UN News June 17

YOUNG ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS TELL THEIR STORY AT UN CHILDREN’S CONFERENCE

A young Australian filmmaker and an Indian child combating water waste are among the 700 children from over 100 countries that are sharing their stories on how to create a better, healthier planet at a United Nations environment conference in Norway.

The biannual Tunza International Children’s Conference, organized by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in partnership with the Norwegian NGO Young Agenda 21, and with Bayer AG as one of the main sponsors, began today in Stavanger.

One of the largest global children’s conferences in the world, the weeklong gathering brings together children between the ages of 10 and 14 who are engaged in environmental issues, aiming to increase their awareness and equip them with skills to promote environmental projects in their communities.

“The 700 children attending the Tunza Conference are a powerful sign of the creativity, energy and dynamism that children are capable of to protect our planet,” said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

“We can all learn from them, and we should all take heart in the fact that increasing numbers of children are becoming a force for positive change as we move towards greener lifestyles,” he added. In addition to presenting environmental projects, participants will go on field trips and learn about energy, climate change and fair trade, as well as plant trees in support of UNEP’s Seven Billion Tree Campaign. They will also learn about becoming an eco-journalist, photographing the environment and planning practical environmental projects.

This year, in partnership with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UNEP will highlight the initiatives of dozens of young activists through “My Story” – a series of short video clips that will be posted at www.unep.org.

Among the stories are those of a 13 year old in Australia who is making a documentary called “A Kid’s Guide to Climate Change,” for which he interviewed a local indigenous leader, visited a wind farm and a wave generator, and built a model solar car.

Other examples include a 14 year old in India who is campaigning against water waste in his community, a 13 year old in Cameroon who is running clean-up campaigns and tree plantings, and a 13 year old in the United States who has helped organize a recycling drive and collected 100,000 pounds of e-waste.

This is the seventh edition of UNEP’s Tunza International Children’s Conference, which has encouraged hundreds of children in recent years to take action on environmental issues.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE WILL HELP STOP DESERTIFICATION, UN AGENCY SAYS

Poor farmers and herders in countries bearing the brunt of desertification and land degradation can help stop or reverse those processes by engaging in sustainable agriculture, the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) says.

Marking World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, which is observed on 17 June, IFAD said in a statement that poor farmers and herders can form part of the solution with the assistance of international agencies.

“Ill-conceived agricultural practices, traditional or intensified, only make things worse as their poor populations have no choice but to adopt short-term survival methods, putting more pressure on increasingly scarce local resources,” IFAD said. “Climate change is increasing that pressure, and exacerbating droughts.”

This year’s theme for the Day is combating land degradation for sustainable agriculture.

The agency called for more efficient water use, improved cropping systems and better forest management, adding that hardier seeds will also help poor farmers withstand droughts and floods.

IFAD, which is tasked with reducing rural poverty, said more than two thirds of its projects are now located in ecologically fragile and marginal areas, where nearly half the world’s poor live.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a separate message marking the Day, said it was time to recognize that drylands and marginal lands are not waste lands and could be devoted to biofuel production or other uses.

“Rather, they are potential areas for agricultural intensification for both food and energy needs. Let us renew our commitment to reversing land degradation and desertification,” he said, adding that the UN Convention to Combat Desertification “could offer a long-term solution to producing more food for more people” and should be fully implemented.

UN News May 28 and 29

GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT HOLDS TALKS WITH SENIOR GERMAN OFFICIALS

Climate change, biological diversity and United Nations reform have been high on the agenda during official talks so far on the current three-day visit to Germany by General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim.

Mr. Kerim met today with Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the two men discussed various UN reform initiatives, including proposals to re-shape the size and nature of the Security Council, according to a spokesperson for the Assembly President.

They also talked about efforts to achieve the globally agreed anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Yesterday Mr. Kerim met with Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul to talk about economic development in poor countries, climate change, the current global food crisis, UN relief efforts in Myanmar in the wake of this month’s devastating cyclone and the concept of a “responsibility to protect” vulnerable populations from harm.

The Assembly President is scheduled to give a lecture tonight in Essen to the Policy Forum of the Ruhr Region on the work of the UN to combat and mitigate the effects of climate change.

He travels to Bonn tomorrow to attend a high-level segment of the conference of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. After leaving Germany, Mr. Kerim will then visit Albania for talks with senior officials in the small European country.
2008-05-27 00:00:00.000

FURTHER SHARP INCREASES IN GLOBAL FOOD PRICES ‘LIKELY’ – UN REPORT
New York, May 28 2008 1:00PM
Further sharp price hikes and continued volatility in markets for food supplies appear to be likely for the next few seasons, according to a report released today by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the run-up to a summit on the global food crisis which is being held in Rome early next month.

FAO lists 22 countries that it says are particularly vulnerable to food price increases because of high levels of chronic hunger and because they are net importers of both food and fuel. The report cites Eritrea, Niger, Comoros, Haiti and Liberia as being especially at risk.

“We hope that world leaders coming to Rome will agree on the urgent measures that are required to boost agricultural production, especially in the most affected countries, and at the same time protect the poor from being adversely affected by high food prices,” said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf.

The report says that increases in domestic food prices, even by moderate rates of 10 to 20 per cent, can have immediate negative impacts on poor households that spend a large part of their income on food staples.

Protecting the most vulnerable in rural and urban areas will require targeted direct food distribution, food subsidies and cash transfers, as well as nutritional programmes including school feeding, FAO says.

The agency also calls for the distribution of seeds, fertilizers, animal feed to small-scale farmers through vouchers or smart subsidies.

FAO has appealed for $ 1.7 billion to provide seeds, fertilizers and other inputs to boost production in low-income and food deficit countries.

The report argues that high food prices represent an excellent opportunity for increased investments in agricultural research and infrastructure, noting that support should focus on the needs of poor farmers, many of whom farm in increasingly marginal areas.

Participants at the 3-5 June summit will discuss how agriculture can be harnessed to produce enough food to meet the demands of the world’s growing population. Many Heads of State and Government , as well as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the heads of many UN organizations and the Bretton Woods institutions, will attend the event.

The new international task force – brings together the heads of key UN agencies, the International Monetary Fund the World Bank and other international experts – on the global food crisis, chaired by Mr. Ban, is due to present its action plan.

Meanwhile, it was announced today that Spanish football captain and FAO Goodwill Ambassador Raúl González has been awarded the Spanish prize for solidarity in sports.

Mr. González has donated the $47,000 prize money to the FAO’s Telefood Fund which provides micro-finance to poor farmers around the world.
2008-05-28 00:00:00.000

FOOD PRICES WILL REMAIN HIGH OVER NEXT DECADE, UN REPORT SAYS
New York, May 29 2008 3:00PM
In the next 10 years food prices will remain well above the levels of the last decade, according to a report issued today by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development .
The report says that current high prices will hit the poor and hungry the hardest and calls for the urgent mobilization of humanitarian aid as well as a greater focus on boosting agricultural production in the longer term.

“Coherent action is urgently needed by the international community to deal with the impact of higher prices on the hungry and poor,” Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the FAO said at a press conference launching the report in Paris.

“Today some 862 million people are suffering from hunger and malnourishment – this highlights the need to re-invest in agriculture. It should be clear now that agriculture needs to be put back onto the development agenda.”

Using prices corrected for inflation, the report says that over the next decade rice and sugar prices will increase by less than 10 per cent, wheat by less than 20 per cent, butter coarse grains and oilseeds will rise 30 per cent, and vegetable oils over 50 per cent.

High oil prices, changing diets, urbanization, economic growth and expanding populations are underlying factors behind the rise in food prices, according to the report.

