Sunday, 13 October 2013

International Day for Disaster Reduction 2013, October 13





9 October 2013
Secretary-General
SG/SM/15383
ENV/DEV/1389
OBV/1267
Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York


Persons with Disabilities Central to Disaster Resilience Initiatives, Secretary-General Says in Message for International Observance


Following is UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki-moon’s message for the International Day for Disaster Reduction, observed on 13 October:

“Persons with disabilities are the biggest untapped resource for disaster planners around the world.”  These are the words of Firoz Ali Alizada, a double amputee from Afghanistan who responded to a United Nations survey which uncovered scores of stories that speak to the ingenuity and drive of persons with disabilities to manage risk from disasters.

More than 1 billion persons in the world live with a disability.  This year’s commemoration of the International Day for Disaster Reduction is an opportunity to recognize their vital role in fostering resilience.

Unfortunately, most persons with disabilities have never participated in disaster risk management or related planning and decision-making processes.  They suffer disproportionately high levels of disaster-related mortality and injuries.

Early warning systems, public awareness campaigns and other responses often fail to consider the needs of persons with disabilities, putting them at an unnecessarily elevated risk and sending a harmful message of inequality.

We can change this situation by including persons with disabilities in disaster resilience initiatives and policy planning.  The recent General Assembly High-level Meeting on Disability and Development recognized the urgent need for action on this issue, which is also addressed in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Inclusion saves lives.  And it empowers persons with disabilities to take ownership of their own safety — and that of their community.  We can already see their potential contribution in the many persons with visible and invisible disabilities around the world who already serve as volunteers and workers helping communities when disaster hits to cope and bounce back.

On the International Day for Disaster Reduction, let us resolve to do everything possible to ensure that all persons with disabilities have the highest possible levels of safety and the greatest possible chance to contribute to the overall well-being of society.  Let us build an inclusive world where persons with disabilities can play an even greater role as resourceful agents of change.


 

Messages for the International Day for Disaster Reduction

What's New : 

Sunday is the International Day for Disaster Reduction, which this year focuses on the one billion people around the world who live with some form of disability. Find out more and take a look at graphic visualizations of the results of the UNISDR survey on needs of persons with disabilities in disasters: 



Building Resilience to Natural Disasters and Major Economic Crises
Asia and the Pacific is the most disaster-prone region of the world. Almost two million people were killed by disasters in the region between 1970 and 2011, representing 75 per cent of global disaster fatalities. A person living in Asia and the Pacific is four times more likely to be affected by natural disasters than someone living in Africa, and 25 times more likely than someone living in Europe or North America. In 2011 alone, economic damages and losses from disasters in the region totaled more than $293 billion.
For many policymakers, this is uncharted territory: they are more accustomed to focusing on problems in particular economic or social sectors rather than treating them as systemic wholes. This report "Building Resilience to Natural Disasters and Major Economic Crises", which was prepared for the 69th Session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), provides a comprehensive response to addressing multiple shocks in Asia and the Pacific. It shows how people, organizations, institutions and policymakers can work together to weave resilience into economic, social and environmental policies.

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Friday, 11 October 2013

International Day of the Girl Child 2013, October 11





International Day of the Girl Child Theme 2013
Innovating for Girls’ Education



 

United Nations Secretary-General's Message for 2013

Empowering girls, ensuring their human rights and addressing the discrimination and violence they face are essential to progress for the whole human family. One of the best ways to achieve all of these goals is to provide girls with the education they deserve.
Yet too many girls in too many countries are held back simply because of their gender. Those whose mother was also deprived of an education, who live in a poor community, or who have a disability face an even steeper climb. Among girls who do make it to school, many face discrimination and violence.
I launched the Global Education First Initiative to accelerate progress in getting every child into school, especially girls. We are aiming to teach more than reading and counting; we are striving to raise global citizens who can rise to the complex challenges of the 21st century.
To achieve meaningful results, we need fresh solutions to girls’ education challenges and we must heed the voices of young people. 
I have heard from girls around the world participating in the consultations for the new Girl Declaration. I resolve to ensure that Global Education First mobilizes all partners to respond to their powerful call for empowerment. 
More broadly, our campaign to reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and shape a vision beyond that date must address the concerns and potential of the world’s girls.
On this International Day of the Girl Child, let us work together to invest in education so that girls can advance in their personal development and contribute to our common future.
                                                                                                                      Ban Ki-moon 




