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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on July 22nd, 2008 The 10-member ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. They are joined by Japan, China and South Korea in the ASEAN Plus Three talks. This is the 13 member Asian cover. The East Asia Summit involves these 13 plus Australia, New Zealand and India. Then comes the ARF - Asean Regional Forum - that includes these 16 and Canada, North Korea, Russia, the U.S., the EU and others - so here we get the whole Eurasian world with the addition of the US and Canada, and with the exclusion of Africa, Latin America and the Small Island States. The ASEAN Regional Forum will meet in Singapore on this Thursday - on Thursday - July 24, 2008. The series of meetings hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is held annually in the summer to prepare for the leaders’ Summit later in the year that will focus mainly on food and security, disaster management, economic conditions and climate change issues, Japanese Foreign Ministry officials said in Tokyo. The ARF now will place specific emphasis on security issues, particularly disaster relief, counterterrorism, maritime security, and nonproliferation and disarmament, according to the officials. The whole onion reminds us of what went on under the cover of the runnup to the Hokkaido G8 meetings earlier this month. This time, the Summit will include only the 13 States that amount to the 11 Asian States including India and the auxiliaries from Australia - New Zealand. This Summit will leave out the TransAtlantic party goers. Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on July 18th, 2008 From: conference at brazilcham.com Central Bank of Brazil in New York. Monday, August 18, 2008 8:00 – 8:30 AM Registration, Breakfast and Networking The Westin New York at Times Square —————- Recent Articles: Brazil Stocks Upgraded at Morgan Stanley on Growth. http://www.brazilcham.com/default.asp?id… By Kevin Crowley and Alexis Xydias, Bloomberg www.bloomberg.com) OECD Report Confirms Overall Benefits of Brazilian Sugarcane Ethanol. http://www.brazilcham.com/default.asp?id… MarketWatch wwww.marketwatch.com) Toyota May Invest $700 Million to Build Brazil Plant. http://www.brazilcham.com/default.asp?id… By Andre Soliani and Paulo Winterstein, Bloomberg www.bloomberg.com) In the Spotlight:
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on July 17th, 2008 A new Americas Society and Council of the Americas (AS/COA) white paper details corporate commitment to supporting the integration of Hispanic immigrants. Drawing from original research and site visits in Atlanta, GA, and New Orleans, LA, the paper highlights the challenges to the integration of recent immigrants, the contributions of Hispanic immigrants to the U.S. economy, and innovative efforts by business to smooth the integration of Hispanic communities and workers into the social and economic fabric of the U.S. About the White Paper: The new AS/COA white paper, U.S. Business and Hispanic Integration: Expanding the Economic Contributions of Immigrants, demonstrates a collective commitment by private sector leaders to integrating immigrant communities and offers best practices for encouraging Hispanic workforce development and community integration. It features case studies of business′ efforts to facilitate and promote integration and highlights Hispanic contributions to the U.S. economy. Funded by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, the AS/COA Hispanic Integration Initiative is engaging private-sector leaders in support of initiatives that promote Hispanic integration, through meetings held in New York, NY, Atlanta, GA, and New Orleans, LA. There will be a press conference in Wahington DC on Wednesday, July 23rd, and a main meeting on Capitol Hill on Thursday, July 24th. on Wednesday the confirmed speakers are: Myles Gladstone, Vice President, Miller & Long Co, Inc.; on Thursday the main event title is: “U.S. Business and Hispanic Integration” and will be held at: 2359 Rayburn House Office Building (Capitol Hill) Registration: 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. with confirmed participants: Sen. Hillary Clinton (NY) Lourdes Diaz - Senior Director of Diversity Relations, Sodexo, Inc. Peter Johnson - Rockefeller Family and Associates Bob Merchent - Vice President, Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Fred Niehaus - Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, The Western Union Company John Ozburn - Vice President of Human Resources, Tecta America Corp. Christopher Sabatini - Senior Director of Policy, Americas Society and Council of the Americas Susan Segal - President and CEO, Americas Society and Council of the Americas. Funded by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, the AS/COA Hispanic Integration Initiative is engaging private-sector leaders in support of initiatives that promote Hispanic integration. Through meetings held in New York, NY, Atlanta, GA, and New Orleans, LA, we have brought nationally and locally-operating businesses together with public sector officials and community groups to exchange lessons learned and best practices. A National Business Council—companies at the forefront of integration efforts—anchors and provides guidance to the initiative. Findings document the many major U.S. corporations that already offer (or sponsor) programs that promote integration. Further information: Please contact Jorge Merino at jmerino at as-coa.org or (202) 659-8989. For media inquires: Caitlin Miner-Le Grand, 212-277-8384, cminerlegrand at as-coa.org The Council of the Americas is the premier international business organization whose members share a common commitment to economic and social development, open markets, the rule of law, and democracy throughout the Western Hemisphere. The Council’s membership consists of leading international companies representing a broad spectrum of sectors, including banking and finance, consulting services, consumer products, energy and mining, manufacturing, media, technology, and transportation. Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on July 16th, 2008 Ten Years On, Some Step Towards Justice. By Irene de Vette ROTTERDAM, Jul 15, 2008 (IPS) - Human rights organisations all over the world will celebrate the tenth anniversary Jul. 17 of the adoption of the Rome Statute establishing the ICC - the International Criminal Court . The ICC is the first and only permanent international criminal tribunal to prosecute individuals accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. After the Berlin Wall had fallen in 1989, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago put the establishment of a permanent criminal tribunal, a wish that had long existed among the international community, back on the agenda. While ad-hoc tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda were established, a Statute was drafted in 1994 and then adopted in 1998 as the Statute of Rome. It went into effect Jul. 1, 2002, when the required 60 states had ratified it. To date, there are 106 ratifications. Some countries have not signed, among them the United States, China, India and Israel.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) launched a 250-page report in The Hague last Friday, assessing the past five years of the court’s operations. The report titled ‘Courting History’ looks at the considerable progress the unprecedented judicial institution has made, and some of its shortcomings. Progress has been made in terms of investigations and criminal charges, but also in the establishment of field offices and witness protection measures, the report says. However, the recent suspension of the proceedings against Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga due to the prosecutor’s inability to disclose potentially exculpatory information, raises a difficult issue. Insufficient investigative force, especially against those with considerable experience, could be at the root of this problem, HRW says. The ICC can only prosecute crimes when national courts are unable or unwilling to do so. It has no police unit to execute warrants, and is thus dependent on assistance of governments. The HRW report recommends that the ICC should embark on more robust and tailored outreach programmes to increase its impact among communities most affected. “It’s time for the institution to come out of its shell,” Parampreet Singh, counsel for HRW’s International Justice Programme, said at the report’s launch. “The ICC’s key to success relies for a great part on the relevance to affected communities,” added Géraldine Mattioli, Advocacy Director of the International Justice Programme of HRW. HRW plans to bring the report to the attention of court officials and state parties. “We will use the report as a basis for further lobbying for continuing support of the ICC,” Mattioli told IPS. The Coalition for the International Court (CICC), a global network of over 2,500 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) advocating a fair, effective and independent ICC, sees the report as a “great tool”, a CICC spokesperson at The Hague told IPS. The CICC has organised several events to mark the tenth anniversary of the Rome Statute. One of these events took place at the Peace Palace in The Hague Jul. 3, 2008, attended by Princess Máxima. Maxime Verhagen, Dutch Minister for Foreign Affairs, told a gathering of diplomats, members of international courts, those responsible for drafting the Rome Statute, academics and members of the court that the Netherlands was proud to host the ICC. Unlike the ad-hoc tribunals, “the ICC is a permanent court — it is here to stay. And the world should be extremely grateful for that.” The Netherlands will continue to strive for universal adoption of the Statute, Verhagen said. Not only does the country provide technical support, such as housing the court and transportation of suspects, but also political support, such as assistance for countries in the process of signing or ratifying the statute, he said. Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on July 15th, 2008 Attach is a report from a High-Level EU-Indian Seminar on Climate Change and Sustainable Development organised by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research (PIK) and Action for a Global Climate Community (AGCC), 27th and 29th May 2008. EU Commission President Barroso and his Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change met with members of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s high level advisory group on climate change. Contributions from Professors Carlo Rubbia, John Schellnhuber and Rajendra Pachauri presented the overwhelming scientific evidence for the immense dangers of climate change and the limited time we have to avoid them. Chris Layton set out a vision and practical steps for India and Europe to lead the world in sustainable development and climate change through a ‘community of the willing’ based on equity, drawing on the experience of the European Community in creating an international legal framework for resolving conflicts and sharing resources between rich and poor countries. The seminar explored issues of equity, emissions trading, financing development and institutional arrangements under Chatham House rules, enabling a free-ranging discussion, summarised in reports on each session. Recurrent themes include: · The need for economic development to help 700 million Indians living in poverty; · The responsibility of Europe and other industrial countries to cut CO2 emissions and finance clean development in India and other developing countries; · The importance of equity, justice and practical solutions as the basis for cooperation; · The need for stories and accessible ways of involving people in tackling climate change.
