REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS: IS THE ANSWER BLOWING IN THE WIND?

7 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Scientists are increasingly turning towards small-scale renewable energies such as wind energy in the fight against climate change. While the Group of Eight leaders pledged to reduce their carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2050 this week, leading scientists – among them the Nobel prize-winning International Panel on Climate Change – are calling the goal insufficient. Furthermore, the G8 leaders have failed to introduce a concrete plan of action on steps to reduce carbon emissions. The IPCC has urged the leaders of the developing world to take more active measures to shift to renewable energies, such as wind power. According to Scott Sklar, President of the Stella Energy Research Group, despite its cost-effective, sustainable properties, “There has been an absolute failure by governments to look at small-scale wind energy as a solution.” Companies like Southwest Windpower have long been focused on the energy needs of the developing world, implementing their small wind turbines in homes and villages from Sri Lanka to Tanzania. “Most people, when they think of wind energy, think of massive wind farms,” Southwest founder Andy Kruse said. “But these are 10 kilowatts and smaller, designed for village electrification.” Those who live in rural areas of developing countries typically face the most difficulties in gaining access to electricity, said Energy Specialist Stephen Gitonga of the UN Development Fund’s Global Environmental Facility. Indeed, Raja Dandekar of the Kokan Development Project, which is attempting to use renewable energies such as wind to power its school, told MediaGlobal, “We have frequent breaks in our power supply and our educational programs suffer due to it. Besides making us independent of the power grid, it would further the cause of renewable energies in rural areas.”

SMALL ISLAND AND LEAST DEVELPOPED STATES FACE DIRE CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE

8 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: At a follow-up meeting on Monday of the General Assembly to its thematic debate on “Climate Change and the Most Vulnerable Countries” in February, speakers voiced the concern that the Millennium Development Goals were slipping. In addition, the meeting focused on the specific challenges that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDC) face in the wake of climate change. The President of Maldives, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (via video feed) noted that in the coming generations, the 38 Small Island Member States of the United Nations would no longer be in existence due to rising ocean levels, melting ice caps, and temperature change, among other factors. Media Officer Riccardo Dunn of the Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, told MediaGlobal, “It is important to deepen the exchange of information regarding the impact of climate change, as all countries will to some extent be affected. However, in regard [to the Small Island Developing States] there is a need for greater South-South cooperation, as well as North-South cooperation to tackle this issue head on.” The High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Ambassador Cheik Sidi Diarra, in his closing remarks at the meeting said that he was pleased that the meeting had stressed the need for immediate action to help these countries mitigate and adapt to the consequences of climate change. Diarra’s office reiterated this outlook, telling MediaGlobal, “The meeting was an extremely important event, which once again highlighted the need to take seriously the impact of climate change on vulnerable countries. It provided a forum to take the debate forward.”

CHINESE EARTHQUAKE STIMULATED THE ECONOMY

8 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: When a strong earthquake hit Sichuan Province in May, the resultant scenes of death and destruction did not invite the notion that the country was prospering. In fact, reports gave lengthy details of the exact opposite: bridges collapsing, cities reduced to mere rubble, and at least 80,000 dead. But a little over a month after the earthquake, the State Information Center, a Chinese government research body, announced that the earthquake had stimulated the economy. The massive rebuilding effort and the pumping of billions of dollars into the economy would overcome the adverse economic effects the earthquake had caused, the Center said. These efforts would increase economic growth by 0.3 percent. But when a press conference on the launching of the 2008 United Nations World Economic and Social Survey was held last week, Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development at the U.N., said that among the factors contributing to global economic insecurity were climate related disasters such as hurricanes, typhoons and floods, and non-climate disasters such as earthquakes. China, it seems, is an exception. Nevertheless, the country is still not free of economic insecurity, as evidenced by the country’s inflation rate, which stands above 7 percent, and soaring food and energy prices. “High inflation is not because of an overheating of Asian economies per se, it is more caused by the high food and energy prices,” Rob Vos, Director of the Development Policy and Analysis Divison at the Department of Economic and Social Affairs in the U.N., told MediaGlobal.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION APPLAUDS G8’S COMMITMENT TO IMPROVE GLOBAL HEALTH