 UNICEF Draft 17 June 2013

Innovation: a novel solution to a social problem that is

more effective, efficient, sustainable, or just than existing solutions

The fulfilment of girls’ right to education is first and foremost an obligation and moral imperative. There is also overwhelming evidence that girls’ education, especially at the secondary level, is a powerful transformative force for societies and girls themselves: it is the one consistent positive determinant of practically every desired development outcome, from reductions in mortality and fertility, to poverty reduction and equitable growth, to social norm change and democratization.

While there has been significant progress in improving girls’ access to education over the last two decades, many girls, particularly the most marginalized, continue to be deprived of this basic right. Girls in many countries are still unable to attend school and complete their education due to safety-related, financial, institutional and cultural barriers. Even when girls are in school, perceived low returns from poor quality of education, low aspirations, or household chores and other responsibilities keep them from attending school or from achieving adequate learning outcomes. The transformative potential for girls and societies promised through girls’ education is yet to be realized.

Innovation will be an important strategy in addressing the nature and scale of barriers girls continue to face and in ensuring they receive an education commensurate with the challenges of the 21st century. As the world evaluates gaps in achieving the global goals for gender equality in education and defines an agenda post-2015, it is critical that innovation is harnessed to improvise solutions that are not only more creative, but also more effective, efficient, sustainable and just in achieving demonstrable results for improving girls’ education.  


In recognition of the importance of fresh and creative perspectives to propel girls’ education forward, the theme of International Day of the Girl Child for 2013 will be:  Innovating for Girls’ Education.

Smart and creative use of technology is one route to overcoming gender barriers to girls’ learning and achievement, but innovation in partnerships, policies, resource utilization, community mobilization, and most of all, the engagement of young people themselves, can be important catalyzing forces.  All UN agencies, Member States, civil society organizations, and private sector actors have potential tools to innovate for and with girls to advance their education.  The following are just some of many examples:


·         Improving public and private means of transportation for girls to get to school—from roads, buses, mopeds, bicycles to boats and canoes


·         Engaging young people in monitoring and holding school systems accountable for ensuring the integrity of school facilities and functions and the safety and learning of girls


·         Collaboration between school systems and the banking industry to facilitate secure and convenient pay delivery to female teachers and scholarship delivery to girls


·         Provision of science and technology courses targeted at girls in schools, universities and vocational education programmes


·         Corporate mentorship programmes to help girls acquire critical work and leadership skills and facilitate their transition from school to work


·         Revisions of school curricula to integrate positive messages on gender norms related to violence, child marriage, sexual and reproductive health, and male and female family roles


·         Deploying mobile technology for teaching and learning to reach girls, especially in remote areas


·         Using traditional and social media, advertising and commercial packaging to publicize data on gender disparities in education, the underlying causes, and actions that can be taken for change


The International Day of the Girl Child 2013 will provide a platform to highlight examples such as these – and many more – of ongoing work and achievements, as well as raise awareness of the importance of innovation in advancing girls’ education and promoting learning and empowerment. 

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Thursday, 10 October 2013

International Day of the Girl Child 2013, October 11

International Day of the Girl Child 2013

 







Start a Hangout

Join the Google Hangout
by clicking above 9.00-10.00 EST
11 October, 2013

UNICEF’s Executive Director, Anthony Lake
will engage in a Q&A with students
to discuss challenges and solutions
related to girls’ education around the world.

Watch Game Changers for Girls’ Education1:15 - 2:45 p.m.
If you have trouble with the video player, please go to UNICEF's LiveStream Channel



UNICEF marks this Day with the international community.

