United Nations Good Works

Lady to Lead Science, Education, and Culture

2009-09-22T14:08:00.009-05:00

The UN is getting serious about its pledge to help achieve gender equality by putting a woman in charge of the UN Education, Science, and Culture Organization (UNESCO).

Irina Gueorguieva Bokova of Bulgaria won a hotly contested election against the Egyptian candidate. A vote on Monday had the two candidates deadlocked with 29 votes each. Apparently, if no one had one today's fifth round of voteing the winner would have been decided by a drawing of names out of a hat.

UNESCO has some really interesting projects including its list of World Heritage Sites, which promotes preservation of cutlural and natural landmarks around the globe.

Learn more about UNESCO at www.UNESCO.org

Mozambique Gets Ready to Rock the Vote

2009-08-25T08:45:00.002-05:00

Last summer, volunteers could be found everywhere – on the streets, outside of your grocery store, at your local music festival - with voter registration forms, trying to register and motivate new voters to make their opinions count in our 2008 presidential election. Partially due to these efforts, the US saw a huge increase in new voters on November 4th, and also a great enthusiasm for our fair election process. Luckily, the UNDP is helping Mozambique prepare similar efforts for their upcoming October elections to encourage everyone to vote, and also to ensure more fair and transparent elections.

Ever since the first multiparty and parliamentary elections were held there in 1994, the UNDP has been supporting Mozambique’s electoral process. Primarily, the UNDP has helped to improve the technical skills and resources of electoral commissions by training registration officers, polling officers and education agents. These officials are trained to ensure fairness and transparency behind the scenes, and also to help educate the public about electoral practices.

Voter registration is also a high priority. More than 387,000 new voters have been registered so far for the upcoming election, and “registration brigades” are hoping not only to register more voters, but also to encourage people who are registered to get out and vote to counter the country’s historically low election turnout. Although many older voters have yet to be persuaded that their vote really matters, there’s hope. Summed up by one brigade volunteer, “I also know a lot of young people who feel just the opposite: if we are allowed to vote, let’s act. Don’t leave it to others to decide for us!”

Want to learn more about Mozambique’s election preparations? Click Here!

Thailand - Turning Lights on, Taking Pollution Down

2009-08-17T15:28:00.002-05:00

Until now, Thailand’s most remote villages lived without continuous electricity. However, villagers in settlements not even charted on Thai maps, such as Mae Ya Noi, now have the ability to turn on a light and use electric-powered devices whenever they want. Better yet, the energy they are using comes from renewable sources! 100 houses in three villages across Mae Ya Noi now receive electricity from a new small hydro power plant.

Targeted renewable energy projects are taking off throughout Thailand – over 180 villages and towns throughout the country are now provided power by small plants such as the one in Mae Ya Noi, and this number is expected to double in the next few years. These improvements come with the help of the United Nations Development Programme, who in 2001 launched an initiative in conjunction with the Global Environment Facility and the Energy for Environment Foundation to promote renewable energy. Through careful cooperation and investment by Thailand’s government, the renewable energy market is now booming, and in the past eight years the country has succeeded in cutting 5 million tons of carbon emissions annually – the equivalent of taking 1.5 million cars off the road every year!

With the support of UNDP Thailand is doing its part to decrease dependency on oil and put an end to climate change. Read more about the initiative here.

Cambodian Style is Very Worthwhile

2009-08-14T11:50:00.003-05:00

Looking for fresh fashions? Check out what Cambodia has to offer! Fashion designers and garment workers are getting a boost from the International Labor Organization’s new “I am Precious” campaign, supported by UNDP. The campaign aims to encourage the creativity and innovation of the country’s garment workers, promoting the creation of quality products and their trade on the international market. To achieve this, the campaign puts on events such as the “Made in Cambodia” competition, asking for garment workers to submit original fashion designs while at the same time informing participants of career opportunities in this exciting sector. Move over Project Runway, there’s a new fashion show in town!

By 2008, the garment industry was responsible for 70% of Cambodia’s total export value. With 300,000 people directly employed in this industry and an estimated 1.5 million people benefitting from the sales of these products, the garment sector has been identified as one of 19 key Cambodian industries. These 19 sectors are being targeted by UNDP through its TRADE project with the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce. Using a sector-wide approach, UNDP aims at illuminating trade as a means to contribute to the reduction of poverty.

Read more about Cambodian fashion innovation and what it means for development here.

Can the Children Cope until Copenhagen?

2009-08-12T14:02:00.002-05:00

As is the case with nearly any global problem, whether it is poverty, illness, or hunger, we see the same groups again and again fall disproportionately victim to its ramifications – women, children, and the elderly. The global economic meltdown and changing climate are no different; they constitute two issues that highly impact children and will continue to do so in the coming decade.

August 12 marks International Youth Day, which prompted Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to recognize the impact of the economic crisis on children—although youth comprise only 25% of the world’s working age population, for example, they account for nearly 40% of the world’s unemployment. Compounding the problem, Ban asserts, is the threat of climate change, which will cause increased economic upheaval as those in developing countries face an escalating and disproportionate ‘ecological debt.’

Fortunately, the current generation of children is growing up with an increased awareness of global warming and climate change, as well as the steps necessary to mitigate the problem. These young people can lead by example, practicing green, healthy lifestyles and making conscious decisions to preserve precious natural resources. The age-old adage thus stands: the children are our future. But, with Copenhagen looming, does that future stand secure?

Mozambique Straight from the Field

2009-08-10T14:52:00.003-05:00

Hear about development in Mozambique straight from the field.

According to a country report of the African Peer Review Mechanism, Mozambique has made progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but there is still much ground left to be made up. Achievements crucial to the MDGs such as successful economic reform, advances in health, and improvement of education have all been recognized as a step in the right direction; however, the issues of political corruption, inequality, HIV/AIDS, and prevalent poverty remain challenges.

Much of the praise for Mozambique is due to the government’s “self-assessment” processes. A combined effort consisting of civil society, the private sector, and various political parties, the processes are intended to review and evaluate success and failures of governance in improving the state of the country.

Recognizing Mozambique’s progress in many areas and as the United Nations continued support of Mozambique, UNDP-USA has sent a civilian delegation to the country to witness projects first hand and report to the American public about their experience. Check out updates to our blog throughout the trip -- http://voicesfromthefield.blogspot.com/! And check in after our delegation returns for articles, op-eds, and other updates!

Sounds like a plan, Afghanistan!

2009-08-07T10:59:00.001-05:00

Preparation for the August 20th elections is well underway in Afghanistan. With 40 presidential candidates and 3,000 candidates running for provincial council seats, the elections are central to the country’s future. But, organizing such an important election in such a complicated country is no easy task – over 17 million ballot papers and nearly 100,000 ballot boxes are currently being delivered to locations across the country. Ensuring that all materials are successfully distributed, safe and secure, and free of tampering is a great undertaking.

Thankfully, the country’s Independent Election Commission has some help from the UNDP with the UN’s project ELECT (Enhancing Legal and Electoral Capacity for Tomorrow). In addition to providing logistical and technical support, project ELECT has also undertaken the role of training the media to inform citizens accurately about candidates and their positions as well as act as a watchdog on election day. The former is intentioned to help citizens make informed decisions while the latter is intentioned to ensure that the people’s decision is the one made on Election Day.

With the help of UNDP, now Afgans can get out and rock the vote!

Mapping Out a Plan to Save the Forest!

2009-08-03T15:57:00.001-05:00

Growing rice is a way of life for the people of the Karen hill tribe in northern Thailand. Their crop rotation system necessitates more and more land to be cleared for agriculture each year. However, this system is leading to rapid deforestation and soil erosion, which in turn has increased the number of environmental disasters in the area, such as flash flooding. New government conservation measures have, thankfully, restricted the forest areas available for clearing, but these new regulations are a problem for the Karen people, who are left unsure of where these new boundaries lie.

Thankfully, the UNDP is sponsoring a project to build 3-dimensional models of the villages and surrounding land, clearly marking natural landmarks such as rivers, as well as also rice-growing boundaries and protected forest.

Young and old villagers alike have taken an interest in the project, excited to know where they live and how their land relates to the larger community. Not only do these efforts help to stop environmental degradation, but they also help to map out future vital infrastructure, such as irrigation!

For more information (and a video!), click here!

Tajikistan Tackles Trafficking (Tricky, isn’t it?)

2009-07-31T15:20:00.001-05:00

Well, so is the issue of drug trafficking in this central Asian nation. Tajikistan sits on the crucial frontlines of the drug trafficking flow from Afghanistan to Russia and Europe. Fortunately, the UNDP and the EU have teamed up to develop the Central Asia Drug Action Programme to combat this illicit trade.

The trafficked drugs, such as heroin and opium, create significant health and development problems in central Asia and Europe – infected needles are a major contributing factor to the spread of HIV/AIDS. In addition to these problems, trafficking provides a major source of funding for terrorists and serves as a deterrent to legitimate economic activity and investment in Tajikistan.

Since its launch in 2004, the Central Asia Drug Action Programme has trained 23 members of Tajikistan’s major crime-fighting agencies to use specialized equipment such as endoscopes and test systems, as well as drug-sniffing dogs to root out drugs. And it’s been successful – 58 percent of all drug seizures in central Asia in 2008 were made in Tajikistan!