The FAO and OECD also cite growing demand for biofuel as another factor forcing up prices, saying that world ethanol production has tripled between 2000 and 2007 and is expected to double again in the next decade. Climate change, low stock levels and speculation could also add to price volatility.

In Rome, starting 3 June, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will chair a three-day summit on the global food crisis, bringing together the heads of key UN agencies, as well as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank , along with Heads of State and Government.
2008-05-29 00:00:00.000

AFRICA’S EFFORTS TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE RECEIVE $92 MILLION BOOST – UN
New York, May 29 2008 8:00PM
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Japan today announced a new $92 million initiative to help Africa adapt to global warming.

“Climate change is one of the most critical issues that governments and citizens around the world need to address,” said Olav Kjorven, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of Bureau for Development Policy.

The programme, announced today during the high-level Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), will be launched in August.

The UNDP/Japan initiative seeks to help governments revise their current anti-poverty strategies to come into line with climate change’s potential effects on development.

“As a result of climate change, many African countries will experience increased water scarcity and worsened health and food security,” Mr. Kjorven said, stressing that global warming threatens economic and social progress.

“Unless we act now, climate change may threaten everything we will attempt to achieve in the future,” he added.

Of the $92 million, $11 million will be allocated to projects in collaboration with the UN Children’s Fund ,the UN World Food Programme and the UN Industrial Development Organization.

UNDP and Japan have joined forces in the past on successful projects, in countries such as Afghanistan and Sudan and in the areas affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
2008-05-29 00:00:00.000

UN News May 23, 24

BAN KI-MOON HAILS $500 MILLION OFFER BY SAUDI ARABIA TO DEAL WITH FOOD CRISIS
New York, May 23 2008 2:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed Saudi Arabia’s landmark offer to contribute $500 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to help with efforts to combat the global food crisis.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson today, Mr. Ban said the offer, made under the guidance of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, means the WFP has achieved its target of $755 million to deal with the recent surge in food and fuel costs.

“The Secretary-General notes that this contribution of an unprecedented size and generosity comes not a moment too soon, given the needs of millions of people dependent on food rations,” the statement added.

Earlier this month the UN relief chief, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes, announced that $100 million is being reserved from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to tackle the immediate issues stemming from the food crisis.

Next month the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will host a major summit at its Rome headquarters to discuss how agriculture can be harnessed to produce enough food to meet the demands of the world’s growing population.
2008-05-23 00:00:00.000

UN-BACKED GLOBAL FUND AGAINST KILLER DISEASES HAILS JAPANESE DONATION
New York, May 23 2008 7:00PM
The United Nations-backed Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria today welcomed Japan’s announcement that it will donate $560 million starting next year, which takes the Asian country’s total contribution so far to nearly $1.5 billion.

The new contribution means the Global Fund – created in 2002 – has now raised over $20 billion to invest in hundreds of different treatment and prevention programmes fighting the three diseases around the world.

Programmes backed by the Fund are estimated to have already provided AIDS treatment to 1.4 million patients and TB treatment for 3.3 million people. They have also distributed 46 million insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria.

The Fund’s Executive Director Michel Kazatchkine praised Japan, which is now the third biggest contributor, for its ongoing support.

“These new resources will help to save millions of lives, strengthen health systems in developing nations and bring the world hope that further substantial impact against the three diseases will be achieved in the coming years,” he said.
2008-05-23 00:00:00.000

UN News May 22

LOSS OF ANIMAL SPECIES AND CROPS IS ‘DEVASTATING’ – SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN
New York, May 22 2008 1:00PM
The extinction of animal species, as well as the reliance on a narrow range of crops, is a major threat to the planet’s development and security, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today in a statement to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity.

“This Day serves as a reminder of the importance of the Earth’s biodiversity, and as a wake-up call about the devastating loss we are experiencing as irreplaceable species become extinct at an unprecedented rate,” he said.

About a fifth of domestic animal breeds are at risk of extinction, with an average of one lost each month, and out of the 7,000 species of plants that have been domesticated over the 10,000-year history of agriculture, only 30 account for the vast majority of food consumed every day.

“Relying on so few species for sustenance is a losing strategy,” the Secretary-General said. “Climate change is complicating the picture,” he added, saying that livestock production accounted for more greenhouse gas emissions than transport.

“In a world where the population is projected to jump 50 per cent by the year 2050, these trends can spell widespread hunger and malnutrition, creating conditions where poverty, disease and even conflict can metastasize.”

In a separate statement marking the Day, from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Convention on Biological Diversity, the CBD’s Executive Secretary Ahmed Djoghlaf said: “If current extinction rates continue, it will be hard to provide sufficient food for a global population that is expected to reach nine billion by mid-century.”

At the ongoing meeting on the CBD in Bonn, Germany, delegates are deciding on measures that would move the world closer to the globally-agreed goal of reversing the loss of biodiversity by 2010. Under the Convention, countries are working to protect soil biodiversity, curb the loss of pollinators, and maintain the variety of foodstuffs needed to ensure proper food and nutrition.
2008-05-22 00:00:00.000

UN News May 20

FOOD CRISIS, CLIMATE CHANGE AND INFLUENZA ARE MAIN THREATS TO HEALTH, SAYS UN
New York, May 19 2008 6:00PM
The global food crisis, climate change and pandemic influenza are the main threats to human health, according to the United Nations World Health Organization.

“These three critical events, these clear threats to international security, have the potential to undo much hard-won progress in public health,” WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said today in Geneva.

Speaking at the opening of the 61st session of the World Health Assembly, which is WHO’s supreme decision-making body, Ms. Chan said the organization had identified 21 “hot spots” around the world which are already experiencing high levels of acute and chronic malnutrition. As part of the international task force on the global crisis caused by soaring food prices, WHO is aiming to guide priority action, she said.

Ms. Chan added that an estimated 3.5 million deaths a year are caused by undernutrition, and that poor households spend on average between 50 and 75 per cent of their income on food. “More money spent on food means less money available for health care, especially for the many millions of poor households who rely on out-of-pocket payments when they fall ill.”

On climate change, she said that more droughts, floods and tropical storms would add to the demands for humanitarian assistance and would result in a growing number of environmental refugees. “Again, the poor will be the first and hardest hit. Climate change is already adding an additional set of stresses in areas that are already fragile, with marginal livelihoods and thin margins of survival when shocks occur.”

Ms. Chan described pandemic influenza, potentially set off by the spread of bird flu to humans, as the “third global crisis looming on the horizon.” She said that “the threat has by no means receded, and we would be very unwise to let down our guard, or slacken our preparedness measures.”

“As with climate change, all countries will be affected, though in a far more rapid and sweeping way,” she added.

The week-long session of the World Health Assembly will also discuss female genital mutilation (FGM) and the harmful use of alcohol.
2008-05-19 00:00:00.000

BIODIVERSITY KEY TO TACKING GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS – UN AGENCY
New York, May 19 2008 12:00PM
Just 12 crops and 14 animal species provide most of the world’s food, and this lack of diversity means that the food supply has become more vulnerable and less sustainable – according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

“The erosion of biodiversity for food and agriculture severely compromises global food security,” FAO Assistant Director-General Alexander Müller said today. “We need to strengthen our efforts to protect and wisely manage biodiversity for food security,” he added.

Speaking at the beginning of a global conference on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Bonn, Germany, Mr. Müller called on the international community to intensify its commitment to integrating food security and biodiversity concerns.

FAO also raised the alarm about a worldwide decline in biodiversity. It estimates that the genetic diversity of agricultural crops has declined by 75 per cent over the last century and that hundreds of the 7,000 animal breeds registered in FAO databases are threatened with extinction.

