THAILAND GETS ACTIVE IN THE BILLION TREE CAMPAIGN

30 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Thailand launched its “Plant for the Planet, Plant for the Future” campaign this weekend as part of the United Nations Environmental Program’s (UNEP) Billion Tree Campaign, which recently set a new goal of planting seven billion trees by the end of 2009. Thailand’s campaign was launched at the opening ceremony of the Sirindhorn International Environment Park (SIEP), where the plan is to plant about 300,000 tree species in hopes of preserving forests as well as promoting awareness of the importance of trees to the environment. Spokesperson for UNEP Nick Nuttall told MediaGlobal, “The billion dollar tree campaign, which is now the seven billion dollar tree campaign, is just trying to galvanize the public to put pressure on their leaders to do something about global warming.” The campaign’s key goal is to make the public aware that they can be part of the solution to global warming, and it has been quite successful in doing so. According to Nuttall, the campaign in Thailand began with the royal family approaching UNEP to get involved in the Billion Tree Campaign, which is how Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn got involved. Nuttall says, “We’d like other members of royal families in other parts of the world to get involved because, in many countries, royal families still command huge respect in their population.” The Billion Tree Campaign is just one example of what is needed between now and the United Nations Climate Change Convention in late December 2009 to help preserve the environment and combat global warming.

NEW DEVELOPMENT PROJECT TO ENHANCE LIVES OF 10,000 IN PANAMA

21 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Over the last 26 years, the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has provided $76.4 million in loans to fund seven different development projects in Panama. IFAD’s newest $12.3 million project will focus on the five poverty-stricken districts of Veraguas Province in Central Panama. In the main element of this project, announced in Rome on 15 July, “participating personnel will support the formation and consolidation of Territorial Development Councils (TDC),” IFAD Country Programme Manager for Panama, Jaana Keitaanranta, told MediaGlobal. These councils, composed of representatives from the mayor, local organizations, NGOs and others, will be responsible for “the preparation of annual infrastructure investment plans, social development plans for the depressed sector, identification of public and private financial sources for the TDC, and the annual selection of extremely poor young indigenous and non-indigenous men and women to be supported by labor skills training assistantships,” Keitaanranta explained. Features of the project, like the labor skills training, are used to target the 10,000 small farmers, laborers, unemployed men, women and youths who make up the rural poor in Veraguas. Keitaanranta elaborated on the project, highlighting its focus on “an indigenous and regional focus, social inclusions and targeted instruments, political and economic integration, cultural identities and development, and gender strategies.” All of these aspects of the program developed from lessons learned from successes and challenges of past programs in Panama.

UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY DISCUSSES SOLUTIONS FOR FOOD AND ENERGY CRISES

21 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: The global food and energy crisis are driving 850 million people worldwide into poverty. The United Nations General Assembly convened to discuss implementation solutions for the current crises. The Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of Congo described them as “blows to fragile economies” and “complicated because of their many factors”. “The food crisis especially affects the least developed countries, which are also suffering from the global energy crisis, which has resulted from increased demand and speculation, among other factors. The energy crisis has a double effect on the food crisis: on one hand, the increase of the transportation costs bears upon the cost of the food supplies and on the other hand, the production of biofuels has a strong impact on the prices of agricultural products,” Permanent Representative of Costa Rica, Jorge Urbina, told MediaGlobal. Over the past year, the price of rice has increased 74 percent, and the price of wheat has skyrocketed to 130 percent its original cost. People living in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) spend two-thirds of their income on food, limiting their spending on education and health to minimally feed themselves. Representatives at the meeting agreed that food aid is not enough and compared possible approaches in alleviating the crises. Urbina explains Costa Rica’s proposed solutions and perspective: “We think that this challenge compels humanity to design and undertake innovative actions that should be marked with the symbol of solidarity. Since the extension of the arable land around the world has almost reached its limits, we should place our hope on increasing productivity, attaching more value to agricultural work and greater solidarity as innovative ways to resolve the new dilemma of the twenty-first century.”

