EU creates alliance on climate change

The European Commission is proposing to build a new alliance on climate change between the European Union and the poor developing countries that are most affected and that have the least capacity to deal with climate change. Through this Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA), the EU and these countries will work jointly to integrate climate change into poverty reduction strategies.

The EU will provide substantial resources to address climate change in these countries. Measures will include better preparedness for natural disasters which are expected to become more frequent and intense through global warming. The GCCA renews the commitment of the EU Action Plan on Climate Change and Development to systematically integrate climate change into development cooperation.

Developing countries will be the hardest hit by the effects of climate change and therefore need our help to mitigate climate change and to adapt to the changes already occuring. New technology is only one way of developing towards a sustainable society without hampering development and quality of life. This communication, presented by Development and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel in association with Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas and External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, aims to provide for a broader range of actions through dialogue and exchange as well as practical cooperation between EU and the developing countries.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that most regions in the world, and especially those in the developing world, will be increasingly affected by climate change. Poor developing countries, and in particular the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) will be among the countries hit earliest and hardest.

The EU has a leadership role in promoting international action to tackle climate change. The Spring Council 2007 put forward concrete proposals for a post-2012 international climate change agreement, and committed to significant cuts in the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions. The Global Climate Change Alliance will be an important pillar of the EU’s external action on climate change, reaching out to the countries least responsible for, but most affected by global warming.

Assistance provided under the Global Climate Change Alliance is proposed to focus on five areas: implementing concrete adaptation measures; reducing emissions from deforestation; helping poor countries take advantage from the global carbon market; helping poor countries to be better prepared for natural disasters, and integrating climate change into development cooperation and poverty reduction strategies. As Climate change affects many sectors, it needs to be integrated into poverty reduction efforts in order to ensure sustainability. Systematic climate risk assessment and mainstreaming of climate change into development strategies and programmes (“climate proofing”) are imperative in this regard.

The Commission already earmarked €50 million to the GCCA over the period 2008-10. But substantially more resources are needed to provide a response that adequately responds to the needs. Therefore an appeal is made to the EU Member States to dedicate part of their agreed commitments to increase Official Development Assistance over the coming years to the cause of coping with climate change in the most vulnerable countries.

The first occasion to discuss the Alliance with developing country partners will be the European Development Days held in Lisbon from 7th to 9th November and focusing on climate change and development.

Over the past years the link between climate change and the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events became amply clear. Seven of the ten deadliest disasters of the last 20 years have occurred between 2000 and 2006. Only since July 2007, the European Commission has provided €24.5 million to the victims of natural disasters in Colombia, Caribbean, Peru, Kenya, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, North Korea and the Sudan. The Global Climate Change Alliance aims to assist the most vulnerable countries in the prevention of and their preparedness for natural disasters.

Stand Up and Speak out

On October 16th and 17th , millions all over the world will once again Stand Up and Speak Out against poverty and inequality and in support of the Millennium Development Goals. The Stand Up Speak Out initiative is planned to coincide with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. On this day last year, 23.5 million people stood up against poverty in a 24 hour period setting a new Guinness World Record.

This year the Global Call to Action Against Poverty and the United Nations Millennium Campaign plan to mobilize people all over the world to break this record, urging millions more to join this growing global movement. They will demand that their governments keep their promises to achieve the Millennium Goals to end extreme poverty by 2015. From workers to students, women’s groups to community groups, people will call on political leaders to deliver more and better aid to the poorest nations, implement fairer trade conditions, cancel debt, ensure gender equality as well as greater transparency and accountability from their governments.

They will stand up and challenge the world record
Events are being planned in over 100 countries. These will range from major rallies and concerts to gatherings in school assemblies, town halls and refugee camps. Participants will be asked to register for the Guinness challenge in the 24-hour period from 9pm GMT on October 16th to 9pm GMT on October 17th.
For more information on Stand Up and Speak Out events and a video reel from last year visit www.standagainstpoverty.org

They will speak through music, political meetings and using banners
A new piece of choral music, The Poverty Requiem, will be performed in a global chain of performances in over 25 countries. Delegations will meet politicians to present their demands to end poverty and on four continents International Women’s Tribunals on Poverty will be held to raise awareness of gender issues. Elsewhere, groups are making giant Banners Against Poverty with messages for leaders and later linking these on key global mobilization dates.

Sweden wins bid for 2010 World Summit on Media for Children

The 6th World Summit on Media for Children will be held in June 2010 in the city of Karlstad, Sweden.

