Phoenix Local News: August 2010

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

SECURITY COUNCIL DEPLORES DEADLY ATTACK AGAINST AFRICAN PEACEKEEPERS IN SOMALIA

SECURITY COUNCIL DEPLORES DEADLY ATTACK AGAINST AFRICAN PEACEKEEPERS IN SOMALIA
New York, Aug 31 2010 7:10PM
The Security Council has strongly condemned the attack against the presidential palace in the Somali capital that has killed four Ugandan peacekeepers serving with the African Union mission in the war-torn Horn of Africa country.

Mortar fire struck the palace in Mogadishu yesterday as Islamist militants continue to wage war against the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), which is backed by the AU force known as AMISOM.

In a statement to the press issued late today, Council members condemned all acts of violence and any incitement to violence against civilians, the AU mission or the TFG, and offered their condolences to the families of those killed.

The 15-member panel also "condemned the recent increased fighting in Somalia, reiterated their full support for the Transitional Federal Government, its efforts to achieve peace, security and reconciliation through the Djibouti Peace Process, and for the work of AMISOM."

In addition, Council members voiced appreciation to Uganda and Burundi for their commitment of troops to AMISOM.
Aug 31 2010 7:10PM
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UN AGENCY HAILS MOVE TO PROTECT AFRICAN FOLKLORE AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

UN AGENCY HAILS MOVE TO PROTECT AFRICAN FOLKLORE AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE
New York, Aug 31 2010 5:10PM
The United Nations agency charged with protecting intellectual property worldwide has welcomed the adoption by a number of African States of a new legal instrument that seeks to protect the continent's traditional knowledge and folklore.

The instrument, adopted earlier this month in Swakopmund, Namibia, by member states of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), is designed to preserve and protect the use of Africa's diverse knowledge systems and cultures for the continent's sustainable development.

It will enter into force following ratification by six ARIPO member states.

Francis Gurry, Director General of the UN's World Intellectual Property Organization (<"http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2010/article_0028.html">WIPO) welcomed the adoption of the Swakopmund Protocol on the Protection of Traditional Knowledge and Expressions of Folklore as "an historic step for ARIPO's 17 member states, and a significant milestone in the evolution of intellectual property."

Developed by African experts over a six-year period, the Swakopmund Protocol is a response to the misappropriation and misuse of the continent's traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions.

It was developed in coordination with a similar instrument prepared over the same period by the 16 West African countries comprising the Organization Africaine de la Propriete Intellectuelle (OAPI), and adopted in July 2007.

WIPO provided support to both organizations in the process of developing those instruments. Mr. Gurry said that WIPO was also ready to respond to requests from ARIPO and OAPI member states for support in the development of national laws for the protection of traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions.

Meanwhile, WIPO's Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore is working towards the development of a legal instrument for the effective protection of traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions that would be international in scope.

Following a productive intersessional working group meeting last month, that Committee will meet again in December to continue its work.
Aug 31 2010 5:10PM
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UN OFFICIAL SHOCKED BY KILLING OF ISRAELI CIVILIANS IN THE WEST BANK

UN OFFICIAL SHOCKED BY KILLING OF ISRAELI CIVILIANS IN THE WEST BANK
New York, Aug 31 2010 5:10PM
A senior United Nations official has expressed his shock over this evening's killing of four Israelis in the West Bank, as long-awaited direct talks are set to begin later this week in Washington between Israelis and Palestinians.

According to media reports, the four slain civilians were killed as they were travelling by car to Hebron.

"We condemn this murderous act and call for those responsible to be brought to justice," Robert Serry, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said in a statement issued in Jerusalem.

He urged all sides "not to allow the enemies of peace to affect the negotiations about to be launched, and to progress with determination and courage on behalf of both peoples, towards a final settlement."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas have agreed to direct negotiations starting on 2 September, following an invitation from the United States Government and a statement earlier this month from the Middle East Quartet.

In a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=4734">statement issued on 21 August by his spokesperson, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said "negotiations are on the only way for the parties to resolve all final status issues" and he called on both sides to demonstrate leadership and responsibility "to realize the aspirations of both peoples."

Direct bilateral talks have not been held since late 2008, but indirect, or proximity, talks resumed in May this year, with the former United States senator George Mitchell shuttling between Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Abbas.

For its part, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People today welcomed the decision by Israelis and Palestinians to resume direct talks with the aim of resolving all permanent status issues.

"We are looking forward to a serious, time-bound, credible and comprehensive political dialogue with a clear agenda and terms of reference aimed at resolving" all permanent status issues – including the status of Jerusalem – by the 2011 target date, the body said in a statement.

The Committee stressed that it is essential that the parties adhere to their commitments, especially those within the framework of the Roadmap, the internationally approved plan for a two-State solution in which Israel and the Palestinians can live side by side in peace and security.

To this end, it said, Israel must maintain its current partial moratorium on settlement construction, as well as dismantling settlement outposts and ending evictions.

"We are also looking forward to a sustained and vigorous engagement by the international community, extending beyond the inaugural summit, which would translate into a credible mechanism to hold the parties to their obligations, monitor progress, and ensure that the negotiating process is conducted in good faith."
Aug 31 2010 5:10PM
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UN CONFERENCE FOR CIVIL SOCIETY HEARS CALLS FOR GREATER SUPPORT FOR MARGINALIZED GROUPS

UN CONFERENCE FOR CIVIL SOCIETY HEARS CALLS FOR GREATER SUPPORT FOR MARGINALIZED GROUPS
New York, Aug 31 2010 4:10PM
Marginalized groups such as indigenous communities deserve special attention from policy-makers if the world is to achieve the social and economic targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs), the annual United Nations conference with civil society groups heard today.

