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H.E. Rev. Ambassador Anthony J. DeLuca,
Ph.D., United Nations Representative and Holy Wisdom Advisor Karen Lynn McGuckin, Assistant United
Nations Representative and Holy Wisdom Editor Anne Riccitelli, Assistant United
Nations Representative and Holy Wisdom Reporter |
United Nations Affairs- Syrian Orthodox Church H.E. Rev. Ambassador
Anthony J. Deluca, Ph.D. 2295 Victory
Boulevard, Staten Island, New
York, 10314 Questions call:(718)-
698- 0700 email: DeLuca@UN.int |
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This publication is disseminated to the entire
membership of the Church throughout the world on a monthly basis.
Please bring this information to the attention of your parishioners and all
those under your care. The Earth is holy and a manifestation of
God. Pray for peace and the United Nations. |
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Volumn XVII No 06 |
June 2006 |
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INVESTING IN THE UNITED NATIONS- For a Stronger Organization Worldwide
Secretary-General
Kofi Annan presented to Member States his proposals for a fundamental
overhaul of the United Nations Secretariat in March 2006. He states that the
organization's rules, systems and culture need significant retooling and
investment if the UN is to fulfill growing expectations and demands placed on
it by the international community. These
new measures, an important number of which will require Member State
approval, seek to modernize the UN's management practices which, while having
been subject to incremental change over the years, have not been subject to a
comprehensive review. The
Secretary-General presented his report in response to a first-time request
from Member States for such proposals, as outlined in the 2005 September
Summit's Outcome
Document. It builds on reforms implemented in 2005 to strengthen
management, oversight and accountability. He
states: "Only by an
effort this scale - a management reform as broad as it is deep - can we
create a United Nations Secretariat fully equipped to implement all mandates,
using its Member States' resources wisely and accounting for them fully, and
winning the trust of the broader world community." More
specifically, the report confirms the need for far-reaching reforms and
targeted investments to realign staff skills to meet current and emerging
organizational objectives; elevate management accountability and performance;
upgrade information technology; streamline budget and finance; explore new,
more cost-effective ways of doing business; and suggests improvements to the
ongoing interaction with its Member States. What are the
Millennium Development Goals? The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – which range
from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing
universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 – form a
blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the world’s leading
development institutions. They have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet
the needs of the world’s poorest.
ANNAN CALLS FOR ‘DECISIVE
ACTION’ TO PROTECT PLANET AGAINST ECOLOGICAL DEGRADATION New York, May 22
2006 11:00AM With some 2,300 species endangered or facing extinction,
significant losses in agricultural output, and an economic cost estimated at
more than $42 billion a year, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan
today <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2006/sgsm10468.doc.htm">marked
the International Day for Biological Diversity with a call for “decisive
action to protect our planet.” “The degradation of
drylands - which constitute 40 per cent of the planet’s land surface - is
having dramatic effects,” he said in a message referring to the theme of this
year’s Day. “These consequences are especially troubling because they are
borne disproportionately by the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. “Drylands host eight of the
10 least developed countries in the world, and developing nations are home to
the overwhelming majority of the 2 billion people who rely on dryland
ecosystems. As a result, their decline has far-reaching implications for our
efforts to fight poverty, hunger and disease. “Indeed, significant steps
to preserve drylands will help determine whether we will achieve the
Millennium Development Goals,” he added of the targets set by the UN
Millennium Summit of 2000 to slash a host of the world’s ills, such as
extreme hunger and poverty, high infant and maternal mortality and lack of
access to education and health care, all by 2015. Mr. Annan stressed the need
to reverse desertification, a process not only exacerbating poverty but also
partly caused by it. “This year’s biodiversity
commemoration coincides with the International Year of Deserts and
Desertification. These two complementary observances illustrate the strong
links between environmental issues, and highlight the need for a
comprehensive and global approach to address these concerns,” he said. “On this International Day
for Biological Diversity, let us resolve to do more to protect the biodiversity
on which our planet depends. Let us
commit ourselves to safeguarding our drylands, and let us work together to
achieve the goal of a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss
by the year 2010. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ABOLISHES HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION Also Adopts Decision on Operational Activities Segment of Substantive
Session The Economic and Social Council this afternoon
decided to abolish the Commission on Human Rights with effect from 16 June
2006. Adopting a resolution without a vote, the Council
requested the Commission to conclude its work at its sixty-second session,
which should be short and procedural, and transmit its final report to the
