My Daily Inquirer

CSO STATEMENT ON 31st FAO APRC
Our Calls for the Future of Food Sovereignty in Asia

We, 130 representatives of small food producers including farmers, fisherfolks, indigenous peoples, pastoralists, rural women, and youth, cooperatives, labor movements, consumers and NGOs from 20 countries worldwide met from March 10 to 11, 2012 for the CSO parallel consultation to the 31st FAO-Asia Pacific Regional Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam.

We are aware of the complex issues confronting food, agriculture and rural development in the face of intensifying economic, social and environmental crisis Asian region and the world. The global capitalist crisis has caused worst suffering especially for many people in Asia, including small food producers, women and indigenous peoples.

This profit-driven and unsustainable development model has gravely afflicted the region’s marginalized and vulnerable communities. Asia, despite being a food basket of the world, is home to 700 million people who depend largely on agriculture but are faced with endemic poverty, hunger and malnutrition, poor health and vulnerability to environmental disasters.

This gathering enabled us to collectively take stock of the wide range of issues such as challenges on food security and nutrition, domestic and foreign land grabbing, food price volatility, corporatization of agriculture, trade agreements, climate crisis, and food governance and, from a grassroots, people-centered perspective, come up with recommendations which we forward to the 31st Food and Agriculture Organization – Asia-Pacific Conference.