The World Summit on Media for Children Foundation (WSMCF) announced today that the bid led by Director Per Lundgren on behalf of the City and University of Karlstad, Sweden had been successful in the contest to hold the next World Summit, supported by worldwide media organisations.

“Director Per Lundgren and his partners proposed a compelling and forward-thinking proposal. The 2010 Summit will be a seminal event.” said Dr Patricia Edgar AM, Chair of the WSMCF from Melbourne, Australia. “The world we live in is changing rapidly. Children are citizens of the world. All media platforms for them should have a depth and focus of educational commitment. Children are forging changes in the new media landscape as education and media production for them are being transformed by new technology The new media context for children requires risk taking both on the part of producers who should test new boundaries and on the part of educators guiding the young. As world leaders in children’s well-being1, Scandinavia will provide an ideal context for such initiatives”

The Summit Movement works to ensure the needs of children are met as an audience and as participants in media production. World Summits are held every three years and attended by media, technology, policy and education professionals dedicated to children’s services. Each Summit provides a unique and fertile environment for global networking and the sharing of ideas and information. World Summits which involve young people and adults are catalysts for communication, collaboration and international exchange.

Previous World Summits have been held in Melbourne (1995), London (1998), Thessaloniki (2001), Rio de Janeiro (2004) and Johannesburg (2007), supplemented by Regional Summits held in The Philippines (1996) and North America (2000).

“It’s both a pleasure and an honour for us to bring together media players from all over the world to a global agenda on creativity, critical thinking skills, quality in media and cultural diversity in Karlstad, Sweden” said Per Lundgren. “We look forward to welcoming the world to Karlstad”

Journalists for training on Millennium Development Goals

Twenty junior radio and print journalists from twelve Caribbean Commonwealth countries and two non-Commonwealth countries will be in Jamaica from September 12-16 for a training workshop on Reporting the Millennium Development Goals”.

The workshop which will be held in Mandeville, Manchester is being organized by Panos Caribbean and is funded by the Commonwealth Foundation.

During the workshop, local and rural issues in addition to national and regional issues will be highlighted.

A press release from Panos Caribbean quoted Director of the Commonwealth Foundation, Dr. Mark Collins as saying that “at this half-way stage towards the MDG target date of 2015 it is vital that Caribbean governments keep up the momentum. Journalists play a key role as opinion-formers who can ensure that citizens and politicians alike recognize that there is no room for complacency in tackling these goals. They must be achieved and this workshop will help to ensure that the issues are kept alive and kicking.”

Jan Voordouw, Executive Director of Panos Caribbean stressed that MDGs are of prime importance to Caribbean societies, especially the vulnerable ones.

“However, often people do not easily see how to translate such global goals to local realities. During the workshop we will explore how media can assist in evaluating progress on the goals in our specific islands, to see how far we have come whether it is nationally or in marginal areas,” Voordouw said.

The release said also that the training during the workshop will focus particularly on HIV/AIDS, climate change, education, and debt relief.

“We expect that after the workshop, more radio and print stories will come out on the MDGs in the Commonwealth Caribbean. The workshop will also provide an opportunity for networking and joint investigation among journalists across the region,” Voordouw said.

The participants are drawn from Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Haiti and Suriname.

Presenters will include Dr. Maureen Samms-Vaugh from the Early Childhood Commission, Canute James, Senior Lecturer in Journalism at the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communications, Dale Rankine from the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme in Jamaica, and Peter Espeut from the Caribbean Costal Area Management Foundat-ion, the release added.

In 2007 a large UN Conference agreed on eight MDGs, setting targets for the substantial reduction of poverty by 2015. Nearly all the countries of the world have signed up to them.

The eight MDGs are to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability and develop a global partnership for development.

EU/Africa summit in december

The Joint EU-Africa Strategy is planned to be adopted at the Lisbon Summit. It is the second ever Summit between heads of state and government from EU and Africa and is planned to be held in Lisbon on 8-9 December, 2007. The first summit was held in Cairo in 2000.

The European Union and the African Union have in the past years strengthened their relations and participated in a structured dialogue since the first EU-African Summit in Cairo in 2000. Africa is a priority of the European Union as stated in the EU strategy for Africa adopted in December 2005 by the European Council and now both continents are heading towards a second EU-Africa Summit that should take place in Lisbon at the end of 2007.

The European Union and the African Union have thus decided to further strengthen the ties linking both continents by developing a co-owned ‘joint strategy’ which reflects the needs and aspirations of the peoples of Africa and Europe. The purpose of this joint strategy is to develop a political vision and practical approaches for the future partnership between the EU and Africa, based on mutual respect, common interests and the principle of ownership.

