Weekending Sunday, 9 December 2007

FOURTH UN DAY FOR SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION WILL FOCUS ON SOUTH-SOUTH FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT

3 DECEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: The international community will mark the fourth United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation on 19 December 2007 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. This year the focus will be on the mobilization of resources for development through South-South and triangular cooperation under the theme “Innovative Financing for South-South Development Cooperation.” During the celebration, MediaGlobal was informed that “South-South Cooperation Awards for partnership, leadership and innovation will be presented to institutions whose work transforms, empowers, mobilizes and expands the South-South agenda by increasing human, material and financial resources to accomplish internationally agreed development goals in the South, including the Millennium Development Goals.” The event is intended to provide the international community with the opportunity to explore and strengthen this aspect of South-South approaches to development, according to the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation of UNDP. Among the scheduled speakers during the high-level segment, to be chaired by the President of the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation, are the President of the General Assembly; the Secretary-General of the United Nations; the Chairman of the Group of 77 and China; the Administrator of UNDP; the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs; the Executive Director of UNICEF; and the Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States. The Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference will also speak as a special guest. For more information on this event, visit the web site of the Special Unit at: http://ssc.undp.org.

“GREEN JOBS” PROVIDE CRITICAL LINK BETWEEN CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT

3 DECEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Preparing the world to adapt to climate change will create numerous new high-level UN jobs, says the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). In partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITU), UNEP has commissioned a report, to be released early next year, on the employment opportunities presented by a transition to a global, more environmentally sustainable economy. These effects can already be seen in developed nations, such as the United States, where in 2005 the environmental industry generated over 5.3 million jobs – ten times the number in the pharmaceutical industry. But the effects won’t be limited to developed nations. “While a lot of the current research focuses on developed countries, there is information starting to come through that indicates that many developing countries will also benefit,” Nick Nuttall, spokesman for UNEP told MediaGobal. In the least developed countries these so-called “green jobs” could play a critical role in development. “These jobs can provide decent work and incomes that will contribute to sustainable economic growth and help lift people out of poverty” said ILO Sustainable Development Specialist Peter Poschen. “The major investment to adapt to climate change could provide many new and better jobs for vulnerable people who need them most.”

WOMEN INCREASINGLY AFFECTED BY HIV/AIDS, SAYS UNIFEM

4 DECEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Even as global rates of HIV infection slow, rates of infection among women continue to climb. “Women are being increasingly infected in just about all countries,” Marijke Velzeboer-Salcedo, Chief of the Latin America and Caribbean section of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) told MediaGlobal. UNIFEM data suggests that, while in 1997 women made up only 41 percent of people worldwide living with HIV, by 2002 they represented some 50 percent of the total HIV/AIDS population. This figure, however, represents a global average. In some areas the rates of infection among women are much higher. In sub-Saharan Africa, the region hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, more women than men have been infected since the mid-1980’s. By 2004, nearly 60 percent of Africans infected with HIV were women. In the least developed countries, HIV disproportionately affects women for both biological and social reasons, says Ms. Velzeboer-Salcedo. “When women live in poverty and especially when they’re living under very controlling circumstances, then women are not in a position to really protect themselves or get the kind of services that they need to prevent HIV or to care for themselves when they are infected.”

NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

4 DECEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: National governments must work harder to end violence against women and girls, experts and country representatives said at a panel discussion held Tuesday at United Nations Headquarters in New York. “There is quite a lot of work to do,” said Hedda Samson, first secretary of the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the UN. Member states signed on to a UN resolution last year that requires their participation in the protection and empowerment of women and girls. “States have taken it upon themselves to exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and punish the perpetrators of violence against women and girls, and also provide protection to the victims thereof,” Samson said. Mike Wessells, senior child protection adviser of the Christian Children’s Fund, spoke of the need for states and civil society to engage men in reversing trends of abuse, particularly in the midst and aftermath of conflict, when violence against women spikes. In Northern Uganda, a region destabilized by years of civil war, 42 percent of women say they have been seriously beaten inside their own homes within the last year, he said. Enacting and enforcing laws to punish the perpetrators is not enough, as much of the violence goes unreported. In Uganda, “oftentimes the women have internalized the norms to such an extent that they think their husband doesn’t love them if they haven’t been beaten for a week,” Wessells told MediaGlobal. Community action against such violence is crucial, Wessells said, underscoring the importance of educating local male leaders about the problem. Yet “communities can’t do this alone,” he said. “We have to link the microsystems of families and communities with the systems that exist at the district, provincial, societal and regional levels.”