OUR CONCERNS
1.Multiple crises have afflicted the world in the last few years. The food and climate crises have resulted to the destruction of the food systems through market-led driven and unsustainable food productions and consumptions promoted by governments, corporate sector and multilateral bodies. Speculation in food, land, and water by the futures market, corporate agriculture and armed conflicts have further eroded the food sovereignty of many communities resulting in the destruction of food systems, food insecurity, landlessness, poverty and hunger.
2.Corporate globalization triggered by oligopolistic capitalism has brought us to this situation. This is an intensification of cyclical forms of recession due to unsustainable development, chemical intensive agriculture, overproduction, and global speculative markets. In Asia’s rural areas, corporate agriculture and globalization policies and processes at local, national, regional and international levels, are destroying our food sovereignty, poisoning our land, waters, common property and natural resources and driving small food producers to bankruptcy and loss of their land and livelihoods. Unsustainable industrial policies have led to loss of jobs and have negatively impacted vulnerable developing countries that became net importers of food.
3.In search for greater profits and cheap food, corporations and sovereign states are into large-scale investments in agriculture that led to landgrabbing in many countries in Asia. To date, there are at least more than 400 cases of landgrabbing through long-term leases and direct acquisition, of which many are taking place in the region. These are resulting to human rights violations, displacement of rural communities and irreversible damage to the environment.
4.Governments that host these land grabbing deals are often poor and in desperate need of investment, have weak capabilities or lack commitment to protect its people from related economic, social, and environmental risks. Thus, small food producers and other marginalized communities that depend on common property resources are displaced (forced migration to urban areas), creating resource conflicts and greater threat to food sovereignty.
5.The negotiations on the Voluntary Guidelines on Land Tenure have just concluded and this offers a crucial opportunity for governments and other actors to re-examine existing national investment policies especially in the face of massive foreign land grabbing and food crisis. However, this VG is only recommendatory in nature and is not legally binding. As we closely analyze the final version which has yet to be disclosed, venues for consultation and information sharing must be provided to look into how this addresses land grabbing.
6.Meanwhile, unsustainable industrial and agricultural production has gravely contributed to the climate crisis. The issue of climate change is a matter of ecological and social justice. Its worst impacts are felt by the most marginalized communities, especially women and children who are the least responsible for it. Developed countries share a disproportionate responsibility for historic greenhouse gas emissions due to unsustainable industrial model and chemical-intensive agriculture. False solutions to the climate crisis, such as techno-fixes using harmful technologies such as GE and pesticides will further worsen the situation. Agroecology as one of the adaptation strategies by farming communities are gaining ground but the lack of policy and actual support from the governments are apparent. The climate crisis cannot be adequately addressed without dismantling the current neo-liberal and profit-driven political and economic model which in fact is its cause and driver.
7.Corporate-driven policies and collusion among agro-transnational corporations, governments, and international agencies to implement these have resulted in driving small food producers into greater poverty and robbing them of their inherent right to seeds, breeds and other productive resources.
8.The Rio+20 Summit offers an opportunity for the world’s governments and peoples to seriously come up with alternatives to the current development model that has caused untold poverty and suffering for the largest majority of the global population. The highly corporatized Green Economy blueprint for development is a false solution to the crisis and is not reflective of the interests of rural communities. The Summit must be on occasion to push for a genuine, people-centered sustainable development.
9.New mechanisms in the global governance of food and agriculture, while offering new opportunities, need policy coherence among all players. During the 35th Session of the Committee on Food Security in October 2009, the Members approved the reform of the CFS, which has enhanced its role for greater coherence in the global food policies. The CFS has a mandate to formulate a Global Strategic Framework to improve coordination among a wide range of stakeholders.
OUR CALLS
We call on FAO member states to:
10. Implement genuine people-led land, agrarian, pasture, fisheries, forest and rural development reforms. Stop domestic and foreign land grabbing. Investigate the cases of land grabbing and develop policies to balance investment vs. agricultural land for food and conservation of small-scale family farming using agro-ecological model through participatory planning processes. Implement the agreements under ICARRD and initiate processes towards implementing and monitoring the Voluntary Guidelines on Land Tenure.
11.Investigate land and sea related human rights violations and prosecute guilty parties; and release peasant and fisheries leaders arrested for defending their rights.
12.Work for the protection of agricultural, fisheries, pastoral, and forest lands as well as common property resources and putting an end to conversion of agricultural land to other uses. The full free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) processes should be fortified to protect the rights of indigenous cultural communities against takeovers. Customary rights of indigenous and ethnic minority communities are inalienable and should not be overridden by other national laws.
13.Initiate and institute the adoption of environmentally and economically sustainable food production models that lead to dynamic local economies. Commit to increase the annual national budget to enable, support and sustain sustainable family farms, fisheries, forests and pastoralism to ensure food sovereignty, as per recommendations of the International Assessment on Agricultural Science Technology and Development (IAASTD).
14.Develop and implement policies supporting small holder food producers in food production that provides a good, living income including active participation in value chains and small scale enterprises led by small farmers, fishers, indigenous people organizations, and cooperatives. Strengthen and support small holder food producers organizations and cooperatives to be able to use these opportunities. Support should include institutional development, infrastructure support, research and development, and capacity building. Along this, governments should recognize the important role of youth in agriculture and increase investments to support their active participation in agriculture and rural development.
15. Ensure the regulation and monitoring and accountability of national and multinational corporations and stop free trade agreements (FTAs) that harm rural livelihoods, undermine food sovereignty and destroy ecosystems.
16.Ensure gender budgeting at all levels and the promotion of gender responsive policies at local and national level to ensure women’s control of and access to land, forest, water, marine resources, sea, seeds and other productive resources and their participation in all levels of decision-making.
17.Work for policy implementation that recognizes the role of rural women, their indigenous knowledge and skills and the protection of women and children’s health from exposure to highly hazardous chemicals/pesticide and stop the dumping of banned pesticides/toxic chemicals from developed countries to developing countries.
18.Promote community-centered seed conservation and improvement, with an emphasis on women regaining their role as seed conservers, as well as community-based marketing systems and farmer-led innovation. Prohibit intellectual property rights on plant, animal and other living organisms. Prohibit the production of genetically engineered seeds, breeds food and fish stocks. Partnerships with private corporations that give them access, ownership and/or control over common goods/resources should be avoided by public and international R&D institutions as they pose a threat to public welfare.
19.Develop and implement policies on climate change based on food sovereignty through improved and appropriate technology, favouring the rights of small food producers especially those facing danger or distress from floods, storms, piracy, and harassment. All measures to address climate change must ensure climate, social, environmental, and gender justice, common and differentiated responsibility, and food sovereignty. GMOs are not the answer to climate change. At least 50% of all climate funds should be allocated to adaptation of small food producers. There should be no donor conditionalities attached to the funds.
20. Regulate food commodity market speculation and develop and implement policies aimed at stabilizing food supply and prices at national and regional levels such as strategic food reserves, that are primarily sourced domestically, and price control mechanisms to address food price volatility. Moreover, ensure decent living wages of farm workers and social protection and safety nets (specifically for failed crops) for the poor and marginalised communities.
21.Refrain from actions that lead to new conflicts of any kind and should create an environment enabling constructive dialogues to promote peace and security towards the realization of the right to food.
22.Put in place national/regional mechanisms to strengthen small food producers/CSOs participation and engagement in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of food and agricultural policies.
WE CALL ON FAO TO:
23.Set up mechanisms for its national offices to strengthen their engagement with wider civil society in their programs, and to support the call for an increase in national budget allocation of member countries to smallholder sustainable agriculture, fisheries, forestries and pastoralism to ensure food sovereignty. The FAO-APRC should call for the involvement of small food producers and CSOs in defining workplan and in its implementation and monitoring, especially at the national level.
24.Call on member countries to institute policies aimed at curbing and stopping food speculation such as setting up position limits and banning commodity index funds among others. Additionally, FAO should support governments in strengthening food reserves to stabilize supply and prices of food staples.
25. Work at ensuring that the Global Strategic Framework (GSF) contributes to the progressive realisation of the right to food, and guarantee food sovereignty especially of the most vulnerable groups such as landless farmers, fishers, women and indigenous peoples and minority groups. The GSF must include strong monitoring mechanisms to hold transnational corporations accountable for their role in respect to agro-fuel production, land grabbing and the displacement of food crops. In addition, the document should provide guidelines for governments on how to strengthen coherence between national and global food policies.
26.Initiate a process of consultation on principles for responsible agricultural investment (different from the RAI developed by the World Bank, IFAD, FAO, UNCTAD) as soon as the Voluntary Guidelines are approved during the special session of the CFS in May 2012, as mandated by the 37th Session of the Committee on World Food Security. The consultation should be as broad and inclusive as possible to ensure the participation of the governments and organizations of the people most affected by food insecurity and malnutrition.
27. Ensure the participation of farmers’ organizations and CSOs, with special attention on women’s equal representation in the relevant committees and official consultations especially in the context of the 2012 International Year of Cooperatives and the 2014 International Year of the Family Farming. Implement the FAO Guidelines on the Right to Food and Farmers Rights to seeds. The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries should be improved to make it more regionally-relevant and commodity-specific. Pursue the implementation of the agreements in the ICARRD.
28. Initiate processes to reconcile, monitor and report various international treaties and conventions that pertain to natural resource management and agriculture in view of protecting small-scale food producers and their community rights. In relation, FAO together with member governments should encourage and support the broad participation of sectors especially farmers’ organizations and CSOs in the processes leading to Rio+20.
29. Facilitate and ensure greater participation of civil society groups in CFS and other FAO processes, and allocate greater resources for these processes as we welcome FAO support for improved CSO participation at all levels.
30. Strengthen its work in the region and national offices in Asia-Pacific specifically on gender and women, youth, sustainable food, agriculture, fisheries, peasant, forestry and indigenous people programs. Moreover, it should strengthen its work in helping farmers’ organisations on adoption of sustainable ecosystem approaches against climate change stresses such as drought, floods and extreme weathers.
CSO Commitments
We, the civil society participants in this gathering, are committed to working together to make our governments, FAO and other international policy making bodies to respond to the needs of the rural poor and marginalized. We will continue our efforts to make our governments and intergovernmental agencies accountable to the needs of the region's peoples through principled engagement in various processes and in the monitoring and evaluation of their work. We will contribute to the deliberations on the substance and methodologies of the various agricultural policies and investments for agriculture at national, regional and international levels. Both as individuals and organizations, we will intensify our efforts in empowering local communities to contribute towards food sovereignty and benefit from sustainable development efforts in the Asia- Pacific region and we will not waiver in resisting programs and policies that work against the interest of the rural poor and marginalized.
From the CSO delegates of the CSO Parallel Meeting to the 31st h FAO Asia Pacific Regional Consultation 10-11 March 2012.