Want to learn more about Tajikistan’s Traffick-Tackling Program? Click Here!

Feeling Ill? Egypt’s got a Plant for That.

2009-07-29T13:27:00.004-05:00

When you think of Egypt, you think of arid desert right? But not all of Egypt is barren! St. Katherine’s Protectorate on the Sinai Peninsula is home to 37 species of plants that are endemic to Egypt alone! There are a total of 316 plant species in the area, 102 of which are actively used by the Egyptian people for medicinal purposes.

In a country with a dearth of arable land, how can Egypt make sure this valuable flora is protected? The United Nations Development Program has partnered with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) to achieve just this. In 2003, the Egypt-Conservation and Sustainable Use of Medicinal Plants in Arid and Semi-Arid Ecosystems was launched. The project has so far protected 12 endemic endangered species, created opportunities for generating income through the use of medicinal plants, created an encyclopedia about medicinal plants, and even taken measures to abolish over-grazing of the plants. Through projects like these, UNDP is working hard to ensure the conservation of biodiversity around the globe!

Read more about the project by clicking here.

Also, check UNDP-USA's Voices From the Field Blog to follow Executive Director, Elizabeth Latham and her team on their exciting fact-finding journey to Mozambique.
http://voicesfromthefield.blogspot.com/

Sew You Think You Can... Start Your Own Business?

2009-07-27T15:38:00.004-05:00

Due to a longstanding historical prejudice against women in business and a lack of access to capital, it’s hard for most women in Bangladesh to be entrepreneurs of any kind. However, thanks to a UNDP initiative, women like Kakuli Aktar are taking business initiatives into their own hands, one pair of pants at a time.

After being widowed with a child at age 14 and with only a seventh grade education, Kakuli was an unlikely success story. However, she refused to become another helpless statistic, and learned how to sew through a UN-supported training program. In 2008, she took out a loan from her local Community Development Committee and opened up her own tailoring shop, which now boasts a thriving business.

Not only is she now able to provide for herself and her son, but Kakuli is currently teaching two other girls how to sew through a UN-sponsored apprentice program. These women’s involvement in their communities, with the help of the UNDP, is helping to significantly break down social barriers by lifting women out of their traditional roles, and out of poverty.

Want to learn more? Click Here!

Turning Brain Drain into Brain Gain!

2009-07-24T14:17:00.003-05:00

Here in the US, we have some of the best medical professionals in the world. But what would happen if our aspiring doctors thought they could get a better education outside of the United States, and ended up settling down and practicing abroad? Unfortunately, this is what’s happening in Lebanon – some of the best and brightest in the fields of medicine, law, economics and the environment are leaving Lebanon, taking with them their expertise, innovation and ambition.

Fortunately, the UNDP is turning this brain drain into a brain gain by bringing accomplished Lebanese individuals back to Lebanon so that they can use their expertise to help their fellow countrymen. Through the TOKTEN project (Transfer of Knowledge through Expatriate Nationals), the UNDP is facilitating the return of these talented expatriates to work as volunteer consultants on development projects in several Lebanese ministries.

The TOKTEN project has been especially effective in the treatment of cancer in Lebanon. After the Ministry of Public Health expressed a need for the development of cancer treatments, TOKTEN volunteers implemented a “National Chemotherapy Protocols” project, through which they are helping to improve, regulate and monitor oncology protocols for ailing patients.

Now, not only are the people of Lebanon healthier, but the presence of gifted doctors, lawyers and other expatriate professionals is helping improve and develop Lebanon itself!

Want to learn more about TOKTEN? Click Here!

Forget the Old School, It’s All About the “e-School”

2009-07-22T16:00:00.002-05:00

The internet is full of great information – it’s how you found this page, after all. But many children in the world cannot take advantage of the academic and social resources available to many in the Western world due to lack of internet access. UNDP in Albania is attempting to connect primary and secondary school students across the country with computer labs and internet access.

In addition to providing expanded resources, the hope of the program is to provide students and teachers with basic information technology skills – an expertise that will help them connect to a modern and changing global job market. Over 1,600 IT-trained teachers are now running classrooms in almost 1,200 schools, benefiting thousands of students every year.

Have a Facebook or Myspace account? Maybe now you can make an e-friend in Albania!

From Street Gangsters to Kings of Kitchen Science

2009-07-20T09:29:00.003-05:00

16-year-old Nuria enjoys cooking low-fat porridges, curd pancakes, and various salads. Her friend Ravshan likes to prepare meat dishes. Both Ravshan and Nuria who were brought up in a Kyrgyz orphanage could have ended up in the street, but instead, with the help of UNDP, they are going to become professional cooks and find their own place under the sun.

In Kyrgyzstan, an ex-Soviet Union country in Central Asia, children proved to be one of the most vulnerable to the blows of transition. Due to economic hardships, they drop out of schools, go to the streets to work and help their parents, or join gangs. Once children find themselves in the street, they suffer from poor nutrition, insufficient winter clothing, and accidents as they take over the tasks of adults.

One of the initiatives that UNDP-Kyrgyzstan proposed in order to address this problem is providing vocational education for such children. Analysis of the Kyrgyz labor market showed that the most demanded professions are those of cooks, builders, and carpenters. UNDP-Kyrgyzstan helped children from vulnerable families, orphanages, and shelters – just like Nuria and Ravshan – to get enrolled in culinary classes where they studied European and traditional Kyrgyz cuisine. Right after the completion of the courses, the cooks-to-be started receiving numerous job offers from the prospective employers.

Hopefully, as the program expands, more street children in Kyrgyzstan will be able to learn a good trade that will provide them with bread and help manage their lives.

Learn more about UNDP’s project “Vocational Education to Street Children in the Kyrgyz Republic” here.

They're on a Boat

2009-07-15T12:30:00.002-05:00

Break out your swim trunks and your flippy floppies - fisherman in the poor, rural Arbaat region in Eastern Sudan are now sailing on a boat. The Recovery and Rehabilitation Program, managed by UNDP Sudan, recently donated three fishing boats to help the fishermen help themselves.

Although fishing is traditionally a way of life in the region, lately fishermen have had trouble finding the resources to bring home any fish at all, let alone make any kind of profit. Small, wooden shallow-water boats are few and far between and those which do exist have insufficient refrigeration on board, leading to spoiled fish and hungry mouths.

Now, 35 fishermen in the region operate in teams to share three motorized, fiberglass boats provided by the program. Not only can they catch a variety of previously inaccessible deepwater fish, three coolers onboard the ships guarantee that the fish can be taken back to the shore unspoiled. Truly a community program, the fishermen share all profits between them when the fish are sold at local markets.

Teach a man to fish and he’ll have food for life. Give a man a boat and he can feed the whole community!

Want to learn more? Click Here!

Excelling in Electoral Education

2009-07-13T15:59:00.002-05:00

How important is the media in public elections? They are a lot more influential than you might think! As the main source of public information about candidates and the voting process in many countries, the media has a responsibility to understand local electoral practices and convey mass messages objectively. The UNDP, with its focus on democratic governance and capacity development, works to improve the practices of the media in the electoral processes of countries around the world, including in the nation of Turkmenistan.
In 2008, in response to a request made by the government of Turkmenistan, UNDP in partnership with the National Institute of Democracy and Human Rights launched a project entitled “Cooperation on Enhancing Electoral System and Processes in Turkmenistan.” As part of this project, UNDP and the NIDHR held a one-day workshop on June 30th for members of the Turkmen mass media from TV channels to regional print media to learn about electoral best practices and enhance the professionalism of electoral media coverage. By providing national media with the skills they need to do their job fairly, UNDP is empowering the Turkmen population to get out the vote!
Learn more about UNDP’s efforts to enhance the Turkmen electoral system here.

Syrious about Environmental Protection

2009-07-10T12:36:00.003-05:00

Ever wanted to frolic with an Arabian Oryx? How about swim with a Mediterranean Monk Seal? Thanks to the work of the Syrian government in conjunction with the UNDP’s Global Biodiversity Programme, you might still get that chance. After facing the negative impact of more than fifty years of climate change, Syria has had enough – no more environmental damage! The Oryx and Monk Seal along with about twenty other rare and endangered species are now being protected through the project for Biodiversity Conservation and Protected Area Management, a seven year initiative implemented through the work of Syrian ministries and the UNDP.

Efforts to protect the environment don’t stop with the Syrian government. Children are being taught to make toys out of recycled garbage! Volunteers are working with UN agencies to clean up streets! Environmental art competitions are getting youth involved in the fight against pollution! By empowering the local people to take an active interest in the protection of the land which they call home, the UNDP is building sustainable conservation efforts in Syria.

To learn more about conservation efforts and progress in Syria click here.

UNite for Women's Rights!

2009-07-08T15:25:00.003-05:00

Gender inequity and violence against women have been major problems for centuries. In the United States, women’s rights became an issue to be addressed in the late 19th century when the outspoken Susan B. Anthony launched the women’s suffrage movement. Even then, Anthony’s efforts only came to fruition fourteen years after her death with the 1920 ratification of the 19th amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Fortunately, in most Western societies today, women are considered equal to their male counterparts.

