2001-2010) provided to the UN Secretary-General for presentation to the UN General Assembly, Good News Agency is included among the three NGOs that have been playing an active role in the field of Information through Internet.
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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UN Chief hails Iceland’s contribution to gender parity, international justice
New York, July 2 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today commended Iceland for its contributions to the international community in such critical areas as international criminal justice, gender equality and regulation of the use of the world’s oceans.
“We have gained significantly from Iceland’s support in critical areas such as international criminal justice, human rights, gender equality and humanitarian assistance,” Mr. Ban <http://www.un.org/sg/statements/index.asp?nid=6945> told members of the foreign affairs committee of the Icelandic Parliament in Reykjavik, the capital. “As one of the first countries to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Iceland has claimed its place at the forefront of the advancement of international justice. And your parliament, of course, is among the world leaders in women’s representation,” Mr. Ban said.
Mr. Ban also noted Iceland’s lead role in advancing the international agenda on oceans and the law of the sea, as well as the country’s commitment to international cooperation.
http://www.un.org/news
Governments meet in Brisbane to identify a road map for a Pacific free of unexploded ordnance.
27 June – From 27-29 June 2013, governments of Pacific Island States, including those affected by WWII ordnance, will join Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the United States, civil society and mine action agencies, to identify a road map for a Pacific free of unexploded ordnance.
The Pacific Regional ERW Workshop is jointly hosted by ICBL-CMC member organisation Safe Ground (recently renamed from the Australian Network to Ban Landmines and Cluster Munitions), and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat with support from AusAID. Building on the regional meeting on the ‘Implementation of the Pacific Islands Forum Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Strategy’, which took place in Palau last October, the Brisbane workshop is expected to foster a regional approach to the problem of ERW and encourage states to come on board the Mine Ban Treaty and the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/news/?id=4240
Ban welcomes anti-piracy strategy adopted by leaders from West, Central Africa.
27 June – The two-day meeting included Member States of the region, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC). UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki-moon has welcomed the adoption by a summit of African leaders of a regional strategy against piracy and other illegal maritime activities in West and Central Africa. Mr. Ban commended all the participants for their high level of engagement and collective efforts to address and prevent piracy. He also welcomed the adoption of the “Code of Conduct” concerning the Prevention and Repression of Piracy, Armed Robbery against Ships, and Illegal Maritime Activities in West and Central Africa.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45281&Cr=piracy&Cr1=
CARE applauds bipartisan Senate amendment to Farm Bill to improve food aid
June 4 – CARE applauds the U.S. Senate for unanimously approving an amendment to the Farm Bill sponsored by Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) that increases authorization for funding for a Local and Regional Procurement (LRP) program. This will increase the flexibility of the U.S. government food aid programming to reach more people more quickly.
CARE commends the sponsors of the amendment, as well as Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), working with Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-MS) for their bipartisan leadership on improving our international food aid program in the Farm Bill.
Numerous studies of the LRP pilot program, included in the 2008 Farm Bill, have shown LRP saves time and money in getting life-saving assistance to hungry people.
http://www.care.org/newsroom/articles/2013/06/Senate-approves-farm-bill-amendment-20130604.asp
Human rights
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UNICEF and Libya sign agreement to improve basic education system.
25 June -The United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF and the Libyan Government today signed an agreement that aims to improve the basic education system in the North African country.
The signing of the agreement will kick start action on various policies, including the development of an education management information system, validation of early learning development standards, and the promotion of early childhood care. It will also support teachers’ training, risk education and the establishment of inclusive education mechanisms in schools.