FAO says that less genetic diversity means that there are fewer opportunities for the growth and innovation needed to boost agriculture at a time of soaring food prices.

Related: 26700
2008-05-19 00:00:00.000

UN News May 17

PARTICIPANTS AT UN-BACKED MEETING AGREE TO WORK TOWARDS RULES ON BIOSAFETY
New York, May 17 2008 6:00PM
More than 2,000 participants attending a week-long biosafety meeting that wrapped up yesterday have agreed to work towards legally binding rules for liability and redress for potential damage caused by the movements of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reports.

The participants at the fourth meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, held in Bonn, Germany, and said to be the largest ever gathering on the issue, have reached a deal on both a timetable and a framework for negotiating the rules and procedures.

The contents of the legally binding instrument for liability and redress for the GMOs, also known as living modified organisms (LMOs), will now be discussed at the next meeting of the parties to the Protocol, itself a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity. That meeting is scheduled to take place in October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan.

Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary to the Convention, welcomed the agreement, calling it "great news for the biodiversity family."

While GMOs or LMOs have the potential to increase agricultural yields and to grow in habitats otherwise unfavourable to crops, there are also widespread concerns that they might pose major threats to local ecosystems and therefore biodiversity.

UN News May 14 Billion Tree Campaign

‘BILLION TREE CAMPAIGN’ BLOSSOMS TO SEVEN TIMES ITS SIZE, UN AGENCY SAYS
New York, May 13 2008 3:00PM
A grassroots campaign to plant trees around the globe has announced that it is raising its target from 1 billion trees to 7 billion trees, the United Nations <" http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=535&ArticleID=5806&l=en">announced today.

The campaign, which is under the patronage of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Kenyan Green Belt Movement founder Professor Wangari Maathai and Prince Albert II of Monaco, also announced today that in 18 months it has seen two billion trees planted, double its original target.

The campaign was launched by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in 2006 as a response to the threat of global warming.

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said today: “Having exceeded every target that has been set for the campaign, we are now calling on individuals, communities, business and industry, civil society organizations and governments to evolve this initiative on to a new and even higher level by the crucial climate change conference in Copenhagen in late 2009.”

Tree planting remains one of the most cost-effective ways to address climate change. Trees and forests play a vital role in regulating the climate since they absorb carbon dioxide. Deforestation, in turn, accounts for over 20% of the carbon dioxide humans generate, rivaling the emissions from other sources.

Trees also play a crucial role in providing a range of products and services to rural and urban populations, including food, timber, fibre, medicines and energy as well as soil fertility, water and biodiversity conservation.

In terms of geographic distribution, Africa is the leading region with over half of all tree plantings. Regional and national governments organized the most massive plantings, with Ethiopia leading the count at 700 million, followed by Turkey (400 million), Mexico (250 million), and Kenya (100 million).

The two billionth tree was put into the ground as part of an agroforestry project carried out by the UN World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/english/">WFP). It has now planted 60 million trees in 35 countries to improve food security.
2008-05-13 00:00:00.000

UN News May 13

MARSHALL ISLANDS ACCEDES TO FIVE UN TREATIES ON MARINE POLLUTION AND SAFETY
New York, May 12 2008 5:00PM
The Marshall Islands, one of the world’s major shipping nations, has acceded to five important International Maritime Organization http://www.imo.org/home.asp IMO conventions that aim to discourage environmental pollution and promote safety on the high seas, the United Nations agency announced today.

The Pacific island nation has acceded to the International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships 2001 (known as the AFS Convention) and to the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage 2001 (Bunkers Convention).

The AFS Convention requires parties to the pact to ban or restrict the use of harmful anti-fouling systems on ships flying their flag, operating under their authority or entering their ports, shipyards and offshore terminals. The Marshall Islands’ accession means 30 States comprising 49.17 per cent of the world’s fleet in tonnage have now ratified the treaty, which will enter into force on 17 September.

The Bunkers Convention aims to ensure that prompt and adequate compensation is available to people who suffer damage caused by oil spills when carried as fuel in ships’ bunkers. That pact enters into force on 21 November.

The Marshall Islands has also acceded to the 1996 Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter 1972 (1996 London Convention Protocol).

This protocol, which entered into force in March 2006, bans the export of wastes to non-parties for the purpose of dumping or incineration at sea, except for emergencies. It has now been ratified by 35 States that collectively control 29.73 per cent of the world’s fleet.

In addition, the Marshall Islands is now a party to the Protocol of 2005 to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation 1998 (2005 SUA Convention) and the Protocol of 2005 for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental Shelf (2005 SUA Protocol).

Neither the convention nor the protocol is yet in force, but they are aimed at broadening the list of offences at sea to include terrorist offences and at introducing measures for the boarding of ships when there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the ship or someone on board has or is about to be involved in an offence.

IMO, which is based in London, is the UN agency with the responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.
2008-05-12 00:00:00.000

UN News May 12

UN-BACKED SUMMIT TO SPOTLIGHT PRIVATE SECTOR’S ROLE IN TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE
New York, May 12 2008 4:00PM
The United Nations will take part in a global meeting next year to assess how a new global climate change policy can also address the needs of the business community, it was announced today.

The World Business Summit on Climate Change, which will take place next May in Copenhagen, Denmark, seeks to ensure that the successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol will provide the right incentives to slash greenhouse gas emissions.

Along with the <" http://www.unglobalcompact.org/">UN Global Compact – the world body’s voluntary corporate citizen initiative – the gathering will be convened by the Copenhagen Climate Council, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.

Organizers expect hundreds of top executives, government officials, leading experts and heads of civil society to attend to assess how the private sector can play a role in addressing global warming through innovative business approaches, new joint ventures and the development of low-carbon technologies.

The World Business Summit is expected to produce recommendations to be forwarded onto world leaders negotiating a successor pact to the <" http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php">Kyoto Protocol, expiring in 2012. Those talks are scheduled to wrap up at a key UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (<" http://unfccc.int/2860.php">UNFCCC) in December 2009, also to take place in Copenhagen.
2008-05-12 00:00:00.000

THOUSANDS GATHER FOR MEETING ON UN-BACKED TREATY ON BIOSAFETY
New York, May 12 2008 8:00PM
More than 3000 participants from 147 countries have assembled in Bonn, the former German capital, for the start of a week-long <" http://www.cbd.int/mop4/">meeting on how to improve their commitments to ensuring the safe use of modern biotechnology as outlined under a United Nations-backed treaty.

The fourth meeting of the parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, itself a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity, began today in Bonn, according to a <"http://www.cbd.int/doc/press/2008/pr-2008-05-12-mop-en.pdf">news release issued by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

The agency said that one of the priorities of this week’s meeting will be to try to reach agreement on international rules on liability and redress for potential damages caused by the movements of living modified organisms (LMOs), often known as genetically modified organisms.

Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary to the Convention, urged the delegates at the meeting to “seize the moment” and reach agreement.

“You are mandated to fulfil the requirement, set out in Article 27 in 2000, when the Protocol was signed,” he said. “In doing this, you will ensure the effective implementation of the Protocol.”

Participants at the conference in Bonn will also discuss other issues, including finding ways to finance the continued work of the Protocol and assessing the socio-economic impact that LMOs have on biodiversity.
2008-05-12 00:00:00.000

UN News May 8

USING ART TO INSPIRE ACTION ON THE ENVIRONMENT – NEW UN CAMPAIGN
New York, May 7 2008 4:00PM
Art can be a catalyst for environmental action – that’s the message today from a United Nations seminar and exhibit which are bringing together artists from around the world.