A public consultation was launched by the African Union Commission and the European Commission at the beginning of February. The aim was to gather civil society recommendations on the joint EU-Africa Strategy to be approved at the planned EU-Africa Summit in December 2007. The first phase of this consultation lasted until the end of April, with the approval of an outline of the future joint Strategy on 15 May by the joint EU-Africa Ministerial Troika Meeting.

The first phase of the consultation was mainly carried out through an Internet consultation on this website, open to all Europeans and Africans. It also comprised a seminar organised by the African Union Commission (AUC) for a number of representatives of African civil society in Accra, Ghana, on 26-28 March and a conference co-organised by VENRO and ECDPM in Bad Honnef, Germany, on 23-24 April.

In the second phase, ECDPM will focus on sharing information on the official negotiations, on related events and positions of civil society representatives as well as provide some analysis on the progress of the negotiations. The website will thus be more geared towards information sharing than towards moderating on-line discussions as was the case with the Internet consultation until May 2007. Contributions and position papers will be published, and shared with the officials and all interested actors.

MORE INFORMATION
http://www.europaafrica.org

NGOs Unite on Earth’s Greatest Crisis

A three-day meeting of over 2,500 delegates from more than 500 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and representing 80 countries affirmed that climate change “is potentially the most serious threat humanity and our environment have ever faced.”

A declaration adopted Friday warns that global warming can possibly have a devastating impact on virtually all aspects of life in the planet, including “catastrophic effects on our earth’s ecosystem, biodiversity and infrastructure.”

Among other potential threats singled out were: the significant reduction of available food, water, energy and transport; massive migration of populations and the possible destruction of entire cultures and small island nations; significant damage to economic, political, cultural and social bases; and irreversible harm to the lifestyles of indigenous peoples.

The meeting, described as one of the largest single gathering of NGOs, was organised by the U.N.’s Department of Public Information, which has been hosting similar conferences over the last 59 years. This year’s theme was: “Climate Change: How it Impacts Us All.”

Stressing the role of NGOs in raising global awareness of climate change, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro told delegates the United Nations today relies on its partnership with the NGO community “in virtually everything the world body does”.

“Whether it is peace-building in sub-Saharan Africa or human rights in Latin America, disaster assistance in the Caribbean or de-mining efforts in the Middle East, the United Nations depends upon the advocacy skills, creative resources and grass-roots reach of civil society organisations in all our work,” she said, paying a compliment to NGOs, described as “the world’s third superpower.”

The NGO representatives committed themselves, over the next 12 months, “to unify behind a common vision of collaboration — even if we disagree on tactics — to develop and implement plans for adaptation and mitigation, taking into account the full range of consequences.”

Social project: The Yes Men!

The Yes Men are a group of culture jamming activists who practice what they call “identity correction” by pretending to be powerful people and spokespersons for prominent organizations. They create and maintain fake websites similar to ones they want to spoof, and then they accept invitations received on their websites to appear at conferences, symposiums and TV shows. Their newfound, self-proclaimed authority to express the idea that corporations and governmental organizations often act in dehumanizing ways toward the public has met both positively and negatively with political overtones. Elaborate props are sometimes part of the ruse, as shown in their 2003 DVD release The Yes Men.

Their method is often satire: posing as corporate or government spokespeople, they might make shocking denigrating comments about workers and consumers, then point out what appears to be a lack of shock or anger in the response to their prank, with no one realizing the reactionary rhetoric was only a joke. Sometimes, the Yes Men’s phony spokesperson makes announcements that represent dream scenarios for the anti-globalization movement or opponents of corporate crime. The result is false news reports of the demise of the WTO, or Dow paying for a Union Carbide cleanup.

The Yes Men have posed as spokespeople for The World Trade Organization, McDonald’s, Dow Chemical, and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. The two leading members of The Yes Men are known by a number of aliases, most recently, and in film, Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno. Their real names are Jacques Servin and Igor Vamos, respectively. Servin is an author of experimental fiction, and was known for being the man who inserted images of men kissing in the computer game SimCopter. Vamos is an assistant professor of media arts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York. They are assisted by numerous people across the globe.

MORE INFO
http://www.theyesmen.org

World Bank Group Directs $34.3 Billion in 2007 to Boost Growth and Overcome Poverty

During fiscal year 2007, ending June 30, the World Bank Group committed US $34.3 billion in loans, grants, equity investments, and guarantees to its members and to private business in its member countries – up $2.7 billion (7.8 percent) from fiscal year 2006. The recipients are using these funds in more than 620 projects designed to overcome poverty and enhance growth – for example, by improving education and health services, promoting private sector development, building infrastructure, and strengthening governance and institutions.