Today’s agreement is a continuation of the initial humanitarian response in 2011, and the 2012 work plan signed for sustainable development cooperation between the Ministry of Education and UNICEF.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45265&Cr=libya&Cr1#.UdL3oPlM-So
Rwanda: Improving cooking facilities for more than 60,000 detainees
Kigali, 21 June – A new saucepan workshop, part of an innovative project in Huye Prison aiming to improve cooking facilities for around 60,000 prison inmates throughout the country, is being inaugurated today. The project began in 2012 when the ICRC, working in partnership with the RCS, started building a special workshop for producing saucepans and a centralized kitchen-maintenance and stove-construction service covering all prisons under RCS authority. The workshop, which is the first significant achievement of the project, will be managed by RCS staff.
A 200 cubic-metre expansion of the biogas plant in Rubavu Prison is also set to be opened this year. The upgraded facility will result in enhanced environmental safety in and around the prison, and will provide a sustainable source of heating for cooking purposes.
ICRC delegates visit detainees in Rwanda to monitor the conditions in which they are being held and the treatment they receive. The ICRC works together with the RCS to improve the living standards of inmates throughout the country.
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/news-release/2013/06-21-rwanda-detention.htm
Economy and development
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Brazil and IFAD sign US$40 million loan agreement
Family farming top priority in the State of Ceará, Brazil
Rome 28 June – The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will provide a US$32 million loan to the State of Ceará of the Federative Republic of Brazil to help reduce poverty and improve the livelihoods of family farmers. The Spanish Food Security Cofinancing Facility Trust Fund extended a further $8 million loan. This allows IFAD to increase the total amount of external resources available to member states from developing countries within a set period. In addition, the government of Ceará will provide co-financing of $40 million, with the project beneficiaries contributing $15 million, bringing up the total project budget to $95 million.
The new project will aim to reduce poverty, increase incomes and strengthen resilience to climate change by building the capacity of rural women and men. They will be supported to increase their own capacities and that of their organizations such as identifying and prioritizing solutions to problems, and. developing leadership skills to participate in local decision-making processes, particularly on public policies related to family agriculture.
http://operations.ifad.org/web/ifad/operations/country/home/tags/brazil
Foreign investment in least developed nations hits record level in 2012 – UN report
New York, June 27 – Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to the world’s poorest countries grew by 20 per cent last year to a record $26 billion, led by strong gains in Cambodia as well as five African countries, <”http://unctad.org/en/pages/PublicationWebflyer.aspx?publicationid=588″> according to a new United Nations report.
The <http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/wir2013_en.pdf> World Investment Report 2013, produced by the Geneva-based UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), adds that the majority of ‘greenfield’ investment in the least developed countries (LDCs) – new investment or expansion of existing investment in recipient nations, as opposed to investment through mergers and acquisitions – originated in other developing economies, led by India.
Subtitled “Global Value Chains: Investment and Trade for Development”, the report notes that growth was led by strong gains in Cambodia (where inflows were up 73 per cent), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (96 per cent), Liberia (167 per cent), Mauritania (105 per cent), Mozambique (96 per cent), and Uganda (93 per cent).
However, 20 LDCs reported declines in FDI, the report states, adding that the trend was particularly pronounced in Angola, Burundi, Mali, and the Solomon Islands.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon commended the report, calling it a “source of reflection and inspiration” for meeting today’s development challenges.
http://www.un.org/news
FAO Members find consensus on Programme of Work and Budget
Director-General welcomes consensus as sign of commitment to FAO goals
22 June, Rome – FAO Members approved FAO’s Programme of Work and Budget for 2014-2015 at the end of the Organization’s week-long 38th governing Conference at FAO Headquarters in Rome.
“I want to thank and applaud all of you for showing such a clear sign of commitment to this Organization and its goals – to your Organization, and your goals,” FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva told Members. “The consensus showed a willingness to work together to overcome differences. It showed trust. And it showed commitment to work together towards the hunger-free and sustainable future we all want,” added Graziano da Silva.
The budget agreed by Members of $1,028.1 million, representing a 2.2 percent increase over the current biennium, will enable the Organization to deliver its proposed programme of work focusing on five strategic objectives and a sixth objective related to the technical and normative work of the Organization.
