By MediaGlobal
AFRICA IN URGENT NEED OF MATERNAL HEALTH CARE REFORM
31 May 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: At the close of the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, a three-day summit held in Yokohama, Japan, 86 countries and international organizations adopted the Yokohama Declaration and Action Plan, addressing the issues hindering Africa’s achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) relating to economic
growth, peace and governance, climate change mitigation and health care. The urgent need for reform of reproductive health care was highlighted. United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro called attention to the need to reduce the continent’s high maternal mortality ratio. “Reducing maternal mortality lies at the heart of implementation to achieve all other goals,” she said. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the top twelve countries in most urgent need of maternal health care reform have maternal mortality ratios ranging from 2,100 to 1,100 deaths out of 100,000 live births. Dr. Akinyele Dairo, Senior Programme Advisor for the Africa Division of UNFPA told MediaGlobal, “Strengthening health systems and the improvement of maternal, newborn and child health are the main highlights of the health component of the Yokohama Declaration and Action Plan. These include support for training and retention of health workers, provision of health services, including expansion of health infrastructure and facilities, and promotions and provision of continuum of care for women and their newborn across the span of pregnancy and delivery.” The declaration will also call for actions to reduce maternal mortality, “which include universal access to family planning; skilled care before, during and after childbirth [and] emergency obstetric care in the event of complications,” Dairo said.
‘WALK THE WORLD’ RAISES AWARENESS AND FUNDS TO END GLOBAL CHILD HUNGER
1 June 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and its corporate partners took to the streets with an event called “End Hunger: Walk the World,” to increase awareness for global child hunger and raise funds to feed the 59 million children who attend school hungry every day. “Walk the World delivers a strong message that hungry children in schools should not be forgotten, especially in this time of high food prices and hardship,” stated John Powell, WFP Deputy Executive Director. The Walk took place two days before world leaders met in Rome for a High-Level Conference on World Food Security June 3 through 5. “In developing countries around the world, high food prices mean that families might not have enough money to pay their children’s school fees, and now more than ever safety nets such as school feeding programs are critical,” Bettina Leuscher, a WFP spokesperson, told MediaGlobal. The all-inclusive international event earned global support and participation. The Walk took place across 24 time zones at more than 250 locations in 70 countries. Some of the longest walks took place in countries hit hardest by child hunger, such as Indonesia, Guatemala, Tanzania, and Malawi. The estimated 250,000 participants, including celebrities, government dignitaries, UN staff, WFP corporate partners and concerned citizens, raised more than $500,000, which, according to the WFP, is enough to feed two million children for one day through its school feeding program. “The big turnout shows that people, whether in richer or poor countries want to put hunger on the international agenda, they want to help, want to reach out and make sure that children get a chance for a healthy meal and an education. The solidarity displayed was just amazing!” said Leuscher. Financial contributions for global child hunger are expected to increase in the coming weeks because of the significant awareness achieved by the international community’s mobilization. Since the Walk the World’s conception five years ago, it has activated approximately one million participants, generating the funds needed to feed over 100,000 schoolchildren for one year.
CHILD SOLDIERS TO BE RELEASED IN CHAD AND CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
2 June 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Armed groups in Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) have agreed to release children used as soldiers and held in military detention. During a visit to the region by Radhika Coomaraswamy, the United Nations Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict, the government of Chad pledged to release children imprisoned for their affiliation with insurgent groups on Monday, while CAR rebel leader Laurent Djim Wei agreed to release all his group’s child soldiers when the UN presents a plan for their future. The international community now faces a crisis of resources, Coomaraswamy said, briefing reporters at UN Headquarters. “Children are being released, but their effective reintegration into communities is becoming an issue. There are not enough resources for UNICEF [the UN Children’s Fund] and other UN agencies, such as OCHA [the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] to do this,” she said. With a peace deal for the region, likely stipulating the release of child soldiers, hoped for by the end of the month, long-term funding to help militarized children return to civilian life is urgently needed. “You cannot just give money to a child and send him home, that doesn’t work,” Coomaraswamy told MediaGlobal. “That child will just be re-recruited. You have to rebuild the communities, or take the children back into the communities and work with the communities. And that requires a great deal of assistance.” Tonderai Chikuhwa, Program Officer for the Office of the Special Representative, told MediaGlobal that UNICEF is expecting to reintegrate 800 to 1,000 children in CAR. The disarmament and education programs will cost between five and six million dollars over three to four years, Chikuhwa said.
