from the Guardian A study finds widespread use of waste water used for growing crops. At least 200 million people are at risk of disease from this use of waste water. The study from the UN surveyed 53 cities thought the word. - Kaleby John VidalUrban farmers in 80% of the cities surveyed were found to be using untreated waste water, but the study said they also provided vital food for burgeoning cities at a time of unprecedented water scarcity and the worst food crisis in 30 years.The study from the UN-backed International Water Management Institute (IMWI), said the practice of using waste water to grow food in urban areas was not confined to the poorest countries."It's a widespread phenomenon, occurring on 20m hectares across the developing world, especially in Asian countries like...
from the International Herald Tribune More than 2 million Indian children under the age of 5 are dying every year. The UN says it's because of lack of basic care. - KaleThe report by the U.N. Children's Fund focused on the Asia-Pacific region but singled out India home to 20 percent of the world's children under 5. It also warned that rising inequality between the rich and poor risked undermining gains made in other countries of the region.While India has made steady progress in recent years, it's "not nearly enough," said UNICEF regional director Daniel Toole, calling on the government to invest significantly more money on health services.Officials from India's Health Ministry and the Women and Child Welfare Ministry were not immediately available for comment.In 2006, the last year...
from IRIN This subject was debated during thefood summit last month. Past calls to cut taxes for chartable food purchases has met a lot of resistance. - KaleThe World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a call by the World Bank for a UN resolution to scrap taxes and export controls on food aid purchases, but experts say there is little chance of such a resolution being effected.Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank Group, called on the UN General Assembly's 63rd session, coming up in September, to vote for a resolution to exempt humanitarian purchases from export restrictions and taxes.A global food and fuel price crisis has not only pushed up the cost of food aid but made finding adequate quantities to purchase and transporting them even more problematic, as governments attempt to...
from the Gulf Times India has been booming, but children there are still hungry. A report from a top UN economist explains. - KaleFour in every 10 children in India are malnourished despite the country’s economy growing at an average rate of 9% a year, one of the world’s leading development economists warned.Kevin Watkins, who edited the UN’s human development report, said that despite growing prosperity brought on by a sustained boom, child malnourishment in India is higher than in Ethiopia and well above the African average of 28%.“India dominates the world hunger league,” he said. “Economists like to debate the factors behind India’s spectacular take-off. Perhaps they should be asking how a country can grow so fast with such a limited impact on child...
from the AFP via Google A farmer collects melons from his field in Djilakh, SenegalThe UN chief speaks out on the Global food crisis, during debate at the UN General Assembly. - Kale UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday called for a sharp hike in world farm output, warning that high food and fuel prices threatened much of the progress made in reaching global poverty-reduction targets.Addressing a day-long debate of the UN General Assembly on the global food and energy crisis, the secretary general warned: "the double jeopardy of high food and fuel prices threatens to undermine much of the progress made in achieving the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs)."And he noted that the effects of climate change, including increased exposure to drought, rising temperatures, more...
The SustainUS Agents of Change program is now accepting applications for its delegation to the UN Climate Negotiations, COP14, happening in Poznan, Poland this December. We will be extending the application deadline to July 12, 2008 at 5pmEST. COP14 will determine the future of international policy on climate change, and youth must make their voices heard.
The SustainUS delegation, comprised of key leaders in the youth climate movement from various organizations and backgrounds, will have the unique opportunity to represent American youth at the COP. Delegates will work with each other and with international youth in advance of the conference to educate themselves, develop policy priorities, acquire skills in effective lobbying, and engage the broader youth population in a...
from All Africa BuaNews (Tshwane)By Modern BweemaSharm-El-SheikhThe United Nations (UN) has warned that the current global food crisis, compounded by a hike in fuel prices and climate change, will push more than 100 million people into poverty.United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Asha Rose-Migiro said on Monday at the official opening of the 11th AU Heads of State and Government Summit that this development risked reversing the positive steps made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).Dr Migiro, however, noted that many African countries had made tremendous progress towards the achievement of the MDGs.She said well designed and properly financed programmes had helped reduce child mortality, improve water and sanitation and expanded primary education in some African...
from the AFP via Google UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — UN chief Ban Ki-moon said Thursday he would press Group of Eight (G8) leaders at their summit in Japan next month to tackle the world food crisis, climate change and the flagging fight against global poverty.On the eve of his departure on a two-week, three-nation Asian tour, the secretary general said the July 7-9 summit in the northern Japanese resort town of Toyako must face the three inter-related crises which demand "our immediate action."He said that before departing, he would write to each of the G8 leaders to lay out his concerns about the global food crisis, the need "to act now" on climate change if a deal to cut greenhouse gases is to be reached by the end of next year, and the emergency of development."If ever there were a time...
