United Nations-NGO Activities

UNESCO's Open Training Platform

2008-07-27T02:28:00.000-07:00

UNESCO's Open Training Platform

The Open Training Platform (OTP) is a UNESCO-powered hub providing free and open learning for development. It is a Flagship Partnership Initiative of the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID).At present, OTP regroups partners from all UN agencies (FAO, ILO/ITC, ITU, UNESCO, UNITAR, UNU, UNV, WHO and UNEP), worldwide development practitioners and agencies, as well as regional and local NGOs and CBOs.This 15-month old web portal counts now over 2400 learning resources shared by 1700 members from 770 development stakeholders worldwide.

http://opentraining.unesco-ci.org/cgi-bin/page.cgi?d=1

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Reaffirming Human Rights: September 3rd to 5th 2008

2008-07-12T15:57:00.000-07:00

61st Annual DPI/NGO Conference:

Reaffirming Human Rights:

The Universal Declaration at 60

Over the course of three days (from 3 – 5 September 2008), 2000+ representatives of NGOs, grass-roots organizations, UN system, private sector, academia, media, philanthropists, youth and other constituencies will gather in Paris – city of the signature of the UDHR in 1948 – to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the UDHR by examining its application in the context of current realities and emerging issues worldwide.

This 61st annual Conference is organized by the Department of Public Information in cooperation with the NGO community, this year with the assistance of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Government of France.

The Conference will provide background on the human rights treaty system (Day 1); perspectives on the implementation of human rights in the context of on-going challenges as well as emerging issues worldwide (Day 2); and outlooks on how to make better use of existing mechanisms for the protection of human rights at the international and national levels, as well as examine ways to empower civil society at the local level (Day 3).

The aim of the Conference is to highlight effective ways in which civil society, in partnership with other actors, can contribute to the advancement of human rights at the international, regional, national and local levels. A major feature of this conference will be its emphasis on active participation whether through involvement in the five roundtables, the 42 midday workshops or several breakout sessions. All activities including those offered via the Internet are meant to generate greater awareness of human rights issues and strengthen commitments to address them among diverse stakeholders worldwide.

Translations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) (French) (Spanish) of 10 December 1948, in over 335 different language versions are available in HTML, PDF and graphical forms.

Dignity and Justice for all of us!
Know Your Rights.
http://www.knowyourrights2008.org/

Plan your own celebration: Think of ideas that suit your local culture/region. Use the Anniversary as an opportunity to raise awareness of the rights contained in the Declaration and to advance and protect their enjoyment within your community and beyond.
http://www.un.org/events/humanrights/2007/plan.shtml

http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/
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Summer Fellowship - 2008

2008-04-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

IDI Fellowship - Summer 2008 -

L-RAMP/Chennai, IndiaFellowship

Description
"Before innovations can touch lives, you have to breathe life into them".
such is the guiding philosophy of the Lemelson Recognition and Mentoring Programme
(L-RAMP) based in Chennai, India.

L-RAMP brings together the technological expertise of IIT, Madras (IIT-M), and the business incubation expertise of Rural Innovations Network (RIN), with the support of The Lemelson Foundation, an American philanthropy that works with a vision to improve lives through invention.

The International Development Initiative (IDI) at MIT is forming a collaboration with L-RAMP centers in India, Peru and Indonesia. The first collaboration will be with the L-RAMP in Chennai (Madras), India.

IDI is seeking an MIT student Fellow to develop this collaboration in Chennai and in rural areas of Tamil Nadu for four to ten weeks over the summer (timingis flexible).

Specifically, the Fellow will:
1. Learn about the context of Chennai and Tamil Nadu, including economic situations, materials resources, funding opportunities, and marketfactors for rural innovations;
2. Research intellectual property rights, patents, and other legalissues in the US and India;
3. Work with RAMP staff on market positioning or other areas of interest to the RAMP center;
4. Investigate possible modes of dissemination of MIT and RAMP innovations;
5. Recommend areas for future collaborations between MIT students,RAMP, and local innovators (as well as other potential areas for further MITcollaboration);

Deliverables
* Recommendations for future collaborations (shared with RAMP and IDI)
* Presentation of findings to RAMP staff at the end of the fellowship
* A short report (approximately 10 pages) to IDI on findings

Critical skills / qualification required
Strong analytical skills and interest in management. Demonstrated research experience and ability for independent work.

Language English and Tamil (preferred, but not necessary)

Budget
Fellows will be funded for up to 400 hours work (any additional hours willbe considered voluntary.) IDI will purchase or reimburse for aneconomically-priced plane ticket to India, plus a stipend of $10 an hour forthe portions of the agreed work carried out at MIT and in India.

For further information, see: http://www.lramp.org/ <http://www.lramp.org/>and http://www.rinovations.org/ <http://www.rinovations.org/>

Please submit your CV and a cover letter to
Laura Sampath (IDI)lsampath@mit.edu describing your interest in the fellowship, qualifications and availability over the summer.

Deadline:
Rolling until the position is filled (get your application insoon!)
Finalists will also have an interview with IDI staff.

Contact

Laura Sampath (lsampath@mit.edu) with questions.

Laura Sampath
International Development Initiative,
MIT77 Massachusetts Ave,
10-183Cambridge,
MA 02139
office: 617.253.7052
cell: 781.308.6076
http://web.mit.edu/idi/ <http://web.mit.edu/mitpsc>

Tuesday Evenings: Around the Roundtable Dinner Parties

2008-04-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

Around the Roundtable Dinner Parties

Details for Joining the Call/Web Cast

When:
Every Tuesday evening at 8 pm EST/5 pm PST. Can’t make this time? All interviews will be archived and accessible from your computer where you can listen and watch at your convenience

Format:
A 40-minute interview followed by a 20-minute Question and Answer session with an additional 30-minute community forum for those who are interested in continuing the conversation.

Where:
Listen on your phone at work, in the car or at home or watch on your computer/laptop at a location of your choice.

How:
After you complete the online registration process, you will receive a follow-up email with the information you need to participate and weekly updates on the speakers.

Questions? email: wgr@unifemusa.org

hosted by: www.peacexpeace.org and www.unifemusa.org

UNIFEM and The Millennium Development Goals
UNIFEM-USNC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organizationUNIFEM-USNC • 2345 Crystal Drive • Suite 301 • Arlington, VA 22202phone: (703) 236-1535 • email: info@unifem-usnc.org

Here’s how:

Join the Women’s Global Roundtable. Register here.

When the call is in process, if possible, place your phone on mute to reduce background noise.

Bon appetit and happy listening!