SECURITY ISSUES FOR WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME SHIPS RISK DRASTIC EFFECT ON SOMALIAN AID

22 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: With naval escorts provided by France, Denmark, and the Netherlands discontinued at the end of June, supply ships carrying food and aid to Somalia from the United Nations World Food Programme are once again in danger of pirate attacks off of Somalia’s northern and eastern coasts. In this year alone there have been 24 attacks on vessels traveling in these waters, but none on WFP aid ships with naval escorts. In the weeks following the final escorted ship, the WFP has continued to send much-needed aid to Somalia even though “only one shipping company has agreed to sail to Somalia without escorts,” Greg Barrow, WFP Senior Public Affairs Officer, told MediaGlobal. “The effect of pirate attacks on the food supply to Somalia is drastic,” Barrow continued, with 80 percent of WFP aid going to Somalia arriving by way of these nautical routes. “If ships are getting attacked, then ship owners are less inclined to risk plying the sea routes to Somali ports, and therefore less assistance gets through.” These attacks pose a greater risk to the crew than the food and aid on board since “the pirates are more interested in holding the crew and the ships to ransom, in the hope that the owners of the vessels will pay for their release,” Barrow explained. Adding that, “most of the attacks take place after the ships have off-loaded their food.” The WFP can only stress their appeal to other nations for assistance, in hopes that one will step-forward and resume the naval escorts. Until then, the “WFP is not in a position to provide security for the ships” explains Barrow, but will continue to do all they can for the Somalis in need.

MALARIA DRUGS INCREASE CHILDREN’S EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS

22 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Although renowned physicist Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge,” there is no denying the fact that knowledge is power. It is on this premise that Bradley Broder and Dominic Muasya started the Kenya Education Fund (KEF), an organization dedicated to giving children the opportunity to finish high school so that they can learn skills and become successful members of society later on in life. One of the founders of the organization can attest that knowledge is power: Muasya grew up poor but has since been climbing the ladder of opportunity. He is a graduate of Kenya Medical Training College and is now a Public Health Officer at the Ministry of Health. While it is critical that the students who are attending school are able to concentrate on their studies, according to a study completed by the London School of Tropical Medicine and the University of Nairobi, malaria can decrease a child’s performance at school. Giving children a regimen of anti-malarial drugs three times a year can improve it. This may become easier due to an agreement between six pharmaceutical companies last week, brokered by the Clinton Foundation. The agreement means that anti-malarial drugs will cost less. But the reduction in costs may stimulate demand, which may increase costs again. Christopher Plowe, Professor and Chief of the Malaria Section at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, does not think this is likely. “I do not think lower prices will create more demand – in the case of malaria drugs, the demand is really driven by the degree of malaria,” he told MediaGlobal.

GENE PROTECTS AGAINST ONE DISEASE BUT INCREASES VULNERABILITY FOR ANOTHER

22 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: When Kelly Rowland, singer of Destiny’s Child, an R&B group, recently decided to take an HIV test at Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, she was not only testing her status, but also addressing the issue of stigma. In Kenya, many do not get tested because of the fear of discrimination, despite the country’s high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Now the findings of research done by scientists from University College London and the University of Texas on a malaria gene – called Duffy Antigen Receptor for Chemokines (DARC) – make HIV testing more crucial. Why? Because the findings reveal that this gene increases the risk of contracting HIV. This is quite alarming – the malaria outbreak in Africa makes it likely that a significant number carry the gene, which is thought to have developed in order to defend the body against viruses. According to University College London, around 90 percent of Africans carry the genetic version of DARC, which makes them more vulnerable to HIV. Rowland did not know that HIV testing would become even more important when she took the test, but if her example is followed, Kenyans will be better off. The research seems to have a flaw, though: Rowena Johnston, Vice President of Research at amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, pointed out that the researchers do not seem to have identified which African communities are more likely to have the gene. “There is more diversity in genes in Africans than in other races, so I think it is important to identify which particular African gene variant they did research on,” she told MediaGlobal.

MAOISTS PARTICIPATION KEY TO FORMATION OF NEPALI GOVERNMENT

23 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: On Wednesday the United Nations Security Council voted to extend the mandate of the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) by six months. UNMIN will continue as a special political mission, charged primarily with monitoring and disarming former combatants in the civil war that has killed more than 13,000 people since 1996. Following a ceasefire in 2006, considerable progress has been made toward forming a stable government, including the abolition of Nepal’s centuries-old monarchy in April, and the elections of the country’s first president on Monday. But “the peace process cannot be regarded as fully completed,” Ian Martin, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIN, told reporters at United Nations Headquarters. The future of former insurgents, particularly underage recruits, remains uncertain, and the country’s leadership is already facing significant challenges, with the majority Maoist party suggesting it will not participate in the formation of a new government following the defeat of the Maoist presidential candidate, a schism could sap the legitimacy of the new government. “I think in the coming days we’re going to see considerable discussion amongst the political parties. Certainly the international community has, from the elections onwards, stressed the importance of continuing cooperation amongst the political parties in government during the period of drafting the new constitution,” Martin told MediaGlobal. “Most Nepali political actors, as well as international actors, have stressed firstly the importance of cooperation among the parties in government and have assumed that the Maoists, as the largest party in the Constituent Assembly, would be given the opportunity to take the lead in forming the new government. And as I understand it, that still remains the position of the other political parties.”