Mia Hanak, Founding Executive Director of the Natural World Museum, which is co-sponsoring the events in New York, said that, “art is a vehicle for environmental action and social change. Our collective goal is to ignite people’s passion for being a part of the global solution and together inspiring people to take bold actions in finding new ways to embrace sustainable lifestyles.”

The seminar and art exhibition are also sponsored by the UN’s Environment Programme (UNEP) and Department of Information (DPI), under the title, “art changing attitudes toward the environment.”

Seven artists from different regions of the world are exhibiting photographs focusing on the environment at UN Headquarters in New York until the end of May.

Indian-born photographer Subhankar Banerjee has photographed the Arctic region over the past eight years and said today that the area suffered from negative perceptions as a “hostile wasteland” and that its indigenous peoples had also suffered from intolerance. “I hope that my work would help unlearn many of these intolerances against a whole part of our planet and our indigenous friends who call this home,” he said.

The events are part of the http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/tolerance/seminar.html
Unlearning Intolerance Seminar Series which was initiated by the UN in 2004. Eric Falt, Director of Outreach with DPI, said that the aim was to “examine intolerance, as well as to explore ways to promote respect and understanding among peoples.”

“In previous years,” he said, “the series has focused on anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, genocide and the role of the media in promoting tolerance.”

Ms. Hanak said, “We are sending out a call to action through the arts to break down our barriers and activate environmental and social transformation. We can each do our part in turning the tide in public awareness - and just remember one person can make a difference and together we can create change.”
2008-05-07 00:00:00.000

MIGRATORY BIRDS THREATENED BY CHANGING ENVIRONMENT, UN WARNS
New York, May 8 2008 6:00PM
Numbers of migratory birds – considered to be some of the best gauges of the state of global biodiversity – are plunging in the face of a changing environment, the United Nations Environment Programme (<"http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=535&ArticleID=5803&l=en">UNEP) warned today.

Marking World Migratory Bird Day, the agency said that the decline is being recorded for many species along all of the main migration corridors, which birds utilize on their journeys, spanning thousands of miles, between their breeding and wintering grounds.

“Migratory birds are some of the most extraordinary creatures on the planet and in many countries bird watching is an economically important leisure and tourism activity,” said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

“But migratory birds are more than this. Their dependence on healthy habitats and ecosystems makes them among the key indicators as to whether the international community is truly addressing the decline and erosion of the planet’s nature-based assets.”

The Day – focusing on the theme “Migratory Birds – Ambassadors for Biodiversity” – will be marked on the weekend of 10-11 May with concerts, films and other public events to highlight the ever-increasing threat to migratory birds and to global biodiversity.

Although the reasons behind the drop in numbers of migratory birds are complex and are specific to certain species, the overall decline is a reflection of the larger environmental problem tied to the global loss of habitats and biodiversity.

UNEP noted that 41 per cent of the 522 migratory waterbird populations on the routes linking Africa and Eurasia are witnessing their populations drop, and it has been reported that numbers of migratory songbirds using the same corridors are also on the decline.

Meanwhile, numbers of Boreal birds in the Western Hemisphere, such as the Canadian Warbler, which migrate from northern Canada to South America, are plummeting because they are losing their forest breeding grounds.

Vulnerable to changes in the environment, migratory birds are dependent on stop-over sites to rest and refuel as they make their long voyages, but these locations are threatened or disappear as a result of agricultural, urban, infrastructural and industrial development.

Climate change also plays an important role, as climbing global temperatures result in larger deserts and more frequent storms, which could lead to rising sea levels and impede migration.

UN News May 7

BUSINESS LEADERS WITH UN GLOBAL COMPACT URGE ACTION ON WATER CRISIS
New York, May 7 2008 12:00PM
Governments of the Group of Eight (G8) countries need to take urgent action on the emerging global crisis in water and sanitation, say business leaders from some of the world’s largest companies who have endorsed the United Nations Global Compact.

In a letter released today by the UN Global Compact Office, the chief executive officers of 19 corporations call on G8 leaders to actively address the issue of water during their upcoming summit in Japan in July. The business leaders are all endorsers of the UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate, which was launched by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last year.

“It is increasingly clear that lack of access to clean water and sanitation in many parts of the world causes great suffering in humanitarian, social, environmental and economic terms, and seriously undermines development goals,” the letter states.

It is estimated that approximately one billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and 2.6 billion do not have access to adequate sanitation. The letter cites a recent UN Development Report, which argues that the costs to sub-Saharan African economies of not having basic universal access to water and sanitation represent about five per cent of gross domestic product.
“Water is not just an environmental issue – it is a poverty and development issue, an economic issue, and therefore a business issue,” the chief executives state.

The letter notes that in 2000, world leaders committed to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including a concrete target to “halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.”

“We are pleased that business leaders have taken the initiative and are urging governments to take seriously this emerging crisis,” said Georg Kell, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact.

The Global Compact pledges participating businesses – now numbering some 3,600 in over 100 countries – to observe principles regarding human rights, labour rights, environmental sustainability and the fight against corruption.
2008-05-07 00:00:00.000

UN News May 5

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES HAVE CRUCIAL ROLE IN CLIMATE CHANGE DEBATE – UN FORUM
New York, May 5 2008 6:00PM
Indigenous peoples have an important role to play in the global response to climate change, given their knowledge and experience with impacts of the phenomenon, and should be included in the international debate on the issue, a United Nations gathering on indigenous affairs concluded.

Climate change was the special focus of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, which wrapped up its seventh session in New York on 2 May.

In one of nine texts approved by the 16-member body, a subsidiary of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Forum recommended that the international community take serious measures to mitigate climate change, as the survival of the traditional ways of life of indigenous peoples depended in large part on the success of those efforts.

The Forum stressed that indigenous peoples’ traditional livelihoods and ecological knowledge can significantly contribute to designing and implementing appropriate and sustainable mitigation and adaptation measures.

In addition, it recommended that the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and relevant parties develop mechanisms to allow the participation of indigenous peoples in the global debate on the issue, particularly the forthcoming negotiations on a new global climate change agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol – set to expire in 2012.

A working group on local adaptation measures and traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples should be established, the Forum added.

Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the Forum’s Chairperson, noted that although indigenous peoples were among those most directly affected by climate change, they had largely been kept out of the international dialogue on the issue despite their historical role in resisting oil, gas and coal exploitation and their practice of using their lands, air and forests in sustainable ways, not in pursuit of “giant profits.”

She added that in moving forward, corporations, as well as States, must be guided by the standards set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Adopted by the General Assembly last September, the document sets out the rights of the world’s estimated 370 million indigenous people to culture, identity, language, employment, health, education and other issues, and outlaws discrimination against them.

The Forum, which drew the participation of some 3,300 delegates from around the world, also addressed issues such as indigenous peoples in the Pacific region and indigenous languages during its just concluded session.

UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT MEETING FOCUSES ON BOOSTING GLOBAL FOOD SUPPLY
New York, May 5 2008 8:00PM
The United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) kicked off a two-week meeting today, closely examining the issues underpinning the current food crisis.

“The international community has only belatedly recognized this food crisis, threatening much of humanity,” said Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.

He called for long-term planning and analysis of deeper problems that have threatened food security to determine how to avoid such a crisis in the future.

“The basic problem is that agricultural productivity growth has been slowing since the 1970s, even as demand for food has been accelerating,” Mr. Sha said.

The current session – running until 16 May – launches a two-year cycle seeking to tackle topics – including agriculture, land use, rural development, desertification and drought – that are key to boosting the world’s food supply while addressing problems pertaining to poverty, hunger and the environment.