Graziano da Silva also called on FAO’s members to support with voluntary contributions the full achievement of the strategic objectives and implementation of the programme of work, which received unanimous and vigorous backing from the Conference.
www.fao.org
50 years of ACDI/VOCA: Microfinance Bank Bai-Tushum and Partners
June 16 – Since its creation in 2000, the Microfinance Bank Bai-Tushum and Partners has developed into a model lending institution in the Kyrgyz Republic, and at the end of 2012 it became a full-fledged bank. Its banking license is the first approved by the National Bank of Kyrgyz Republic in more than eight years.
Bai-Tushum has granted $250 million in loans to more than 134,000 Kyrgyz citizens. In only 12 years it became one of the country’s three largest microfinance organizations, with about 20 percent of the sector’s total loan portfolio. Currently it ranks as the seventh largest bank in Kyrgyzstan in terms of asset size and the sixth largest in terms of loan portfolio size.
Small-scale farmers constitute a vital sector of Kyrgyzstan’s largely agricultural economy. To be successful in their livelihoods, these farmers need access to loan capital, a key tool for agricultural growth and modernization. Yet, although the Kyrgyz Republic has been one of the most progressive former Soviet states in terms of market reforms, credit largely remains unavailable to the majority of its small-scale farmers and entrepreneurs.
http://www.acdivoca.org/site/ID/news-Bai-Tushum-Financial-Foundation-Kyrgyzstan-50-Years
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry notes certification of coffee lab in Ethiopia
Kerry participates in traditional coffee ceremony in Addis Ababa
June 7 – On a recent visit to Ethiopia, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry celebrated a milestone in the country’s coffee sector: the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX) coffee laboratory became the first in Africa to meet the rigorous quality standards of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). The SCAA certification indicates that coffee is consistently tested, graded and evaluated via lab inspections that ensure international consistency in the evaluation of specialty coffee.
USAID’s Agricultural Growth Program-Agribusiness and Market Development (AGP-AMDe) in Ethiopia works to sustainably reduce poverty and hunger using a facilitated value chain approach to increase the competitiveness of select agricultural products; enhance access to finance; and stimulate innovation and private sector investment. AGP-AMDe is one of a long line of programs implemented by ACDI/VOCA over the last 18 years to develop the Ethiopian coffee sector through training in cooperative management, credit, marketing and finance.
http://www.acdivoca.org/site/ID/news-Secretary-of-State-John-Kerry-Certification-Coffee-Lab-Ethiopia
Rwanda: Significant funding for vocational education and training
June 4 – Education International has welcomed the announcement by Rwanda’s national Education Minister, Vincent Biruta, that technical and vocational education and training (TVET) will again be allocated a considerable part of the Ministry’s budget. This is due to TVET’s acknowledged capacity to promote skills development and bridge existing skills gaps in the labour market. TVET is allocated 38 billion Rwandan francs (RWF) out of the country’s 2013-2014 budget of RWF224 billion. This TVET budget will be allocated to 14 key programmes.
Van Leeuwen (EI General Secretary) also welcomed the fact that EI facilitated the current cooperation between the Syndicat National de l’Enseignement du Primaire Rwanda (SNEP) and the Danish Union of Teachers (DLF). This project aims to strengthen the capacity of SNEP and other teachers’ unions in Rwanda to develop policies as well as organisational, strategic and educational plans. This will be achieved by training around 200 leaders, trainers and school representatives. Union capacity building contributes to quality education, as training union leaders will improve their professional approach in classroom.
http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/news_details/2575
Solidarity
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WFP welcomes French assistance towards food and education for Afghan and Iraqi refugees in Iran
1 July, Teheran - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today warmly welcomed a contribution from the Government of France for its refugee operation in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The French donation of €200,000 will allow WFP to purchase 400 metric tons of wheat flour and 48 metric tons of vegetable oil enriched with vitamins and minerals for distribution among Afghan and Iraqi refugees living in settlements throughout Iran.