Attachment
Size
Around the Roundtable Instructions.pdf
256.82 KB

April 7th - Message from the Secretary General of the United Nations

2008-04-07T13:52:00.000-07:00

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
--
MESSAGE ON WORLD HEALTH DAY
7 April 2008

Climate change is sometimes debated as if it affected only the planet, and not the people living on it. This year’s World Health Day is an opportunity to broaden this view by spotlighting the major health threats we face as a result of global warming.

Climate change endangers the quality and availability of water and food, our fundamental determinants of nutrition and health. It is causing more frequent and more severe storms, heat waves, droughts and floods, while worsening the quality of our air. The result is an upsurge in human suffering caused by injury, disease, malnutrition and death.

We need to give voice to this often-overlooked reality, ensuring that protecting human health is anchored at the heart of the global climate change agenda.

The impact will be most severe in poor countries, which have contributed least to this global crisis. By 2020, up to a quarter of a billion Africans will experience increased water stress, and crop yields in some African countries are expected to drop by half.

Malnutrition and climate-related infectious diseases will take their heaviest toll on the most vulnerable: small children, the elderly and the infirm. Women living in poverty face particular risk when natural disasters and other global-warming related dangers strike.

We must do more than decry these circumstances. We must act to ensure that the health of the vulnerable is protected during climate change. This means stepping up efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals, from cutting childhood mortality to empowering women, as a central component of the international response to climate change.

Public health has decades of experience in dealing effectively with problems that climate change will exacerbate, and we can use this as a basis for predicting – and forestalling – the consequences.

Climate change is real, it is accelerating and it threatens all of us. We must respond with urgent action to stabilize the climate, achieve the MDGs, and encourage individual action. Our collective efforts can foster social and economic development for the world’s poorest peoples, improving their health systems and their lives.

World Health Day challenges us to join forces in the great effort to combat climate change, for the sake of our planet and all of its inhabitants.

World Water Day - 22nd March

2008-03-22T17:09:00.000-07:00

World Water Day -- 22nd March

The new year, Jamshedi Navroze, that falls on the spring equinox, is a time that reminds us of the renewal and rejuvination of life, and of caring for creation. Today [22nd March] is world water day. The World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland this year had seven sessions on exploring the possibilities of creating public-private partnerships to address the issue of managing this life sustaining resource for humanity.

The Secretary General of the UN simply says: Water is Running Out!

Do carve out some time to view the following presentation[65:53 minutes];
a thoughtful discussion which revolves around this issue which affects our world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hO83qESlH0

While the problem is global, solutions will have to be local. What can each one
of us do in creating awareness of this issue, which resonates strongly with our
faith tradition ?

Behram Pastakia

The Roshan Sadri Charitable Foundation

2008-03-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

The Roshan Sadri Charitable Foundation

The charitable foundation established with the legacy of Roshan Sadri (nee Sarosh) has a specific remit to assist the Zoroastrian Community.

The trustees are focusing on projects that help the community rather than an individual, i.e. they are hesitant to fund individual education or medical needs. For example the trustees are more likely to support a school project, and not an individual through school or college, similarly a hospital project rather than meet the cost of a medical operation of an individuals.

Your application has a better chance of succeeding if the project is for the welfare of the community.

Do not hesitate to contact the administrator to seek his help, before applying.

I commend you to look at http://www.ersf.org.uk/ study the projects they have supported, and make applications,

With love and peace

Jehangir Sarosh
jangosarosh@yahoo.co.uk
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International Women's Day, March 8th

2008-03-08T08:28:00.000-08:00

International Women’s Day

“It is not so much a woman’s duty to bring children into the world, as to see what sort of world she is bringing them into and what their contribution will be to it”. (Nellie McClung, 1915)

The United Nations, in 1977 proclaimed March 8 as the International Women’s Day and it is an occasion marked by women’s groups around the world. Women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural economic and political differences come together to celebrate their day. They can look back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice peace and development.

International Women’s Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history. It is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war, during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for “liberty, equality, fraternity” marched on Versailles to demand women’s rights to vote.

The idea of an International Women’s Day first arose at the turn of the century, which in an industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies. The first National Women’s day was established by a group of socialist women in the United States in 1908. This act inspired an international event.

In Canada the women did not have a right to vote till 1929 as women were “not considered persons” . They were considered to be persons only “in matters of pain and penalties but were not considered persons in matter of rights and privileges” The British Privy Council on October 18, 1929 recognized women as “persons” further stating “ The exclusion of women from all public offices is a relic of days more barbarous than ours”.
This ruling gave women the right to be persons.

Today for most of us reading this we cannot even imagine those times. But for many many women and girls across the world violence is a fact of life, violence only because of their gender. Rape and sexual assault has become a weapon of war, there has been no other time in history when there have been more widows as a result of armed conflict. HIV/AIDS now has a woman’s face.

At the opening of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations on February 25th, 2008, Ban Ki-Moon, the Secretary General, launched a global campaign to end violence against women and said “I am counting on you -- advocates from Government, civil society and the UN -- to carry our message around the world. In this campaign, I will personally approach world leaders to spur action through national campaigns. I will urge all States to review applicable laws, and to revise them or enact new ones to ensure that violence against women is always criminalized. And I will call on all States to enforce their laws to end impunity.

I will form a global network of male leaders to assist me in mobilizing men and boys – men in Government, men in the arts and sports, men in business, men in the religious sphere, men in every walk of life, who know what leadership truly means.

There is no blanket approach to fighting violence against women. What works in one country may not lead to desired results in another. Each nation must devise its own strategy. But there is one universal truth, applicable to all countries, cultures and communities: violence against women is never acceptable, never excusable, never tolerable.

Today’s weapons of armed conflict include rape, sexual violence, and the abduction of children conscripted as soldiers or forced into sexual slavery. On my visits to conflict-torn areas around the world, I have spoken with women who have endured horrific forms of violence. I will forever be haunted by their suffering -- but equally, I will always be inspired by their courage. These mothers, sisters, daughters and friends are determined to reclaim their lives.

This is a campaign for them. It is a campaign for the women and girls who have the right to live free of violence, today and in the future. It is a campaign to stop the untold cost that violence against women inflicts on all humankind.”

He called on the Security Council to establish a mechanism dedicated to monitoring violence against women and girls, under the framework of resolution 1325, the landmark resolution on women, peace and security adopted by the Security Council seven years ago.

He ended by asking all in the Assembly to pledge with him: United We Shall Succeed.