Unfortunately, gender-based violence and the mistreatment of women remains a harsh reality in many countries around the world. A report released today by the United Nations shows that violence against Afghan women, for example, is widespread and often goes unpunished. To make matters worse, the Afghan government does nothing to address the impunity with which these crimes occur; within the state structure, no legislation protecting women’s rights exist, thus allowing rape and other acts of discrimination to continue.

Women actively involved in sectors of public life are most frequently attacked. Political leaders within Afghanistan must do more to address this issue and ensure that women and girls do not have to live in a state of perpetual fear. It is time that someone like Susan B. Anthony stands up against these abhorrent acts and condemns gender inequity wherever it takes place.

Is São Paulo the New Venice?

2009-07-07T08:55:00.005-05:00

There’s a new way to commute to work in São Paulo—by water. Far from a Venetian gondola, Latin America’s first hydrogen-powered bus carries 63 passengers while releasing only water vapor into the air, rather than carbon dioxide.

Four years or research and partnership of the United Nations Development Programme, the Brazilian Mines and Energy Ministry, and the city of São Paulo’s Urban Transportation Company have made such a feat possible. While on a two-month trial basis, the city will monitor the bus with hopes that it can expand the program in coming years.

As the world seeks an alternative to fossil fuels, hydrogen is proving to be a promising alternative. Carlos Zündt, planning manager of the Sao Paulo Urban Transportation Company and coordinator of the hydro bus project, asserts, "By 2080, 90 percent of the world’s vehicles will be run by hydrogen." To find out more about the hydrogen bus project click here or hydrogen-fueled technology click here!

Nasty Nematodes Beware!

2009-07-01T15:26:00.005-05:00

Can you imagine never seeing the sun rise? How about never seeing the smile on your child’s face? Thanks to a new drug called Moxidectin, some 100 million people across the African continent will be saved from such a dire reality. These individuals currently suffer from river blindness, a debilitating disease caused by the worm Onchocerca volvulus. Transmitted by the bite of the Black Fly, which breeds in fast-flowing rivers, these nasty parasites spread rapidly and can survive for up to fifteen years in the human body.

At present, the drug ivormectin is used to control river blindness endemic in African countries. Unfortunately, the drug only kills the worm larvae, which means that annual treatments are required for anywhere from 11-14 years to prevent further reproduction and transmission. On Wednesday, however, the UN health agency announced the launch of a clinical trial of Moxidectin in Ghana, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is believed this drug will kill not only the worm larvae, but also the adult worms, halting the disease cycle within six annual rounds of treatment.

Some 1,500 individuals are currently enrolled in the clinical trial, which will last approximately 2.5 years.

Women, Work, and Family: Lessons from Latin America

2009-06-29T14:39:00.006-05:00

It’s normal thing in the United States for husbands help their wives with cleaning the house, cooking, or doing the laundry. This is especially true in cases when wives, along with their husbands, work and make their own contribution to the family budget. However, in Latin America, the situation is completely different – such behavior on the part of men would be ridiculed and considered challenging the traditional “machist” perception of manhood.

Today, when more than 100 million (!) women throughout Latin America and the Caribbean work, a traditional Latin American perception of gender roles is still impeding improvements in the quality of women’s life: the household work is undervalued and there is an overall belief that caring for the home and family is a woman’s responsibility. The tensions between their family life and work also have a negative impact on women’s performance and commitment in the workplace, which, in turn, decreases their own productivity and that of the national economy.

Yet, a few Latin American countries have achieved quite a notable progress in addressing these issues. For example, Costa Rica offers day care plans for almost all workers; Brazil has a pension plan for workers in the informal economy, which often includes more women than men; and Chile has paternity leave as well as maternity leave. To read the full version of the joint UN and ILO report “Work and Family: A New Call for Public Policies of Reconciliation with Social Co-responsibility” that describes some of these strategies in detail, please click here.

Emergency? Dial 9-1-Camel

2009-06-26T08:37:00.003-05:00

When someone is seriously injured here in the US, they’re whisked away in a fast-moving ambulance. But try to drive that ambulance in a rural desert with no roads, and you’ve got yourself a problem. To solve this predicament, the UNDP in Ethiopia is turning camels into emergency transport vehicles.

Ok, so they don’t have sirens or flashing lights. But these humped, spitting beasts of burden are ideally suited to transport seriously ill patients across the deserts of rural Ethiopia to hospitals. The UNDP has also trained men and women in basic healthcare to ride along with the camels, and these doctor-camel teams are working as primary and emergency health providers for around 140,000 rural residents.

So, the next time you fall and you can’t get up, you might want to consider calling a camel.

Picture This: Environmental Sustainability in Pictures!

2009-06-23T11:05:00.005-05:00

Last week, UNDP, Olympus and AFP partnered to launch Picturethis, an Africa based photo competition designed to highlight the work of African natives to negate and reverse the effects of climate change. The competition aims to demonstrate the people of Africa as ‘stewards of their natural environment’.

The contest is inspired by the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, which will bring together over 15,000 officials from 200 countries to address climate change and explore options to extend the Kyoto Protocol’s treaty’s into the future.

The contest is exclusively for those who have resided in Africa for 12 months and has amateur and professional categories. The entries can be either single photographs or a series and are expected to display how the local population is working together toward MDG 7- Environmental Sustainability. The contest also looks to depict the role that women play in protecting their environment.

UNDP Administrator, Helen Clark said recently “the developing world stands to lose the most from the effects of climate change and environmental degradation”. With this in mind, the competition seeks to demonstrate how even the smallest of projects can have a positive impact on the surrounding environment.

Sneaky Sands Threaten Livelihoods Around the World

2009-06-17T15:55:00.003-05:00

With the majority of news broadcasts covering incidents of death, disease, and destruction, the major threat of desertification to the lives of millions around the world is often overlooked. However, on June 17—officially marked World Day to Combat Desertification—Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon made it his personal mission to emphasize the danger of encroaching deserts, especially to populations already marginalized by poverty. A process that is accelerating rapidly as a result of climate change, desertification is an issue that, like many others, will disproportionately affect the poor. According to Mr. Ban’s statement, by 2050, an estimated 200 million people, particularly those who lack the capacity to adapt, will become environmentally-induced migrants. The resultant extent of displacement in turn will set the stage for increased instability and conflict in those regions hardest hit.

As the average surface temperature of the planet continues to rise, increased periods of drought and famine will deepen poverty, and as a consequence, reverse any progress made toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Further land degradation is sure to incite a greater incidence of transnational and intrastate conflicts as displaced populations fight to secure their most basic needs. While these conflicts may occur under the pretense of cultural and religious differences, the underlying environmental factors must be addressed. Simply put, regardless of cause, climate change is real, and its portended effects can and will be devastating. Something most be done to reverse environmental degradation; if not, a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions may be inevitable.

Saving the World. One Goal at a Time.

2009-06-16T16:15:00.005-05:00

On Thursday, the Intergovernmental Organization for Renewable Energy honored former Brazilian Striker and current World Cup goal-scoring record holder Ronaldo for his work on securing Brazil’s natural energy reserves. Ronaldo, a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, is also set to be awarded by UNDP for his work with poverty-stricken children in Brazil and Latin America.
The Brazilian star’s recently announced a follow up to 2004’s ‘Match for Peace’ in Haiti only serves to further reinforce his international image. The friendly match will this time be held in Palestine, a region ravaged for decades by conflict and turmoil. Add to this the annual ‘Match for Poverty’ he and French star Zinedine Zidane have organized since 2002 and you have the beginnings of what could be a football-fueled development blitz.

UNDP, FIFA and the stars organize these matches to mobilize the public against poverty and promote the Millennium Development Goals, which collectively aim to halve global poverty by 2015. Ticket sales and proceeds from the previous matches have benefited anti-poverty projects ranging from support of female entrepreneurs to the construction of sports centers for street children and the disadvantaged. Funds have gone to support projects all over the world, from Brazil and Burkina Faso to Tajikistan, Uganda, and Vietnam.

French star Zinedine Zidane, not to be outdone by his Brazilian colleague, recently announced his own ‘Zidane and Friends’ football tour of Canada to raise money for UNICEF and UNDP. The Canadian leg of the Zidane Friendship Tour is a three-city event designed to give Canadian soccer fans the unique opportunity to watch world class football while helping those who need it most. With this kind of star power behind it, UNDP hopes to kick development goals around the world.

For more information, click on the “Match Against Poverty” or the “Zidane and Friends” tour.

Need an Excuse to Play Computer Games? FreeRice.com Needs You…Now.

2009-06-12T12:50:00.003-05:00

For many Americans, the current financial crisis means cutting back. Across the board, people are spending less money on luxury and even some essential items, from food and clothing to outings and vacations. Many families face home foreclosure; stores, bankruptcy. The evidence of economic hardship is everywhere, and yet the impact of the financial crisis extends beyond national borders. The head of the United Nations World Food Program warned today that, as a consequence of the lowest level of global food aid in twenty years, the poor and hungry around the world are facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

Compounding the problem is the UN food agency’s total reliance on voluntary donations to achieve its ends. In light of the financial crisis, it should therefore come to no surprise that the World Food Program is feeling the crunch. However, given the millions who rely on UN food aid, something needs to be done. Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the organization, today urged development ministers of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations meeting in Italy to support the agency in its efforts to help the world’s most needy survive. One in six people are going hungry, and every six seconds, a child dies of starvation.