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on July 15th, 2008 From: RickUlfik at WeTheWorld.org Feasting On Peace
Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Picnic in Central Park @ the Ross Pinetum area (West 85th Street entrance, NW of the Great Lawn) Sunday, July 20th 12-5pm (Raindate: July 27th) Dear Friends, We, The World, along with other peace-making organizations, is excited to co-sponsor this first Feasting on Peace summer picnic of Brooklyn NVC at the Ross Pinetum area in Central Park! (see directions below) Come meet with others who care about peace making and learn peace-making skills in a fun, sociable and relaxed environment—all while enjoying a beautiful, shaded area of the park. Please invite your friends and family–the Picnic is FREE and all ages welcome! Feasting on Peace will feature: Directions: Take the C or B train up to 86th Street and Central Park West. Walk one block down to 85th and enter the park. Follow the left lane for about 5 minutes. You will find a sign “Great Lawn”. Cross the street, keep a little left and follow the small path to your right. The Arthur Ross Pinetum is just north of the Great Lawn. Event Co-Sponsors include: Brooklyn For Peace, New Yorkers for a Dept. of Peace, We, The World, Center for Alternative Health, LaGuardia Community College/CUNY, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. Please join us Sunday and let your family and friends know too! For more info, and to find out about other exciting Brooklyn NVC events starting this weekend, see www.BrooklynNVC.org or contact info at BrooklynNVC.org, 718.797.9525 or 917.838.0179 These and many other events coming up are listed on www.GlobalUnityCalendar.org . If you or your friends are in NYC Sunday, I hope to see you there! Rick Ulfik Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on July 10th, 2008 You Know? Conservatives actually were all about conservation and the environment - what did the capitalist cleptocracy do to it the real Conservatives? Conservative Movement Woes by: Bill Moyers Journal
PBS Airtime: Friday, July 11, 2008, at 9:00 p.m. EDT on PBS (check local listings here). What’s happened to the conservative movement in America? Conservatives Mickey Edwards and Ross Douthat discuss why they believe their movement has gone off track during the last eight years and what it means for the Republican Party. Douthat is senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly and co-author of “Grand New Party,” and Mickey Edwards is a former Republican congressman and author of “Reclaiming Conservatism.” Also on the program, Bill Moyers introduces “Deepening the American Dream,” a Web-only project at www.pbs.org that features essays and videos of some of Moyers’s notable guests laying out their vision for the future of the American dream. Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on July 9th, 2008 July 9, 2008, 5:07 pm - The EU agreement on the Olympics opening ceremony can be a starting point for a more effective stance on human rights in China. Following today’s announcement by French and incumbent EU President Nicolas Sarkozy that, in agreement with all the EU Heads of Government, he is to participate to the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony on behalf of the European Union, Graham Watson, Leader of the Alliance of the Liberals and Democrats at the European Parliament commented: “A common line on the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony is a welcome departure from Europe’s trademark divisions on foreign policy. The Alliance of the Liberals and Democrats for Europe has been repeatedly calling on the EU leaders to agree on a common position. Unlike the EPP and Socialists, we have reiterated this request also in the parliamentary resolution tabled by our Group and which the Parliament will have to vote tomorrow. However, a bull-in-a-china-shop Europe is not what we need. Representing the EU’s 500 million citizens, Nicolas Sarkozy should tread carefully between embracing cooperation with Beijing and making clear our disapproval of China’s human rights violations. The East European communist regimes were brought down through dialogue and engagement set out in the Helsinki Accords. A similar approach is our best hope for achieving political reform in China”. For more information, please contact: We assume that above agreement will now preclude the presence of heads of state from Germany and the UK - so the front line of guest seats will be taken up by Bush, Fukuda, and Sarkozy. We hope that the Chinese people will realize that there is a system in these decisions and that it was taken in order to help them - not in order to snub them. Also we hope there will be made available plenty of oxygen. ——————- STRASBOURG: Parliament president Hans-Gert Pöttering has said he will boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games next month in protest at the continued repressions in Tibet. Permalink | ### |
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Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on July 9th, 2008 Missed Opportunity for G8 Leaders on Climate Change Says Achim Steiner. Nairobi, 9 July 2008 - As the G8 Summit wrapped up in Japan, Achim Steiner, the Executive “We are under pressure to act. We have no time left to waste,” said Mr Steiner. ” However, I Mr Steiner noted that the G8 countries’ agreement to reduce carbon emissions by at least 50 “I think the G8 delivered what it could. But in terms of what the world needs, what the “The G8 Summit has not delivered enough leadership. We have some 500 days until we meet in “We are beyond the rhetoric of climate change. We must now put numbers on the table. We must Mr Steiner noted that a number of countries including Germany, Norway and the UK as well as South Africa and Indonesia are now committing to targets. “But when we look at the implementation of emission reduction targets under the current Kyoto Protocol, a number of industrialized nations are not even delivering on these relatively small targets. So what incentive is there for developing nations to make major investments if developed nations are not willing to take these significant steps forward?” “We will continue to be stuck until all industrialized nations commit to firm targets–ones to |