COMMISSION ON LEGAL EMPOWERMENT OF THE POOR RELEASES NEW REPORT
3 June 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: ccording a new report by the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, four billion people are excluded from the rule of law. Furthermore, the informal economy accounts for over a third of the developing world’s economy. The report found that half of people in urban areas worldwide live in squatter settlements and even more of them do not work within the boundaries of the law. They enter informal labor contracts, run unregistered businesses and occupy land to which they have no formal rights. But one of the two co-chairs of the Commission, Hernando de Soto, observed that in the United States, where property rights are well defined, agricultural production has risen over the past 20 to 30 years. The Commission’s press release quoted the other co-chair of the Commission, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline K. Albright, as saying that “the current food crisis is a symptom of the problem. A country benefits from a large group of farmers operating with the protection of the law, growing food for the domestic market. Such a country will be less vulnerable to fluctuations in global prices and less dependent on the help of others.” Even in war torn states, legal empowerment should be considered a priority, according to de Soto. “How can you have security if you don’t know who lives where? Legal empowerment comes before security,” he told MediaGlobal. The report presents four pillars essential to empowering the poor – access to justice and the rule of law, property rights, labor rights and business rights.
WORLD’S LEADING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS HONORED IN NEW YORK
3 June 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Twelve of the world’s top businesswomen received awards from the International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge (IWEC) at the Harvard Club in New York on Wednesday, celebrating the success of female entrepreneurs from six countries who are incorporating global elements into successful businesses. The winners include Winnie Gitau, whose health food company hires workers from Kenya’s slums and provides childcare and nutrition classes to employees; Donna Childs, CEO of a Wall Street financial services company dedicated to investing in the world’s poorest countries; and Deepika Jindal, whose company manufactures stainless steel accessories and is among the fastest growing businesses in India’s iron and steel sector. The gathering was more than ceremonial, serving to connect pioneering businesswomen to their counterparts around the world. “It’s important to bring women together because women share some of the same problems,” Ambassador Ruth Davis, Chief of Staff of the Africa Bureau of the U.S. Department of State and IWEC’s liaison to Africa, told MediaGlobal. “Women bump up against a glass ceiling, not just in Spain, not just in Nigeria, but throughout the world. So there are common problems that women have on an international basis, so when they come together they can discuss these problems, talk about possible approaches to them, and also serve as mentors to each other.” In a rapidly globalizing world economy, having access to an international network of potential investors, suppliers and business partners is increasingly important, and connecting top female entrepreneurs has the potential for far-reaching benefits. “You get to hear different experiences, what people have gone through,” Gitau told MediaGlobal, underscoring the importance of mentoring other aspiring businesswomen. “I am able to go back and pass that information to the others, because not all of them can come here. But I, when I go back to my country, whatever experiences I’ve heard with the different women, [I will] pass it to the others.”