Why should you care? The expanding hunger crisis can lead to destabilization, and impact global peace and security. Do your part today. If you have the means, donate to WFP. If you do not, go to www.freerice.com and play! For each correct answer, 10 grains of rice are donated through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger.

Hot Enough to Fry an Egg!

2009-06-10T13:52:00.007-05:00

Have you ever felt weather so hot that you could fry an egg on the sidewalk? There is so much energy from the Sun hitting Earth everyday that it could cook every last egg on the planet! Harnessing that energy is a vital part of creating a more sustainable future, from massive solar power plant complexes, like the planned "solar tower" of Australia, to smaller scale projects like solar powered vehicles. Today, the United Nations Development Program has partnered with the Global Environment Facility, the European Union, and the Chilean government to harness the power of the sun, prevent deforestation and bring renewable energy to local communities in northern Chile.

The people who live in these communities traditionally relied on wood to fuel their stoves, but thanks to UNDP are now embracing solar ovens as a way to rehabilitate their damaged environment. The overcutting of firewood in northern Chile has accelerated deforestation, drying up already-arid lands. Solar ovens bring an eco-friendly alternative to cooking needs, and lay the foundations for greater renewable energy use in the future. But UNDP is not just providing solar ovens, it is training locals to construct their own ovens so that they may pass the knowledge on to others in the community. Alejandra Alarcon, National Coordinator of the UNDP Small Grants Programme’s Global Environment Facility, stressed the importance of providing not just the materials but the know-how, "The only way to see long-lasting results is if people can build their own ovens and share the knowledge with other communities.”

To learn more about solar ovens in Chile, and how they are sparking green-change and green-entrepreneurship click here

Become a Lean, Mean [Green] Climate Change-Fighting Machine!

2009-06-05T14:54:00.001-05:00

Rising sea levels. Glacier retreat. Arctic shrinkage. Climactic variation. Increased annual temperatures and extreme weather events. Expansion of tropical diseases. Fluctuating precipitation patterns. We have all heard about global warming and its consequences, and yet for most of us, the warnings do little to fundamentally change our behavior. While “going green” has become the 21^st century’s latest fad, SUVS with single passengers continue to clutter America’s roads, gas prices remain low (discouraging responsible conservation practices), and recycling systems remain woefully inadequate. Buying clothes from eco-friendly stores and food in biodegradable containers from environmentally-conscious restaurants is a start, but it is not enough.

Today, June 5, is World Environment Day, an annual celebration established by the United Nations in 1972 to raise awareness, stimulate dialogue around environmental issues, and enhance political attention and action. WED is hosted by a different city every year; to show Mexico’s increasing importance in the fight against climate change, this year’s event is being held in Mexico City. As a leading partner in the Billion Trees Campaign, Mexico is at the forefront of Latin America’s progress toward combating global warming.

Because the theme for the 2009 World Environment Day is “Your Planet Needs You—UNite to Combat Climate Change,” do your part to help save the environment! Turn out the lights behind you. Ride a bike to work. Pick up a piece of trash lying in the park. It is time that everyone in the United States did their part to cut back on the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. We can only hope that world leaders feel a similar urgency in Copenhagen in December.

Ensuring Safety on Election Day

2009-06-03T10:50:00.003-05:00

Going to the polls on Election Day in the States can be a stressful event, especially for those so dedicated as to wait for hours in long lines like so many did last November. But rarely do voters have to fear for their physical safety. The same is not true in Afghanistan, where, on August 20, voters will exercise their still only recently acquired democratic rights by casting their votes in the second presidential election since the collapse of the Taliban regime eight years ago.

In response to the likely threat of election violence, the UNDP, in conjunction with the EU’s Police Mission and the Afghan Interior Ministry, has recently launched a program to train over 35,000 police forces to promote voter safety on Election Day. The Election Support Project not only reinforces training to ensure safety to voters, but informs officers on the laws and standards for the election to help ensure election fairness.

With much at stake in this election for the future of Afghanistan and the world, the UNDP’s work is crucial in ensuring elections are free, fair, and safe for all.

UN Peacekeepers: Keeping the Peace since 1948

2009-06-01T15:27:00.005-05:00

Everyone wants his or her life to stand for something. Some people join the military. Others become the president and CEO of their own business. Still others start a family. For some people meaning and purpose are derived from a role that will bring them neither fame nor fortune, comfort nor luxury. These people give up almost everything they have to fight on the front lines of the war against poverty, disease, water scarcity, environmental degradation, and intrastate conflict. They do not have guns to protect themselves. They do not have the security of a soldier’s national uniform to guarantee them safety in a tough situation. These people are the UN peacekeepers.

May 29, 2009 marked the 61st anniversary of the day the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO)—the first United Nations peacekeeping mission—began operations in Palestine. In 2002, the General Assembly designated May 29 as an international day of tribute to the dedication and courage of the men and women who have or are currently risking their lives to serve others around the world. Since 2002, the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers has commemorated the high professionalism of these people and specifically honored those who have lost their lives in the ‘cause for peace.’

In today’s world, the need for UN peacekeepers is greater than ever. This year’s commemorative ceremonies, presided over by Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, honored the 132 peacekeeping personnel, 10 of them women, who lost their lives in 2008 UN peacekeeping missions. Special emphasis was given to the role of women peacekeepers, who remain sorely underrepresented among UN forces. Given the importance of empowering women and girls in conditions of conflict or extreme poverty (which often go hand-in-hand), the need for greater deployment of women in UN missions is indubitable.

A Woman's Place Is In the House ... And the National Assembly

2009-06-01T15:04:00.007-05:00

Women here in the US gained the right to vote in 1920, nearly a century and a half after (white, property-owning) men had cast their ballots. That was a year before the Arab nation of Kuwait held its inaugural parliamentary election, and it took another 85 years for women to gain the right to vote.

Yet, in the four years since the very first Kuwaiti women voted for her parliamentary representative, women have come to occupy 8% of the 50 member seats of the National Assembly - for comparison's sake, after 90 years of women's suffrage, a total of only 17% of of U.S. House members and senators are female.

How did Kuwait do it? Remarkably, they didn't use a quota system reserving a certain number of elected seats for women, although that policy has brought greater gender equality to the legislatures of many nations, developed and developing alike. UNDP and UNIFEM worked together with civil society organizations and women's groups to boost women's turnout in the polls, and, as UNDP-Kuwait Resident Representative Mohamed Naciri put it, "to change attitudes towards women’s political activity as a legal right that is in line with Islamic jurisprudence."

Check out a public service announcement encouraging women to vote for the candidate they support, not the one that their husbands and fathers prefer. Then, read more about UNDP's work in Kuwaiti elections here.

Rising Up Against Climate Change

2009-05-29T14:02:00.003-05:00

The Baka people, an indigenous tribe of hunter-gatherers that lives in eastern Cameroon, have a distinctive culture of their own – a semi-nomadic people, the Baka were revered by European colonialists for the prowess in elephant hunting. But thanks to the UN, the Baka can add one more skill to their roster: film-making. UNDP and the Global Environment Facility supplied video cameras to members of the Baka tribe, and they’re using them to make short films about how climate change is affecting their livelihoods.

The video program is one of the ways that the UN is working to implement its Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples, landmark legislation that the General Assembly approved in 2007. In this case, the Baka people now have the tools to communicate to policymakers and put indigenous concerns on the agenda. And they’re teaching what they’ve learned about making videos to other communities through Okani, an organization whose name means “rise up” that the Baka founded.

Check out the video below to see what the Baka community has been working on. Or, read more about the program here.

I Love Lucy: UN Edition?

2009-05-28T14:58:00.005-05:00

Bored with Desperate Housewives and Seinfeld? Is Dr. McDreamy leaving you hanging? Tune into “Plastic Sheeting in the Wind,” to be broadcast in primetime every Saturday night beginning May 30^th on Japan’s public television network (NHK)! The concept for the new television drama, which follows the life of a fictional pu blic information assistant named Rika Kudo who joins the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is based on the need to improve awareness of the United Nation and its work with refugees and internally displaced persons.

The show highlights the dangers aid workers face in conflict-prone areas and the challenges faced by asylum-seekers in Japan, while incorporating sensationalist elements to entice millions of viewers to tune in week after week. The protagonist must overcome obstacles and hardships most of us do not typically encounter in day-to-day life, including having to bid farewell to her husband, a UNHCR protection officer, when he is reassigned to Sudan. Other twists and turns are sure to have you clinging to the edge of your seat!

Using fictional accounts, the show will raise awareness of the UNHCR and stimulate dialogue about refugee issues of increasing importance in today’s conflict-ridden world.

UNDP Helps Develop Judiciary in Timor-Leste

2009-05-22T13:46:00.008-05:00

Newly democratic states face a laundry list of problems as they try to institutionalize reforms and make their government both responsive and accountable. But combating lawlessness is one of the biggest issues - countries need to exercise their authority without becoming authoritarian. Making sure that the judicial system treats all its citizens fairly is one important way that nations can reinforce their commitment to democracy.