from The Miami Herald By MICHAEL CASEYMany poor countries accept toxic waste from abroad, such as old computers, rusted ships and pesticides, in a shortsighted bid to lift themselves out of poverty, despite the dangers to human health and the environment, a U.N. rights official said Thursday.Okechukwu Ibeanu, a special rapporteur of the Human Rights Council, also told delegates discussing a convention on moving hazardous waste that rich nations must do their part to help developing countries build sustainable and environmentally sound economies."Many developing countries, despite sometimes knowing the dangers of the waste, continue to accept hazardous products and toxic waste due to poverty and the quest for development," Ibeanu said."Is it worth the short term monetary gain? Is it worth...
A new GAO Report on international food security (International Food Security: Insufficient Efforts by Host Governments and Donors Threaten Progress to Halve Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2015) gets it almost completely right when it points to the feeble, self-defeating, and confused U.S. policies on world hunger. The report diplomatically states:
The efforts of host governments and donors, including the United States, to achieve the goal of halving hunger in sub-Saharan Africa by 2015 have thus far been insufficient.
The GAO is far too kind. U.S. and other donor hunger policies have been disastrous, as demonstrated by the current food price crisis. The sub-title of the GAO's Report says progress to cut hunger is threatened by these donor mistakes. In fact, as the GAO...
from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation By Corinne Podger for Radio AustraliaPosted 2 hours 33 minutes agoA major United Nations report says so called petty corruption is draining economic growth across Asia, and affecting people's access to basic services such as health and education.It says this then perpetuates regional poverty.The UN Development Program's report was launched in the Indonesian capital Jakarta by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.Program spokesman Anuradha Rajivan has told Radio Australia's Asia Pacific program the report highlights corruption in daily life is just as serious as large scale corruption."Probably a better way to call it would be retail corruption, to give the impression of how widespread it can be, how persistent it can be and how it can affect...
from Gulf LiveBy TOMOKO A. HOSAKA YOKOHAMA, Japan - African leaders and international aid agencies implored developed nations Thursday to do more to help countries reeling from soaring food prices.Wealthy economies should keep providing emergency aid to the most-affected areas, but also steer funds to long-term projects in research and technology that would unlock Africa's "vast untapped agricultural potential," they said in a joint statement released at an African development conference hosted by Japan.High oil prices, surging demand, flawed trade policies, extreme weather, growth in biofuel production and speculation have inflated food prices worldwide, trigging protests from Africa to Asia and raising fears of widespread malnutrition and economic instability."The record high prices...
from the TelephraphWorld leaders will meet in Rome next week to discuss ways of preventing mass starvation and instability because of soaring food prices.The summit, which is to be hosted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, is expected to hear arguments for the establishment of a global food fund and see pledges of food aid from wealthy countries to poor nations to ward off the food shortages.Leader will also discuss the increased production of biofuels, which is blamed for a reduction in arable land available for food production, as farmers turn to growing crops for fuel. New international guidelines on biofuel production are expected to be discussed.Britain is expected to argue for aid in the form of fertilisers and seeds to be distributed in time for planting for...
from ReutersBy Robin PomeroyROME (Reuters) - World leaders must radically change their strategy toward beating poverty now that hunger can no longer be staunched by cheap food, the head of the United Nations farm aid agency said.At a food summit in Rome next week, the international community must recognize that poverty challenges have changed and agree to reverse years of neglecting poor farmers, said the head of the International Fund for Agricultural Development."They (governments and donors) have taken cheap, affordable food on the international market for granted. We no longer can do that and we have to realize it's a profound structural problem," IFAD President Lennart Bage said in an interview late on Monday.Initially called to address the effects of climate change on food...
from Reuters Africa UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A food crisis sparked by rising prices risks derailing global efforts to reduce poverty and international action is urgently needed, world leaders and experts told a high-level U.N. meeting on Tuesday."Today 25,000 people will die because they did not get enough to eat," British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in a video message to a special meeting of the U.N. Economic and Social Council on the global food crisis.Brown pledged to champion the cause of fighting poverty and hunger at an international level, including among the G8 group of industrialized nations that are the main donor countries. U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said that even before the crisis, 830 million people faced acute food shortages, and rising food...
So it all kicked off in Myanmar this week, except that it didn’t, because the military regime has managed to bungle the response to Cyclone Nargis. We could get into a long discussion about the whys and wherefores, and there’s some frightening talk about the “right to respond” over-riding sovereignty, but let’s stay focused on [...]...