Source:
Gilbert M. Sape
Programme Coordinator
Food Sovereignty and Ecological Agriculture
Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific
Mobile: 63.920.978.1027 (Philippines)
Skype: gilbertsape
E-mail (direct): gilbert.sape@panap.net

Water and Food Sovereignty
Statement of the Asia Pacific Network for Food Sovereignty (APNFS)
on the occasion of the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France
March 17, 2012


At the conclusion of the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, we – smallholder farmers, fishers, women, civil society organizations and rural development advocates from the Asia Pacific Network for Food Sovereignty (APNFS) – hereby declare the World Water Forum, a dismal failure in upholding the people’s right to water and food. It remains an elitist and undemocratic jamboree of corporations and capitalists whose real agenda is to make profit from the water industry. While its Ministerial Declaration sees the “involvement of food security stakeholders, especially producer organizations, in water policies,” the voices of the marginalized and vulnerable such as smallholder farmers, workers, women and indigenous people remain minimal in the occasion.

The Marseille World Water Forum recognizes that water is key for agriculture, rural development and food security. However, what we witnessed at the Forum is the complete opposite.

While the Ministerial Declaration expresses its intention to ensure water and food security especially of local communities, smallholder farmers, women and indigenous peoples, its main policy agenda is directed to push for water governance reforms that may further undermine people’s access to water and food. It subscribes to a multi-stakeholder approach to water governance such as the integrated water resource management (IWRM) that is being vigorously pushed by the World Bank and its regional counterparts like the Asian Development Bank. Through their IWRM projects in client countries, international financial institutions (IFIs) are pushing for the commodification of water and the adoption of policies and institutional frameworks that allow increased control of private corporations over water resources and territories.

Water commodification has been pushed through the WB-sponsored Irrigation Management Transfer (IMT) models. The IMT or Participatory Irrigation Development, for all its adherence to participatory approaches, is found to have led to the deterioration of irrigation systems and canals due to inability of poor cash-strapped farmers to pay for high irrigation tariffs much less to spend free labor for irrigation maintenance. More recently the World Bank has introduced volumetric pricing as part of its continuing irrigation policy reforms that definitely will increase the price of irrigation water tenfold, depriving poor farmers of the precious element needed for food production and of their source of income. Further, with the introduction of cost efficiency in water use and management, the IFIs have clearly favored big industrial agriculture and plantations, mining operations, golf courses and beverage corporations such as Coca-cola that can pay more for water than the smallholder farmers and indigenous peoples.

The strategy of Private Sector Participation (PSP) or Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), whatever one calls it, in irrigation also opens the sector, which to date has remained under the purview of the State, to entry of the corporate private sector. Instead of increasing the state’s role in providing cheap and accessible irrigation for farmers, PPP circumvents the right to water of smallholder farmers. Experience tells us that companies that are involved in water and energy sector will always make sure the quickest return of their investments and the maximum possible profit, making freshwater for agriculture, with a high price tag, no longer a human right for smallholder farmers.

We believe that the commodification of freshwater through such schemes will not solve the problems and challenges of ensuring food security. Worse, it will further contribute to the growing inequality and poverty faced by smallholder farmers.

We are likewise gravely concerned that water is being promoted in Marseille as the engine of the green economy. Together with the pro-market solutions offered by the 6th World Water Forum to ensure water and food security, the green economy being pushed in the Rio + 20 Summit will result to greater privatization of water resources through policies and programs that will promote cost efficiency in water utilization and management, large dam projects in the guise of green energy and agrofuel production that will further undermine the smallholder farmers and women’s access to land and water.

We also recognize that the twin problems of water scarcity and food insecurity should not only be addressed at the international level. Governments of both the developed and developing countries should do their respective parts to ensure that all rights, as enshrined in various international covenants, are enforced and protected.

Hence, we call on governments of developed countries, especially those which sit in the governing bodies of IFIs and with business interest on water and agriculture, to stop imposing harmful neoliberal solutions to the water and food crisis, including land grabbing.

We also call on governments of developing countries to increase their support to agriculture and irrigation by allocating more public funds for agricultural inputs and infrastructures such as irrigation, and by empowering smallholder producers, including women and indigenous peoples and enlarging their voices in agriculture and food policy-making. We urge them to refocus agriculture out of its present export-oriented, monoculture and industrial farming model towards food sovereignty to ensure genuine food security. We demand the democratization of land ownership in favor of smallholder farmers and the recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples to their ancestral domain.

Further, we demand that governments uphold the fundamental and inalienable human right to water and sanitation.

Instead of backing up this event, the United Nations should organize its own Forum where every stakeholder is represented and has a voice. We urge the member states to implement their obligations to respect, fulfill, and protect the human right to food, water and other economic and social rights. Without water, there will be no food. Without water and food, there will be no life.


Source:
Arze Glipo
Regional Coordinator
Asia-Pacific Network on Food Sovereignty (APNFS)
87 Malakas St., Pinyahan, Quezon City, 1100 Philippines
Telefax:-+632-9250987
www.apnfs.net

Effects of Kissing:

Long kisses are beneficial to our circulatory system. When kissing, our pulse rate is quickening up to 110 beats per minute. This is a great training for our cardiovascular system.

After kissing, the lungs work harder, resulting in 60 inhales per minute compared to regular 20 inhales. Such “ventilation” is a good preventive measure against lung diseases.

Some dentists believe that kissing is a preventive measure against dental caries. Indeed, kissing stimulates the flow of saliva that eliminates acid coat on the teeth.

Kisses that last more than three minutes help us fight stress and its effects. Long kisses trigger the chain of biochemical reactions, which destroys stress hormones.