In the nation of Timor-Leste, UNDP is helping to ensure that judges and public defenders are not only familiar with their country's laws, but also know how important an independent judicial system is to a functioning democracy. UNDP's Justice System Program has been working closely with Timor-Leste's Council of Coordination of the Justice Sector to enforce court reform, including establishing a Legal Training Center, which can count among its graduates two judges and four public defenders who were sworn in last week.

For more information on the program, click here, and you can read a previous blog post about the Justice System Program's outreach efforts in Timor-Leste here.

Tech-Savvy Ghanaians!

2009-05-20T09:34:00.005-05:00

Technology is not reserved only for the wealthy, industrialized nations. We can now use technology to aid developing countries in battling poverty as well as coping with rapid globalization. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN-Ghana), is setting up ten Information and Communication Technology (ITC) learning centers in each of the ten regions in Ghana. This MTN ITC Learning Centers Project is a US$670,000 project, with $70,000 funded by UNDP. ITC education will serve multiple purposes, from developing the economy and enhancing the quality of education, to encouraging entrepreneurship and creating employment opportunities. In addition, the UNDP Resident Representative, Mr. Daouda Toure, said the UNDP would continue to help Ghana in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and middle-income status by 2015.

Creating Hope from Tragedy

2009-05-15T21:45:00.004-05:00

The United Nations Development Program is helping the government of China bring relief to those still affected by the devastating earthquake of last year. The massive quake shook the mountainous southwestern province of Sichuan, taking the lives of over 70,000 people and causing billions of dollars in damage. After a year since the quake hit last May, the destruction left in its wake is still affecting millions.

Despite the tragic events of the Sichuan earthquake, the Chinese government is looking to the future. The State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development (LGOP) is teaming up with the UNDP to not only provide relief to those in need, but to rebuild quake affected areas so that they will have a more sustainable and eco-friendly future. The relief and reconstruction efforts will be guiding over 4500 villages in southwest China as they work to rebuild their lives and their communities.

The UNDP will be focusing specifically on assisting the most vulnerable of those in need of relief: women, children, the eldery, and the disabled. The program will be put into action over the next two years, supported by over $5.36 Million US in funding. Since its implementation in September of last year, over 25,000 people have already benefited from the program, over half of which are women and children.

Click here to learn more.

UN Helps Flood Relief in Namibia

2009-05-15T14:17:00.004-05:00

Here in Washington, DC, we've had an unreasonably rainy spring season. But that's nothing compared to the floods that have plagued the northern regions of Namibia - floods that have killed 100, displaced 55,000, and ruined wide swathes of farmland, as well as social facilities like schools and hospitals. 350,000 Namibians - that's around 17% of the entire population - have lost their livelihoods over the past few months.

Several United Nations agencies stepped in with $2.7 million worth of goods and relief work to support the humanitarian efforts that the Namibian government had already gotten underway. UNDP in particular contributed $1.3 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund. The worst affected areas have been evacuated, but as the rainfall is diminishing and the floods are receding, aid workers are already concentrating on preventing similar consequences in future years: UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representtive Simon Nhongo says, "Since the damage has already been done, the bigger task of recovery and rehabilitation is ahead of us and will run into millions of US dollars. To lessen the impact of the rains that will surely come next year, it is essential that we start to build back better now.”

For more information, click here.

Tennis in Chernobyl?

2009-05-06T11:49:00.009-05:00

The UN got a little help from a tennis player last week in raising awareness for its new program in Eastern Europe. The UN will allocate $2.5 million to help people who are still affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986. The UN initiative will provide assistance to communities in a region home to 5 million people that cuts across three different countries. Tennis superstar Maria Sharapova urged for an international effort to assist in rebuilding affected areas. Sharapova, a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program, has a personal connection to the Chernobyl disaster. A huge area was affected by radiation, and her parents were forced to relocate just before she was born. Sharapova said of the 23rd Chernobyl anniversary, “We must continue to work with the same goal in mind: bringing life back to normal for all the people touched by the disaster.”

In order to help dispel fears and misinformation, the UN will provide education and training to a wide range of civil society actors; including teachers, medical professionals, media, and community leaders. The program will also focus on giving advice about health risks and healthy lifestyles. The work will be a collaboration between the United Nations Development Program, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization.

Click here to see the video.

UNDP Helps Marshal Volunteer Teachers in Burkina Faso

2009-05-04T13:58:00.004-05:00

More than 70% of the adult population in the small, landlocked west African country of Burkina Faso is illiterate. And even though the country's rate of school enrollment is only 45%, its youthful population - nearly half the country is younger than 15 - means that it suffers from a nationwide teacher shortage. Classrooms of over 100 students are not uncommon, and sometimes there are so few teachers that schools simply shut down.

That's what happened this past September, when a teacher in the bush village of Iolonioro went on maternity leave. 67 elementary school students spent nearly two months on an impromtpu vacation from classes until the Burkina Faso National Volunteers Programme (PNVB) stepped in. Co-financed by the UNDP, the UN Volunteer Program, and the Burkina Faso government, the PNVB has recruited more than 80 trained teachers to volunteer in elementary schools while they wait for the test results that will give them their teaching certifications.

When they do receive their results, participating teachers will begin their search for paid positions with significant teaching experience under their belts. And Burkinabé students will be that much closer to reducing their country's illiteracy levels - and, perhaps, passing on the favor to students of the next generation.

Read the full article here.

UN Launches World Digital Library

2009-04-22T16:14:00.003-05:00

Quick: where can you go to find an 18th century map of the Galapagos islands, a video recording of immigrants landing on Ellis Island in the early 1900s, and a scanned 15th century German translation of Aesop's fables, complete with photographs of the original cover and woodcut illustrations? You might be able to dig up the first two after lot of Googling and visiting several different libraries, but there are only three known copies of the Aesop's Fables manuscript. So unless you're writing a doctorate thesis on ancient Greek folklore, up until a few days ago, you'd probably have been out of luck there.

But not anymore. On Monday, the United Nations launched a new resource, the World Digital Library, where you can access all these documents and hundreds of other sound recordings, maps, prints, videos, photos, books, and manuscripts from all over the world. The website can even be accessed in any of the six official UN languages. You can explore the library by place, time, topic, type of item, or where the original copy is located - whether it's the Library of Congress or the Biblitheca Alexandrina in Egypt.

Check it out at www.wdl.org.

Mongolian Rescue Team Receives Advanced Training

2009-04-20T10:50:00.004-05:00

Rescue teams from Mongolia will be receiving advanced training in dealing with hazardous materials with the help of United Nations Development Programme's project, "Strengthening Disaster Mitigation and Management System in Mongolia." This ten-day program, lasting from April 20 to April 30, will educate fifteen trainees from the National Emergency Management Agency's(NEMA) Special Rescue Unit, City Rescue HQ, and Emergency Unit-105. These trainees will improve their skills in identifying, controlling, monitoring and neutralizing hazards and hazardous situations, as well as deactivating and burying radioactive pollution. The training efforts aim to prepare Mongolia in efficiently managing disasters, while also strengthening the institutional capacity to respond to emergencies.

United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) is an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.

Romeo Does Not Have to Die!

2009-04-15T11:29:00.004-05:00

On April 3^rd, Jet Li, an international film star and a martial arts expert, was appointed to be World Health Organization's Goodwill Ambassador. After experiencing the 2004 South Asian tsunami firsthand, Jet Li became actively involved in disaster relief efforts as well as promotion of mental health amongst youth. He set up the Jet Li One Foundation, which collaborates with the Red Cross Society of China in focusing on education, health, environment, and poverty. In honoring his effort as well as encouraging his future involvement, the World Health Organization chose Jet Li to be the spokesperson for raising awareness on key health issues. The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that directs and coordinates support on international public health issues.

Before Li’s appointment, many other celebrities have led the efforts of United Nations, such as George Clooney as a United Nations Messenger of Peace, Drew Barrymore as the Ambassador Against Hunger for the World Food Program, and Angelina Jolie as the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

Bringing Justice to the People

2009-04-10T18:42:00.007-05:00

Most Americans have a basic understanding of how the justice system works here. We know about the right to a fair trial, innocence until proven guilty, judgment by a jury of our peers, and other basic concepts of the American legal system. Many of us know some things so well its as though we were born with them, like the beginning of the Miranda warning: "you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law". Even if we learned it from watching too many episodes of Cops rather than actually studying the law, it still demonstrates the widespread public awareness that we sometimes take for granted.

Unfortunately not everywhere is lucky enough to be able to take this for granted. One such place is troubled Timor-Leste. Although the violence that followed its declaration of independence in 1975 was mostly brought to an end by 2002 when it finally achieved international recognition, its fledgling government still faces many challenges. Today the UN is working to rebuild the civil institutions, like the justice system, of this fragile nation. On April 6th the UNDP Justice System Program undertook its first outreach campaign in the city of Pante Makassar. Government officials, judges, lawyers and members of the public were brought together in a forum for open discussion. Participants were provided with informational materials, and were able to ask questions about the issues that affect their lives everyday.

The UNDP Justice System Program will be continuing its campaign, helping build the capacity of the courts and ministry of justice, and bringing its open forums to districts around the country.

Find out more about UNDP's work in Timor-Leste by clicking here.