The UN food agency provides 30,000 refugees with a monthly basket of basic food items that include bread, rice, sugar, lentils and oil. In addition, in order to promote girls’ education and bridge the gender gap, WFP provides a take-home ration of vegetable oil to 3,000 refugee schoolgirls and their female teachers in 19 settlements across the country.
The French Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran H. E. Bruno Foucher, explained: “It is a modest contribution, but it aims to show our commitment to help the Iranians face the tremendous challenge of the Afghan exile”. After Pakistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran hosts the second largest refugee population in the world with some 890,000 registered Afghan and Iraqi refugees in the country.
http://www.wfp.org/news/news-release/wfp-welcomes-french-assistance-towards-food-education-afghan-iraqi-refugees-iran
Construction starts on Djibouti Logistics Hub for humanitarian operations in Horn of Africa
24 June, Djibouti - In a “ground-breaking” ceremony yesterday, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) – with the generous support of the Government of Djibouti, the Government of Canada and the Government of Finland – officially launched the first phase of building a humanitarian logistics base that will improve storage and transport of humanitarian assistance across the Horn of Africa. The new hub, in the vicinity of Djibouti port, will enable WFP and the wider humanitarian community to dispatch humanitarian assistance more quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively in the region. The port is the main gateway for food entering Ethiopia.
The Government of Canada contributed more than USD 18 million to support the establishment of the hub on a 50,000-square-meter piece of land donated by Djibouti. Finland also contributed US$1.3 million towards the facility, which will offer silo storage capacity, allowing cost savings related to sea freight, port handling, storage and transport.
The structure, which should be completed by 2015, will eventually ease the flow of assistance not only to Ethiopia and Djibouti, but also to Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya and Somalia. About one quarter of the people that WFP assists worldwide live in the Horn of Africa.
http://www.wfp.org/news/news-release/construction-starts-djibouti-logistics-hub-humanitarian-operations-horn-africa
A Billion + Change inspires largest commitment of pro bono service in history
National campaign has mobilized 500 businesses to pledge more than $2 billion in service to build nonprofit capacity
Washington, June 20 – Today, A Billion + Change will announce that it has inspired the largest commitment of pro bono service in history. More than 500 companies across the country—from the largest in the Fortune 100 to the smallest sole proprietorships—have committed to provide more than $2 billion worth of skills-based volunteer services to help nonprofits address critical community priorities at home and around the world.
A Billion + Change is a national campaign inspiring the largest commitment of pro bono service in history. It was launched by the Corporation for National and Community Service in 2008 and continues as an initiative of the federal agency. Reinvigorated in 2011 with expanded leadership under the honorary chairmanship of Senator Mark Warner, it is now housed and managed by Points of Light, the largest organization in the world dedicated to volunteer service. The initiative is powered by the support of Deloitte, HP, the Case Foundation, IBM, Capital One and MWW with additional founding support from State Farm, McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP and Morgan Stanley. Learn more at: www.abillionpluschange.org
http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/35793-A-Billion-Change-Inspires-Largest-Commitment-of-Pro-Bono-Service-in-History
Aspen Institute to fund opportunity youth collaboratives
New fund will award $6 million in grants for innovative cross-sector solutions
Washington, June 20 – The Aspen Forum for Community Solutions will commit up to $6 million in funding to support work with opportunity youth, the 6.7 million young Americans who are disconnected from education and the workforce. In July the Aspen Forum for Community Solutions will launch the Opportunity Youth Incentive Fund (OYIF), awarding grants of up to $500,000 to communities around the country whose collective impact strategies are designed to channel the untapped potential of America’s young adults.