The International Women’s day 2008 is dedicated to Investing in Women and Girls. “Achieving gender equality and empowering women is a goal in itself. When women are fully empowered and engaged all of society benefits. Only in this way can we successfully take on the enormous challenge confronting our world - from conflict resolution and peace building to fighting AIDS and reaching all the other Millennium Developmental Goals” Ban-Ki-Moon UN, Secretary General

Dolly Dastoor
Montreal, Canada

Why Volunteer ?

2008-02-10T04:53:00.000-08:00

Why volunteer?
Service for the welfare of the world without any selfish motive (karmayog) is a path to salvation as it helps one to learn how to give up the desire to reap the fruits of actions. No one is incapable or dependent on anyone or anything in following this path. So this should be the single reason for volunteering. :-)

Some non-spiritual reasons are, however, listed below.
•
Make an Impact: Volunteering your time and talents is a powerful way to improve the world, educate others about causes you care about, maybe you will start an organization yourself.
•
Get Satisfaction: Give voice to your heart through your giving and volunteering, keep your talents alive, fulfill your responsibility to the youth, elders, etc., feel better about yourself, feel needed and valued, act upon and express your beliefs.
•
Help Others: Volunteers lend their unique influence and connection to an organisation's growth, make a difference in someone's life, be altruistic, solve a community problem, give back to society.
•
Learn: Volunteering is a learning experience. Test yourself in new situations to see what truly interests you. It gives you the luxury to fail -- the chance to risk doing something you've never done before and to learn from it. Learn about yourself, your values, beliefs and views of the world in which you live. Discover your talents, learn a new skill or new knowledge, learn about your community, better understand social justice issues.
•
Develop Yourself: Develop creativity by trying new things, starting a new program, taking risks. Develop compassion, develop your personality, gain a new perspective on things, self-actualize, achieve, build self-esteem and self-confidence and sense of independence, get an opportunity to work independently, gain hands-on experience, interact with people.
•
Enjoy: Have fun, feel good, take a break, get a very satisfying experience, express gratitude, reduce stress, think positively, have a more balanced life, meet inspiring people, make friends, discover tremendous energy, create and maintain relationships. Volunteer as a family and give the entire family a shared experience as a wonderful family memory.
•
Utilize time: The truth is that any amount of time we can give is enough to make a significant difference in someone else's life. Use spare time to do activities over the internet or via phone.

If you are a business:
•
improve community relations and public image
•
enable employees to enjoy new levels of responsibility and leadership skills
•
improve employee satisfaction, morale and loyalty
•
get a sense of fulfillment as a result of contributing to the community
•
The Business Case for Volunteering

Employer-Supported Volunteering can take many forms, and includes a wide range of programs and activities through which companies support their employees' volunteer work in, or on behalf of, the community. These may include - e volunteering, employees spending time with the community, employees sharing their expertise in administration, finance, personne&HR, marketing etc with the NGOs that require such assistance.

Every company gauges their business investments by totalling up the returns. But when it comes to social or environmental investments the same rigours don't necessarily apply. The result is that the community investments are not working as hard as they could be. However, with the field of corporate social responsibility maturing worldwide, this is beginning to change.
By sponsoring volunteering, a few leading companies around the world (Walt Disney, Proctor and Gamble, Fluor, Chase Manhattan Bank and Whitbread Brewery) and in Australia (Westpac, American Express and The Body Shop) are getting better results for their community dollar.

The advantages over traditional community investments such as cash donations, donations in kind, or donations of equipment, include:
Improve Employee Skills and Training: Some leadership companies have integrated volunteer programs into ongoing training and development efforts to build employee knowledge and skills. For example, BT Group plc found that volunteering and other forms of employee community involvement helped develop a variety of competencies, including planning and implementation, communication, project management, listening skills and customer focus.
Encourage Employee Teamwork: Many community projects require volunteers to work cooperatively in teams to accomplish tasks. Such teams often involve a diverse mix of company and community representatives, spanning a variety of ages, races, cultures, and working styles. Many companies have harnessed the teamwork skills learned in volunteer activities to help everyone from line employees to senior executives work more collaboratively in their jobs.
Develop Leadership Skills: Because volunteer initiatives provide opportunities for employees to engage in activities that may differ from their daily tasks, employees can develop and demonstrate their ability to take charge in new and challenging situations. Companies find that their volunteer efforts in the community have enabled them to identify leadership skills among employees that had not surfaced during daily operations.
Develop the Local Labour Pool: Some companies direct their volunteer activities toward helping community members develop skills and abilities that enhance their employability and opportunities for advancement.
Recruit and Retain Employees: Volunteer programs can be an attractive company benefit to current and prospective employees. According to the Points of Light Foundation, in 2003, 58 percent of U.S. companies used their employee volunteer programs for recruitment and retention purposes.
Improve Corporate Reputation: Volunteer projects and strategic partnerships can yield positive media attention for companies. For example, The Home Depot has received favourable publicity for its partnership with Habitat for Humanity and KaBOOM! in the United States and Canada. The company helps KaBOOM! build playgrounds with cash donations, donations in kind, and encouraging employees to volunteer.
Leverage Philanthropic Resources: When included as part of a strategic mix of community-involvement activities, corporate volunteerism can enable companies to provide a greater benefit to the community at a lower cost than can be done through charitable contributions alone. For example, some companies make donations contributions to organizations for which their employees volunteer.
Increased Impact in Areas of Strategic Importance: Some companies give employees time off for community service to work on projects or issue areas defined by the company. This strategy is an effective tool to increase employee participation in community.

"Each one of us should lead a life stirring enough to start a movement." --Max Lucado

Source: http://www.karmayog.com/

"The Reporter" -- January 2008

2008-02-02T05:52:00.000-08:00

The January 2008 issue of The Reporter from
the Department of Public Information of the
United Nations is available on line...

http://www.ngodpiexecom.org/reporter.htm

See details for the
upcoming DPI/NGO conference
to be held in September 2008
on issues of Human Rights

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Summer Program - June 27th to August 3rd 2008

2008-01-24T06:25:00.000-08:00

http://www.summerinindia.org/
InSPIREIndia

Summer Program Inspiring Reflective Exploration

QUESTION assumptions.
EXPLORE your values.
CONNECT to your roots.
RELATE to humanity.
LIVE what you believe.

Spend your time this summer doing something meaningful in India.
InSPIRE (India Summer Program Inspiring Reflective Exploration) is a 5-week summer program in India for South Asians between the ages of 18 and 24, who are genuinely interested in exploring themselves and India.

Program Dates: June 27 to August 3, 2008

It is a travel, study-abroad, volunteer, self-discovery, and immersion program
all rolled into one!

See our video from the last summer's program Click Here

Applications are due on MARCH 10 and are available on the website for download!