Getting Out the Vote, from Sulawesi to Jakarta

2009-04-06T10:36:00.012-05:00

National elections pose logistical challenges in any country, but planning for safe and fair elections is hardest in large, developing democracies, like that of Indonesia. This Thursday, more than 170 million Indonesians will be eligible to vote for their representatives in the national parliament, as well as on a number of regional assemblies. And voter turnout looks to be more diverse than ever before, thanks to UNDP's voter education program in Indonesia.

UNDP has been working with local Indonesian organizations to reach often-marginalized voters, like the disabled, the elderly, sex workers, and first-time voters. The local organizations have been teaching voter education classes and going door-to-door to let Indonesian citizens know where, when, and how to vote. Groups have also organized puppet shows, cultural dances, a youth festival, TV and radio commercials, public dialogues, and debates to help spread the word. These voter education initiatives are part of UNDP's three-year, $15 million electoral support program in Indonesia.

Watch the video below to see clips of voter education classes in action, and to hear Indonesians talk about how UNDP's programs have helped them. Click here to see another video, and here for more information on the projects.

Renewable energy for Rural Livelihoods.

2009-04-02T10:04:00.019-05:00

On the edge of Rajasthan, marking the border between India and Pakistan, four villages have had their nights lit up by incandescent bulbs running on renewable solar energy. The villages have never been connected to a power grid. The lights they now have are part of the Government of India and United Nations Development Program project ‘Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihoods’ that trained and engaged village women as “Barefoot Solar Engineers” for generating renewable solar energy.

Four young women – one from each village – have assembled these lights from scratch and are paid to maintain and repair them. The Social Work and Research Centre (SWRC), a Tilonia-based NGO, which implemented the program in Barmer district of Rajasthan, runs a residential training program for women from selected villages at its campus in Rajasthan.

In the villages there are many still bemused that young women who until a few months ago were like any other – cleaning the yard, fetching water, helping with the cooking – are now called “engineers”. But, they would rather have lights irrespective of who is maintaining them. Each family with a light contributes to a village fund from which their woman “Barefoot Solar Engineer” is paid a salary ranging from Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 1,350 a month. And the villages are full of young girls, who trail their barefoot engineer and watch as she maintains the wires and fuses.

Apart from Rajasthan, this project, was also implemented by UNDP in Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.

For more information please click here..

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Going dark for Global Warming

2009-03-30T08:22:00.003-05:00

Saturday, March 28, at 8:30 pm, tens of millions of people in hundreds of cities around the world came together once again to make a bold statement about climate change, by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour.

Earth Hour was first celebrated two years ago in Sydney, Australia, when 2.2 million people and thousands of businesses turned out their lights, allowing the message about climate change to shine brightly (or not!).

88 countries and more than 4,000 cities joined Earth Hour 2009, a huge increase from the 35 countries that participated for Earth Hour 2008. One billion "votes" was the stated aim for Earth Hour 2009. Among the participants in 2009 was, for the first time, the United Nations headquarters in New York City!

An example of the energy saved was the Canadian province of Ontario, outside of Toronto, which saw a decrease of 6% of electricity while Toronto saw a decrease of 15.1% (nearly doubled from 8.7% the previous year) as many businesses darkened, including the landmark CN Tower.

Swedish electricity operator Svenska Kraftnät recorded a 5% decrease in consumption. This equals approximately half a million households out of the total 4.5 million households in Sweden.

For more information or pictures click here or here.

Whoa, Maama!

2009-03-25T15:08:00.005-05:00

Ninsiima Judith just gave birth to a healthy 9-lb boy. Ninsiima is one of several hundred women in Ruhiira, a village in Southwestern Uganda, to give birth in a health institution. She delivered her previous children at home with the assistance of traditional midwives because health institutions lacked the essentials.

This is now changing rapidly. Ruhiira has placed child and maternal mortality among its highest priorities and is decreasing death rates dramatically. Now, thanks to a health kit disseminated by UNDP and known as the “Maama” Kit, the number of medically-supervised deliveries in Ruhiira has increased to 75%, up from 8% in December 2007. That’s 263 births per months, up from 51.

The “Maama” Kits are designed to help women deliver in clean conditions. They include baby sheets; soap; pads; gloves; a surgical blade; a sterilized chord for tying the umbilical cord and rehydration packages. The pack reduces the risk of vaginal and eye infections, tetanus and diarrhea, all of which may occur in bad hygiene conditions.

Cutting Emissions and Saving Forests

2009-03-23T15:04:00.011-05:00

Forests are one of our planet’s most precious resources. Unfortunately they are easily lost, and often must compete with other agricultural enterprises. Slowing deforestation is a frontline battle in the fight against climate change. Accounting for over 17 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation is second only to the energy sector as the largest source of emissions. Because of harmful practices like over-logging and slash and burn agriculture, the rate of deforestation has averaged 13 million hectares between 1990 and 2005. That’s more than 24 million football fields every year, mostly in the tropics! To take on this enormous challenge, the UN Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Program (UN-REDD) supports nations as they implement sustainable forestry management programs which offer both environmental and economic benefits to their citizens.

UN-REDD has just approved $18 Million in funding to support the programs of five new nations that are ready to take on the challenge. Senior government representatives from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania and Viet Nam recently came together to discuss and share plans on how to reduce emissions and save precious forest ecosystems. They join the four other pilot program nations of Bolivia, Panama, Paraguay, and Zambia which are already participating.

To find out more about how the UN is saving forests and fighting climate change click here

Women Conquer Everest!

2009-03-20T12:43:00.002-05:00

Everest, the world’s highest peak at 29,000 feet (more than 8,800 meters), was successfully scaled by ten Nepali women last year. They overcame many obstacles including avalanches, extreme cold, sudden storms and low oxygen levels. They received support from the UNDP, the UN World Food Program and the Government of Denmark.

Now, seven of these women are touring schools and making presentations about their expedition in order to teach and inspire children. They focus on issues like gender equality, women’s empowerment, and global warming. The group is made up of women from very different backgrounds – a journalist, a fashion model and a woman who supported her family by washing clothes.

Click here for more information.

Watch your step!

2009-03-18T14:59:00.006-05:00

Can you remember your parent telling you to “look both ways before crossing the street,” or remember those caution signs telling you to “watch your step”? For children living in Sarajevo, Bosnia, and Herzegovina, taking safety precautions when walking to school was not enough to protect them from landmines that remained following the conflict in the 1990s. Since 1996, over 1,500 people have been killed or maimed as a result of landmines.

In order to prevent further deaths as a result of landmine detonation, Bosnia and Herzegovina have acquired two new mine clearing machines to clear up to one million landmines. Each machine is valued at $600,000.

Since 2003, the UNDP has worked with a mine awareness project that includes mine clearing training, education projects on mine risks, technical expertise and funds for mine clearance equipment. UNDP’s work has drastically reduced the number of children hurt by mines. UNDP is also working to create economic opportunities away from mine locations so that the risk of being injured is also decreased.

To find out more about UNDP’s commitment to mine removal, click here. Also be sure to check out International Mine Awareness and Assistance Day on April 4, a day the United Nations has dedicated to raising awareness of the global hazards of landmines.

Better Opportunities in Moldova

2009-03-11T16:23:00.002-05:00

Can you imagine living in a country where you are not given the same access to opportunities as your friends? After gaining its independence, Moldova suffered a decline in its economy and many of its citizens were displaced and without jobs. Moldovan orphans, children without families, single mothers and expectant mothers are among the beneficiaries of a new UNDP program entitled, “Better Opportunities for Women and Youth,” that will provide psychological and social services, life skills classes, and job-preparation coaching.

By educating Moldova's underprivileged youth and women, the country hopes to improve its economy by providing more citizens the opportunity to participate. After completing classes and job-preparation coaching, adults will be able to apply for jobs in seven newly created partnerships with private businesses. By having the incentive to receive higher education and effectively change their futures, underprivileged youth be rewarded with job opportunities upon the completion of their programs.

To find out more about the "Better Opportunities for Women and Youth" in Moldova, click here

Alien Fish Take Over Ponds!

2009-03-09T15:07:00.004-05:00

Breaking News: Alien fish species may be invading a river near you! Keep your eyes peeled for unnatural sea creatures lurking about!
On March 2, 2009, an alliance was launched to combat the alien menace – the Global Industry Alliance (GIA), which includes the International Maritime Organization, UNDP, the Global Environment Facility and four major private shipping corporations.
Each year, 10 billion tons of ballast water is taken onboard by cargo ships at the start of trips and pumped out upon arrival at their destinations. Ballast water is carried in cargo ships to provide needed stability. Some organisms survive the trip in the ballast and go on to flourish in their new environments – often at the detriment of that environment. For example, the growth of the zebra mussel, introduced into the Great Lakes from southeast Russia, has led to multibillion dollar control and cleaning projects of underwater structures and pipelines.

UNFPA Lobby Day

2009-03-06T20:00:00.000-05:00

Did you know that every minute another woman will die from complications associated with childbirth? Without access to health care and education about pregnancy and contraception, women living in developing nations have a greater risk of dying from giving birth. In Africa, where women are 184 times more likely to die from a pregnancy related complication than women living in the US, 1 woman out of 26 will die each year due to preventable complications. Every year, UNFPA which provides women with prenatal health care and health education, relies on the financial support of the US and other nations.