Those who kiss their partner goodbye each morning live five years longer than those who don’t.

Kissing is great for self-esteem. It makes you feel appreciated and helps your state of mind.

Kissing burns calories, 2-3 calories a minute and can double your metabolic rate. Research claims that three passionate kisses a day (at least lasting 20 seconds each) will cause you to loose an entire extra pound.

Kissing is a known stress-reliever. Passionate kissing relieves tension, reduces negative energy and produces a sense of well being, lowering your cortisol ‘stress’ hormone.

Kissing uses 30 facial muscles and it helps keep the facial muscles tight, preventing baggy cheeks! The tension in the muscles caused by a passionate kiss helps smooth the skin and increases the circulation.

Kissing is good for the heart, as it creates an adrenaline which causes your heart to pump more blood around your body. Frequent kissing has scientifically been proven to stabilize cardiovascular activity, decrease blood pressure and cholesterol.

Those who kiss quite frequently are less likely to suffer from stomach, bladder and blood infections.

During a kiss, natural antibiotics are secreted in the saliva. Also, the saliva contains a type of anesthetic that helps relieve pain.
Kissing reduces anxiety and stops the ‘noise’ in your mind. It increases the levels of oxytocsin, an extremely calming hormone that produces a feeling of peace. #repost

Source: https://www.facebook.com/adminJillian

Nairobi, 18 January 2012 - The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), in partnership with TreeHugger, is pleased to launch the third World Environment Day (WED) blogging competition.
The winner will receive a free trip to Brazil - the host of this year's World Environment Day on 5 June 2012 - to write, blog and tweet about WED events in the country.

Bloggers are invited to enter the competition via online submissions of blog articles on the Green Economy. This ties in with the overall WED 2012 theme - Green Economy: Does It Include You? - which aims to highlight opportunities for moving towards low carbon, resource-efficient and socially inclusive sustainable development.
To enter, bloggers can post a link to Green Economy stories on the UNEP Facebook page http://facebook.unep.org with this comment, "I just entered to win a trip to Brazil for UNEP's World Environment Day 2012. Read my blog post and discover how the Green Economy includes you."

Entries must be made between 16 January and 12 February 2012.

To increase your chances of winning, post your story on Twitter with the hash tag #WED2012, and encourage friends to comment, 'like' the post on Facebook, and retweet your post across Facebook and Twitter.

The top ten bloggers, selected by a UNEP-TreeHugger jury, will be invited to a take part in a second round of blogging - a blogdown!

The winner of this blogging showdown will be determined by an online community via the World Environment Day website. Shortlisted bloggers will be awarded one vote for every 'like' that their entry receives online.

The blogger who accumulates the most votes by the end of April 2012 will win the competition and be invited to travel to Brazil to blog about World Environment Day.

The short-listed and winning posts will be published on TreeHugger and the World Environment Day websites.

What's included in the prize?

Flights, accommodation, visa costs and travel within Brazil to WED events will be covered.

Timing:

World Environment Day is on 5 June 2012. The competition winner will be flown to Brazil for three days, beginning June 3rd and ending June 6th 2012.

Costs:

Entrants will be expected to ensure they are able to travel to Brazil during the period above and to cover any other costs (e.g. vaccinations).

For all terms and conditions, please visit: http://www.unep.org/wed/blog/

More information on the Green Economy can be found at: www.unep.org/greeneconomy

For more information, please contact:

Enock Chinyenze, United Nations Environment Programme, Phone: +254 20 762 1551, E-mail: enock.chinyenze@unep.org

The 6th World Water Forum is looking to invite advanced Master’s and PhD students from around the world to present their solutions-based work and participate as fully engaged members of the Forum.

Selected applicants will have the opportunity to work with high level experts from academia, the public sector, and private industry. They will take part in networking events with other young professionals and water experts from around the world.

We are searching for ways to get this message spreaded across the globe. Can you please help us?

Participants can apply by filling in this form: http://www.jotform.com/wateryouthmovement/applicationforthe6thworldwaterforum

The attached pdf file contains detailed information about the call.

If you spread this, can you maybe add us in the cc? In that case we know where our message is spreading (wateryouthmovement@gmail.com)

The call can also be found through our facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Water-Youth-Movement-for-the-6th-World-Water-Forum/263638360344284



Explanation of our initiative

We would like to invite you to join the Water Youth Movement for the 6th World Water Forum.! The Water Youth Movement is an open project kick-started by a group of Dutch and French young people and is supported by the French think tank Youth Diplomacy in partnership with the 6th World Water Forum Secretariat. We aim at including as many young people as possible from all around the world.


The 6th World Water Forum gives us, young people, the chance to speak up and to get involved in the process leading up to the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille in March 2012. We are invited to think about, and contribute to solving the targets set by the World Water Community. (http://www.worldwaterforum6.org/en/commissions/thematic/#targets).

Our mission is to spread this message to invite young people with solutions from all over the world to share their ideas with the world water community. Contributors with the best solutions will be invited to come and share them at the Forum in Marseille.
Our action is organised in 4 steps:

1. We gather a network of young people on our Facebook page "Water Youth Movement for the 6th World Water Forum".
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Water-Youth-Movement-for-the-6th-World-Water-Forum/263638360344284

2. We launched a Web Forum on our web site next week to share all our ideas and solutions relating to the topics set by the Forum. We opened a small range of topics now, but hope this will grow. If you're willing to start a debate on another topic, you're more than welcome to contact us to moderate a new topic!http://wateryouthmovement.org

3. We will launch in the coming month a Call for Solutions , through a contest. Best solutions to water issues will then be selected by the Forum Secretariat managers and we will organise with them events to present these solutions at the Forum with discussions with experts, companies, think tanks of the worldwide Water Community and the Youth. Young people will also be able to take part in official committees to present their ideas.

4. We will gather all contributions of the other youth initiatives to the Forum and bundle these with your ideas.

If you’re interested in our initiative, it would be great if you could help us build this Youth Water network! By spreading this message to your own Students, sister-organisations, networks and partners working on water issues or which could be in touch with young people doing so!