NEW UNITED NATIONS MANUAL SHOWS HOW TO OPEN SCHOOLS FOR VULNERABLE AFRICAN YOUTH

5 DECEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Currently, there are more than 40 million orphans in sub-Sahara Africa alone, with 11.4 million of these children orphaned by AIDS. “Children and youth are charged with the heaviest burden of the AIDS crisis,” said Marcela Villarreal, Director of FAO’s Gender, Equity and Rural Employment Division. “Without their parents, they become more vulnerable to hunger and poverty, disease, conflict, sexual exploitation, forced migration and environmental degradation.” In response to this crisis, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) joined The World Food Programme (WFP) to launch a new manual on how to establish farm schools to teach orphans vital agricultural skills. The new manual advises on how to create a Junior Farmer Field and Life School (JFFLS). These new education programs aim to improve the lives of children and youth aged 12 to 18 years who live in food insecure communities where HIV and AIDS have had a strong impact, particularly in rural areas, said a statement released by FAO. “The schools are a response to the growing numbers of orphaned children due to AIDS and other causes,” Carol Djeddah, a Senior Officer of FAO’s Gender, Equity and Rural Employment Division, told MediaGlobal. “However as they are designed to empower orphans and other vulnerable children who live in food insecure communities or where HIV and AIDS has had a strong impact on food security, you find many vulnerable children enrolled in JFFLS,” Djeddah added. The new manual provides details for the staff of ministries and non-governmental organizations on how to set-up, operate and sustain a field school. The manual is based on the first-hand experience of people working with rural vulnerable youth. It is generic and said to be applicable to different regions of the world. “Experience has shown that the schools provide a safe and social space for boys and girls, enabling them to develop their self-esteem and confidence,” the FAO statement said.

ELEVEN AFRICAN NATIONS TO MEET CHALLENGE OF EDUCATION FOR RURAL PEOPLE

5 DECEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: At a meeting at FAO Headquarters in Rome, eleven African countries agreed on a joint effort to confront the challenges of education for rural people. The nations represented were Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger, Uganda, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania. Their proposals to address the educational issues were directed at African governments, relevant ministries, multilateral and bilateral agencies, and international higher learning and research institutions. Governments are expected to strengthen the coordination of programs to increase resources for education, while relevant ministries will work to hone problem-solving, production and enterprise development skills. The Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization will increase capacity building and the institutional intensification of rural education. Institutions of higher learning will provide expertise and technical assistance to address major research issues, such as globalization and biofuels. People living in rural areas currently represent nearly 70 percent of Africa’s population. That number is expected to drop to 58 percent by 2030. The focus on education in rural areas will ultimately help raise literacy, eradicate poverty, curb hunger, and alleviate malnutrition.

NOTABLE ECONOMISTS DISCUSS DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

6 DECEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: On Thursday the Department of Economic and Social Affairs released a report, titled ‘The United Nations Development Agenda: Development for All.’ It was presented to the General Assembly and discussed afterward by Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development; Joseph Stiglitz, President of the Initiative for Policy Dialogue at Columbia University; and Jagdish Bhagwati, Senior Fellow in International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations at Columbia University. The new Development Agenda includes a review of all the major conferences and summits held between 1990 and 2005 and draws conclusions for future development policies. Sundaram said that the report was a “very important attempt to try to return the UN to what was considered ahead of the curve.” The document includes national development strategies for social progress, social justice and inclusion, sustainable development, and stresses the importance of an enabling international environment, the reduction of inequality between countries and greater attention to systemic issues. “The last couple of years have been partially good for developing countries,” said Nobel Laureate Stiglitz. Nations that took advantage of post-war changes in international markets while trade barriers were down benefited greatly.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ANNOUNCES NEW CHILD-APPROPRIATE MEDICINES CAMPAIGN

6 DECEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: This week the World Health Organization (WHO) kicked off its “Make Medicines Child Size” campaign, calling for new research and development of medicines tailored to the specific needs of children. Every year about 10 million children worldwide die before the age of five. It is estimated that six million of these deaths could be avoided if needed medicines were safe, effective, affordable and available. “These illnesses can be treated,” said Dr. Howard Zucker, WHO Assistant Director-General. “But many children don’t stand a chance because the medicines are either not appropriate for their age, don’t reach them or are priced too high – up to three times the price of adult drugs.” Because children are both smaller in size and not fully developed, certain medications are not appropriate for them or need to be administered in limited dosages. While the problem exists in both the developed and developing world, it is in the least developed countries, where child mortality is still widespread, that the greatest strides need to be made. The WHO campaign therefore calls for more research to be done to adapt medicines, particularly for HIV/AIDS, malaria and numerous other neglected tropical diseases that primarily affect developing nations. “As we strive for equitable access to scientific progress in health, children must be one of our top priorities,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General.

FAMILY PLANNING A FIRST STEP TOWARD REDUCING MATERNAL MORTALITY

7 DECEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Universal access to family planning could save the lives of tens of thousands of women a year, United Nations officials and NGO workers said in interviews this week. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), 201 million women in developing countries lack access to modern contraceptives that would allow them to choose when and how often to have children. In the western part of sub-Saharan Africa, where a combination of religious and cultural reluctance and a struggling health care sector have crippled reproductive health services, as many as “one third of couples are wishing to have access to family planning but are not able to get it,” Yves Bergevin, Senior Program Advisor on Reproductive Health for UNFPA’s Africa Division, told MediaGlobal. In Africa, where over her lifetime a woman runs a 1 in 16 chance of dying during pregnancy or childbirth, family planning could prevent 25 to 30 percent of all maternal deaths. “In an environment where maternity may not be safe, if couples decide to limit family size, women will have fewer pregnancies and therefore they’ll be put at risk of dying fewer times,” Bergevin said. Avoiding unplanned or ill-timed pregnancies could avert thousands of deaths due to obstetric complications, botched abortions and adolescent pregnancies. “Family planning is a basic human right,” Abubakar Dungus, Spokesman for UNFPA, told MediaGlobal. “If we meet this unmet need, then we will contribute significantly to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – not just the health [MDGs], but all the [MDGs], including poverty reduction, environment and sustainable development,” Bergevin said.