Government officials, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society representatives are among those who will take part in the meeting, and over 50 government ministers are expected to take part in the high level segment from 14-16 May.
2008-05-05 00:00:00.000

UN News May 1 and May 2

WOMEN HOLD KEY TO BREAKING OUT OF GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS, STRESSES MIGIRO
New York, May 1 2008 6:00PM
Not only do women suffer the most from global problems, such as the current crisis arising from the surge in food prices, but they can also contribute the most to its solutions, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said today.

In a keynote address to the Women’s Foreign Policy Group in New York, Ms. Migiro pointed out that the world is faced with an “unprecedented” rise of food prices, plunging many developing countries into a crisis that threatens to thwart efforts to achieve the global anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

“The advances we have seen in achieving this collective vision for a better world could all be undermined by rising food prices,” she said.

Highlighting some of the effects of the crisis, Ms. Migiro noted that families that do not have enough to eat are being forced to make terrible choices, such as deciding between food or medicine, or choosing whether to send their children to school or to the fields where they might earn money to help the family.

“And it’s women who are hit the hardest,” she said. “The development emergency engulfing whole communities is taking its heaviest toll on women.”

The crisis has prompted Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to form a new UN Task Force, bringing together heads of UN bodies along with international financial institutions, experts and leading global authorities to address the issue. He has also pointed out that the crisis offers an opportunity to re-invest in agriculture in Africa.

“Helping African farmers can have a decisive impact on women’s lives,” Ms. Migiro said, noting that for the most part it is women – who make up 80 per cent of Africa’s farmers – that are out there under the hot sun, tending the fields and harvesting crops.

“But the same women hit hardest by the food crisis are ready to hit back,” she added, stressing that with the right support, they can move their communities from subsistence farming to commercial farming and even industry. This is crucial not only for the continent but for the world, which is just not producing as much food as it consumes.

“We need to do much more… to empower women. Women can drive the Green Revolution in Africa. They hold the key to breaking out of the food crisis; to educating the young; to peace, progress and prosperity,” the Deputy Secretary-General stated.
2008-05-01 00:00:00.000

CLIMATE CHANGE COULD IMPERIL POVERTY GOALS, ECOSOC HEARS
New York, May 2 2008 6:00PM
The Economic and Social Council ECOSOC should send a strong message that efforts to achieve the anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals MDGs could be reversed if climate change is not addressed, its President Léo Mérorès told Council members today.

In a discussion aimed at exploring the relationship between the development goals and climate change, Mr. Mérorès noted that several countries are off track in achieving the MDGs and said that climate change could further hamper countries’ efforts to make headway.

ECOSOC’s high-level ministerial session this summer will focus on climate change and development, and Mr. Mérorès said ministers should take action on development and climate change.

“In order to achieve the MDGs by the 2015 target date,” he said, “we do not only need to step up our efforts particularly targeted at specific MDGs, but also need to step up our efforts to address the challenge of climate change. Otherwise, we risk seeing hard earned fragile economic and social progress reversed by the negative effects of climate change.”

“Climate change is, fundamentally, a sustainable development challenge,” said Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Sha Zukang, which involves not only environmental protection but also economic and social development.

“While the list of challenges might seem daunting,” Mr. Sha said, “we should firmly reject a ‘gloom and doom’ approach. Today, we have the tools to tackle poverty and climate change in an integrated and balanced way.”

He added that to move forward, it will be necessary “to bridge the divide between actors on the environment and on development which, despite our past efforts, continues to exist.”

Ogunlade Davidson, a co-chair of one of the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, asserted that there was no question that climate change was occurring, and that despite the claims of climate sceptics, the evidence showed that the cause of climate change was due to human activity, not natural causes.

But he said it was possible to mitigate the emissions that cause climate change, although “not if we continue to do what we are doing.” He said climate policy alone will not solve the climate change policy and that many other policies must be considered, including taxes, subsidies, trade policies, access to modern energy, bank lending policies and insurance policies.
2008-05-02 00:00:00.000

UN News April 30

UN TO DRAW UP COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO ADDRESS WORLD FOOD CRISIS
New York, Apr 30 2008 3:00PM
The United Nations is aiming to have a comprehensive plan to tackle the global food crisis in place by the beginning of June, “around which the institutions and leaders around the world can coalesce,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said today.

Mr. Holmes is one of two coordinators, along with UN System Influenza Coordinator David Nabarro, of a new high-powered task force that was announced yesterday by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to organize responses to the global rise in food prices.

Speaking at a news conference today in Geneva, Mr. Holmes said that although the breadth and complexity of the issue needed to be recognized, there was no need to panic. “I think it is clear we can fix these problems. The solutions can be found; the solutions are there. They are very difficult, some of them, in the short term, but they can be done.”

On the role of biofuel production in the current crisis, Mr. Holmes said: “It is something that needs a new look in present circumstances without wanting to fall in any sense into knee-jerk reactions of saying all biofuels are bad or good. We need to look at it in a careful, sophisticated and differentiated way, between different regions of the world and between different products.”

The Under-Secretary-General also said the crisis was not affecting every country in the same way. “For many countries and population groups it is inconvenient, a problem for their daily budget and their purses, but it is not a matter of life and death. In some places and for some groups, particularly those living on less than a dollar a day, that quickly could become a matter of life and death, or certainly of increased suffering and malnutrition.”

The UN’s action plan is to be in place in time for a meeting of UN agencies in Rome at the beginning of June. The task force is chaired by Mr. Ban and consists of the heads of the
World Bank
International Monetary Fund
World Food Programme
Food and Agriculture Organization
International Fund for Agricultural Development
World Trade Organization
and other organizations which will be invited to join.
2008-04-30 00:00:00.000

Help Feed The World

I've posted some information re: the global food crisis.
http://kermitsteam.blogspot.com/2008/04/un-news-april-25_27.html
http://kermitsteam.blogspot.com/2008/04/global-food-crisis-op-ed.html

You can also go to any of the major news sites for more information regarding this issue:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/apr/13/food.climatechange
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0407/p08s01-comv.html
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/03/24/food.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch
More at end...

I've been watching this develop for almost a year now, and haven't spoken out. I have to stop being that way and start airing my thoughts. At least then I can say I tried to warn folks.

Annual average consumption:
Total food is around 1,950 pounds
Wheat is around 137 pounds (in all forms)
Rice - 22 pounds
Sugars - 142 pounds
Corn - is so pervasive in all of our foods that finding a per person number isn't happening. At least half the sugar is corn syrup, if that gives you an idea of the ubiquitous nature of corn.

So, how do we, as arrogant Americans, help with this crisis? Since it is so much more than just FOOD, it can be incredibly overwhelming...

Reduce demand:

For Fuel. You don't have to drive around as much as you do. None of us do. Consolidate trips. We're doing this already due to higher gas prices, but make a more concerted effort to do so. It isn't just your pocket book you'll be helping.

For Food.
Many people are hoarding grains such as rice and wheat. I won't say I'm not getting a little more, but I'm not hoarding.
Reduce the amount you eat out - the largest source of food waste possible! Just by reducing this, the nation's consumption of grains will be reduced. I'd guess for every 1% less you eat out, 2% less grain will be used.
Reduce the amount you eat at home.
We all know processed grains are bad for us. So don't eat as much of them! Pasta, white rice, white bread, biscuits, pre-made gravies and sauces, etc. will help. I'll guess it's a 1% - 1.3% savings. On average, very few of us eat every crumb of the food we cook. How much of a load of a bread do you throw away because it's stale or moldy?
Reduce your beef intake. Cattle consumes incredible amounts of grain, it's mind boggling. Switch to chicken. If you want to get a little crazy, try goat, co-op with a small farmer for your pork or beef and even your milk, or go vegetarian.
Bird food. It's seed - aka GRAIN. They can live without as much as we give them.
Reduce your sugar. Since sugar cane is being planted for use in producing ethanol, it's taking away from grain production and pushing prices up.
Reduce your use of cooking oil. In all honesty, we use very little in our house. But many homes use pints per week. Try cooking without it. Broil, pan fry, grill, roast, stew. All of these options use virtually no cooking oil.
Grow Your Food. It's far easier than you think. From our Victory Gardens during WWII, to our Community Gardens in urban settings, we are incredibly creative in our ability to grow our vegetables.
For another site I haven't had time to work on, I compiled information on starting Community Gardens http://katrinanetworking.blogspot.com/2007/02/community-garden.html. From here, are links that can help you start your own garden, with simple tricks, fixes and tips.
I'd love to see them called a Humanity Garden, but that's just me...