To help educate legislators about UNFPA, I attended Lobby Day on Friday March 6th in Washington, DC. By educating legislators about the need for congressional funding for UNFPA programs, $50 million dollars was allocated to UNFPA for 2009. As a result of this valuable funding, the UN will be able to implement women-empowering programs that focus on HIV/AIDS prevention, humanitarian relief following a crisis, family planning, and better access to maternal healthcare.

To find out more about UNFPA, click here

Oh! The Aches and Pains!

2009-03-03T12:40:00.002-05:00

Couldn’t we all use a massage now and then to get out all the knots and kinks from a long night of studying or a difficult day in the office?

With funding from a UNHCR program aimed at teaching local and refugee women the skills they need to work as community rehabilitation workers, 29 women are learning how to treat disease, injury and deformity through exercise and physical methods at the Physiotherapy Educational Institute in Peshwar, Pakistan. Of these women, 22 are refugees from Afghanistan, who hope to apply their new skills in Afghanistan if they return.

The course is part of UNHCR’s Refugee Affected Hosting Areas (RAHA) program. There are 1.7 million registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan. After the devastating earthquake in northern Pakistan in 2005, which affected both Pakistanis and Afghans, the program was necessary because few people had the skills to help the thousands of people in need of rehabilitation.

For more information, check out this article.

International Women's Day

2009-02-27T13:24:00.000-05:00

Picture five of your female acquaintances from around the world in a room. One woman will become a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime. Of your three closest female friends, one will experience physical violence inflicted by an intimate partner in the course of her lifetime. Whether influenced by the fear of shaming their family, or by the fear of societal reproach, only one of the two women will speak out against the crimes committed against her.

To help combat crimes against women such as rape, murder, abuse, FGM, and human trafficking, the UN has launched its UNiTE to End Violence Against Women Campaign. By improving criminal justice systems and providing legal and health services to victims of abuse around the world, the campaign hopes to drastically reduce the number of women who are victims of gender-based crimes annually.

March 8, 2009 will mark the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day that fosters the promotion of women’s rights around the globe.

To find out more about the UNiTE campaign or International Women’s Day, click here

2009-02-25T09:27:00.004-05:00

R&R = Rubble and Reconstruction

After the latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict has seemingly ended, the new task of helping rebuild the Gaza strip is underway, partially with the help of $613 million requested for the removal of rubble and deliverance of basic necessities. After 22 days of violent conflict about 68 government buildings, 14,000 private homes, and 31 NGO buildings have been either partially or completely destroyed according to UNDP. The $613 million request by the UN flash appeal will include a portion of which will be used to help remove the 600,000 tons of concrete rubble so reconstruction can begin.

For assessing the damages in Gaza, several different teams have been deployed to examine area such as health education, agriculture, infrastructure and environment that will help determine what should be done to get Gaza back on a path for sustainable development. The rubble removal alone will provide 200,000 work days for unemployed gazans.

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The Not-So-Sweet Smell of Success

2009-02-18T15:49:00.005-05:00

What would you do with over 20 tons of fresh dung per day?
(A) Build a giant dung castle complete with dung drawbridge
(B) Fill many large paper bags that will be left flaming on the front step of the neighbor that kicked your dog
(C) Add earthworms and make compost

(A) and (B) sound more exciting, but (C) is actually what 12 women in Sauraha, Nepal, did with support from the UNDP GEF/Small Grants Programme and Pesticide Monitor Nepal, an NGO.

Each elephant in the elephant jungle safari in Sauhara produces 130kg of dung per day. The women found a way to manage the waste by making vermicompost. In two months, the women sold 2 tons of vermicompost and earned Rs. 24,000. It has led 60 other women to start similar enterprises. The composting has also given rise to organic farming in the community.

For more information, check out the rest of the article here.

India's Caste System Falling Down? At least, Fiscally?

2009-02-13T10:39:00.004-05:00

Finally the rights of the poor are being explored by the powerful. With urbanization increasing with growing GDP, the UNDP has issued the first ever India: Urban Poverty Report 2009 to address the issue. The report lays the foundation for a strategy against continuing rising poverty even with increasing GDP while showing poverty is independent of economic growth.

With 23.7 percent of the population living in urban slums, the poor must be at the center of analysis. Not only do the services for the poor need to be delivered to them now, they need to be delivered even when the influx of urbanization is at 50% projected for 2030 in the report. By achieving this, the MDG's (Millenium Development Goals), like cutting global poverty in half by 2015, are starting to come to life in a structural way.

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UN TV? Really? George says yes!

2009-02-12T13:22:00.004-05:00

2008 was a busy year. Check out this 11 minute video for an overview of the UN's efforts. Of course it doesn't catch everything, but it is a great reminder of all of the work the UN does.

Feel like learning more? Try watching UN Television or listening to UN Radio? Check them out at http://www.unmultimedia.org/

In the mood to do something neat? Why not start a campaign to get your local cable provider to offer a UN TV Chanel in their basic service pack or get your local public television station to air some of the United Nation's video programs? Click here to find contact information for UN Television.

How UNDP Helped the Republic of Georgia After Conflict

2009-02-09T18:42:00.004-05:00

In August 2008 there was a conflict between Russia and Georgia. The conflict destroyed livelihoods of many. To help restore normalcy to Georgia, the United Nations Development Program worked closely with the Georgian Government.

We could write more about it, but instead we thought you might like to listen:

Check out this video blog by UNDP staff member Louisa Vinton to learn about UNDP's efforts.

A Little Privacy Please?!?

2009-02-04T14:53:00.003-05:00

A beautiful sunset across the horizon of an exotic beach, a small paper umbrella laying off to the side of a cold glass beaded with droplets of water. Seeing this, you probably would be enjoying your vacation in one of the many islands in the Caribbean. It is true that peaceful and relaxing resorts are a staple of the area but behind the scenes of those tropical landscapes, the poor inhabitants of the islands are not enjoying their homes as the tourist do.

The UNDP is working in Trinidad and Tobago in their Community Outreach and Response Initiative (CORe) setting up a Social Development Small Grants Program. One of the aspects of this program is to work on building and diversifying the private sector by supporting small business development, training that develops skills to be used to earn an income, enhancement of literacy & numeric skills, and healthy family functioning (parenting, gender relations, care of the elderly, dysfunctional families, life skills development, early childhood care). Through this program, Trinidad and Tobago should get a little more privacy, a private sector that is!

For more information on the SDSG Program, click here.

Seeing Red!!!

2009-01-30T14:45:00.002-05:00

If you were in an airplane flying over the nation of Peru and happened to gaze out of your window, you may have gotten a bird's eye-view of 100 of Peru's most famous actors, musicians, and other notable citizens, splashing the landscape in red t-shirts, forming a giant ribbon. You Prevent, the strategic plan to rid Peru's community of the stigma given to HIV/AIDS, continued its advocacy with its advertising campaign. With the help of UNDP and UNAIDS, their message is: Tolerance, Information, Respect.

This program has set out to inform the people of Peru of an issue that has greatly impacted their population and to rid the stigma attached to getting tested. With friendly images and slogans, the media, who dodged stories of HIV/AIDS, are now informing their viewers and readers wisely and helpfully.

For more information, go here!

INtegrating the OUTcasts

2009-01-23T09:29:00.000-05:00

Were you a member of a clique in high school? Whether you were a member of the chess club, a cheerleader, a Mathlete, or MVP of the football team, it was societally acceptable for you to receive an integrated and equal education. However, young people living with HIV have experienced discrimination by society due to the lack of public education about the disease. From 2001-2007 the prevalence of HIV in Eastern Europe has increased 140 percent. People are so afraid of the social effects of being HIV positive that many have neglected to seek medical help for their condition. According to a recent survey regarding the education of HIV positive children, many citizens living in the Ukraine and Russia believe that it “would be better to create a boarding school for them, so that they could be educated separately.”

To combat the negative stigma that is associated with HIV, UNDP has launched a campaign in Eastern Europe to help promote public education about the condition and to integrate historically marginalized populations into society regardless of their status as a HIV-positive individual. Providing equal education, access to jobs, and health care are the main goals of the UNDP's work in Eastern Europe.

For more information, click here

The Most Popular Man Around

2009-01-21T15:25:00.003-05:00

What makes Zafor Ullah such a popular man? Is it the dashing way he parts his hair or his stylish camouflage pants? Or maybe it's the stash of condoms in his house?

Zafor is a 22-year-old refugee from Myanmar living in the Nayapara Refugee Camp in Bangladesh. He is also a community health worker and he has been distributing condoms from his home for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

From 2005 to 2008, condom distribution jumped from 780 to 62,580 and dramatically reduced the incidence of STDs by 67% in these camps. Distribution is combined with training on HIV prevention and family planning education.

For more information about UNHCR, visit the website.

Forget firewood! Rice husk is the way to go!

2009-01-16T16:39:00.003-05:00

Do you live far away from the closest forest? Is it costing you an arm and a leg to buy firewood for your stove? If so, then you should switch to a rice husk stove!