You can contribute in several ways: By contributing to the debates on the Web Forum, by moderating a topic on the Web Forum or by organising an event or a youth working group relating to water in partnership with the Forum. The results of such events or debates can be shared on the forum. Do not hesitate to contact us! Most active contributors will be invited to the Forum!

You can forward them this email and invite everyone to like our Facebook page.
We look forward to working with you! The Water Youth Movement really is an Open Project and we will be more than happy to receive any suggestions, contributions, new ideas. Let's make this a truly global movement together!

See you online!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Water-Youth-Movement-for-the-6th-World-Water-Forum/263638360344284
Website: http://wateryouthmovement.org
Mail: wateryouthmovement@gmail.com

Happy Holidays!

UNEP has launched the 21th International children's painting competition.
The Competition is organized annually by the UNEP and the Japan-based
Foundation for Global
Peace and Environment (FGPE), Bayer and Nikon Corporation.The theme of the
21th painting competition will be " Green Communities" and participants
will have until
15 February 2012 to submit their entries.

Sub themes of the competition are:

How would you like to see our environment - our communities, cities,
forests, oceans and atmosphere?
What don't you like about our environment - our communities, cities,
forests, oceans and atmosphere?


The selection process will be in two stages; the regional selection which
will be done by UNEP Regional Offices and their partners, and the global
selection which will be done by UNEP and its partners, Foundation for
Global peace and Environment (FGPE), Bayer and Nikon Corporation.

For more details on the Competition please visit :

http://www.unep.org/tunza/children/documents/2011%20painting%20competition.pdf


Please find below the brochure which has entry details on the Competition .





For more information, send an email to children.youth @unep.org.

Dear Jessie James Marcellones,

As part of the Bonn2011 Nexus Conference, the Federal Government of Germany and Stakeholder Forum invite you to submit your key questions to the Global Panel: The Human Rights Perspective for Water, Energy and Food security.

This session will discuss how human rights based approaches (RBA) contribute towards better policymaking for water, energy and food security and will be live streamed on the conference website. The debate will take place in a ‘Question Time’ format, seeing your questions, as well as those from the audience put directly to the high level panelists.

“Human rights have been identified as one of the key issues around the Nexus approach. The Human Rights Perspective, therefore, supports mechanisms which help people attain rights, as well as develop the capacity of governments and other stakeholders to safeguard them. The human rights perspective is also essential for policies which minimise social impacts if tradeoffs are to be made. Participatory democratic mechanisms and respect for human rights more broadly will need to frame any policies seeking to guarantee the three securities”.

What will you ask governments and civil society organizations?

The best questions received in advance will be prioritised to address the panel and will acknowledge your name and affiliation.

The panel is formed by Dr. Manfred Konukiewitz, Head of the Global and Sectoral Policies Directorate, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ); Ms. Shanta Sheela Nairs, Advisor to the Ministry of External Affairs, India; Ms. Danielle Morley, Executive Director, Freshwater Action Network; and Mr. Sena Alouka, Executive Director of Young Volunteers for the Environment, Togo. The session will be facilitated by Mr. Richard Black, BBC Environmental Correspondent.

In addition to submitting questions in advance, you also have the chance to input online during the live session on 16th of November 10:00 – 11:00 (UTC/GMT +1 hour).

Your contributions really matters so please send a question with your name and organisation to: Nick Allen: nallen@stakeholderforum.org

We will soon be publishing details here on how you can watch the session online: http://www.water-energy-food.org/en/home.html

As part of a consultation process towards the “Bonn 2011 Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus –Solutions for a Green Economy” conference, we invite you to participate in our stakeholders’ survey. Your contribution will provide input into the “Bonn 2011 Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus –Solutions for a Green Economy” conference to be held from 16 to 18 November 2011; and into the Rio+20 discussions on Green Economy in the context of Poverty Eradication and Sustainable Development. Your participation is important! (We will send the synthesis report to all respondents).

http://www.water-energy-food.org/en/stakeholders/get_involved/online_consultation/survey.html

Estimado amigo(a) Te invitamos a participar del proceso de consulta que nutrirá las discusiones de la conferencia “El Nexo Agua, Energía y Seguridad Alimentaria- Soluciones para una Economía Verde” que se realizará en la ciudad de Bon del 16 al 18 de noviembre del 2011. Los resultados de dicha conferencia nutrirán a su vez las discusiones de Río+20 dentro del tema Economía Verde en el contexto del desarrollo sostenible y de la erradicación de la pobreza. Tu contribución es muy importante para entender la conexión entre agua, energía y seguridad alimentaria, y los desafíos para un enfoque multisectorial que garantice el acceso equitativo y a largo plazo a estas tres.

Por favor haz click en el siguiente link (enviraremos el reporte a todos los participantes): http://www.water-energy-food.org/en/stakeholders/get_involved/online_consultation/survey_es.html

The TUNZA conference for children and youth is being organized by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP).

The event will bring together around 1400 young people, mentors and celebrities from 100 countries. Participants are divided into two categories: children(10-14) and youth (15-25)

Under the theme 'Reshaping our Future through a Green Economy and Sustainable Lifestyles’, the aim of the conference is to discuss the role of young people in sustainable development and to provide youth input to the upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as "Rio+20", which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012. One of the main outcomes of the conference will be the “Bandung Declaration”, which will provide as global youth statement on sustainable development in the run-up to Rio+20.

The TUNZA conference will also review the contribution of youth to the United Nations International Year of Forests 2011 and explore how young people can encourage their peers to adopt more environment-friendly lifestyles.

The conference will be held from 27 September – 1 October 2011 at Sasana Budaya Ganesha ITB (SABUGA), Bandung Jln Tamansari no 73 Bandung Utara, West Java, Indonesia. All conference sessions will be held at this venue.

International Scholarships for 2011/12 entry:

A number of Scholarships are available from the University of Wales, Newport. Students applying for September 2011 or January 2012 entry are eligible to apply for these awards.

