On the eve of South Sudan’s independence, UNESCO has called on the international community to act with a greater sense of urgency and resolve in supporting the development of a national education system. UNESCO calls on international community to deliver an education peace premium in South Sudan In a Policy Paper launched today in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, the UN agency documents the scale of educational deprivation across much of the country. Over 1 million primary school age … [Read more...]
Maternal Health Thematic Fund is Taking Action!
June 18, 2011 by
Maternal Health: Reviewing Progress and Looking Ahead UNITED NATIONS, New York — Donors, representing both governments and the private sector, today joined UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin and staff to review major achievements made possible by the Maternal Health Thematic Fund in 2010. The thematic fund supports high-impact and low-cost investments in countries with the greatest burden of maternal death and injury. UNFPA launched the Maternal Health Thematic Fund in 2008 to … [Read more...]
“Son preference” Perpetuates Discrimination/Violations of Women’s Rights
June 16, 2011 by
14 June 2011 Five United Nations agencies have banded together to call for urgently addressing gender-biased sex selection favouring boys, a common practice in many parts of South, East and Central Asia that they say fuels a culture of discrimination and violence. "Sex selection in favour of boys is a symptom of pervasive social, cultural, political and economic injustices against women, and a manifest violation of women's human rights," says a statement issued by the agencies, which have … [Read more...]
Worldwide 215 million children engaged in child labour, Take Action!
June 16, 2011 by
Preventing hazardous child labour in agriculture Worldwide 215 million children are engaged in child labour, and of these 115 million are involved in what is considered to be hazardous work. Agriculture is the sector where the largest share of child labourers is found - a staggering 60 percent of boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 17. Today, much of our food and drink, as well as the raw material we use to make other products, are produced by child labour. Child labour in … [Read more...]
UNESCO to launch Global Partnership for Girls’ and Women’s Education
May 26, 2011 by
UNESCO to launch ... Global Partnership for Girls’ and Women’s Education © Ian Berry/MAGNUM photos/"Better life, better future" Initiative. A Global Partnership for Girls’ and Women’s Education will be launched at a high level forum to be held at UNESCO Headquarters on Thursday 26 May (13:30h Room I) UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova will welcome participants to the event, followed by opening remarks from United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and United States Secretary … [Read more...]
Food For Thought …
May 21, 2011 by
Food for Thought ... The world produces enough food for everyone. (..) School meals, therefore, don’t only tackle hunger and nutrition; they benefit education, gender inequality and broader development issues (..). The idea is so simple, but hugely effective and the World Programme (WTP) knows this: it is the biggest provider of school meals in the world, and in 2008 it fed 22.6 million children across 68 countries in the developing world. The world produces enough food for … [Read more...]
UN- Say NO–UNiTE Celebrates the Two Million Mark!
May 10, 2011 by
Say NO–UNiTE has crossed two million actions in just 18 months, marking two million signs of commitment to ending violence against women and girls. People from all over the world have added their actions. Together, they showcase the growing global community of people dedicated to stopping one of the most pervasive violations of women’s rights. It is time to highlight some noteworthy recent actions to celebrate how much is being achieved – and gain hope and new resources for how much more we can … [Read more...]
UNFPA: Statement by Ms. Purnima Mane, Deputy Executive Director
May 6, 2011 by
Calling for Greater Attention to Family Planning “Family Planning: Key to Saving Lives” Statement by Ms. Purnima Mane, UNFPA Deputy Executive Director (Programme), at Commission on Population and Development side-event; “Family Planning: Key to Saving Lives” " Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Colleagues and friends, Good afternoon and thank you for joining us today at this very important event. Seventeen years ago, in Cairo, 179 … [Read more...]
Holocaust Remembrance Day – May 1, 2011 – Yom Hashoah
April 30, 2011 by
Holocaust Remembrance Day May 1, 2011 Since the Holocaust, to survivors, the Holocaust remains real and ever-present; but, for some others, sixty years makes the Holocaust seem part of Ancient History. Year-round we try to teach and inform others about the horrors of the Holocaust. We confront the questions of what happened? How did it happen? How could it happen? Could it happen again? We attempt to fight against ignorance with education and against disbelief with proof. But … [Read more...]
UNDP – New Publication (pdf)- Grassroot Women’s Groups Taking Action!
April 26, 2011 by
http://in2eastafrica.net/arusha-to-host-2011-grassroots-womens-land-economy/ Changing Climate, Changing Leadership: Grassroots Women's Groups Model Climate Resilient Development http://womensearthalliance.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html Grassroots women leaders shared their local inovations to confront climate change in their communities last week in an event at the United Nations where they spoke alongside partners from the Norwegian and Guatemalan governments as … [Read more...]
UNDP – New Publication (pdf)- Grassroot Women's Groups Taking Action!
April 26, 2011 by
http://in2eastafrica.net/arusha-to-host-2011-grassroots-womens-land-economy/ Changing Climate, Changing Leadership: Grassroots Women's Groups Model Climate Resilient Development http://womensearthalliance.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html Grassroots women leaders shared their local inovations to confront climate change in their communities last week in an event at the United Nations where they spoke alongside partners from the Norwegian and Guatemalan governments as … [Read more...]
WORLD MALARIA DAY – April 25, 2011
April 25, 2011 by
World Malaria Day April 25, 2011 More than three billion people are at risk of malaria, according to the World Health Organization. That’s roughly half the world population. And while malaria is both preventable and treatable, one million lose their lives to the disease every year. Children are particularly vulnerable. In fact, a child dies every 30 seconds because of malaria. April 25th is World Malaria Day. We hope you will join us in the fight against malaria and take a … [Read more...]
(SAI) : World’s Preeminent Social Standards SA8000
April 19, 2011 by
Social Accountability International — Human Rights at Work Social Accountability International (SAI) is a global, multi-stakeholder, standards setting organization whose mission is to advance the human rights of workers around the world. SAI established one of the world’s preeminent social standards—SA8000— a recognized benchmark among the voluntary codes and standards initiatives that employers— including well known brands— use to measure their own performance and responsibly … [Read more...]
(SAI) : World's Preeminent Social Standards SA8000
April 19, 2011 by
Social Accountability International — Human Rights at Work Social Accountability International (SAI) is a global, multi-stakeholder, standards setting organization whose mission is to advance the human rights of workers around the world. SAI established one of the world’s preeminent social standards—SA8000— a recognized benchmark among the voluntary codes and standards initiatives that employers— including well known brands— use to measure their own performance and responsibly … [Read more...]
CHINA: New Interest in Chinese Foreign Policy
April 18, 2011 by
Celebrating growth in relations with our neighbour, CHINA! "Erica Downs, a fellow at the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings, gave the following testimony before the U.S.-China Economic & Security Review Commission, in a hearing titled: "China's Foreign Policy: Challenges and Players." I first would like to thank the members of the Commission for the opportunity to testify. It is an honor to participate in this hearing. My remarks today will focus on how … [Read more...]