ARCTIC SAID TO SERVE AS BAROMETER FOR GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE AND BIODIVERSITY
4 June 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: The United Nations Trusteeship Council convened to discuss the arctic as a barometer for global climate change. “Today we are making the new Trusteeship Council where environment is the new name of sustainable development and peace. The UN as a whole has to adjust to this new era of having the environment as a major cause for conflict and wars,” said Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. In his presentation, Djoghlaf confirmed that the Arctic serves as a reflection of the planet’s environmental issues, including biodiversity. “Climate change cannot be addressed without biodiversity. Climate change affects biodiversity and biodiversity can affect the world climate,” Djoghlaf told MediaGlobal. While no ecosystems are protected from climate change, the Arctic is among the most vulnerable. Djoghlaf predicted that the Arctic’s increasing temperatures are an advance warning of the world’s future environmental crises. “Life on earth is being threatened. The capacity of the planet to continue providing its goods and services and life is being threatened. Biodiversity is the victim,” he said. Because of climate change, biodiversity’s rate of loss is 10,000 percent higher than the natural rate of extinction. If climate change continues to increase temperatures, 30 percent of all known species will disappear by the end of the century. Fifty percent of all agricultural output will be threatened or lost. Consequently, the world can expect up to 100 million “environmental refugees,” mostly from Africa, despite efforts to reduce the loss of biodiversity by 2010.
CHINA’S DISPARITY BETWEEN URBAN AND RURAL INCOMES IS PARTICULARLY STARK
6 June 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: A new study by the United Nations University found that while China continues to experience unprecedented rates of economic growth, inequality is also on the rise. The disparity between urban and rural incomes is particularly stark. An urban resident currently earns three times the amount of his or her rural counterpart. Professor Terry Sicular, co-author of the study, said the ratio could rise to as high as four to one. “This is seen hardly anywhere in the world,” she said. “There is potential for such inequality to contribute to political instability.” While China has greatly reduced domestic poverty over the past thirty years, since the mid-1990s the speed of poverty reduction has slowed and even reversed. Wary of these trends, the Chinese government has launched rural investment programs such as the recent campaign for “building a new socialist countryside.” But according to the director of the study, Professor Gaunghua Wan, the amount of capital required for the effort to work is outside the government’s capacity. Instead, he advocates the urbanization of rural populations and increased investment in building human capital through education. “Nine-year education will not help rural migrants compete with their urban counterparts,” Wan told MediaGlobal. “I’d like to see the Chinese government go for 12-year compulsory education in rural China and even community colleges.” Meanwhile, the state of China’s economy has profound implications for the global community. A lack of purchasing power among the poor has led to low labor costs and the expansion of China’s exports – issues at the root of its huge trade imbalance and trade disputes. The study also raises questions about some of the prevailing tenets of the global economy – namely whether, if unprecedented growth in China is not enough to combat poverty, growth should be prioritized as the path to development. “In addition to growth, we must also look at distribution issues,” Wan said.
MICROFINANCE SHIFTS ITS FOCUS AWAY FROM WOMEN
6 June 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Microfinance is increasingly viewed as an economically viable enterprise, but studies show that its focus on poverty alleviation, and in particular the poverty of women, has begun to shift. In recent years, a flood of funding and a growing number of commercial financial institutions have transformed the microfinance landscape – a landscape once dominated by NGOs – and has begun to broach the massive unmet need for micro-loans. While microfinance providers currently provide loans to 100 million clients, the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor estimates that three billion people in developing countries lack access to basic financial services. According to the group’s Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Littlefield, “Without firm commercial foundations, it is questionable whether microfinance will become the profitable business that it needs to be in order to survive and help more poor people.” Others add, however, that in a world where 70 percent of the 1.3 billion people living in poverty are women, a gendered perspective is crucial to achieving microfinance’s objective of alleviating poverty. Women’s World Banking (WWB), an international nonprofit group that provides support to a network of 53 microfinance institutions worldwide, describes the benefits of women-directed loans as immeasurable. Research shows that women consistently contribute more of their earnings to household incomes than men do, invest more in their children’s future and needs and prioritize savings and asset creation over consumption. A study by WWB showed that when microfinance providers were commercialized, the percentage of loans to women decreased. WWB Director of Development Sarita Gupta told MediaGlobal, “Even though many more organizations are entering into microfinance, we need to keep the focus on women. We now do that not just by focusing on women as clients but also as staff and leaders.”