The InSPIRE team consists of young Indian-Americans and young Indians who live in India .
We have all spent significant time traveling in, serving in, exploring, and learning from India.

For more information, please email us at http://b7.mail.yahoo.com/ym/summerinindia.org/Compose?To=info@summerinindia.org.
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Free Rice - Play this game and feed the poor of the world

2007-12-22T15:39:00.000-08:00

http://www.freerice.com/index.php

About FreeRice
FreeRice is a sister site of the world poverty site, Poverty.com.

FreeRice has two goals:

Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.

Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

This is made possible by the sponsors who advertise on this site.

Whether you are CEO of a large corporation or a street child in a poor country, improving your vocabulary can improve your life. It is a great investment in yourself.

Perhaps even greater is the investment your donated rice makes in hungry human beings, enabling them to function and be productive. Somewhere in the world, a person is eating rice that you helped provide. Thank you.

How does playing the vocabulary game at FreeRice help me?
Learning new vocabulary has tremendous benefits.

It can help you:
Formulate your ideas better
Write better papers, emails and business letters
Speak more precisely and persuasively
Comprehend more of what you read
Read faster because you comprehend better
Get better grades in high school, college and graduate school Score higher on tests like the SAT, GRE, LSAT and GMAT
Perform better at job interviews and conferences
Sell yourself, your services, and your products better
Be more effective and successful at your job
After you have done FreeRice for a couple of days, you may notice an odd phenomenon. Words that you have never consciously used before will begin to pop into your head while you are speaking or writing. You will feel yourself using and knowing more words.

How does the FreeRice vocabulary program work?
FreeRice has a custom database containing thousands of words at varying degrees of difficulty. There are words appropriate for people just learning English and words that will challenge the most scholarly professors. In between are thousands of words for students, business people, homemakers, doctors, truck drivers, retired people… everyone!FreeRice automatically adjusts to your level of vocabulary. It starts by giving you words at different levels of difficulty and then, based on how you do, assigns you an approximate starting level. You then determine a more exact level for yourself as you play. When you get a word wrong, you go to an easier level. When you get three words in a row right, you go to a harder level. This one-to-three ratio is best for keeping you at the "outer fringe" of your vocabulary, where learning can take place. There are 50 levels in all, but it is rare for people to get above level 48.

How is the difficulty level for each word determined?
The program keeps track of how many people get each word right or wrong, and then adjusts each word's difficulty level accordingly. So the words at the easiest levels are the ones that people most often get right. The words at the hardest levels are the ones that people most often get wrong. As more and more people have played the game, these levels have become increasingly more accurate.

Is FreeRice adding more words?
Yes. A team of professional lexicographers from the firm of Lexiteria is working to add words and additional levels to the FreeRice database. In particular, the hunt is on to find the hairiest and most difficult words in the English language. But we are also looking to add easy words, medium words and all the other words you might ever want to know. The new entries should begin to appear in early January 2008. In short, we do not want you to run out of vocabulary to learn anytime soon...

When did FreeRice increase the amount donated for each correct answer from 10 grains of rice to 20 grains?
For its first seven weeks, FreeRice gave 10 grains of rice for each correct answer. On November 28, 2007, we were able to increase this to 20 grains. We hope to be able to increase this again in the future. Here is how we look at it: Your part is to play and donate the rice. Our part is to increase the amount you can donate!

What happens if my computer suddenly loses power while I am in the middle of playing? Does my donation still count?
Yes, once your screen says that you have donated a certain amount of rice, that means our servers have registered it. For example, suppose your screen says that you have donated 120 grains of rice. If your computer then suddenly loses power, or you close your browser, or you click to go somewhere else, your donation has already been counted.

Who pays for the donated rice?
The rice is paid for by the advertisers whose names you see on the bottom of your vocabulary screen. This is regular advertising for these companies, but it is also something more. Through their advertising at FreeRice, these companies support both learning (free vocabulary for everyone) and reducing hunger (free rice for the hungry). We commend these companies for their participation at FreeRice.

If FreeRice has the rice to give, why not give it all away right now?
FreeRice is not sitting on a pile of rice¯you are earning it 20 grains at a time. Here is how it works. When you play the game, advertisements appear on the bottom of your screen. The money generated by these advertisements is then used to buy the rice. So by playing, you generate the money that pays for the rice donated to hungry people.

Does FreeRice make any money from this?
No, it does not. FreeRice runs the site at no profit.

Couldn't I just write a computer program to play all day and give a lot of rice that way?
There are two problems with this. First, it overloads our servers so that real people can't play and learn vocabulary. Second, without real people playing and buying products, it is no longer cost-effective for companies to advertise. Without advertising, we cannot give any rice at all.

Are there any banners I can use to link to FreeRice?
Yes, these are available here.

Who distributes the donated rice?
The rice is distributed by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). The World Food Program is the world’s largest food aid agency, working with over 1,000 other organizations in over 75 countries. In addition to providing food, the World Food Program helps hungry people to become self-reliant so that they escape hunger for good. Wherever possible, the World Food Program buys food locally to support local farmers and the local economy. We encourage you to visit the United Nations World Food Program to learn more about their successful approach to ending hunger.

Will the rice I donate make a difference?
The rice you donate makes a huge difference to the person who receives it. According to the United Nations, about 25,000 people die each day from hunger or hunger-related causes, most of them children. To a mother or father watching a loved child die in their arms from hunger, the rice you donate is more precious than anything in the world.

What is being done to end world hunger?
There is great progress being made to end world hunger. Many organizations across the globe are involved in this struggle. Each day, hundreds of thousands of ordinary men and women work for these organizations. Through their efforts, millions of impoverished people have food to eat, learn skills and find hope for the future.

What else can I do to help end hunger?
Here are two key things you can do to help end hunger. Both are free and easy to do.
Add your name to the One Campaign, where several million people have already joined together “as One” to end hunger and extreme poverty. If enough people join, dreams for a better world can be made into reality very quickly.
The United Nations estimates that the cost to end world hunger completely, along with diseases related to hunger and poverty, is about $195 billion a year. Twenty-two countries have joined together to raise this money by each contributing 0.7% (less than 1%) of national income. Some of the countries have already met this goal. Others are being a little slow, but this can be fixed. You can see how the countries are doing here. You can print a letter to support your country’s participation here.