Council. In another action, the Council adopted, by a
roll-call vote of 51 in favour to 1 against (United States), with no
abstentions, a decision on operational activities segment of its 2006
substantive session (document E/2006/L.3). The representative of the United States, speaking in
explanation of vote, said that the General Assembly and other United Nations
entities were currently engaged in the reform process laid out in the 2005
World Summit Outcome. The Economic and Social Council had once again
demonstrated its fecklessness by failing to include any reference in the text
to the 2005 World Summit Outcome. The United States had, therefore,
voted against the text. And in other business this afternoon, the Council
elected, by acclamation, Dalius Ĉekuolis, the new Permanent Representative
of Lithuania to the United Nations, as a vice-president on its Bureau to fill
the unexpired term of his predecessor, Gedeminas Šerkšnys. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL AGREES ON THEME FOR
HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS SEGMENT OF SUBSTANTIVE SESSION During a brief organizational meeting this afternoon,
the Economic and Social Council agreed on the theme of the humanitarian
affairs segment and the topics for two panels that would take place during
that part of its substantive session this year. By the terms of an oral decision adopted today, the
overall theme of the humanitarian affairs segment would be “Strengthening of
the coordination of United Nations humanitarian assistance: implementing
improved humanitarian response at all levels, including strengthening
capacity, with particular attention to recent humanitarian emergencies,
including severe natural disasters”. The two expert panel discussions would be devoted to
the issues of gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies; and
chronically under-funded emergencies. Following the introduction of the draft by the
Council’s President, Ali Hachani ( Tunisia), the
representative of the United States expressed concern over the fact that the
meeting had been scheduled without sufficient prior notice to Member States.
Capitals needed time to consider the proposals and give guidance to
delegations, he said. The date of the Economic and Social Council’s next
meeting will be announced. Latest
Newsletter for the UN Economice and Social Counsel
http://www.un.org/docs/ecosoc/news/NewsletterVol5No2.pdf
Publications- Must Read-
Achieving
the Internationally Agreed Development Goals - Dialogues at the Economic and
Social Council: This book gives an
overview of the key debates that took place during the Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC) meetings on the theme of the High-Level Segment of 2005,
“Achieving the internationally agreed development goals, including those
contained in the Millennium Declaration, as well as implementing the outcomes
of the major United Nations conferences and summits: progress made,
challenges and opportunities”. This publication also includes the
Secretary-General’s report as well as the President of ECOSOC’s Summary on
the theme of the ECOSOC High-Level Segment for 2005.
An Integrated Approach to Rural
Development - Dialogues at the Economic and Social Council This book presents the key
debates that took place during the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
meetings on the theme of the High-Level Segment of 2003, “Promoting an
integrated approach to rural development in developing countries for poverty
eradication and sustainable development”. This publication also includes the
Secretary-General’s report as well as the Ministerial Declaration on the
theme of the ECOSOC High-Level Segment of 2003 Pick them up:
http://www.un.org/docs/ecosoc/publications/01.html Vancouver,
23 June 2006 – Drawing some 10,000 participants
from over 100 countries, the Third Session of the World Urban Forum closed on
Friday paving the way for a new drive forward on the international urban
agenda in a world of rapidly growing cities. ·
The need for all urban players –
citizens, local governments, state and provincial governments, national
governments, the private sector and civil society organizations – to work
harder to solve urban problems and challenges. There was widespread agreement
that they all must do their part, rather than simply transfer responsibility
to others. ·
That risk-taking and the pursuit of
innovation must characterise municipal leadership if cities are to achieve
sustainable development. Vancouver's example in taking the lead in such areas
as air and water quality, public transit and planning was mentioned often in
this context. ·
Agreement that appropriate
engagements, partnerships and relationships need to be built in an inclusive
manner to better understand challenges and develop practical solutions.
Participants from many parts of the world presented examples that can serve
as guideposts for these strategies. ·
The importance of transparency and
accountability. Citizens need to be informed of challenges and steps taken by
governments to address them. Transparency goes hand-in-hand with
accountability, which speeds up the process of enhancing actions that work
and curtailing those that do not work. Impassioned pleas for
safer, greener cities Vancouver,
22 June 2006 – Mr. Enrique Peńalosa, the former
Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, drew a standing ovation at the plenary of the
Third Session of the World Urban Forum on Thursday when said cities would
save a lot of money if the use of cars was restricted or even banned during
peak hours. Mr.
Peńalosa, now serving as Visiting Scholar at New York University, was joined
at the podium by Ms. Evelyn Herfkens, Executive Coordinator of the United
Nations Millennium Campaign, in what was one of the most lively sessions of
debate on problems facing a rapidly urbanising world. Mr.