Rice husk stoves are fueled by rice husks instead of firewood. They are an ideal solution for villages with rice mills that are not near a forest. These stoves were introduced to Purainya village in Nepal, which is in this exact situation, by Nature and Human Development Centre (NHDC) with financial support from UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme.

The sudden increase in demand for rice husks has increased its cost ten-fold from Rs. 2 to Rs. 20 for 5 kg (2-7 days worth depending on family size). However, this is still significantly cheaper than firewood at about Rs. 150 per week.

For the full article, go here.

Fish Food!

2009-01-15T09:04:00.004-05:00

What is your favorite food? Is it spaghetti? Or maybe it's chilly ice cream? Well, if seafood is your favorite and you live in Angola, chances are it came from Ambriz!

Today, the UNDP along with locally-based organizations have begun to implement a plan to make a life of fishing easier for all in Ambriz. The Fishermen Cooperative was created to better organize the relationship between the fishers and to support the creation of 30 individual fishing businesses. Planning for the future, Ambriz has started a youth training program, training 10 youth over the period of six months to take positions in the cooperative as mechanics, electricians, and other useful roles.

At this point in time, 90% of Ambriz has enrolled into the program and are effectively fishing and making gains in their community. So the next time you are sitting down to a herb-crusted salmon or a beer-battered fillet of whiting, think about the fishermen!

Wind farms? What's next? Cloud farms?

2009-01-12T12:33:00.007-05:00

Wind farming is a fantastic way to work your green thumb without all the strenuous digging, messy fertilizing or daily watering! But crop rotations can become a hassle.

Wind farms are on the rise in the Philippines. After completing the 33-megawatt wind farm in Ilocos Norte – currently the largest in Southeast Asia – Northpoint Wind Power Corp. plans to build a larger 40MW facility in Cagayan.

The Filipino government has shown support for wind power initiatives and aims to harness 200MW to 400MW from wind energy in the next 15 to 20 years. They also passed the Renewable Energy Bill, which will help attract investors to projects focused on lessening dependence on traditional fossil fuel.

The UNDP-Global Environment Facility is assisting in project preparation and in securing loan guarantees.

For the full article, go here. For more information about the UNDP-GEF, go to their website.

Ethnic Integration in Kosovo

2009-01-09T13:39:00.004-05:00

Can you imagine living in a country where it is legally acceptable to segregate your neighbors simply because they have different religious or cultural beliefs? It's hard to believe that since the creation of Yugoslavia in 1943, Kosovar Albanians have been ethnically segregated and have suffered violent discrimination. Luckily, the United Nations came to the rescue in 1999 following the war that erupted between Kosovar Serbians and Kosovar Albanians.

In order to prevent further ethnic conflicts from arising, the United Nations Development Programme has teamed up with CARE Kosovo to promote democratic governance and the societal integration of minorities into society. Not being able to call 9-1-1 in the case of an emergency was a reality for Kosovar Albanians. Instead of providing security, the pan-Serbian police force was known to carry out atrocities against Kosovar Albanians. Thus one of the UN's first measures was to provide all the citizens of Kosovo security by desegregating the police task force.

In addition to providing security to Kosovars, the UNDP is working to incorporate minorities into government affairs and local organizations. By assisting citizens with the creation of reliable ethnically-mixed democratic governments that guarantee the equality of all persons regardless of religious or cultural heritage, the UNDP hopes to create a Kosovar society in which all ethnicities are accepted.

For more on the United Nations' work to improve ethnic relations through Democratic Initiatives, click here

The World Celebrates the 60 Year Anniversary of the Human Rights Declaration

2008-12-10T16:36:00.001-05:00

“All human beings are born free and equal in rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

These words, ratified 60 years ago today, open the Declaration of Human Rights. A world divided by war and ideology, but united in hope, gathered to inscribe these words in history. On December 10, 1948, the General Assembly gathered and ratified what would become the most universally translated document of all time.

Unfortunately, we still witness daily violations of these human rights in countries ranging from Mynamar to even the United States. However, as we are driven further apart by our ideological differences and economic competition, we must remember that we are united as a global community. Empowerment of all people, respect for every human life regardless of ethnicity, nationality, race or sexuality is something we declared our alliance to 60 years ago and needs to remain at the forefront of our global consciousness.

The legacy of the Declaration has at times been overshadowed in this era of globalization; yet the United Nations has continued working hard to promote human rights globally. We must recognize the strides we have taken, please visit the web sites of those working to protect human rights: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, UNHCR.

Let There be Net

2008-12-10T10:28:00.004-05:00

Have you ever had to deal with pesky mosquitoes? If you live on planet Earth, then the answer is probably yes. You probably have not, however, had to deal with the crippling and deadly effect of malaria; a disease born by and transmitted to humans from mosquito bites. Malaria is a huge problem, and merely smacking every mosquito you see is not going to stop it anytime soon. Fortunately, the United Nations is on the case, and there is promising evidence that malaria may be wiped out by the target goal of 2015. Run and hide little vampires, the entire international community is shining a light on this problem, and the results are already very encouraging.

Almost one million people die every year from malaria, a completely preventable disease. The majority of these deaths are in children under 5 years old. The answer is revolutionary. The World Health Organization, Bill Gates Foundation, and countless other organizations are providing state of the art high tech mosquito repellent webbed force-field technology…or mosquito nets, in layman’s terms. The answer is that simple, and extremely effective. The UN estimates that deaths from malaria have so far dropped 50% this decade, and increased investment in vaccines, pesticide treatments, and bed nets may completely eradicate the disease by 2015. The recent meeting to up the attack on the disease was attended by star-advocates of the cause, Bono and Bill Gates. This plan aims at being the ultimate bug zapper, and will protect millions of at risk people around the world. According to Bill Gates, “It’s going to make a huge difference.”

mosquito netsia

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cool? Not if you're an Elephant!

2008-12-05T15:51:00.000-05:00

Imagine you are an elephant in Kenya. You wake up in the morning and smell sweet corn in the distance. Being the curious pachyderm that you are, you decide to head over to a giant corn planting--taking no heed of the fence since, after all, you ARE an elephant. You were just following your nose and it doesn’t occur to you that these crops might be the livelihood of your human neighbors.

However, as land in Kenya becomes scarcer, farmland increasingly encroaches on elephant habitats. This is dangerous for elephants that wander into towns in search of water and for habitants who have had homes and livelihoods destroyed by the elephants. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is working with the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) to search for solutions to wildlife-human conflict. The solution will focus on maintaining biodiversity and elephant habitat while promoting sustainable and environmental farming practices. These solutions include: planting crops that are repellant to elephants such as chili, building moats around crops and cohabiting with the wildlife while promoting ecotourism.

Football Players Game to Stop the Spread of HIV/AIDS

2008-12-01T15:08:00.002-05:00

Of the multitude of events and efforts surrounding today’s 20th Annual World AIDS day, football fans across the globe can expect the launch of a new campaign featuring two of the games most popular and renowned players, Michael Ballack and Emmanuel Adebayor. This campaign is aimed at emphasizing the importance of teamwork and cooperation in the battle against global aids. While Ballack has been involved with UNAIDS since 2006, his on the field rival and off the field friend, Adebayor is new to the cause, but no less enthused and dedicated. Employing the prominence and star-power of two such remarkable figures in the world of football, this effort is an effective way to reach out and empower young populations around the world. To view their public service announcement and to find out more about World AIDS day, please visit UNAIDS.

Fistula: Nasty but not Necessary

2008-11-26T17:06:00.003-05:00

Have you ever avoided someone because you thought they were smelly or dirty? While you probably just decided not to spend too much time with them, in some places women are literally expelled from their communities because they smell. And it is not their fault… blame fistula.

Fistula is a common complication of giving birth. Basically, the baby accidentally rips a hole between the birth canal and its mom’s bladder or rectum. Left untreated, it causes a new mother to leak urine or feces. However, it is an almost completely preventable condition that occurs from a lack of medical attention and has been eliminated in North America and Europe, and for only $300 the tissue can be repaired and the woman can return to her community and care for her children.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is on a campaign to provide access to this surgery for women around the world. To learn more about fistula, or to help change lives (just $5 provides food to a recovering fistula patient for one week), click here.

Ahoy! Pirates off of Somalia’s coast are more destructive than you think…

2008-11-20T12:12:00.002-05:00

Pirate attacks are increasing off the coast of Somalia, and committing atrocities that would put even Davy Jones to shame. While the pirates hijack ships, the Somali people end up walking the plank in this maritime struggle. Somalia relies heavily on the developed world for aid, and piracy is keeping this important commodity from reaching the shore. The U.N. is doing its part in organizing the international community to combat these scurvy-ridden sea rats, but there is something you can do to help make the lives of countless Somalis better.

Women in Somalia are struggling to survive against many hardships. In addition to the horrific situation in some areas of Somalia, women face discrimination throughout the country. One of the obstacles they face is the inability to attend college. This lack of education leads to a lack of representation in government, business, and leaves them with no opportunity to succeed. Only 4% of women in Somalia can pursue higher education!!! With your help, we can change this. The Somali Women’s Scholarship Fund is working to send deserving women in Somalia to school so they can be effective, productive members of society. Watch our video, and see how you can help here. Pirates depend on instability in this region to continue their marauding ways, so kick them in their booty, and help Somali women!