Where can I learn more about hunger?
One last important thing you can do to help end hunger is to become knowledgeable about it. A good way to do this is to visit our sister site Poverty.com (designed so that busy people can learn quickly about hunger and poverty) or one of the many excellent sites listed here. We believe that when enough people around the world become knowledgeable about hunger, it will no longer be tolerated.
Play this game and feed the poor of the world

Global Days of Youth Service - April 25th to 27th 2008

2007-12-12T09:54:00.000-08:00

Grants Available:

Global Days of Youth Service

- April 25th to 27th 2008

These grants support youth (ages 5-14) in planning and implementing service projects in their community. Teachers, older youth (15-25), and youth-serving organizations are also eligible to apply, if they engage younger youth (5-14) in planning and implementing the project.

A significant part of the service must take place on Global Youth Service Days 2008, April 25-27. Youth are encouraged to address important issues such as climate change, malaria or other diseases, human rights, literacy, etc.,

Applicants can use the http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/goals.html# (MDGs) as a reference.

Applications are welcome from all countries. While grant information will be available in: Español (Spanish), Français (French), Russian, Chinese, and Hindi, applications will be accepted in English only. Applicants from China, India, and Russia are especially encouraged to apply. Past Disney Minnie Grantees are also eligible to apply.

New! Electronic application.

Questions? Email MinnieGrant@ysa.org.

Deadline: January 21, 2008.

Disney Minnie Grant 2007 (2nd round)
Grantees: The list of grantees and project descriptions is now available. Applications from more than 50 countries were received. Let these winners inspire you to apply for the 2008 Disney Minnie Grant and get out there and change our community!
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UNEP and Volvo adventure -- enter by 31st January 2008

2007-12-10T16:37:00.000-08:00

Volvo Adventure

- in partnership with
the United Nations Environment Programme -

is an educational programme that rewards environmental activities among the decision makers of the future. Environmental projects are undertaken by young people to improve their local environment.

Who is it for - Volvo Adventure is open to young people around the world aged between 13 and 16 years. Teams must be between 2 to 5 young people with one adult as a supervisor. Click here for details.

Support and deadlines - The deadline for submitting projects is midnight on the 31st of January. This means that the submission tool will close when your clocks turn to the 1st February 2008.

Details at: http://www.volvoadventure.org/home.aspx
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Hunger Bytes! - Video competition -

2007-12-07T13:33:00.000-08:00

Hunger Bytes!

WFP and YouTube
viral video competition

21 November - The World Food Programme calls on students, would-be filmmakers and any other interested folks in the web universe to put their creativity towards raising awareness about hunger through a unique, international competition - the best short video about ‘byting’ global hunger . (…)

To enter the contest, videos are submitted to WFP.

The five most compelling clips, between 30 to 60 seconds in length, will then be let loose on the web through YouTube.

Competitors can increase their chances of winning by sharing the link with friends and online communities such as Facebook, MySpace and through blogs.

The video that gets the most views by World Food Day - October 16, 2008 -
will win. (…)

http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2698

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Tracking the Millennium Development Goals

2007-11-01T14:59:00.000-07:00

TRACK * LEARN * SUPPORT

The MDG Monitor shows how countries are progressing in their efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). With the 2015 target date fast approaching, it is more important than ever to understand where the goals are on track, and where additional efforts and support are needed, both globally and at the country level.

The MDG Monitor is designed as a tool for policymakers, development practitioners, journalists, students and others to:

TRACK
progress through interactive maps and country-specific profiles

LEARN
about countries' challenges and achievements and get the latest news

SUPPORT
organizations working on the MDGs around the world.

http://www.mdgmonitor.org/
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The Copenhagen Consensus Center

2007-10-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

The Copenhagen Consensus Center analyzes the world's greatest challenges and identifies cost efficient solutions to meeting these challenges. The Center works with multilateral organizations, governments and other entities concerned with mitigating the consequences of the challenges which the world is facing.

With the process of prioritization, the center aims to establish a framework in which solutions to problems are prioritized according to efficiency based upon economic and scientific analysis of distinct subjects.

The Copenhagen Consensus Center is headed by Bjørn Lomborg.

Solutions for the World's Biggest Problems
The world has many pressing problems. Thanks to the efforts of governments, NGOs, and individual activists there is no shortage of ideas for resolving them. However, even if all governments were willing to spend more money on solving the problems, we cannot do it all at once. We have to prioritize; and in order to do this we need a better sense of the costs and benefits of each ‘solution’. This book offers a rigorous overview of twenty-three of the world’s biggest problems relating to the environment, governance, economics, and health and population. Leading economists provide a short survey of the state-of-the-art analysis and sketch out policy solutions for which they provide cost-benefit ratios. A unique feature is the provision of freely downloadable software which allows readers to make their own cost-benefit calculations for spending money to make the world a better place.

http://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/

Commission on the Status of Women: 25th February to 7th March 2008

2007-10-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

The United Nations Commission on the Status of women

will consider the theme:

“Financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women”

at its 52nd session at United Nations Headquarters in New York

from 25 February to 7 March 2008.

Zoroastrians interested in participating in the
52nd Sessionof the Commission on the Status of Women [CSW] meeting,
are requested to send their curriculum viate with a letter of interest to:

FEZANA's UN-NGO Committee Co-Chairs,
Homi Gandhi homidgandhi@gmail.com,
and Behram Pastakia bpastakia@aol.com,

FEZANA, on account of its consultative status with theEconomic and Social Council [ECOSOC] can help facilitate access to the United Nations headquarters for the selected candidates. The cost for travel and visa arrangements will be the responsibility of the participants.

Children below the age of 18 years will require a chaperone, preferably a parent, during the course of the event as per UN guidelines. Participation can be for one or two days within the time frame available [25th February to 7th March 2008], to suit the work and school schedules of prospective applicants.Past participation has been documented in the FEZANA Journal in articles written by youth who have represented the Zoroastriancommunity at the UN.
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Climate Change discussed at the United Nations

2007-09-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

FEZANA participated at a workshop on a faith based
response to climate change at the 60th DPI /NGO conference
held at headquarters of the United Nations
in New York on 7th September 2007.

The workshop was well attended and well received.

Subsequent to the annual DPI/NGO meeting, the Secretary General
convened a high level meeting of world leaders to address the issue...