Peńalosa warned a packed convention hall: "Be under no illusion,"
he said. Projections show that the world's urban populations would grow by
more than 2 billion people in the next 30 years – the equivalent of one city
the size of Vancouver, Canada, every week. In 200
years' time, he added, the world would look back to the dawn of this
millennium and regard our cities of today as dangerous places, as London is
sometimes conceived. "They would look back on this period as a time, for
example, when tens of thousands of children were killed by cars, and shudder
with fear." The
world, he said, had to create an urban environment conducive to human
happiness, even though said the developing world would not catch up with the
wealthier nations for the next three to four hundred years. Wealthier people
always enjoy leaving their cities to go on holiday, enjoy nature and a change
of environment – something generally unattainable by poor people who had to
stay put in their towns and cities. This was why it was important for cities
keep close to nature with parks, cycle ways, better public transport to
minimise car use. In short, cities had to be places where the public good
prevailed over private interests. If cars were banned in peak hours, he said
referring to restrictions introduced in Bogotá, most people would be better
off. He explained how Bogotá had voted in a referendum to restrict car use in
peak hours, and how new cycle lanes had been built throughout the city, along
with a rapid bus transit system. All of this had freed up considerable
resources for the city, all of them small steps leading to big change and a
greener, healthier lifestyle. As the
moderator told him that his speaking time was due to end, the audience rose
and cheered when he asked for a few more minutes. He said he wanted Vancouver
2006 to know that in Vancouver 1976 he had accompanied his father, Enrique
Peńalosa, who served as Secretary General of the Habitat I conference.
Vancouver 1976 had inspired him to take home to Bogotá years later many of
the ideas he had picked up during that conference. The
moderator, Mr. Chris Leach, President of the Canadian Institute of Planners,
said the World Planners Congress meeting in Vancouver earlier in the week had
produced a declaration signed by 17 associations from both developed and
developing countries. It laid the groundwork for a new Global Planners Network
to confront the problems of rapid urbanization, the urbanization of poverty,
and the hazards of climate change and natural disasters. He
added that the Canadian Institute of Planners was committed to combining its
expertise with the excellent work already being undertaken by its global
partners. He pledged that the global planning community would take action to
address the sustainability of human settlements. Handing
the floor to Ms. Herfkens, he said the world planning community had a renewed
energy, commitment and dedication to help the world's population enjoy a
better standard of living and provide hope and opportunities for future
generations. Ms.
Herfkens said she agreed with Klaus Toepfer, the former Executive Director of
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), whom, she said, always
maintained that poverty itself was the biggest polluter. This necessitated
pro-poor sustainable growth; it meant the poor should join in urban planning,
and that they had to be acknowledged and respected. It was a mistake to
regard the poor as "client targets" – a view she said was now
enshrined in the eight Millennium Development Goals forged in the consensus
of world leaders signatory to the Millennium Declaration. She
waved a copy of a new brochure on the goals published with UN-HABITAT for the
forum showing how rich and poor countries, at government and municipal level
can apply the goals to their urban planning strategies. Use them, she
pleaded. She was delighted to learn at the forum that the Mayor of Montréal,
Gérald Tremblay, for example, had personally undertaken a campaign to
publicise the goals. "Investment in the goals is an investment in your
own future. We are the first generation with the resources and the knowledge
to end poverty," said. To resounding applause, she added: "Don't
let our leaders off the hook."
ICON Digest
Ecumenical News International Highlights 13 June 2006 US religious coalition
calls for ban on use of torture New York (ENI). A group of
Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders in the United States has called on their
government to forswear the use of torture "without exceptions" and
in all cases. "Torture violates the
basic dignity of the human person that all religions, in their highest
ideals, hold dear," the leaders say in a statement published as a paid
advertisement in the New York Times. The paid advertisement is part of a new
initiative, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, which says it is
working "for the immediate cessation of torture by the United States,
whether direct or by proxy, within our territory or abroad". [305 words,
ENI-06-0469] Church groups urge closure
of Guantanamo camp New York (ENI). The US
National Council of Churches has reiterated a demand for the closure of the
US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, following the suicides of three
prisoners there. "Americans who love
their country and its historic ideals are mortified by this continuing blot
on our honour, on our steadfast defence of freedom, and on our commitment to
democracy and the rule of law," said the Rev. Robert Edgar, the
council's general secretary. The inmates, two Saudis and a Yemeni, hanged
themselves in their cells in the detention centre at the Guantanamo Bay naval
base in Cuba, which houses prisoners the US has said may have been involved
in terrorist activities. Most detainees have been held without charge for up
to four and a half years. [358 words, ENI-06-0468 ] Christians face hostility
in central Indian state, says church group
New Delhi (ENI). Church
groups in India have accused the government of the state of Madhya Pradesh of
fomenting a climate of hostility against minorities, after two women said
they had been raped as retribution for converting to Christianity. "It
is shameful that the state's law and order machinery has been blind to the
violence," said John Dayal, spokesperson of the All India Christian
Council in a statement. The two women from Nadia village said they had been
raped by a gang of Hindus as punishment for having become Christians. Madhya
Pradesh was the first state in India to enact a law hampering religious
conversions, and Christian activists have accused the government of using the
issue of conversions to stir up hostility against them. [320 words,
ENI-06-0470] Church hails repeal of
anti-conversion law in India New
Delhi (ENI). Christian leaders in India have hailed the repeal of a law in
the southern state of Tamil Nadu that banned religious conversions by
"fraud, force or inducement", a type of legislation recently
condemned by Pope Benedict XVI. The Tamil Nadu legislature formally lifted
the ban on conversions after recent elections brought a new government to power
pledged to reverse the measure introduced in 2002. Christians in India stage
three-day march in schools protest New Delhi (ENI). More than
600 members of the Church of South India (CSI) have staged a three-day
protest march to Chennai, the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu, in a
campaign to return control of four Christian colleges to the church.