More than 90% of invited communities have applied for an OYIF grant with aims to further collective impact and community collaborative strategies that increase education and employment outcomes for opportunity youth. Strong partnerships with allies such as the Ford and Gates Foundations are matching that enthusiasm: the OYIF will launch with more community grants than initially expected. Simultaneously, the Aspen Forum will convene roundtable discussions around the country with mayors, community leaders, philanthropies, and businesses to explore successful community collaboratives.
This month the Forum will launch AspenCommunitySolutions.org, a digital hub and information exchange platform for the collaboratives. FollowFacebook.com/AspenCommunitySolutions and @AspenFCS on Twitter to stay connected.
http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/35780-Aspen-Institute-to-Fund-Opportunity-Youth-Collaboratives
The Coca-Cola Foundation gives back $36 million to raise living standards worldwide
Funding supports global efforts to strengthen communities, promote well-being and protect our environment
Atlanta, Georgia, USA, June 20 – The Coca-Cola Foundation – the global philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company – awarded US$36 million in grants to 105 community organizations during the first quarter of 2013. The grants support the Foundation’s global priority areas and the Company’s three-part sustainability approach, focused on enhancing people’s well-being, building strong communities and protecting the environment.
During the first quarter 2013, The Foundation awarded: $12 million for physical activity and well-being programs; $12 million for water stewardship, recycling, and environmental programs; and $12 million for local priorities and social well-being programs, such as access to education opportunities, youth development, economic empowerment, HIV/AIDS and malaria prevention and other civic initiatives. The Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded more than $500 million to support global sustainable community initiatives, including water stewardship, community recycling, active healthy living, and education. For more information about The Coca-Cola Foundation, please go to www.coca-colacompany.com/our-company/the-coca-cola-foundation
http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/35781-The-Coca-Cola-Foundation-Gives-Back-36-Million-to-Raise-Living-Standards-Worldwide
Japan supports food insecure families and refugees in Northern Kenya
18 June, Nairobi - The Government of Japan has contributed US $15 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to provide food assistance to people in the arid and semi-arid areas of Kenya and to assist refugees in the Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camp in the north of the country.“Half of the contribution will bring one-month’s food assistance to 580,000 refugees in Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps. Continued and collective international support is required. The rest of the assistance will go to arid and semi arid areas in Kenya”, said Japanese Ambassador to Kenya Toshihisa Takata.
WFP is currently assisting 580,000 refugees and as many as 465,000 Kenyans living in the arid and semi-arid areas of Kenya. WFP is responding to food insecurity in Kenya through three separate initiatives: school meals, food assistance to refugees, and food or cash for people working on resilience projects that prevent soil erosion and rehabilitate farmland. In total in 2013, WFP aims to provide food assistance to over 3.4 million people.
http://www.wfp.org/news/news-release/japan-supports-food-insecure-families-and-refugees-northern-kenya
Open Society announces fund to support new nonprofit leaders
By Maria Di Mento
June 14 – Open Society Foundations has established a $2-million fund to help new nonprofit chief executives put their ideas to work quickly. The New Executives Fund will provide financial assistance to nonprofits around the world that are working on the causes supported by Open Society, the foundation created by George Soros. Those include public health, education, and promoting social change. Open Society is making grants of $25,000 to $250,000, depending on the size of an organization’s operating budget. (…)
Christopher Stone, president of Open Society Foundations, recalled that having access to unrestricted grant money was crucial in his first year as head of the Vera Institute of Justice in 1994.(…) He said he saw the benefits of such support but on a much larger scale, later in his career when he was teaching at Harvard University. Its then newly appointed president, Drew Gilpin Faust, was starting just as the financial crisis hit and Mr. Stone said he remembers a few alumni coming forward to provide support so that Ms. Faust could move forward with new ideas.