World leaders address UN climate meeting

25/09/2007
New York
United States President George Bush on Tuesday praised the new initiatives on climate change of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and pledged renewed American support for the UN in a world where he said everyone had the “right” to housing, education, health and democratic freedoms.
“The nations in this chamber have our differences, yet there are some areas where we can all agree,” Mr. Bush said. “When innocent people are trapped in a life of murder and fear, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly in 1948 declaration is not being upheld. When millions of children starve to death or perish from a mosquito bite, we're not doing our duty in the world. When whole societies are cut off from the prosperity of the global economy, we're all worse off.”
The president also said nations must unite to combat illnesses like AIDS and malaria. He added that trade and investment were the best means of fighting poverty in the world. The UN must work to “free people from tyranny and violence, hunger and disease, illiteracy and ignorance and poverty and despair,” Bush said, calling it a “`mission of liberation”.'
“This great institution must work for great purposes: to free people from tyranny and violence, hunger and diseases, illiteracy and ignorance and poverty and despair,'' he said, adding to resounding applause that people everywhere had a “right” to housing, education, good health and democratic freedoms.
On climate change, Mr. Bush said he intended to meeting later during the week with the leaders of “emitter” countries, including China and India, deemed responsible for most of the global emissions to urge them to help curb pollution.
Speaking for the EU, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said “all the developed countries and the largest emitters” must commit to a 50 percent reduction by 2050.
The Secretary-General said he hoped the meeting this week would give impetus to negotiations in Bali, Indonesia, in December on a new global warming agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012.
The UN's top climate scientist, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, said sea levels were rising faster and faster in what he described as further evidence of the impact of global warming.
Leaders from Pacific states and other small island nations warned that this could lead to their homelands sinking beneath rising oceans.
“As we in the island states know so very well, climate change is the single most important threat facing the economic development, the peace-and-security and the territorial existence of Small Island States,” said Prime Minister Keith C. Mitchell of Grenada. In a statement on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States, he said sea temperature rise is closely correlated with the increasing ferocity of hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons.
Therefore, he said, “we call for the urgent completion of the institutional arrangements for the Adaptation Fund that guarantees that priority be given to the needs of Small Island Developing States.”
California’s Governor, Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger told the General Assembly it was time to stop looking back with suspicion at the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on cutting emissions: "The consequences of global climate change are so pressing that it doesn't matter who was responsible for the past - what matters is who is answerable for the future.”
Capping a day and a half of unprecedented global attention to the problem of climate change, the United Nations Secretary-General said: “Everybody agreed that it is now time to act before it is too late and they all agreed that the most appropriate forum would be the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.”
Summing up the understandings reached, he said participants agreed that “the current international response and pace of negotiations are inadequate; broader and deeper action is necessary; significant reductions in emissions are needed; and industrialized countries need to lead with targets set but all countries can and must contribute to the solution. It is everyone's responsibility to support those who are most affected and most vulnerable.”
With these firm commitments, he said, leaders across the international community had demonstrated “their firm commitment to address [the problem] collectively: they all agreed that this is a global issue affecting all human beings and does require global actions.”
Asked about the participation of United States President Bush, Mr. Ban told journalists: “I appreciate his firm commitment and support.”

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Climate Change: How It Impacts Us All

2007-09-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

FEZANA sent a delegation to the 60th DPI/NGO meeting at
the UN headquarters in New York. A detailed report will
appear in the FEZANA Journal.

Appended is a summary of the discussions and references
for more detailed browsing:

Editorial: 60th Annual DPI/NGO Conference,
United Nations,
New York,
5-7 September 2007

Climate Change: How It Impacts US All

CONTACT _Con-3E084C1D1 \c \s \l Lesley Vann, Good News Agency Publisher’s Representative to the UNDPI

This 60th Annual DPI/NGO Conference reviewed scientific evidence on climate change, including its consequences affecting indigenous peoples, water security, land use and the politics of energy. The Conference highlighted efforts to reverse global warming begun over a decade ago, when the majority of UN Member States passed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). As the UN has announced, this year’s Conference emphasised the facilitation of individual action plans addressing climate change and its profound planetary impact. The world is now equipped with a vast body of information, scientific, social and political -- all pointing to the potential devastation of our planet. This Conference addressed solutions, helping civil society consider best practices for implementation. The goal of this Conference was to build civil society’s knowledge of climate change into the viable habits of everyday practice that ensure a better future; and to evoke hope in the tremendous possibilities offered by civil society working in partnership with stakeholders from all sectors.
More than 2,500 civil society partners from 90 countries attended this Conference. United Nations, government and NGO representatives as well as other experts made presentations at plenaries, roundtables and mid-day workshops to review the latest scientific evidence on climate change, including its impact. According to experts, devastation can be avoided by acting swiftly and decisively at every level of the decision-making process. The Conference highlighted interconnections between climate change and other Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Sustainable improvements in the environment are linked with root causes of poverty and illiteracy. The international community’s ability to meet the MDGs will continue to be challenged unless governments, civil society and international organisations take action now.

The need to take decisive action to curb and reduce the devastating effects of climate change is now clear. The knowledge gained at this Conference is intended by the UN to assist civil society in disseminating information, not just to agencies and governments, but also to friends and neighbours – the ultimate fabric of civic culture. The information received can help educate communities regarding the importance of reducing carbon emissions, the necessity of encouraging conservation and the search for energy-efficient alternative fuel sources. Contacts made will equip NGOs with the skills to form effective partnerships and create those viable action plans to carry their efforts forward. As the United Nations reminds us daily – we are global citizens, and for the sake of generations to come, we have the responsibility to harness concrete solutions, implementing effective, meaningful measures. There is still time during this crucial period to influence the present and plan for a safer and more sustainable future. As a united front, civil society can create the historic “tipping point” needed to transform our global emergency into a profound global opportunity for effective, collective and collaborative action.

As the United Nations has publicised, the Conference made possible a unique environment for dialogue among civil society and international civil servants, UN experts, and leaders from government and industry. Citing clear evidence that global warming was real, mostly generated by humankind, and holding the potential to devastate our planet, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said that tackling climate change required a truly global effort that drew together governments, the private sector and civil society in “one sustained push for change”. While Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had identified climate change as one of his top priorities, “we also understand that this is not a challenge for the UN alone”, said Ms. Migiro. The ramifications of how global warming will be addressed carry grave implications for the future. She said this challenge presented a remarkable opportunity to implement a new sustainable development process, promote cleaner business, industries and jobs, make better and wiser use of limited natural resources, and re-invest in depleted natural capital. Those changes would not prove painless, but their discomfort was far outweighed by the cost of not acting, she said, noting the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had suggested, “it will not cost us the moon to save the Earth”. As little as 0.1% of global gross domestic product (GDP) might be needed annually for the next three decades, “if we start to act now”.