8 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: G8 leaders announced their commitment to improve global health through full, annual measurements of progress. They also agreed that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) established by the U.N. in 2000 should be supported in a “comprehensive manner”. The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomed the G8’s declaration. “They have acknowledged that stronger health systems, including more trained health workers and better health statistics to support disease control efforts are urgently required. In addition, G8 leaders this year also addressed other important issues such as mothers and children, HIV, TB, and Malaria. Together with their financial commitments, this comprehensive approach is truly commendable and is very important for Least Developed Countries (LDCs),” Dick Thomson, News Team Leader of the WHO Director-General’s Office, told MediaGlobal. The WHO will contribute to the G8’s commitment of improving global health by advising the LDCs and setting the norms and standards for prevention and treatment guidelines. It will also continue its work and consultations with the G8 nations and other member states, particularly the LDCs. “Many noble commitments have been made over the last decade to support health and now G8 nations are saying they will ensure accountability of those promises every year. The G8 has taken an important step to relieve suffering and improve the health of the world’s most vulnerable people. I applaud the strong commitment of all G8 leaders. WHO and its partners will do everything possible to support their efforts,” said Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General, in praise of the G8’s new initiative towards global health.

NEW PATENT POOL TO INCREASE AFFORDABILITY FOR DRUGS IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD

9 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Affordability and accessibility of new drugs is an increasing problem in low and middle income countries. This is especially true with Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), which treat infection and are primarily used for HIV treatment. The second-generation of ARVs are very expensive and out of reach for patients in the Least Developed Countries, which is where these drugs are needed most. UNITAID, the international drug purchase facility, has established a patent pool aimed at providing patients in the LDCs with increased access to more medicines. This will in turn lower market barriers for generic drug manufacturers by maintaining royalties to patent holders. “The idea of the patent pool is to provide a platform which brings together patent holders and potential patent grantees for generic manufacturing. The initial idea regarding country coverage is that the patent pool should cover low and middle-income countries. We expect that the products of the patent pool negotiation will be made available to the developing countries, as well as to different providers of access to medicines in these countries,” Gelise McCullough of UNITAID told MediaGlobal. Pediatric ARVs will be the focus of the newly created patent pool. UNITAID has adopted this focus because it considers pediatrics one of its most significant concentrations and sees the patent pool as an opportunity to further impact market dynamics in this area and increased accessibility and affordability of medicines for children. UNITAID will set up a Task Force to design the structure of the medicine patent pool and develop an implementation plan. The Task Force’s recommendations will be discussed at the UNITAID Executive Board meeting in November 2008. According to McCullough, “necessary stops to establish an entity to act as a licensing agency, appropriate management structure, potential conditions and terms of agreements with patent holders and potential licenses” will be decided at the November meeting. After agreeing on its design and documentation, steps toward making the patent pool operational will start as early as 2009.

DIPLOFOUNDATION CREATES A COURSE TO HELP SMALL STATES COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE

8 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Diplofoundation Director Jovan Kurbalija announced on Wednesday a new program designed to help diplomats of small states learn to combat the effects of climate change. The first course will begin in December 2008 with initial support from Malta and Switzerland, the founders of DiploFoundation. Diplo is a non-profit organization that works to help all countries, with emphasis on countries with limited resources, to participate in international relations. The course will be taught online, so anyone with a dial-up Internet connection may participate. Mina Mudric of DiploFoundation told MediaGlobal, “Initially the course will be offered in English, but we plan to offer courses in other languages soon.” The course is geared toward small states because they are the most vulnerable to climate change, and the approaches offered by the international community center around mitigation and adaptation policies. The course “aims to provide participants with an in-depth understanding of the various approaches and policies in this field, with the cognitive ‘apparatus’ they need to develop policy and formulate their own recommendations,” Mudric said. She added that Diplo’s method of teaching follows the spirit of the Chinese proverb: “Give a man fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Following this sentiment, the course aims to help participants from a wide range of countries deal with issues specific to their countries. Diplo hopes to train 200 diplomats and officials from developing countries annually and can currently provide scholarships for 50 participants to make the course more affordable, although they hope to increase the number of scholarships available due to the high interest in the course.

HORN OF AFRICA IN URGENT NEED OF EMERGENCY AID

11 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Parts of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda, the countries of the Horn of Africa, are in the grip of a severe humanitarian crisis. Compounded with drought and rapidly rising food prices due to a global food crisis and rising fuel costs, these African countries are struggling with food and water security and outbreak of diseases. All over the Horn of Africa, a total of 14 million people are living “on the margin of survival” according to John Holmes, Under-Secretary General of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The World Health Organization reports that in addition to the food crisis causing malnutrition, outbreaks of meningitis; measles and diarrhea are exacerbating the problem. While the World Food Programme and UNICEF (among others) are heading the campaigns against hunger and disease in the Horn of Africa, providing over 10.4 million people with therapeutic feeding and medical treatment, they are confronting their own obstacles as well. Peter Smerdon of the WFP in Nairobi told MediaGlobal, “overall WFP has a shortfall from July until the end of the year in the five countries affected by the Greater Horn of Africa drought and rising food prices of some $500 million, of which WFP Ethiopia alone has a shortfall of some $300 million.”