“On a very small scale in my own career, and then watching the same thing happen at one of the world’s largest nonprofits, has left me with an abiding sense of just how valuable this kind of support is to a new director,” said Mr. Stone.
http://philanthropy.com/article/Open-Society-Announces-Fund-to/139855/
Burkina Faso: People in north receive food aid
13 June, Geneva/Ouagadougou – Beginning 13 June, farmers and herders in Oudalan province, in the north of Burkina Faso, will be receiving food aid provided by the Burkinabé Red Cross Society with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). By 16 June, some 9,000 needy people will benefit from enhanced food security, which should see them through until the next harvest in October.
Since February 2012, Burkina Faso has been dealing with the consequences of the crisis in Mali by taking in almost 50,000 refugees. The influx has strained an economic situation that was already difficult for the resident population. “The inhabitants of this remote part of the Sahel have accommodated thousands of refugees from Mali, and have been sharing their meagre resources with them. Because the refugees brought their livestock with them, their arrival tripled the number of animals using already inadequate grazing resources,” said Romain Kima, in charge of disaster preparedness and response at the Burkinabé Red Cross.
Like Hadiza W. Mohamed, a widow and mother of three living in the village of Gandafabou, each family will be given 50 kg of millet, 10 kg of beans, 5 litres of cooking oil and 1 kg of salt. The food aid should also help ease tensions between the local population and the refugees.
Because this year’s harvest in Burkina Faso went relatively well, all of the food aid provided could be purchased in Ouagadougou markets and then transported to Oudalan province.
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/news-release/2013/06-13-burkina-faso-food-distribution.htm
First prize of THE ONE 2013 awarded to Valerie Ann Taylor from United Kingdom
THE ONE, a project by Rotary International District 3450
Every day we wake up to a world of news accentuating violence, pain and suffering. To offset this imbalance we need to draw our attention to the goodness of mankind that exists in the world. THE ONE was created with the intention to find and empower an individual who is the epitome of the compassion and selflessness that lives within us all.
On June 6th, in Hong Kong, Rotarians, celebrities, and friends alike gathered together to celebrate the lives and works of four amazing finalists. Among them, the first prize was awarded to Valerie Ann Taylor: “Her work restoring the lives of the paralysed here in Bangladesh is truly unparalleled. She has great compassion for the neglected members of Bangladesh’s society”
Our special winner, Valerie Ann Taylor, is the epitome of THE ONE. A physiotherapist and humanitarian, Valerie has given over 43 years of selfless sacrifice to the poor and the disabled of Bangladesh. She has always seen the humanity in the disabled and believes that the rehabilitation of these victims is paramount.
Entering her 70’s, Valerie never thinks of her personal interests or about retiring. She has dedicated her life unreservedly to her cause, and her life-long dedication to service has earned her much respect and recognition. The award money will be used to further her humanitarian-cause and service projects.
To find out more about THE ONE and our finalists, or to nominate a candidate for THE ONE 2014 please visit ourm web site:
http://www.theonerotary3450.org/
Peace and security
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U.S. Conference of Mayors passes Nuclear Abolition Resolution
The U.S. Conference of Mayors, the nonpartisan association of U.S. cities with populations over 30,000, passed a resolution at its annual conference on June 24 calling on the United States to provide leadership in the global elimination of nuclear weapons and to redirect military spending to meet domestic needs.
The resolution highlights several important new multilateral disarmament initiatives and calls on the President and the U.S. government to demonstrate good faith by constructive participation in those initiatives, including a High Level Meeting at the UN General Assembly on September 26 and a follow-on conference to the February 2013 Oslo Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, to be hosted by Mexico in early 2014.To read the full resolution, click here.
www.wagingpeace.org/menu/resources/sunflower
DanChurchAid is providing urgent humanitarian assistance to the people of Mali
June 20 – DanChurchAid (DCA) has deployed a Mine Action team to assist the conflict affected populations in northern Mali. Thanks to collaboration with Norwegian Church Aid, an ACT – Alliance partner, DCA has been able to rapidly respond to the crisis and mitigate the risk of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) at an early stage. Since March 2013 DCA has trained 114 school teachers in Timbuktu how to educate their pupils about the risks associated with different types of unexploded ammunition. Thus far, 8,109 children have attended risk education sessions, so they are better informed about what to do and – more importantly – what not to do when coming across an UXO. Spreading these lifesaving messages to as many children as possible is essential to reducing the number of accidents involving these deadly remnants of war.