In a keynote address, Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said 2007 was proving to be a pivotal year, and that people of the world, galvanised by the Intergovernmental Panel’s reports, had finally begun to ask their governments and leaders: “What are you doing about this problem?” Moreover civil society had escalated its already active involvement. The UN in tandem with civil society has picked up the science on climate change and moved the discussion into the government arena, establishing the UNFCCC. Achim Steiner noted that UNEP had set up the Intergovernmental Panel of some 2,000 renowned scientists who had turned a hotly contested ideological concept into a universally accepted basis for action in 2007. “That is the (wrongly maligned) United Nations at work,” he said. This Conference underscored the reality of the urgent call to collective action resounding from the halls of the UN, governments and civil society organisations worldwide. And the challenge to take another major step forward would be again on the table of world leaders this December in Bali.

General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa said that a comprehensive global response to the climate change threat must be pursued within the rubric of the international development agenda. It also required “a radical change of behaviour and consciousness”. She said, “the United Nations is an intergovernmental organisation, but it draws its strength and inspiration from the support of civil society worldwide,” she said.

After the above opening statements, several NGO representatives took the floor, including Sister Joan Kirby, Chair, NGO/DPI Executive Committee, who said that “the tide is turning and political leaders are responding here and around the world”. She stated her hope that Conference participants would be transformed into “conservers rather than users of the Earth”, and leave knowing what they could do to respond to the challenge, equipped with the practical tools to do so.
Renate Bloem, President of the Geneva-based Conference of NGOs, urged NGOs to exert their “soft power” to persuade governments to set goals to drastically reduce CO2 emissions. On an operational level, climate change should become an issue for all NGOs. Climate change was not just an environmental issue, but also an economic one -– an issue of food security, refugees and human rights and development -- particularly since it had a disproportionate effect on the lives of the poor.
Richard Jordan, Conference Chair and Co-Chair of its Planning Committee, and representative of the International Council for Caring Communities, urged participants to pause for these three days and consider reasons for any lack of progress. He said this civil society Conference would produce a Declaration, which he hoped would be a consensus document -- providing a greater understanding of climate change and its impact, including a call to action.

The Collective Voice of Civil Society

Consensus hallmarks this civil society Declaration. The collective voice of civil society is being heard increasingly within the halls of the United Nations – via this Conference, the Declaration that will emerge, the dialogues and initiatives underway, and the UN’s growing commitment to include NGOs as partners.
The MDGs in tandem with emerging climate change initiatives are key areas for cooperation between civil society and the UN System. These dialogues and global goals are evident in the Conference themes and sessions. Conference participants attended numerous multi-stakeholder roundtables. Topics included “Climate Change: The Scientific Evidence; Indigenous Peoples, Culture and Traditional Knowledge; Water Security; Coping with Climate Change: Best Land Use Practices; The Economics and Politics of Energy and Climate Change.” In addition to these roundtables, participants engaged in similar Mid-day workshops. Over thirty student intern rapporteurs will summarise workshop proceedings for the final Conference report.
Leverage, accountability and solutions were emphasised. In addition to fundamental climate stabilisation, this Conference identified leverage points for equilibrating the planet, while transforming and evolving our organisations, communities, and global civil society. The Conference made clear that global commitment must emerge from evidence of the gravity of climate change; and that civil society is operating interdependently with government, Member States and the UN System. Thus civil society is influencing government attitudes and planetary outcomes. With increasing momentum, civil society, governments and the United Nations System stand poised for collective action on behalf of the common good.

References and Sources:

http://www.un.org/

http://www.un.org/webcast/ United Nations Webcast, managed by Department of Public Information (DPI), features the latest multimedia technologies, from live video streaming to audio packages to searchable archives of meetings, briefings and special events taking place within the United Nations. The site is updated continuously throughout the day to maximise audience satisfaction. The UN’s DPI/NGO Executive Committee and its Conference Planning Committee have made available this Conference to those in attendance and to all who wish to watch its archived webcasts.

http://www.millenniumassessment.org/

* * * * * * *

The Glocal Forum

2007-08-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

BRIDGES

Bridges activities are designed to cross cultures and religious divides by promoting intercultural and interfaith dialogue and cooperation among citizens (particularly youth), policy makers, academics, and civil society practitioners through local/global projects and media coverage of productive collaboration across the divides which are rightly seen as an urgent threat to the international balance. They will provide GF partners (city governments as well as local and international organizations) with information and projects to facilitate understanding and peaceful cooperation among people of different backgrounds locally and globally.

At the Fifth Annual Glocalization Conference (July 2006 in Ankara, Turkey) delegates agreed on the ‘Ankara Declaration’, a peacebuilding charter to promote understanding and dialogue between societies. Since then, the Glocal Forum has been working to develop these city-to-city intercultural initiatives, or bridges, which will implement and connect local initiatives around the world to promote harmony between cultures and faiths and expose the under-utilized potential of global diversity.

Program components will be developed according to the Glocal Forum’s working method: engaging city officials and local stakeholders alongside global organizations to advance the city’s achievements in interfaith dialogue. The Glocal Forum network will provide links to counterparts in other cities, enriching local activities and connecting them to related efforts. Through city-to-city projects, we will help to spread ideas and best practices to improve outcomes and extend the impact of all initiatives involved.

The Glocal Forum promotes the role of local
government on the world stage and the role of youth
in local decision making.

Conferences and Events
Fifth Annual Glocalization Conference
Documents
The Ankara Declaration80.48 KB .pdf
Bridging Cultural Divides77.17 KB .pdf

http://www.glocalforum.org/

UNESCO in the spotlight -- Communications and Information Sector

2007-07-06T18:22:00.000-07:00

UNESCO in the Spotlight:
Science and Communications

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization is the lead agency in the UN system on science, with strong programs focusing on environmental sciences.
UNESCO supports freedom of expression globally, and is a key player in development communications. With the support of Americans for UNESCO, this blog seeks to cover UNESCO-related news and to spotlight noteworthy UNESCO science and communications programs; it emphasizes links between the United States and UNESCO.

http://unescoscience.blogspot.com/2007/07/unesco-high-level-group-of-visionaries.html

UNESCO High Level Group of Visionaries on Knowledge Acquisition and Sharing
The Communication and Information Sector:
Empowering people through the free flow of ideas by word and image, and by access to information and knowledge.

UNESCO High Level Group of Visionaries on Knowledge Acquisition and Sharing

Kronberg, Germany, 22-23 June 2007

UNESCO invited a group of world known visionaries and decision makers from government, civil society, academia and the private sector to a high level dialogue on the future of knowledge acquisition and sharing on 23 June 2007 in Kronberg/Taunus, Germany.

The members of this Group were to anticipate and define future needs and processes of knowledge acquisition and sharing and examine the relationship between these processes and knowledge creation, knowledge preservation, knowledge utilization, technology use and new knowledge models.