ZIMBABWEAN REFUGEES ARE INCREASINGLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN

11 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: While world leaders are focused on the political upheaval in Zimbabwe, a disturbing trend has emerged among the refugees fleeing to neighboring South Africa: they are increasingly women and children. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said today that the refugee population – at one time predominantly single and male – has shifted to families, many having experienced violence and torture. Meanwhile, South Africa, the nation that has long been quick to come to President Robert Mugabe’s defense, has failed the growing numbers of refugees, according to the High Commissioner, sending back individuals regardless of the torture they may face at home. But South Africa denies the charge. Speaking to reporters, South African Ambassador to the U.N. Dumisani Kumalo said, “We are offering a home to many Zimbabweans. If we’d expelled them, you’d know about it.” Speaking to MediaGlobal, spokesperson for the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children Theresa Pantazopoulos condemned any repatriation of asylum seekers against their will. The 1951 International Convention relating to the Status of Refugees defines a refugee, and thereby someone who must be granted asylum, as, “…[A]ny person who…owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his [or her] nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself [or herself] of the protection of that country.”

AFRICAN MIGRANTS FLEEING POVERTY DIE EN ROUTE TO SPAIN

11 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Four African migrants attempting to reach Spain died today, in the third such incident this week. Overall this week, 28 would-be African immigrants died en route to Spain, including at least nine children. The boat traveling on Friday contained 59 people who are believed to be from sub-Saharan countries and were attempting to reach Spain’s Canary Islands, according to a government official. Police intercepted a dinghy Wednesday with 33 survivors and one dead off the coast of southern Spain. According to the survivors, 14 people died of huger and thirst on the trip and were thrown overboard, nine of them were children between the ages of one and four. On Monday, in the first incident this week, a boat carrying 37 Nigerian migrants capsized off the coast of southern Spain, with 14 dead and 23 rescued. According to Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, “As long as people are desperate and cannot feed their children, they will try to reach Europe.” In response to these deaths Zapatero said, “We are in an alarming situation,” and asked wealthy nations to respect their pledges to fight poverty in Africa. “The West has the resources and the capacity to help extreme poverty disappear,” Zapatero said in Athens. Ambassador Cheik Sidi Diarra for LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS told MediaGlobal that developed countries must deliver on their international commitments to increase development aid. “While there has been progress over the last few years, it is important for African and least developed countries to continue improving governance, investing in basic social services, including health and education, and improving the investment climate.” As part of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, the world’s richest nations pledged 0.7 percent of their output to development aid by 2015, but so far only Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have met or surpassed their targets. According to Ambassador Diarra, “The only sure way to stem the tide of people risking their lives in search of a better life is to assure them of a livelihood in their own countries.”