SCHOOL TO BE BUILT FOR UGANDAN CHILDREN ORPHANED BY AIDS

23 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: While Uganda has often been cited in recent years as an illustration of the success of Abstinence, Be faithful, Condomize (ABC) HIV prevention efforts, the country is still home to some one million children orphaned by AIDS. The group Architects for Humanity has joined forces with a team of HIV/AIDS programs to build the Kutamba Primary School, a community-based organization dedicated to serving the needs of AIDS orphans in the Rukungiri district of southern Uganda. Using only local materials and building methods, the construction will take advantage of renewable energy systems. The aim, says project director Matthew Miller, is not only to aid orphans but to create a truly community driven project, one that can later be used as a model for further development in the area. “This is an organization run by Ugandans to help Ugandans,” he told MediaGlobal. “All of our laborers come from the neighboring villages, and all material – bricks, sand, aggregate, and lumber – is procured locally. Creating jobs where few exist is an important tactic to ensuring the longevity and local ownership of this project.” In addition to classrooms, the construction will include a library, office space, a kitchen and dining room, a nurse’s space and infirmary, and play space. The project is due to be completed in January of 2009.

LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES TO DIVERSIFY COOPERATION INITIATIVES

24 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Latin America is a leader in regional cooperation in the developing world, but with much of this cooperation centering on technical knowledge-sharing, policy makers are hoping to diversify their collaborative efforts. Financial and educational partnerships between countries are increasing, said Enrique Maruri, Director of International Cooperation for Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an interview with MediaGlobal. “In language learning, Colombia has got language teachers from Jamaica coming here to teach English, and we’ve done the same, sending people to teach Spanish in Jamaica,” he said. “We’ve done projects regarding economic cooperation, for instance, we’ve sent rural communities to Costa Rica to learn about ecotourism-Costa Rica has a lot of good examples of best practices, and we’ve sent people to see how it works and to bring these experiences to rural communities which are interested in implementing rural tourism in Colombia.” Working together is critical to meeting development goals, “not only international development goals, but national development goals,” Maruri said. “South-South Cooperation contributes to facilitate the integration among countries and among societies.” Above all, working together is more efficient. “This country has a lot of capacity and other countries can benefit from things we’ve done well,” Maruri said of Colombia. “And it’s the same on the contrary. There are countries that have done wonderful things, and maybe it’s easier to learn from them than starting from zero.”

NEW HIV/AIDS RESOURCE PACK LAUNCHED

24 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced the creation of a resource pack to enhance countries’ response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The pack was developed in the framework of the UNAIDS Global Initiative on Education and HIV & AIDS (EDUCAIDS) and will be launched at the 17th International AIDS Conference, held in Mexico City, Mexico, from August 3 to 8. Chief of UNESCO’s section on HIV and AIDS Christopher Castle told MediaGlobal, “The EDUCAIDS resource packs contain materials designed to assist ministries of education and others working in the field of education to ensure that the education sector – particularly schools – is fully engaged in the national response to HIV and AIDS.” The packs are based on the five EDUCAIDS components to create strong impact: quality education; content, curriculum and learning materials; educator training and support; policy, management and systems; and approaches and entry points. The packs employ a focused, user-friendly format and emphasize the need to strengthen the role of education on HIV and AIDS in all aspects, including teacher training, workplace policies, and with the needs of all learners in mind, to fight the epidemic. The packs emphasize coordinated action and are designed for use in resource constrained areas because, according to Castle, “many of the countries most affected by HIV and AIDS are developing countries, where a strong multisectoral approach is recognized as critical in order to move towards universal access to prevention programs, treatment, care and support.” The packs will be distributed to individuals working in the education sector of countries and are available in all six United Nations languages as well as Portuguese.

WATER IS THE NEW OIL, INTEGRAL TO OUR WAY OF LIFE

24 July 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Water has been called the oil of the twenty-first century: increasingly scarce, it is integral to our way of life. Activists, government officials, and experts in the field came together this week at the International Water Conference held at the United Nations to address the evolving challenge of achieving drinking water sustainability. Cheick Sidi Diarra, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States told the assembly, “Only one percent of the world’s water is both fresh and accessible.” That number, he added, is only decreasing. Diarra also identified women as the primary bearers of the burden caused by lack of access to water. On average, in the least developed countries, women walk six to 20 kilometers a day to collect water. Juanita During, Resources Mobilization Coordinator of WaterAid Nigeria, told MediaGlobal, “In many rural parts of Africa, women have to bear the literal burden of carrying water often from very long distances to their homes for domestic use.” As a result, she said, “Women are unable to focus on economic and other poverty alleviation activities, because so many hours a day are spent on seeking and retrieving water. Girls are either not able to attend or finish school, because they have to stay home and help their mothers with domestic chores which include fetching water.”