The International Day of the Girl Child is celebrated on 11 October, a day designated by the United Nations for promoting the rights of girls, and addressing the unique challenges they face. The inaugural day in 2012 focused on the issue of ending child marriage. As the lead agency for the Day, UNICEF, in consultation with other United Nations agencies and civil society partners, selected Innovating for Girls’ Education as this year’s theme, in recognition of the importance of fresh and creative perspectives to propel girls’ education forward and building on the momentum created by last year’s event.
As the nature and scale of barriers facing girls becomes more complex, innovative strategies are needed to give girls an education that prepares them for the challenges of the 21st century. As the world evaluates the gaps that still remain in achieving global goals for gender equality in education and defines an agenda that moves beyond the Millennium Development Goals, it is critical that innovation brings about solutions for improving girls’ education that are not only more creative, but also more effective, efficient, sustainable and just.

Hear Katy Perry roar for girls’ education - webstory
What do we mean by innovation? On this site, we have gathered the most novel stories from our work in the field to showcase what is happening on the ground and inspire us all to innovate for girls’ education!

*Please check back with us regularly as new information will be uploaded leading up to the Day*
Watch live streaming video from unicef at livestream.com
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World Mental Health Day 2013, October 10




Every year on 10th of October, The World Health Organization joins in celebrating the World Mental Health Day. The day is celebrated at the initiative of the World Federation of Mental Health and WHO supports this initiative through raising awareness on mental health issues.
The theme of the day in 2013 is “Mental health and older adults”.

Comprehensive mental health action plan 2013–2020

The 66th World Health Assembly consisting of Ministers of Health of 194 Member States adopted WHO’s Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020 on 27th May 2013. Many Member States from all WHO regions took the floor emphasizing the importance of mental health and stating their commitment to implement the Action Plan and achieving the specific targets in the plan by year 2020.

WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP)

The WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) aims at scaling up services for mental, neurological and substance use disorders for countries especially with low and middle income.
Join the Forum :   World Mental Health Day - October 10
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World Sight Day 2013, October 10


World Sight Day on October 10th, 2013: Demystification of blindness as scourge of humanity

According to WHO statistics, two thirds of blind children die within two years following their loss of eyesight


OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina-Faso, October 9, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ – 39 million people worldwide are blind. Another 246 million people live with moderate or severe visual impairments. Causes of blindness, still widely unknown 100 years ago, have since been discovered and demystified. Still, tens of thousands of children lose their eyesight due to malnutrition and starvation every year, despite highly effective means of prevention and treatment.


It is the stuff of great stories. It was as early as 1931 that Charlie Chaplin dealt with the topic in his tragicomedy “City Lights”. A tramp falls in love with a blind flower girl from a poor home whose biggest wish is to be able to see. Finally he can help her to gain eyesight.


Charlie Chaplin fictitiously anticipated what is now standard across the globe. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cataract surgery is one of the most cost-efficient and most effective treatment methods. Moreover, it is the most frequently performed surgery in industrialised countries. 46.000 cataract surgeries are made possible with the help of the specialised aid organisation ‘Light for the World’ (http://www.light-for-the-world.org) in developing countries, where every second blind person suffers from cataract and could regain their eyesight by means of a 15 minute operation, even after years of blindness. However, there is a lack of specialised hospitals, eye specialists and medication. This is where ‘Light for the World’ comes in to sustainably improve the situation of visually impaired and blind people. “We devote ourselves to the training of local eye specialists and ophthalmic nurses, as well as the construction of eye clinics and basic health institutions for early diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders,” says Rupert Roniger, Managing Director of ‘Light for the World’ in Austria. At the moment, the construction of an eye clinic including a training centre in the city of Beira in Mozambique is at the top of their agenda.


Early diagnosis of eye disorders is particularly crucial for children in developing countries, where it can save lives. According to WHO statistics, two thirds of blind children die within two years following their loss of eyesight. Malnutrition, in combination with infectious diseases, deprives tens of thousands of infants and small children in Sub-Saharan Africa of sufficient vitamin A, leading to irreversible loss of eyesight. A humanitarian catastrophe is going unnoticed. Even today. Local partners of ‘Light for the World’ supply hundreds of thousands of children with high dosage vitamin A supplements, and thus save these children’s lives. “Every hunger catastrophe in Africa entails a large wake of blindness. Water shortage and starvation cause blindness especially in women and children. That is why our development aid programmes are planned to run for many years in order to absorb also the long-term effects of humanitarian catastrophes,” says Roniger.