By reducing demand in the US, prices will fall. They may not fall substantially, but even a few percentage points is considerable, since prices have gone up, on average, 70% in the last 12 months.

Don't borrow
The Feds keep lowering interest rates because of the foreclosures and defaults occuring at record pace. To help minimize further rate reductions, stop borrowing. Stop using your credit card. Hold off on that car loan. Hold off on that student loan. Hold off on that home improvement loan. Pay cash.

Donate
Donate to your local food pantry. Prices have gone up here, not just around the world. Along with donated monies not going as far to purchase food for the needy, people aren't donating as much.
Donate to UNICEF. Their money is only going about half as far, meaning people are only getting half the food they were before, which was bare subsistence.
Donate to organizations who help communities farm - heifer international, seeds for peace, seeds for change, etc.
If you're a gardener, plant a row for your local food pantry.

Finally,
We, as a nation, must understand that every action we take has a global reaction. That's a huge responsibility. But, it also allows us to all make very small changes that will conclude in a very large impact world-wide.
If mothers around the country can create a highly successful network to donate breast milk to children in need, certainly we as a nation can create an equally large impact on the world.

4/30 FAO's projection for world rice crop for 2008:
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000820/index.html
In the rest of the world, a dismal production is forecast in Australia, reflecting extremely low water availability. A reduced crop is also expected in the United States, mainly as a result of a cut in area caused by mounting competition from more profitable crops.
(also - noted on CNN, flooding in rice growing areas is delaying planting (ironic, huh) for at least 3 weeks, which means 1 whole crop may be lost)

UN News April 29

STARTING NEW LECTURE SERIES, SECRETARY-GENERAL ISSUES WARNING ON FOOD CRISIS
New York, Apr 29 2008 7:00PM
The current food crisis threatens to undo all the recent efforts to lift people out of poverty around the world and could spark related economic, social and political crises, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today at the inaugural event in the Geneva Lecture series.

“We are familiar with the causes: rising oil prices, growing global demand, bad trade policies, bad weather, panic buying and speculation, the new craze of biofuels derived from food products and so on and so on,” Mr. Ban said at the lecture, jointly organized by the UN Office at Geneva and the UN Institute for Training and Research .

He warned that the recent surge in prices of basic foods, such as rice, wheat and corn, already having an enormous impact on poor people worldwide, could lead to further deleterious effects.

“If not managed properly, it [the food crisis] could touch off a cascade of related crises – affecting trade, economic growth, social progress and even political security around the world.”

But the Secretary-General also said he was confident that the world has both the resources and the knowledge to deal with the problems, and he called on leaders to see the crisis as not just a problem, but as an opportunity.

“It is a huge chance to address the root problems of many of the world’s poorest people, 70 per cent of whom live as small farmers. If we help them – if we offer aid and the right mix of sound local and international policies – the solution will come. And along the way we will have struck a mighty blow for social equity and development.”

He called for a mix of short-term and long-term measures, including steps to immediately feed the most hungry people and actions to help farmers bring in their next harvests.

Today’s lecture is the first of a series that aims to raise awareness to a wide audience in Geneva of the most pressing global challenges and focus on how individuals can contribute to resolving such problems.
2008-04-29 00:00:00.000

DONORS URGED TO FUND UN APPEAL AS FIRST STEP IN TACKLING GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS
New York, Apr 29 2008 11:00AM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on donors to urgently provide the $755 million in emergency funds needed for the United Nations to feed millions of hungry people worldwide, as the first of a series of measures to tackle the global food crisis.

The recent escalation of food prices around the world has become “an unprecedented challenge of global proportions that has become a crisis for the most vulnerable,” Mr. Ban told a news conference in the Swiss city of Bern, after chairing a two-day meeting of the Chief Executive Board http://unsystemceb.org/, which brings together 27 heads of UN agencies, funds and programmes.

“The CEB calls upon the international community and, in particular, developed countries to urgently and fully fund the emergency requirement of $755 million for the World Food Programme and honour outstanding pledges,” said Mr. Ban, standing alongside WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran and other leaders of UN bodies on the frontline in dealing with food security.

Last week http://www.wfp.org/english/ called for urgent action to tackle the “silent tsunami” of rising food prices which threatens to push more than 100 million people worldwide into hunger.

“We see mounting hunger and increasing evidence of malnutrition which has severely strained the capacities of humanitarian agencies to meet humanitarian needs, especially as promised funding has not yet materialized,” said Mr. Ban.

The Secretary-General warned that “without full funding of these emergency requirements, we risk again the spectre of widespread hunger, malnutrition and social unrest on an unprecedented scale.”

Protests and riots have broken out in some countries over the rising cost of many basic foods, such as rice, wheat and corn. Mr. Ban noted that the causes of the crisis were many and included escalating energy prices, lack of investment in agriculture over the past years, increasing demand, trade distortion subsidies and recurrent bad weather.

In addition to the immediate priority of feeding the hungry, the Secretary-General emphasized the need to “ensure food for tomorrow,” urging support for farmers in developing countries. “We must make every effort to support those farmers so that in the coming years we do not see even more severe food shortages.”

UN agencies are already taking concrete measures to address the crisis. The Food and Agriculture Organization has proposed an emergency initiative to provide low-income countries with the seeds and inputs to boost production and is calling for $1.7 billion in funding.

In addition, the International Fund for Agricultural Development is making available an additional $200 million to poor farmers in the most affected countries to boost food production.
2008-04-29 00:00:00.000

UN News April 28

UN GARDENING SCHEME PROVIDES FRESH START FOR AFGHAN WOMEN, EX-COMBATANTS

A United Nations gardening and literacy project for Afghan women and ex-combatants seeks to pave the way to peace and prosperity in the war-torn nation.

Aimed at reversing environmental damage wrought by decades of conflict, uncontrolled grazing and illegal logging, the Green Afghanistan Initiative (GAIN) – run by six UN agencies, led by the World Food Programme (WFP) – will give participants the chance to make a fresh start through literacy classes and setting up their own nurseries to generate an income.

“These nurseries are making a huge difference to the lives of ordinary Afghan people and also to our environment,” said Obaidulla Ghafouri, the programme’s coordinator, at the GAIN's Heart centre, noting that rural communities and farmers’ livelihoods have been impacted by deforestation.

He noted that the nurseries provide regular jobs for ex-combatants and also for women, who can support their families with income earned while attending literacy classes.

More than 500 GAIN nurseries have been set up throughout Afghanistan since 2005, and by the end of this year, more than 5 million plant saplings will have been grown and over 1 million trees planted.

The country is prone to desertification, and this has been exacerbated by limited rainfall, mismanagement, abuse of natural resources, droughts, floods and population growth.

GAIN-backed provincial re-forestation centres – seeking to boost public awareness on the issue – will be established, serving as both agricultural knowledge centres and high-yield nurseries.

UN TO ASSIST AFRICAN FARMERS THREATENED BY CLIMATE CHANGE

Some 10,000 farmers in five African countries, where crops are expected to be badly affected by climate change, are to receive help from the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in the form of low-cost rain gauge equipment and roving seminars provided by agricultural experts.