GLOBAL HAPPENINGS For June/July
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: Bonn Climate Change Talks
Bonn, Germany (4-13 June 2008): The Twenty-eighth session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will convene to discuss the current state of global warming. Website: http://unfccc.int/2860.php
12th Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN)
Johannesburg, South Africa (7-12 June 2008): The main objective of the twelfth session of AMCEN is to provide a platform for environment ministers to review the progress made in the implementation of the action plan for the environment initiative of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) with the view to enhancing its implementation. The Twelfth session will also provide an opportunity for environment ministers to address emerging environmental challenges in Africa, particularly issues related to climate change.
Website: http://www.unep.org/roa/Amcen/Amcen_Events/12th_Session_AMCEN/index.asp
Center for Global Development
Washington DC, USA (11 June 2008): At the Global Development June Meetup Chris Blattman, Professor of Political Science and Economics at Yale and Post Doctoral Fellow at the Center for Global Development, will present on “Children and Women at War: Why Our Hype Can Harm.”
Website: http://intlrel.meetup.com/68/calendar/7901911/
Global Trade and Analysis Project’s Eleventh Annual Conference: “Future of Global Economy”
Helsinki, Finland (12-14 June 2008): The goal of the conference is to promote the exchange of ideas among economists and analyze global economic issues. The main themes will include: Globalization and economies in transition; Development, poverty and vulnerability; Energy and environment; and Wealth, aging, and income distribution.
Website: https://www.gtap.agecon.purdue.edu/events/conferences/208/default.asp
UNU-WIDER Conference on Country Role Models for Development Success
Zaragoza, Spain (14 June- 14 September 2008): It will be the first International Exposition, organized according the model of the International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE). Expo Zaragoza 2008 will be an international celebration of the dynamic relationship between water and human societies, created on the basis of an enduring concept: Water and Sustainable Development. It aims to provide a sensitive intelligent well-intentioned perspective on the problems, opportunities, and achievements of communities of people worldwide in terms of water. Between 70 and 90 countries, as well as international organizations, NGOs, and companies are planned to participate, totaling six million visitors.
Website: http://www.emwis.net/thematicdirs/events/sev471163
International Day of the African Child
Global (16 June 2008): The day commemorating the thousands of African school children who took the streets in 1976 to protest the inferior quality of their education and to demand their right to be taught in their own language. Hundreds of them were shot and injured or killed. The day of the African Child has been celebrated on 16 June since 1991, drawing attention to the lives of African children. The day is organized by UNICEF and celebrated in several African countries.
Website: http://www.unicef.org/noteworthy/day-african-child/
Low and Zero Carbon Housing
Forres, Scotland (16-18 June 2008): The Low and Zero Carbon Housing seminar will address how the construction of zero carbon buildings and the retrofitting of existing buildings offer some of the most cost-effective and most immediate strategies in response to climate change. Low and Zero Carbon Housing will examine how the building industry is adapting to the rising demand for cutting edge construction techniques and energy saving solutions.
Website: http://www.cifalfindhorn.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=61&Itemid=42
World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
Global (17 June 2008): In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 17th the “World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought” to promote public awareness and the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa.
Website: http://www.unccd.int/publicinfo/june17/2008/menu.php
Changing Landscapes: Towards a Sustainable Economy in Asia-Dialogue on Sustainable Finance, Responsible Investment, and Corporate Citizenship
Seoul, Republic of Korea (17-18 June 2008): This meeting is jointly hosted by Principles for Responsible Investment, UNEP Finance Initiative and UN Global Compact. It will offer a platform for dialogue between financiers, investors and businesses on the latest issues in the field of sustainable finance, responsible investment and corporate citizenship. In addition, special joint breakout sessions will examine in greater detail environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors across the business activities of financial institutions, institutional investors and corporations.