Students wishing to apply for these scholarships need to download and complete the Scholarship Application Form

A limited number of Scholarships are available and will be awarded to students on the basis of outstanding achievement. Categories you may wish to consider applying under are:

• Academic
• Social or Cultural: including community projects or voluntary work
• Outstanding Artistic Achievement

The application form requires you to undertake a 500-700 word piece of work supporting your application. Please note that applications must be fully completed and your supporting statement must be within the word limit.

Scholarships are available for both undergraduate and postgraduate applicants and awards are made for the academic year 2011/2012 (or for the duration of your course). Scholarships of £1,000 per year will be awarded and the scholarship award will be deducted from your annual tuition fee. A maximum of 10 undergraduate and 5 postgraduate scholarship awards will be made for each intake (September 2011 and January 2012).

Scholarships will be awarded by the Scholarship Committee based upon merit through consideration of a completed Scholarship Application Form. These awards will be made at the beginning of the each semester and the decision by the Scholarship Committee is final.

Applicants must hold a Visa Letter/CAS for a taught undergraduate or postgraduate course at the University and have firmly accepted their offer before submitting an application. Conditional offer holders may apply but will only be considered for the scholarship after all conditions have been met.

Deadline for scholarship applicants starting in September 2011: 2nd September 2011
Deadline for scholarship applicants starting January 2012: 6th January 2012

Notes for applicants:
- Students are only eligible to apply for ONE University scholarship award.
- Students in receipt of donor funding (e.g Chevening or DFID awards) are not eligible to apply for these awards.
- Applicants must be full fee paying international students on a full-time taught programme of study at the University.
- Successful applicants only will be contacted within four weeks of the application closing dates.

In the case of Hao vs. Sheriff Andres, A.M. No. P-07-2384, the Supreme Court ruled that, and I quote, " ... sheriffs, being ranking officers of the court and agents of the law, must discharge their duties with great care and diligence. In serving and implementing court writs, as well as processes and orders of the court, they cannot afford to err without affecting adversely the proper dispensation of justice. Sheriffs play an important role in the administration of justice and as agents of the law, high standards of performance are expected of them ...."

Well-settled is the rule that when we speak of dispensation of justice, respect to the rights of the general public to their right to public safety and public order should be the primary objective in enforcing the law, which, in truth and in fact, is its goal. The Sheriff's consideration of the 2-hour extension, if done, which is a reasonable and a legal request of a concerned Mayor in the midst of crisis, who answered the "call for help" of the poor, would play a vital role in the proper dispensation of justice. Had the Sheriff discharge his duties with great care and diligence as expected to him as a ranking officer of the court and agent of the law, riot and other incidents could have been prevented.

If I were to rule on the case, taking into consideration the mitigating circumstances (her intent to create lesser evil to the poor people whom the Mayor is tasked to give assistance before and after the demolition, her act to prevent chaos that may result to death, injuries either to the demolition team or the poor people, or both, among others) and aggravating circumstance (her act of hurting the sheriff in public) in the given case, I will only reprimand the mayor for her act against the sheriff, with a stern warning that a repetition of the same will be dealt with more severely.

First, there was no violation of court order. The Mayor respected it, believing that she is bound by the force and effect of law. She only asked for 2-hour extension just to prevent chaos, preventing evil to rule on the ground, which is reasonable and legal. Had the sheriff granted the reasonable request, there would be no riot at all, considering that the Mayor has the trust and respect from the people. Second, the act of punching, while it caused damage to the sheriff, is justified by the overwhelming force and effect of humanitarian acts, i.e public safety, public order, among others. And lastly, to rule otherwise would violate the well-settled and well-recognized principle in law and humanity that "those who have less in life should have more in law."

For comments, email me at marcellones_jl2003@yahoo.com. Thank you!

Please view the letter and send us your contributions via e-mail to: youth@un.org. You can view the letter at http://social.un.org/youthyear/docs/letter-youth-organizations.pdf


The United Nations Programme on Youth would like to update you on developments in the preparations for the High-level Meeting on Youth, which will take place on 25 and 26 July 2011 at UN Headquarters in New York.

Request for Input to Outcome Document - On behalf of the President of the General Assembly, the UN Programme on Youth has written to youth-led organizations world-wide requesting their input to the formal process of developing the outcome document of the High-level Meeting. The input will be presented to Member States, and must be received by 15 May . Please view the letter and send us your contributions via e-mail to: youth@un.org. You can view the letter at: http://social.un.org/youthyear/docs/letter-youth-organizations.pdf

Registration - Civil society and private sector organizations can register for the High-level Meeting at: http://esango.un.org/irene/?page=viewContent&nr=14742&type=8§ion=8
The deadlines for registration applications are: 30 April for non-ECOSOC-accredited organization; and 31 May for ECOSOC-accredited organizations. Please note that applications are subject to approval. Approved applications will be notified by e-mail in June.
Side Events - Requests for side events to the High-level Meeting on Youth can be submitted online at: http://social.un.org/absolutefp/2011youth-side-events.html
The deadline for side event requests is 15 June. Requests are subject to availability and approval.

For all other information, please go to: http://social.un.org/youthyear/high-level-meeting.html
Please feel free share this e-mail with your friends and networks.

We hope you will participate, and get your voices, ideas, and opinions heard, and engage on this vital topic!

Thank you,

United Nations Programme on Youth

Applications for the ISES 2011 Student Bursary Program are still open! If you know students in the regions of South America, Continental Europe, the Middle East and Asia in particular please let them know about this amazing opportunity to join an inspired conversation on the future of energy in Vancouver this June.

ISES Fund Your Experience Package
ISES is made possible by the support of our partners. The ISES planning committee, being comprised of students, realizes first‐hand the budget constraints of post‐secondary students. Therefore ISES strives to provide as many resources as possible to assist delegates in funding their trip to Vancouver in June. Our planning committee has several members who have funded themselves in attend conference and competitions all around the world. These members have put together a resource package to pass on key information to students who are interested in attending ISES 2011.