With the help of Spain, WMO will distribute the rain gauges to volunteer farmers in Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal, and train them in using rainfall data to plan sowing, fertilizer application and harvesting. The goal of the roving seminars is to support farmers’ self-reliance by supplying them with information on weather and climate risk management.

In West Africa, the area suitable for agriculture, the length of the growing season, and crop yields, especially along the margins of arid and semi-arid areas, are all expected to decrease, according to projections by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In some African countries, yield from rain-fed farming could be reduced by up to 50 per cent by 2020.

The assistance plan was announced on Friday after a meeting in Niamey, Niger, which was organized by WMO and the State Meteorological Agency of Spain.

BIOFUEL PRODUCTION IS ‘CRIMINAL PATH’ LEADING TO GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS – UN EXPERT

The United States and the European Union have taken a “criminal path” by contributing to an explosive rise in global food prices through using food crops to produce biofuels, according to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food.

Speaking at a press conference today in Geneva, Jean Ziegler said that fuel policies pursued by the US and the EU were one of the main causes of the current worldwide food crisis. Mr. Ziegler said that last year the US used a third of its corn crop to create biofuels, while the European Union is planning to have 10 per cent of its petrol supplied by biofuels. The Special Rapporteur has called for a five-year moratorium on the production of biofuels.

Mr. Ziegler also said that speculation on international markets was behind 30 per cent of the increase in food prices. He said that companies such as Cargill, which controls a quarter of all cereal production, have enormous power over the market. He added that hedge funds are also making huge profits from raw materials markets, and called for new financial regulations to prevent such speculation.

The Special Rapporteur warned of worsening food riots and a “horrifying” increase in deaths by starvation before reforms could take effect. Mr. Ziegler was speaking before a meeting today in Bern, Switzerland, between Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the heads of key UN agencies.

Meanwhile, speaking in Rome today, a nutritionist with the UN World Food Programme (WFP), said that “global price rises mean that food is literally being taken out of the mouths of hungry children whose parents can no longer afford to feed them.”

Andrew Thorne-Lyman said that even temporarily depriving children of the nutrients they need to grow and thrive can leave permanent scars in terms of stunting their physical growth and intellectual potential. He said that families in the developing world are “finding their buying power has been slashed by food price rises, meaning that they can buy less food or food which isn’t as nutritious.”

ASIA-PACIFIC MUST ENCOURAGE SUSTAINABLE, EFFICIENT ENERGY USE – BAN KI-MOON

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on Asia-Pacific countries to promote the sustainable and efficient use of energy, given the backdrop of surging oil prices and the health problems caused by traditional fuels.

“The Asia-Pacific is lagging behind in providing access to energy services,” Mr. Ban said in a message to the ministerial segment of the 64th session of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), delivered by its Executive Secretary Noeleen Heyzer.

He pointed out that 1.7 billion people in the region rely on traditional biomass fuels – the largest number of victims from indoor air pollution caused by burning these fuels is in the Asia-Pacific – and 1 billion lacking access to electricity.

The Secretary-General stressed that while climbing energy prices have dominated the news, their impact on people is often forgotten.

“The victims are very poor people who have no access to affordable and reliable energy supply to meet their daily subsistence requirements,” he observed. “They pay a much higher price – in terms of failing health; lost opportunities for education or employment, especially for girls and women; and degraded environment.”

With per capita energy consumption more than doubling between 1990 and 2004 in the Asia-Pacific region – outpacing the rest of the world – Mr. Ban appealed to attendees to encourage more efficient use of energy, better management, cleaner production and consumption.

During the session, some 350 government officials, business leaders and civil society representatives are meeting today as part of the annual Asia-Pacific Business Forum with the theme, “Energy Security: Opportunities through Regional Energy Cooperation and Public-Private Partnerships.”

Discussions at this one-day meeting are expected to culminate in policy recommendations which will be conveyed to a Ministerial Round Table on energy security and sustainable development on 28 April.

In a study prepared for the Commission session entitled “Energy Security and Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific,” ESCAP stressed how energy deprivation in the region’s developing countries impacts poverty reduction efforts and impedes the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight anti-poverty targets.

The report warned that the Asia-Pacific cannot rely on continuing increases in its energy supply to spur its economic growth. If the region’s energy needs continue growing at the current rate, it will account for half of the world’s energy demand by 2030, 80 per cent of which will be for oil, coal and other fossil fuels, which will result in massive carbon emissions.

UN News April 25

POOR FARMERS RECEIVE $200 MILLION BOOST FROM UN TO FACE FOOD CRISIS
New York, Apr 25 2008 4:00PM
The United Nations rural development arm announced today that it is providing up to $200 million for poor farmers during the upcoming cropping season as it tries to alleviate the suffering of hundreds of millions of people facing hunger and malnutrition due to soaring food prices.

“The capacity of the world’s 450 million smallholder farmers to respond by growing more food is at risk because of spiralling energy and fertiliser prices,” said Lennart Båge, President of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). “Poor farmers are not reaping the benefits of higher food prices because they cannot afford the fertiliser or seeds to plant next season’s crops.”

Speaking after a meeting of the agency’s Executive Board in Rome, he called for concerted comprehensive and coordinated action to be taken by the international community to prevent the slide of millions into abject poverty.

“Poor rural farmers are central to any solution to today’s global food crisis and the long-term problems of hunger and poverty,” Mr. Båge noted.

He called for a three-pronged strategy: providing emergency food aid to feed the hungry today; supporting, in the short term, smallholder farmers in their bid to plan next season’s crops; and longer-term investment in agriculture to ensure food security, nutrition and rural development.

“The world has under-invested in agriculture and rural development for far too long,” the President stated. “It is high time to put this right.”

Yesterday, the head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that surging food prices are thwarting the agency’s ability to feed the world’s hungry.

“We can buy 40 per cent less food than we could last June with the same contribution,” WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran said in a video conference from Rome, voicing concern that as many as 100 million people face being pushed deeper into poverty.


IN VIENNA, SECRETARY-GENERAL OPENS NEW MODERN, CLIMATE-FRIENDLY UN COMPLEX
New York, Apr 25 2008 5:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon began an official visit to Vienna today by inaugurating a new environmentally-friendly, state-of-the-art facility which will support discussions between countries on a range of critical issues, from nuclear weapons to drugs and crime.

Donated by Austria, the “M Building” – as the new complex is known – encompasses dozens of meeting rooms and has the capacity to service up to 1,500 people. “The United Nations and other Vienna-based organizations are very grateful for this meaningful contribution, which will facilitate our work here immeasurably,” Mr. Ban said at the inauguration ceremony.

The Secretary-General highlighted the fact that the new facility is environmentally friendly and hailed its many energy-saving features, such as re-circulating heat and sensors to optimize cooling and heating efficiency and minimize waste.

“For the past year and a half I’ve been pushing the environmental agenda, and it’s encouraging to see that in this building has been designed with the best interests of the planet at heart,” he stated.

In remarks to the press on the site of the new conference building, Mr. Ban addressed the current food crisis, owing to the soaring prices of basic staples such as rice and wheat.

“We must take immediate action in a concerted way,” he said, stressing the need, in the short term, to address the humanitarian crisis, and, in the long term, to explore how to improve distribution systems and promote improved production.

While in Vienna, the Secretary-General met with Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik. He later held a working luncheon with Ms. Plassnik and the foreign ministers of the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Slovakia, as well as senior officials from Poland and Hungary. They discussed cooperation between the UN and the European Union, Kosovo, Chad, Darfur, the Middle East, Cyprus and UN reform.