To determine the scale of contamination, DCA is engaged in community liaison with a variety of local actors such as teachers, municipality authorities, elders, etc. Gathering this information is crucial, both in terms of marking where the dangerous areas are, but also to speed up the process of actually clearing the contaminated land once clearance assets have been deployed.
Through a grant from the United Nations Mine Action Service, DCA will soon be able to deploy a clearance team to dispose of landmines and UXO in Northern Mali.
http://www.danchurchaid.org/news/news/danchurchaid-is-providing-urgent-humanitarian-assistance-to-the-people-of-mali
Germany contributes €15 million to WFP food assistance for Syrian refugees
18 June, Gaziantep - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received a generous contribution of €15 million from the Government of Germany that will help provide critical food assistance to tens of thousands of Syrian refugees who fled the fighting in Syria. The latest contribution brings total German support to WFP’s Syria emergency operations to close to €25 million.
WFP has an innovative instrument for improving the food security of Syrian refugees; instead of giving them food, WFP provides a credit card which opens opportunities for refugees to go to the supermarkets and buy the food they need. This system also helps the local economy grow and reduces the pressure on hosting communities. WFP and the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) provide assistance via Electronic Food Cards to around 100,000 Syrians in 13 of the 20 Government-run camps, and are planning to expand assistance to support 180,000 Syrians in Turkey by the end of the year. Each card is loaded with 80 Turkish liras (US$45) per family member per month.
Since the beginning of 2013, through the voucher and E-card programmes, around US$68 million in assistance from WFP has flowed into the local economies of Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt. WFP will use this recent contribution to continue to provide assistance to a growing number of Syrian refugees fleeing Syria every day, through electronic food cards and vouchers. WFP needs to raise around €20 million ($US26 million) every week until September to meet the food needs of people affected by the conflict in Syria.
http://www.wfp.org/news/news-release/germany-contributes-%E2%82%AC15-million-wfp-food-assistance-syrian-refugees
Health
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Gates Foundation joins with Rotary to boost polio endgame support
By Dan Nixon and Arnold R. Grahl
25 June – An announcement at the Rotary International Convention in Lisbon, Portugal, set the stage for a bold new chapter in the partnership between Rotary and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the campaign for polio eradication. “Going forward, the Gates Foundation will match two-to-one, up to US$35 million per year, every dollar Rotary commits to reduce the funding shortfall for polio eradication through 2018,” said Jeff Raikes, the foundation’s chief executive officer, in a prerecorded video address shown during the convention’s plenary session on 25 June. “If fully realized, the value of this new partnership with Rotary is more than $500 million. In this way, your contributions to polio will work twice as hard.”
The joint effort, called End Polio Now – Make History Today, comes during a critical phase for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The estimated cost of the initiative’s 2013-18 Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan is $5.5 billion. Funding commitments, announced at the Global Vaccine Summit in April, total $4 billion. Unless the $1.5 billion funding gap is met, immunization levels in polio-affected countries will decrease. And if polio is allowed to rebound, within a decade, more than 200,000 children worldwide could be paralyzed every year.
Rotary and the Gates Foundation are determined not to let polio make a comeback. (…)
On 1 July, all Rotary districts will begin using the Rotary Foundation’s new grant model, which has been known as Future Vision. Future Vision Committee Chair Luis Giay lead convention attendees in a countdown to the launch of the grant model Tuesday, as the plenary video screens displayed a rocket blasting off into space.(…)
http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/130625_news_plenarythree.aspx
Central African Republic: MSF distributes essential items to 5000 displaced in Batangafo
MS