They were to address issues:

* The role of knowledge acquisition and sharing to build a world in which peace, development and human rights prosper;

* The contribution of ICTs to this process;

* The evolution of knowledge acquisition and sharing over the next three decades;

* Political and institutional changes that are needed to address these challenges.

For more information:

* Read the Working Document for the Meeting (PDF, 5 pages)
http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/files/24809/11824411651working_document_final.pdf/working+document_final.pdf

* Check out the website developed by Core UK to support the meeting with a discussion by participants - The future of Knowledge acquistion and sharing:
http://www.futureknowledge.org/

* Read the Kronberg Declaration on the Future of Knowledge Acquisition and Sharing and make comments if you desire. http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/wiki/foundation/96502

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UN Global Compact - Online Volunteer Opportunity

2007-06-23T18:19:00.000-07:00

Get involved in the United Nations’ CSR Project
Online Volunteer Opportunity

Do you want to learn about how companies implement the principles of the largest Corporate Citizenship initiative in the world? The UN Global Compact offers you a special “externship” volunteer opportunity: With little time and from home you can help the UN, learn about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and receive valuable benefits.

What is the UN Global Compact?
• The world's largest corporate citizenship initiative aiming for a more sustainable and inclusive world economy
• Supported by over 4000 participants in over 100 countries
• Includes many of the worlds most influential companies, such as Coca Cola, ebay and Microsoft

What is the COP Review Project?
Companies from all over the world report their progress on implementing the 10 Global Compact principles. Presently, there are over 2000 so-called “Communication on Progress” (COP) reports. We need your support to review and tag these COPs in order to build a fully searchable database. Each review takes approximately 30 minutes.

What are your Benefits in Participating?
• Gain valuable learning and resume-building experience in the field of CSR
• Find out what companies around the world are doing for sustainable development
• Receive a Certificate of Participation after completing 10 COP reviews
• Get a personal Letter of Appreciation by reviewing more than 50 COPs!

Participate now at: www.unglobalcompact.org/COP/Wiki

For any questions please contact Jürgen Nagler at nagler@un.org.

Thank you for participating!
UN Global Compact Office

---------------------
Juergen Nagler
Coordinator COP Review Project
UN Global Compact Office
United Nations

email: nagler@un.org

www.unglobalcompact.org

Live Webcast from the World Bank --- June 19th 2007

2007-06-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

National e-Government Strategies: Designing for Success

The World Bank e-Development Thematic Group, GICT and IT SLC

and the Development Gateway

Present a Global Dialogue

on: Tuesday, June 19, 2007: 9:00 - 11:30 am ET

Location: I1-200 (1850, I Street NW, Washington DC) & Live Webcast

Chair
Philippe Dongier, Sector Manager, GICT, World Bank (TBC)
Opening Remarks
Bill Piatt, Chief Information Officer, International Finance Corporation (Former CIO for the General Services Administration, the Public Building Service, and the Peace Corps; USA)
Speakers
R.Chandrasekhar (Keynote Speaker), Additional Secretary, (eGov) Department of IT, Government of India
Pauline Tan, Senior Director (Government Chief Information Office), Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
Timothy Young, Associate Administrator of E-Gov, Office of Management and Budget, USA
Discussants
Nagy Hanna, Director, International Center for e-Leadership &Senior Research Fellow, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland (TBC)
Mary Muiruri, Consultant, Afrika ICT Strategies
Deepak Bhatia, Manager, ISG e-Government Practice, World BankProgram
Description
A great number of governments have now developed e-Government strategies and are at various stages of implementation. While a significant amount of attention has been given in the past to identifying the key components of e-Government strategies and identifying best practices, little attention has been given to the processes involved in the design of such strategies. Recognizing that the process of designing an e-Government strategy is perhaps as important if not more important than the resulting document, this event will be an opportunity to learn from three different country perspectives. The speakers will address the process of designing successful national e-Government strategies, focusing on the following questions:
Why is it important to have well-designed e-Government Strategies? Why might the process be as important as the final document?
What constitutes successful e-Government strategies? What are the key ingredients?
How should governments go about designing e-Government strategies? What are the steps and processes that are essential not only to the elaboration of the strategy, but also to its successful implementation?

Target Audience
Clients of World Bank-funded ICT project and components, e-Government officials from a range of developing and emerging economies participating in the June 2007 USAID/USTTI e-Government seminar; World Bank staff, USAID staff, and other stakeholders interested in e-Government.

The event will be webcast for Country Offices and remote audiences
Live Webcast / e-Discussion and archived videoclip will available at:http://www.worldbank.org/edevelopment/live

Participants from outside the Bank do NOT need a building pass for this seminar and no prior registration is needed for the webcast (but external participanrts need to RSVP).

Feel free to RSVP or to invite others and for further information on the seminar or to join our mailing list, please write to edevelopment@worldbank.org
or
contact Oleg Petrov at 202-473-8861

The e-Development Services Thematic Group is powered by GICT and ISG in collaboration with WBI, PREM and other partners.

Visit http://www.worldbank.org/edevelopment to download materials for this and all previous e-Development seminars (over 85 since Sept 2003).

Permanent URL for this page: http://go.worldbank.org/KYLN3DZF40

Live Webcast
Link to Windows or Real Media Live Webcast

Internet Resources
European e-Government Servies - Policy and Strategy News
European e-Government Services - Strategy Factsheets
European e-Government Services - Reports and Studies
iGov2010 Singapore (via Development Gateway)
Case Study - e-Strategies of Selected Asian Economies (via Development Gateway)
Strategy Paper on e-Government for Gambia (via Development Gateway)
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Creating Markets, Transforming Lives

2007-05-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

The International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group (IFC)
and the Financial Times (FT)

are pleased to jointly announce their
second annual
Essay Competition.

This year's theme is

"Private Sector Development:
Creating Markets, Transforming Lives."

The Competition is soliciting action-oriented essays that:

Provide insight into current Private Sector Development (PSD) research
Develop and support the implementation of leading-edge PSD initiatives
Strike a balance between conceptual and practical considerations for private-sector involvement in developing countries, and the effect of that involvement on development
Reflect innovative, data-supported research resulting from the author’s own professional or academic work
Target economic & financial policymakers, the international financial community and/or international domestic investors

Entries accepted:
April 25, 2007 to September 30, 2007.

To enter, see Submission Procedures & Timeline

Six awards will be granted to the top papers as judged by the Awards Committee:

Gold Award US$20,000
2 Silver Awards, each US$10,000
3 Bronze Awards, each US$5,000

IFC and FT will publish all winning essays on their external websites and may provide publication in additional formats at their discretion.