Speakers told the 63rd UN Department of Public Information (<"http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/index.asp">DPI)/Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Conference in Melbourne, Australia, of the need to overturn entrenched disparities in health and life expectancy between rich and poor countries and between the well-off in some societies and marginalized groups.

Governments had an international obligation to improve the health and well-being of marginalized groups, said Jane Freemantle, a paediatric epidemiologist who works with Australian indigenous communities.

Ms. Freemantle told a round-table discussion on the second day of the three-day event that one of the first steps to changing the situation would be to collect more accurate and complete data on vulnerable groups.

All too often, she said, there is not enough detailed data on the health of indigenous communities, hampering the ability of health-care workers to make the right interventions to improve the situation.

Thelma Narayan, who heads a centre for community health in Bangalore, India, said both the collection and the use of data was critical, and she stressed also that marginalized groups should play a much greater role in obtaining data about their own members' health.

Ms. Narayan noted that in India the release of data showing that as many as 40 per cent of children under the age of five were under-nourished had triggered a push for social and political action on the issue.

The theme of this year's DPI-NGO conference is improving global health, especially in connection with the MDGs, which include several health targets, such as reducing the mortality rate for children under the age of five by two thirds; slashing maternal mortality rates; achieving universal access to reproductive health; and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Aug 31 2010 4:10PM
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UN CELEBRITY ADVOCATE ANGELINA JOLIE CALLS FOR GREATER SUPPORT FOR PAKISTANI FLOOD VICTIMS

UN CELEBRITY ADVOCATE ANGELINA JOLIE CALLS FOR GREATER SUPPORT FOR PAKISTANI FLOOD VICTIMS
New York, Aug 31 2010 4:10PM
The United Nations Goodwill Ambassador and award-winning Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie appealed today for the public to step up their financial support for the efforts of aid agencies to bring humanitarian relief to the millions of Pakistanis suffering as a result of the devastating floods that have inundated much of the country.

Ms. Jolie, who serves as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), released a video message in which she stressed the sheer scale of the disaster, which has left a fifth of the country under water and affected an estimated 17 million people.

"This is not just a humanitarian crisis – it is an economic and social catastrophe," Ms. Jolie said in the public service announcement.

UNHCR is one of numerous UN agencies that are on the ground in Pakistan to try to provide relief to the flood victims, many of whom face a long wait before they can return to their homes and livelihoods.

"The more support we can give, the greater number of tents, food, clean water and medicine will get to the people in need," added Ms. Jolie, who has donated $100,000 to UNHCR for its Pakistani flood relief work.

The nearly $460 million sought by the UN and its humanitarian partners in the initial floods response plan for Pakistan is currently 63 per cent covered, having received $291 million in funds and an additional $20 million in pledges.

UNHCR has revised its section of the wider appeal from $41 million to $120 million as the needs of the flood victims continue to outpace the ability of aid groups to respond.
Aug 31 2010 4:10PM
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MEETING ON UN DISABILITY TREATY TO FOCUS ON IMPACT OF CONFLICTS AND DISASTERS

MEETING ON UN DISABILITY TREATY TO FOCUS ON IMPACT OF CONFLICTS AND DISASTERS
New York, Aug 31 2010 3:10PM
The needs of persons with disabilities in situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies will be the focus of a meeting set to begin tomorrow in New York that will bring together State parties to the landmark United Nations disability convention.

"Incidence of disability increases during conflicts and disasters. Conversely, disability increases vulnerability to emergency situations," said Akiko Ito, Chief of the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and UN Focal Point on Disability, in advance of the event.

"Persons with disabilities tend to face added disadvantages and difficulties in having their needs met during the time of crisis when faced with a shortage of resources," she added.

The three-day meeting will include a panel discussion, organized in collaboration with the International Disability Alliance, on the issue against the backdrop of a growing number of armed conflicts and the occurrence of natural disasters such as the recent earthquake in Haiti, and the floods in Pakistan.

Participants will also discuss ways to ensure that persons with disabilities are fully integrated in the life of their communities and that their educational needs are adequately considered.

This will be the third meeting of the States parties to the Convention, which entered into force in May 2008 and has so far been signed by 146 countries and ratified by 90.

The treaty is the culmination of years of global efforts to ensure that the rights of the world's estimated 650 million persons with disabilities are guaranteed and protected. It asserts the rights to education, health, work, adequate living conditions, freedom of movement, freedom from exploitation and equal recognition before the law for persons with disabilities.

The meeting is also expected to renew and expand the membership – from 12 members to 18 – of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, tasked with reviewing periodic reports from States parties, raise concerns, if necessary, and make recommendations.

In April the Committee urged the Chilean Government and the international community to include needs of the handicapped in the reconstruction plans of areas affected by the earthquake that struck the country in February.

The 8.8-magnitude quake claimed the lives of more than 480 people and triggered a tsunami that devastated several coastal towns in south-central Chile.
Aug 31 2010 3:10PM
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Daily Travel News from USATODAY.com – August 31

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