The worldwide causes for blindness have mostly been discovered and demystified, and possibilities of treatment are highly developed and effective. 80% of all cases of blindness in developing countries could be treated or prevented. ‘Light for the World’ calls attention to this to mark World Sight Day on October 10th, 2013.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Light for the World.


Free use of text and photos if credits are mentioned.

Further enquiry note:

Gabriel Müller, Light for the World

Email: g.mueller@light-for-the-world.org

Mobile: +43 676 950 4204

http://www.light-for-the-world.org

SOURCE

Light for the World

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Saturday, 5 October 2013

World Post Day 2013, October 9

 World Post Day is celebrated on 9 October and marks the founding of the Universal Postal Union in 1874.

Every year, more than 150 countries mark the day in a variety of ways.
Many Posts use the event to introduce or promote new postal products and services. Open days are held as are flag-raising ceremonies. Some Posts also use World Post Day to reward their employees for good service.

For countries participating in the UPU International Letter-writing Competition for children, national winners are often honoured on 9 October.


In a video message delivered ahead of World Post Day, celebrated annually on 9 October, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlights the role of postal services as “engines of trade, development and growth.”



The head of the United Nations Organization calls on national governments to use the “tremendous potential” of their postal networks to reach out to their citizens and bridge the gaps in today’s information society. Recalling the enduring value of the daily post in an increasingly digital age, Ban says postal services go beyond physical mail and are adapting and redefining themselves for a 21st-century communication landscape. Indeed, Posts help bring people into the financial fold, says Ban, referring to the financial services being increasingly offered by them. Posts also foster commercial trade, especially with the increasing popularity of e-commerce and online shopping, he says. “Postal services make an important contribution to our shared efforts to build a peaceful, sustainable and equitable future for all,” concludes the secretary-general.

OFFICIAL POSTER 2013-2015 :

World Post Day is celebrated annually on 9 October, the day the Universal Postal Union was created 139 years ago in Berne, Switzerland, by 22 founding countries. One of the world’s oldest international organization, the UPU now has 192 member countries and has been a specialized agency of the United Nations since 1948.



Featuring two well-known symbols of the #Post and #communication, the new poster shows the traditional letter transforming itself into a carrier pigeon taking flight. The bird's digitized lines and shape convey the message that the Post and postal communication are evolving and modernizing, increasingly using electronic features. Through this combination of traditional symbols and modern lines, the poster evokes the fundamental values of the postal service


" .post,  Be part of it. Today."

The postal community’s dedicated top-level Domain name opens up a unique, secure internet space for innovative postal applications to enable cross-border business

More information: www.info.post
dotpost@upu.int

 WORLD POST AUTHORTIES :
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UNDP Strategic Plan: 2014- 2017


image

Changing with the World

Helping countries to achieve the simultaneous eradication of poverty and significant reduction of inequalities and exclusion.

With the changing world as the backdrop, and building on our core strengths, our vision is focused on making the next big breakthrough in development: to help countries achieve the simultaneous eradication of poverty and significant reduction of inequalities and exclusion.

This is a vision within reach, with the eradication of extreme poverty and major reductions in overall poverty feasible within a generation. It should be possible as well to make significant inroads against income and non- income measures of inequality and exclusion within this time fame.

This ambitious vision will require an institution that meets benchmarks for organizational effectiveness that match or exceed the highest standards set in its peer community. It will also demand that we organize our work around a focused set of outcomes. These outcomes will support the priorities and needs of each country and region, and capture the development changes UNDP will contribute towards directly, significantly and variably during the course of the Strategic Plan. In so doing, we will align our approach to results with other United Nations agencies.

Success Stories :  UNDP Afghanistan , UNDP Yemen, UNDP Kosovo, UNDP in Nepal, UNDP in India ...
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