GLOBAL HAPPENINGS FOR JULY
Achieving a Sustainable Future: Managing Aquaculture, Fishing, Trade, and Development
Nha Trang, Vietnam (22-25 July 2008): The International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade (IIFET) and Nha Trang University (NTU) of Vietnam will host this Fourteenth Biennial Conference. Presentations will range from the theoretical to applied policy about the seafood industry, aquaculture, and development issues about this topic. Perspectives from all of the world’s major fishing regions will be represented.
Website: http://www.internationalpeaceandconflict.org/events/event/show?id=780588:Event:57499 Zaragoza International Water Exhibition
Zaragoza, Spain (14 June-14 September 2008): This study and discussion forum will look for solutions to the major problems derived from bad use and shortage of water. The main focuses of the exhibition will be water’s role in civilization, life, control, progress and sustainment.
Website:
http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france-priorities_1/environment_1097/events_2130/water-and-sustainable-development-international-exhibition-in-zaragoza-spain-14.06-14.09.08_10025.html/
ECOSOC Development Cooperation Forum
Building Sustainable Futures- Enacting Peace and Development
University of Leuven, Belgium (15-19 July 2008): The International Peace Research Association (IPRA) will host this conference made up of plenary sessions, focusing on the peace and conflict process as well as development. Tentative plenary sessions include Human Security and Development, African Peace Building, Peace Research in Latin America, Listening to the Middle East, Peace and Intellectual Solidarity, Effective Non-Violent Policy-Making, Youth and Conflict/Peace, and Faith in Peace.
Website: http://soc.kuleuven.be/iieb/ipra2008/conference/index.php The Canadian International Development Agency: International Day of Cooperatives
Worldwide (5 July 2008): The International Day of Cooperatives is celebrated on the first Saturday of July every year. Its aim is increase awareness about cooperatives and to highlight the complementary goals and objectives of the UN and the international cooperative movement. This day reaffirms that cooperatives play an important role in economic, social, and cultural development, particularly by providing a framework for facilitating the mobilization of human, financial, and other resources.
Website: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/social/intldays/IntlCoops/index.html/ World Population Day
Worldwide (11 July 2008): Countries around the world have observed World Population day for 19 years to raise public awareness and draw the attention of policy makers to population issues such as poverty, reproductive health, education, and HIV/AIDS.
Website: http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/population/index.html/ International Conference on Research for Development
Bern, Switzerland (2-4 July 2008): More than 200 participants from around the world will attend the conference hosted by the National Centre of Competence in Research for Development to address five principal research themes: Governance/Statehood and conflict transformation, Health, vulnerability, resilience, and environmental sanitation, livelihoods, globalization and urban planning, natural resources in sustainable development and research approaches and methodologies for sustainable development.
Website: http://icrd.unibe.ch/default.asp/ Environmental Life Cycle Assessment as a Tool for Evaluating the Sustainability of Ecosystem Services (Seminar II)
University of Bath, UK (9 July 2008): The Economic and Social Research Council (ESFC) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) will host this conference considering the application of Environmental LCA for evaluating the environmental consequences of products and services and their utilization in supporting and developing national and international legislation to ensure sustainability for future generations.
Website: http://www.bath.ac.uk/research/seminars/esrc/ Gender Equality and Audit
Sydney (9-10 July 2008), Melbourne (15-16 July 2008): The Australian Council for International Development is providing this forum for NGO’s in the aid and development sector to take stock of progress and successes on gender equality and take steps to do more.
Website: http://www.acfid.asn.au/training/acfid-training/gender-equality-July08/ WIDER Conference on Southern Engines of Global Growth: China, India, Brazil, and South Africa (CIBS): Financial Flows and Capital Markets
Rio de Janiero, Brazil (11-12 July 2008): The third conference of the UNU-WIDER project on ‘Southern Engines of Global Growth’ will focus upon empirical and conceptual studies exploring the roles of capital flows in its various forms—portfolio investment, foreign direct investment, and banking activities—in these four countries. The conference will also explore the contributions of capital flows to the growth of the CIBS and other nations. Intra- and inter-regional issues relating to capital flows are also welcome.
Website: http://www.wider.unu.edu/events/2008-conferences/southern-engines-II/en_GB/southern-engines-of-growth/ Umguhubo Festival
Durban, South Africa (1-6 July 2008): The Umgubho Festival is Africa’s annual international event. It is a unique celebration of competitive sports, indigenous games, modern and contemporary performing, visual and audio-visual arts, cultural arts, development, fashion, entertainment, business, and platform for awareness campaigns. The festival is an African Renaissance in action and New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) in motion event.
Website: http://www.foundation-development-africa.org/africa_upcoming_events/1_7july_2008.htm/ African Compensation Benefits and Total Reward Conference
Johannesburg, South Africa (2-3 July 2008): The Foundation for the Development of Africa will endorse this event themed “Attract, Motivate, and Retain”. Workshops and panel discussions will take place emphasizing that organizations must recognize the need to offer an extensive range of rewards, and benefits, not just financially oriented, to attract new recruits and retain a first class talent pool.
Website: www.equilibriumint.com/ International Youth for Global Development
Cairo, Egypt (2-8 July 2008): The International Youth Leadership Forum (IYLF) and Ket Foundation International with Regional Office in Cameroon (KFI) organized this conference for youth participation in Global Development. Financial Statement Analysis
Johannesburg, Bedfordview, South Africa, (3-4 July 2008): Endorsed by the Foundation for the Development of Africa, this workshop will equip learners to detect financial inconsistencies, improve their financial planning, projection skills, as well as conduct thorough financial assessments.
Website: www.abelusi.co.za/index.php?ID=164/ SACATS
Johannesburg, South Africa (7-9 July 2008): The Foundation for the Development of Africa has themed this year as “Back to the Classroom”. South Africa’s leading experts in education will share new thinking about teacher development and success in the classroom. It will offer a variety of practical experiences to enhance the critical role of Curriculum Advisors and other involved in teacher support.
Website: www.spintelligent-events.com/sacats2008/en/index.php/
Development agencies and non-governmental organizations are welcome to send details of upcoming conferences for inclusion in our HAPPENINGS column.
Contributors: Nosh Nalavala, Sheana Laughlin, Adelia Saunders, Shipra Prakash, Emily Geminder, Alina Haddad, Nadia Khan and Gabrielle Wade



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