Mr. Ban also met with Austrian President Heinz Fischer, with whom he discussed the country’s contribution to peacekeeping operations in Chad and Kosovo, the Olympic Games, the Annapolis peace process in the Middle East, the humanitarian situation in Gaza and this September’s summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The Secretary-General arrived in Vienna from Côte d’Ivoire, the final leg of a four-nation West African tour that also took him to Burkina Faso, Liberia and Ghana

UN News April 24

UN LAYS OUT PLAN FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF AREA AROUND CHERNOBYL DISASTER SITE
New York, Apr 25 2008 3:00PM
Marking the twenty-second anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident in Ukraine on 26 April 1986, the United Nations Development Programme today presented a draft action plan to support the Chernobyl area’s ongoing recovery until 2016.

The action plan is part of the Decade of Recovery and Sustainable Development proclaimed by a 2007 UN General Assembly Resolution. The aim of the Decade, which runs from 2006 to 2016, is to promote a “return to normal life” for the region.

The UN’s plan is built on scientific findings showing that most people living in the affected areas need not fear negative health effects from radiation. The objective is to spur recovery by promoting new economic opportunities, including investment and job creation, and to restore community self-sufficiency. Accurate, up-to-date information is also being provided to counter widespread myths and misconceptions.

A statement issued by the spokesperson for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the accident had had a huge impact on the region but that the outlook was hopeful: “We can take, heart, however, in the growing confidence that communities affected by the Chernobyl accident now have the chance and, increasingly, the means, to lead a normal life.”

Later this year, Russian tennis star and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Maria Sharapova plans to visit UNDP community development projects that her charitable foundation has funded since 2007. Ms. Sharapova, who has family roots in Gomel, a city not far from the damaged reactor, said that she looked forward to visiting the region, “and delivering a message of recovery, self-reliance, and healthy choices to young people.”
2008-04-25 00:00:00.000

UN News 4/23

UN HONOURS SEVEN LEADERS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
New York, Apr 22 2008 4:00PM
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today acknowledged seven luminaries in the fight against global warming as this year’s Champions of the Earth.

The recipients of the award, which is in its fourth year, include Prince Albert II of Monaco and Balgis Osman-Elasha, a Sudanese climate researcher who has effectively piloted climate-proofing strategies in some of the most affected areas in the world.

“Our winners for 2008 light an alternative path for humanity by taking responsibility, demonstrating leadership and realizing change across a wide range of sustainability issues,” including improved management of resources from waste and water,
UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said at the awards gala in Singapore.

Each awardee is “living proof that the greening of the global economy is underway and that a transition to a more resource efficient society not only makes environmental sense, but social and economic sense, too,” he added.

Six of the winners represent each of the world’s geographical regions: former United States Senator Timothy E. Wirth; Atiq Rahman, the Executive Director of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies; Liz Thompson, the former Energy and Environment Minister of Barbados; and Abdul-Qader Ba-Jammal, the Secretary-General of the Yemen People’s General Congress.

This year’s UNEP Special Prize was bestowed upon Prime Minister Helen Clark of New Zealand, which has blazed the trail towards climate neutrality and hopes to meet the goal of 90 per cent renewable energy by 2025.

She said that her vision is to “sustain the biodiversity, the cultural diversity and environmental integrity that we have had in our world and which is very, very much under threat.”

The Champions of the Earth award was established in 2004 by UNEP to reward individuals for their contributions – globally and regionally – to bolstering the protection and management of the Earth’s environment and resources. Recipients are selected by a senior UNEP panel with input from the agency’s regional offices.

Past winners include former Iranian Vice President Massoudeh Ebtekar; Mikhail Gorbachev of Russia; Prince Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan; Jacques Rogge of the International Olympic Committee; and former United States Vice President Al Gore.
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=531&ArticleID=5773&l=en

ASIA-PACIFIC COUNTRIES CONVENE AT UN FORUM TO SHARE CLIMATE CHANGE SOLUTIONS
New York, Apr 23 2008 11:00AM
Participants from countries in the Asia-Pacific region will have an opportunity to share good practices on ways to cut greenhouse gases while reducing poverty at a http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2008/apr/g22.asp meeting convened today in Bangkok by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The gathering, organized in cooperation with the Japanese Ministry of the Environment and the Japanese Overseas Environmental Cooperation Centre, will also launch an Asia-Pacific Gateway for Climate Change and Development.

The web-based platform provides a forum to exchange experiences and information on “co-benefits” activities, and measures to adapt to climate change.

One example of a co-benefits project from the region is the use of landfill gas, by which the greenhouse gasses created by decaying trash is burned to generate electricity. As a result, the effect of these gasses on the climate is reduced – creating a source of energy for development while mitigating climate change.

Other ‘win-win’ projects can be found in the Philippines, where enhanced public transportation services are reducing both commute times and carbon emissions, and in Malaysia, which has introduced innovative strategies for waste management which lower emissions and reduce the build up of waste at the same time.

Participants at the meeting, which was opened by the Deputy Executive Secretary of ESCAP, Shigeru Mochida, and Japan’s Vice-Minister for Global Environmental Affairs, Toshiro Kojima, also explored ways of helping developing countries to make adaptations to climate change part of their development efforts.

TEN NEW PARTICIPANTS SIGN ON TO UN SCHEME TO SLASH EMISSIONS
New York, Apr 23 2008 1:00PM
A Latin American beauty corporation, a boutique French advertising agency and a United Kingdom think tank are among ten new participants which have signed on to a United Nations Internet-based scheme in a bid to hasten climate neutrality.

The Climate Neutral Network http://www.climateneutral.unep.org/cnn_frontpage.aspx?m=49, launched in February and set up by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in cooperation with the UN Environment Management Group, is an online forum to tackle the challenge of rising greenhouse gases.

The project assists entities aiming to slash their greenhouse gas emissions by making the strategies of pioneer organizations’ public as way to inspire those trying to reach their climate-friendly goals and by offering a forum for like-minded groups to network and shared best practices on the issue. It also aims to bring developed and developing country participants together to promote development.

“A small but growing band of countries, cities and corporations are making the clear and explicit statement that aspiring to low, even zero, emission economies is not some unobtainable pipe-dream but a path to profitability, stability and sanity in an increasingly unstable world,” UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=531&ArticleID=5776&l=en said today in Singapore at a two-day summit organized by his agency and the UN Global Compact.

He said that CN Net will spur the transition to a low-carbon world and alter the way business is conducted.

“The existing and new participants are leading by example and proving the art of the possible and a determination to be part of a global climate solution,” Mr. Steiner observed.

The new members of CN Net are:

• Belcorp, a Peruvian beauty corporation; Inoxia, a French advertising agency;


• BlindSpot, a UK research centre focusing on sustainable development; Incentive Sol, a Brazilian online carbon-trading venture;


• Sempre Avanti Consulting, a New Zealand-based carbon-neutral consultancy;


• Carbon Clear, a UK organization helping businesses and individuals reduce their carbon footprint;


• Wright Communications, New Zealand’s only public relations firm specializing in corporate responsibility and sustainability communications;


• Planète Urgence, a French non-governmental organization (NGO); and


• The Regional Ozone Network in Europe and Central Asia (ECA), created in 2003 to assist one dozen countries in the area phase out ozone-depleting substances;
• UNEP.

They join four countries (Costa Rica, Iceland, New Zealand and Norway), four cities (Arendal, Norway; Rizhao, China; Vancouver, Canada; and Växjö, Sweden) and five corporations (Co-operative Financial Services of the UK, Interface Inc. of the United States, Natura of Brazil, Nedbank of South Africa and Senoko Power of Singapore), who signed on in February.