“During Fiscal Year 2007, the World Bank Group provided over $34 billion of financial support for developing countries to invest in practical plans to move from poverty to prosperity,” said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick. “But we can and should do more. Given the great needs among diverse developing countries, the World Bank Group can make its capital work for people by creating development solutions for all. That would help advance an inclusive and sustainable globalization.”

The World Bank Group institutions contributing to this financial outcome are: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), which provides financing, risk management products, and other financial services to members; the International Development Association (IDA), which provides interest-free loans and grants to the poorest countries; the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which makes equity investments, and provides loans, guarantees and advisory services to private-sector business in developing countries; and the Bank Group’s political risk insurance agency, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).

IDA commitments were $11.9 billion, 25 percent higher than the previous year, and the highest in IDA’s history. IBRD commitments in FY07 totaled $12.8 billion. IFC committed $8.2 billion for private sector development in developing countries, an all-time high, which topped last year’s total by $1.5 billion – $3 billion of the total, went to IDA countries. Of MIGA’s $1.4 billion in guarantees, $387 million went to projects in IDA countries. MIGA’s exposure in IDA countries now stands at 41% of its portfolio.

In addition, IBRD carried out $5.4 billion in interest rate and currency risk management transactions on behalf of its members.This is an increase of more than three-fold over totals for the past several years and highlights the expanding portfolio of financial services we offer.

Financial commitments provided by the World Bank Group to the countries of sub-Saharan Africa increased by $1.8 billion in FY07 to $7.5 billion and included a record $5.8 billion in IDA credits, grants, and guarantees to sub-Saharan Africa, (up by $1billion from the previous year); $1.4 billion from IFC for private sector development projects, (double last year’s effort); and $311 million in MIGA guarantees for projects in the region, up $131 million from 2006.

While many challenges remain in Africa, there have been clear signs of progress, according to Obiageli Ezekwesili, Vice President for Africa. “We are now seeing increases in African countries’ per capita income consistent with those of other developing countries and African countries have made great strides in expanding access to health and education,” she said. “African leaders are well aware of the support that IDA provides and this is why they are strong supporters of a robust replenishment of IDA this year.”

IFC involvement in projects often serves to increase confidence in sectors or projects, which generates additional investment from the private sector. In FY07, IFC mobilized an additional $3.9 billion through loan participations, structured finance, and parallel loans. For example, IFC has helped increase cellular access in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Madagascar, Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Uganda by mobilizing loans from international commercial banks to rebuild the communications infrastructure and providing a basis for future economic growth, while at the same time encouraging investor confidence in other sectors in these countries.

Speaking of IFC’s activity in Africa, Lars Thunell, IFC Executive Vice President and CEO, said. “Last year we doubled our financial commitments to the private sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, which continues to be a priority frontier region for IFC. We helped 166,000 small African businesses get access to finance last year. Our projects gave 6 million new customers access to power and created 11 million new telephone connections across the region. We also substantially increased our advisory services and local currency financing capabilities in the region.”

MIGA Executive Vice President Yukiko Omura said, “Supporting investments into sub-Saharan Africa continues to be a priority for MIGA. Since the agency’s inception in 1988, we have issued $2.3 billion in guarantees in support of projects in 27 countries in the region. In fiscal year 2007, MIGA provided guarantees ranging from support to a micro-credit institution in Cameroon to backing a large telecommunications project in Guinea.”

UN announces high level meeting on climate change

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon announced that he will convene an informal high-level event in New York on the margins of the General Assembly on 24 September to promote discussion on possible ways to move the international community toward negotiations on new global agreement on climate change at the upcoming United Nations climate change conference in Bali in December.

The Secretary-General hopes that world leaders will send a powerful political signal to the negotiations in Bali that “business as usual” will not do and that they are ready to work jointly with others towards a comprehensive multilateral framework for action on climate change for the period after 2012.

Democracy in Dakar project

The Democracy in Dakar Project is an interactive multi media project founded by Nomadic Wax/Notable and co produced with Sol Productions.

Its goal is to document the democratic process as it unfolds on the Streets of Dakar through documentary film, audio recordings and ethnographic research. From February 14th to March 12th, the production team will be in Dakar working with local activists, politicians, journalists and artists. A mixture of journalism, academic inquiry, internet reality TV, and hip hop activism, the Democracy in Dakar project will document this historic period of time in its entirety.

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