Upon requesting funding from your institution/student organization/local business, please cc:/bcc: Ivy Wan (iwan@studentenergy.org) for reference purposes to ensure ISES 2011 can track the organizations who have been approached.

ISES 2011 Bursary Progam - still accepting applications!
ISES is commited to ensuring all students commitmed to "fueling the future of energy" have equal opportunity to attend. The bursary program has been a hallmark of ISES since its inaugural event in Calgary in June 2009. Successful applicants will receive a bursary ($375 value) that includes:
3 nights accomodation at UBC
Lunch and dinner on all 3 days of the event
Access to all plenary panels, breakout sessions and keynotes
Unique networking opportunities with business leaders, academics and government officials
1 opening reception dinner and 2 gala dinners
2 evening social events
The opportunity to connect with 400 passionate student leaders from 35 countries around the world
Please apply here. Preference will be given to students with demonstrated financial need. Please ensure you have filled out the ISES 2011 Pre-Registration Form before starting your bursary application. If you require a visa, it is essential that you contact us immediately.
We are currently evaluating our existing applicants and will be accepting late applications.

If you have any questions about the ISES 2011 Bursary Program, please do not hesitate to contact Ivy Wan (Delegate Recruitment Director) at iwan@studentenergy.org.

http://studentenergy.org/student-funding

We are inviting you to a Webinar towards Rio 2012 on April 24, 2011, 0800h GMT, with the topic "20 Years after Rio: Stakes and Opportunities for Developing Countries in Shaping an Equitable, Just and Sustainable Future," by Neth Dano. Register at https://spreadsheets.google.com/a/eco-singapore.org/viewform?hl=en&ndplr=1&formkey=dHFuTmt4UGdyQUJ4STQ3U29sM01ITGc6MQ#gid=0

Thank you for your kind interest in the 24h April Webinar Session. We are really glad that you have expressed an interest in this online platform leading up to our conference in July 2011, and hope you are looking forward to the session tomorrow!

The session will be held at 0800 GMT and you may dial in 5 minutes beforehand. Do be punctual for the session!

The sessions would take place as follows:
0800GMT: Ms Neth Dano "20 Years after Rio, Stakes and Opportunities for Developing Countries in Shaping an Equitable, Just and Sustainable Future" (English)
As there will be a Q&A session after the presentation, questions regarding climate issues or the Rio+20 summit are more than welcome!

To attend the session, you would have to access 5 minutes earlier:
http://climategeneration.webex.com

The details for dialing are as follows:

Session number: 735 186 244
Password: ecosingapore

DARWIN INITIATIVE CALL FOR FUNDING APPLICATIONS: ROUND 18

The Darwin Initiative offers funds to encourage the sharing of UK biodiversity expertise with local partners in countries with a wealth of biodiversity, but who lack the means to protect these resources and to assist in meeting their international biodiversity commitments.

Since its launch in 1992, the Darwin Initiative has committed more than £80 million in funding for 555 main projects and post projects (consolidating the results of already successful projects). In addition, 27 Darwin Fellowships have been awarded, over 160 small grants have allowed UK applicants to travel to meet and develop applications in collaboration with host country partners, including the new Challenge Fund awards to support applications for main projects in the Overseas Territories.

Originally focusing on supporting projects to achieve their CBD commitments, the Darwin Initiative now also includes the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS or the Bonn Convention). There has also been a shift of focus to ensure that more projects adopt ecosystem-based approaches to conservation and to ensure that the needs of the UK’s Overseas Territories are adequately supported. Please note that applications from Overseas Territories need not have a metropolitan UK based partner in order to apply for Darwin funding.

It is important to note also that, for this and subsequent rounds, there will need to be measurable outputs/outcomes in terms of development of developing countries associated with projects. Successful projects will need to be able to define how their project will benefit these countries, describing how their project will impact on poverty reduction and/or welfare. Further details of this new requirement will emerge during the round, but it is important to stress that this will be a key factor in the success or otherwise of project proposals.

Defra is now inviting applications from UK institutions and organisations in the UK Overseas Territories for support for Main projects to commence from 1 April 2012 and for Post Projects to commence from 1 October 2011. There will be up to £9m available for this new round.

New guidance notes and application forms are available on the Darwin website at http://darwin.defra.gov.uk. If you have difficulty accessing the information and forms, please contact Darwin Applications on Darwin-applications@ltsi.co.uk or on 0131 440 5180. The documents can also be made available in large print on request.

Please note that the process for full projects will be carried out in two stages. Only those applicants successful at Stage 1 will be asked to continue to Stage 2. Please ensure that you read the guidance carefully and complete the forms accordingly – word counts and provision of supporting documentation will be strictly enforced.

The closing date for Stage 1 applications is midnight on Monday 20 June 2011.

Stage 1 applicants will be notified during the week commencing Monday 15 August 2011 and successful applicants will be asked to submit full applications for Stage 2 by midnight on Monday 24 October 2011. Defra hopes to announce the successful Round 18 applications by the end of the year.

The closing date for full Post Project applications will be Monday 13 June 2011.

Further information on the Darwin Initiative, including lists of projects funded in previous rounds, can be found on the website.

If you no longer wish to receive details about Darwin Initiative, or if this email was incorrectly addressed, please let us know and we will amend your listing.


Regards

Eilidh Young
Darwin Projects
DDI 0131 440 5181
http://darwin.defra.gov.uk

c/o LTS International, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, EH26 0PL, UK
Tel: +44.131.440.5500 Fax: +44.131.440.5501 Skype: LTSInternational Website: www.ltsi.co.uk
Registered in Scotland 100833, at the above address

LTS Africa, New Rehema House, Westlands, PO Box 217-00606, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254.20.444.7699/7267 Fax: +254.20.444.8571 Skype: LTSAfrica
LTS Africa Ltd. is a subsidiary of LTS International Ltd. (UK)

International Course on Networks in Ecology to be held in Brazil on September 2011

An advanced intensive course with leading researchers in the field. A São Paulo Advanced Science School sponsored by FAPESP, the São Paulo Research foundation, within its ESPCA Program.