Website: http://www.changinglandscapes.org/
UNEP International Children’s Conference on the Environment
Stavanger, Norway (17-21 June 2008): The Conference is a follow-up on the decision adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Brazil and the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa, which states that views of children should be incorporated in decisions regarding the environment. The Conference will increase children’s understanding of environmental issues by providing them with a forum to share experiences and opinions and collectively voice their concerns for the environment. It will also inspire them to initiate and implement community environmental projects.
Website: http://www.unep.org/Tunza/children/events/icc_2008/
FD Hearing with Civil Society and Business Sector
UN Headquarters, New York (18 June 2008): This meeting will be held as part of the preparatory process to the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus, to be held in Doha, Qatar, in November 2008.
Website: http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/
ECOSOC Regional Innovation Fair for Latin America- “Youth: the Core of Sustainable Development.”
San Jose de Costa Rica, Costa Rica (18-19 June 2008): The 2008 Latin American Regional Innovation Conference will cover the Impact of Sustainable Development on youth and youth Sustainable Development Innovations.
Website: http://www.ijjo.org/home.php?idioma=en
The Singapore International Water Week and the World Cities Summit
Singapore (23-27 June 2008): The Singapore International Water Week will set the stage for policymakers, industry leaders, experts and practitioners to address challenges, showcase technologies, discover opportunities and celebrate achievements in the water world. The World Cities Summit will focus on issues related to good governance, urban development, environmental sustainability and economic competitiveness.
Website: http://www.siww.com.sg/
International Conference on Groundwater and Climate in Africa
Kampala, Uganda (25-28 June 2008): The conference seeks to bring together water and climate scientists from research/academic institutions, government departments, and private sector as well as representatives from international agencies, donors and consortia in order to share knowledge and expertise, and thereby improve current understanding of the impact of climate and development on groundwater resources in Africa.
Website: http://www.gwclim.org/
China-OECD Multi-stakeholder Symposium on Government Approaches to Encouraging Responsible Business Conduct
Paris, France (26-27 June 2008): All countries are facing the challenges of promoting sustainable development and conditions which facilitate responsible conduct on the part of business. As the world economy becomes more integrated, OECD countries, together with China and other emerging countries have a shared responsibility to meet these challenges. OECD countries have taken steps to do this, including the adoption of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises to ensure that their companies work in harmony with the local societies everywhere they operate.
Website: http://www.oecd.org/document/53/0,3343,en_2649_34863_39384629_1_1_1_1,00.html
GIN2008 Conference: Facilitating Sustainable Innovation
Leeuwarden, The Netherlands (26-28 June 2008): The challenges that will be raised at the conference are: how to evoke successful innovations on a regional and commercial scale within a shifting paradigm towards sustainable development. Conference participants will work together to respond to the conference challenge: How do we create a context in which sustainable innovations can succeed? The conference outcome will include a manifesto on Creating Sustainable Pathways with concrete recommendations how to create sustainable innovations on a regional level. All sessions at the conference will contribute to the manifesto.
Website: http://www.greeningofindustry.org/gin2008.htm
Fifth The Center for Global Development and The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
Washington DC (27 June 2008)
Website: http://www.pcf5.london.ac.uk
Workshop on Biodiversity and Climate Change
Kushiro, Japan (29 June-4 July 2008): Co-organized by the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Kushiro International Wetland Centre, in partnership with Japan-UNDP Partnership Fund and the Secretariats of the Ramsar Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity, this workshop aims to support the sharing of scientific facts and policies on biodiversity, wetlands and climate change, provide analytical knowledge to understand and practically use the scientific data and documentation, facilitate exchange of ideas and strengthen the Kushiro/UNITAR network of experts in wetlands, biodiversity and climate change.
Website: http://www.unitar.org/hiroshima/programmes/kushiro08
Development agencies and non-governmental organizations are welcome to send details of upcoming conferences for inclusion in our HAPPENINGS column.