In
Media,
ngo,
blogs,
Burma,
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sms,
geospatial,
cyclone,
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United Nations
from The Asia Times Online By Thalif DeenNEW YORK - As the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) readies for a summit of world leaders next month, United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon on Monday defended the Rome-based UN agency, which has come under fire for its failure to help meet the growing challenges of hunger worldwide.The harshest attack came last week from Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, who described the FAO as a "bottomless pit of money, largely spent on its own functioning, with very little effective operations on the ground".Asked to respond, Ban told reporters on Monday: "In view of the gravity and seriousness of the situation, I can understand and sympathize with the frustrations of many African leaders, including President Wade of Senegal."But I would like...
The Final Report of the Global Symposium +5 on Information for Humanitarian Action refers to the need for timely information no less than 14 times. The report was of course released last week - a full 6 months after the symposium itself.
You should probably read it in any case....
from CTV CTV.ca News StaffUN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced Tuesday that he will lead a task force to deal with the global food crisis.The first priority is finding US$755 million to meet the funding shortfall for the World Food Programme, he said Tuesday in Bern, Switzerland."We anticipate that additional funding will be required," he said.However, the task force wants to look beyond just providing emergency aid for crises, he said. For example, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization has established a US$1.7-billion plan to give seeds to farmers in the world's poorest countries.The price of food staples has shot up around the world. World Bank President Robert Zoellick said the development has left about 100 million more people in poverty in the past two years."This is not a...
from the Voice of AmericaBy Lisa SchleinU.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is heading emergency talks aimed at tackling the growing crisis caused by soaring food prices around the world. Participating in this two-day high-powered meeting in the Swiss capital, Bern, are the President of the World Bank, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund and the Heads of nearly 30 United Nations aid agencies. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.U.N. Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon says the steeply rising price of food has developed into a global crisis. He says the U.N.-sponsored meeting in Bern must find solutions to a problem that is increasing poverty, hunger and instability in the world.The United Nations estimates about 100 million of the world's poorest people cannot afford...
from the National PostACCRA -- Higher food prices risk wiping out progress towards reducing poverty and, if allowed to escalate, could hurt global growth and security, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Sunday.Opening a UN trade and development conference in Ghana, Mr. Ban pledged to use the full force of the world body he heads to tackle the price rises, which threaten to increase hunger and poverty and have already sparked food riots in Asia and Africa."I will immediately establish a high-powered task force comprised of eminent experts and leading authorities to address this issue," Mr. Ban said, after a group of the world's 49 least developed countries called on Saturday for such a team.The UN head warned the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) meeting...
What’s interesting about the ReliefWeb Client Outreach statistics?
Quite a lot. ReliefWeb is the single most information portal for the humanitarian community, so it’s worth paying attention to how that community uses online services, what sorts of information it values, and so on. It’s also interesting because ReliefWeb went through a huge overhaul a couple of [...]...
from ReutersBy Kwasi KpodoACCRA (Reuters) - Increased aid for agriculture and the abolition of rich-nation subsidies are key to finding a long-term solution to rising world food prices, the head of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development said on Saturday.A doubling of the price of major cereals on international markets since mid-2007 has sharply increased the risk of hunger and poverty in developing countries, and has already sparked food riots in parts of Asia and Africa.UNCTAD boss Supachai Panitchpakdi said a disproportionate amount of aid had been spent on governance initiatives in the developing world in recent decades while agriculture had been neglected, leaving some poor countries which were once net food exporters reliant on expensive imports."We will be jumping from one...
from the Los Angeles TimesThe secretary-general pledges to tackle the global issue, starting with a task force.From ReutersACCRA, GHANA — Higher food prices risk wiping out progress toward reducing poverty and, if allowed to escalate, could hurt global growth and security, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday.Opening a United Nations trade and development conference here, Ban pledged to use the full force of the world body he heads to tackle the price increases, which have already sparked riots in Asia, Africa and Haiti."I will immediately establish a high-powered task force comprised of eminent experts and leading authorities to address this issue," Ban said Sunday, a day after a group of the world's 49 least-developed countries called for such a team.He warned the U.N....
from the International Herald Tribune By Steven ErlangerWednesday, April 16, 2008PARIS: Major agricultural countries must urgently change their policies to avoid a social explosion from rising food prices, a panel of UN experts has warned, adding their voices to new concerns about the proper balance between saving the environment and feeding the poor."Modern agriculture will have to change radically if the international community wants to cope with growing populations and climate change, while avoiding social fragmentation and irreversible deterioration of the environment," Salvatore Arico, a biodiversity specialist with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or Unesco, said Tuesday, summarizing the report by about 400 experts.The report tries to give a comprehensive...