Student Applications

40 places are offered, with a target composition of 20 students from Brazil and 20 from other countries. This is only an approximate figure, we will not set quotas.

Eligibility

Doctoral or masters' students, preferably with ongoing project on course topic(s)
Post-doc students with ongoing project on course topic(s)
Recent PhDs with current and past research on course topic(s)
Very gifted advanced undergraduates
Fees & Expenses

There are no registration fees.
Travel and living expenses will be covered by the ESPCA Ecological Networks (a Fapesp grant). Students already supported by Fapesp scholarships should be covered by their own grants.
Requirements & Files

Applicants should send to the Course Secretary the following documents, written in english:

Biographical sketch (maximum of two pages,model);
An application letter justifying how the course correlates with the applicant’s research (maximum of two pages);
A one-page description of the applicant current research project.
Sending your Application

Applications will be received only by email

To make your application by email, please:

Convert all required files to pdf format.
Pack all files in an single file (zip, rar or tar). Name this file [lastname_firstname].[zip/rar/tar]1)
Write “ESPCA application” in the message subject
Send the message with the required file pack attached to netschool.br@gmail.com
You should receive an automatic confirmation email, and within the next 5 days a further notification by email confirming that your application was in order and complete.
If you receive no confirmation email, resubmit your application to the above email and to netschool@ib.usp.br
If this fails or you really do need further information, you can contact Paulo Guimarães through Skype at paulo.guima
Selection

Applications will be selected by a faculty committee coordinated by Prof. Thomas Lewinsohn. The list with the names of the accepted applicants will be announced on the course site.

Schedule

15 January - 30 April: applications
10 May: list of applications received
30 May: list of accepted applications
10 June: deadline for confirmation by selected applicants

More details at http://www.abecol.org.br/redesecologia/doku.php.

Full scholarship for MSc in Climate Change and Development at University of Sussex/Institute for Development Studies, UK

A full scholarship (fees plus maintenance and travel) funded through the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship scheme is available for applicants to the MSc in Climate Change and Development programme for entry October 2011.

Note: Potential applicants must undertake the following process in the order stated.

1. Check their eligibility for the award (see criteria below)

2. Submit an application for the MSc in Climate Change and Development using the online application facility at http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/pg/2011/taught/3331/23691

3. Only after applicants have received an offer of a place on the course should they request an application form for the scholarship, be contacting climate@sussex.ac.uk. The deadline for applications for the scholarship is 1st May 2011.

Scholarship Criteria

Applicants must
(i) be nationals of (or permanently domiciled in) a Commonwealth developing country, and not currently be living or studying in a developed country (please see the booklet for a list of eligible countries)
(ii) hold a first degree at either first or upper second class level;
(iii) be sufficiently fluent in English to pursue the course
(iv) have not previously studied for one year or more in a developed country
(v) not be employed by a government department (for this purpose the Commission counts this as being employed by a Government Ministry).
(vi) be able to confirm in writing that neither they or their families would otherwise be able to pay for the proposed course of study
(vii) be willing to confirm that they will return to their home country as soon as their period of study is complete


Further information

(i) MSc in Climate Change and Development

This is unique course that aims to provide state-of-the-art training for the rapidly expanding market for development professionals with specialisation in climate change. The programme is strongly multidisciplinary and students will acquire specialist knowledge of the causes of climate change, the implications for developing countries, and the policy and practice of efforts to mitigate and adapt to a changing climate. Courses are taught by leading researchers in these fields from the world renowned Institute for Development Studies (IDS), the Geography Department and Science and Technology Policy Research Unit (SPRU).



Tel: +44 (0)1273 877686
Email: climate@sussex.ac.uk

(ii) Commonwealth Shared Scholarship

For full details of the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship scheme see http://www.cscuk.org.uk/docs/DFIDSSSBOOKLET2011vi.pdf

Full scholarship for MSc in Climate Change and Development at University of Sussex/Institute for Development Studies, UK

A full scholarship (fees plus maintenance and travel) funded through the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship scheme is available for applicants to the MSc in Climate Change and Development programme for entry October 2011.

Note: Potential applicants must undertake the following process in the order stated.

1. Check their eligibility for the award (see criteria below)

2. Submit an application for the MSc in Climate Change and Development using the online application facility at http://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/pg/2011/taught/3331/23691

3. Only after applicants have received an offer of a place on the course should they request an application form for the scholarship, be contacting climate@sussex.ac.uk. The deadline for applications for the scholarship is 1st May 2011.

Scholarship Criteria

Applicants must
(i) be nationals of (or permanently domiciled in) a Commonwealth developing country, and not currently be living or studying in a developed country (please see the booklet for a list of eligible countries)
(ii) hold a first degree at either first or upper second class level;
(iii) be sufficiently fluent in English to pursue the course
(iv) have not previously studied for one year or more in a developed country
(v) not be employed by a government department (for this purpose the Commission counts this as being employed by a Government Ministry).
(vi) be able to confirm in writing that neither they or their families would otherwise be able to pay for the proposed course of study
(vii) be willing to confirm that they will return to their home country as soon as their period of study is complete


Further information

(i) MSc in Climate Change and Development

This is unique course that aims to provide state-of-the-art training for the rapidly expanding market for development professionals with specialisation in climate change. The programme is strongly multidisciplinary and students will acquire specialist knowledge of the causes of climate change, the implications for developing countries, and the policy and practice of efforts to mitigate and adapt to a changing climate. Courses are taught by leading researchers in these fields from the world renowned Institute for Development Studies (IDS), the Geography Department and Science and Technology Policy Research Unit (SPRU).



Tel: +44 (0)1273 877686
Email: climate@sussex.ac.uk

(ii) Commonwealth Shared Scholarship

For full details of the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship scheme see http://www.cscuk.org.uk/docs/DFIDSSSBOOKLET2011vi.pdf