"The missionaries started these colleges for the benefit of the entire
community," said Chennai's CSI bishop Vedanayagam Devasahayam. "Unfortunately,
the administration of these colleges have gone into the hands of individuals
who treat these as their private property." |
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THE AVIAN FLU IN PERSPECTIVE United Nations, New York,
February 9, 2006 --- National and international meetings around the world
have been taking place for over a year to organize public health efforts to
contain any outbreaks of avian flu.
Governments are working together with civil society groups to educate
publics at a grass roots level on what they can do to prevent the disease. It was stressed that efforts to cull infected bird
populations have resulted in huge losses for small subsistence farmers whose
livelihood and ability to eat is directly dependent on the chickens they live
with. The disease has had a
devastating effect on poor communities. Farmers fear reporting sick birds
because their flocks will be destroyed and they may not be compensated for
their losses. Instead, they hide the
sick birds or sell them, and that contributes to the transmission of avian
flu to new areas. Many developing
countries do not have the financial resources or systems for speedy
disbursement for adequately compensating farmers for their culled flocks. Among the many groups working to educate people about
the disease is CARE International. In
Viet Nam, Care is fighting the flu at the source by providing poor
communities with simple instructions on basic hygiene, such as the proper way
to wash hands. Of course in poor communities without soap and water, even
this becomes difficult. As a poverty
fighting organization with a long term presence in over 70 countries, they
are well positioned to address avian flu on many levels. The organization has developed three television public
service announcements promoting avian flu education. These are currently
airing in Vietnam. CARE is focused on teaching farmers safe ways to raise
their poultry, including improved bird handling techniques. The organization
has also provided safety equipment to farmers. INNOVATIVE
INITIATES FOR THE ELIMINATION OF RACISM United Nations, New York, March
16, 2006 – The activities of civil societies all over the world have
contributed to the growing level of understanding and tolerance for
diversity. NGOs play an important role
in eliminating racism and intolerance for minorities and no progress can be
made without their active participation. The United Nations Commission of Human Rights
established a new mandate, focusing on minority rights. Legislation is an
important tool to eliminate racism, but it is only of value if it can be
enforced and put into practice. Poverty is a key issue among minorities, one
which contributes greatly to racism. Extreme poverty can fuel
discrimination. The best weapon in
this case is education. In fighting
racial discrimination, education is an effective tool, because it empowers
people. Knowledge is power. The United
Nations is actively teaching tolerance globally through the activities of the
UN Chronicle, the Special Projects Unit, the UN Cyberschoolbus and the UN
Works Program. ON THE OCCASION OF THE FOURTH WORLD WATER FORUM IN
OBSERVANCE OF WORLD WATER DAY United
Nations, New York, March 30, 2006 – One billion people do not have access to
water at all. Another one billion
people only have access to contaminated water. Responding to emergencies has been a major
part of the work of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency
Fund – UNICEF. In
sub-Saharan Africa, 58% of the populations lack basic water, while 36% lack
basic sanitation. UNICEF’s response
builds on existing regional programs.
The emphasis is always on a balanced application: water uses including
sanitation and hygiene. This approach
has greatly added to the coordinated efforts of UNICEF in this region. COMBATING CORRUPTION United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime holds panel discussion In recognition of the Entry into force of the United Nations Convention Against
Corruption Keynote Speaker: Ambassador John R. Bolton, United States
Permanent Representative to the U.N. United Nations, New York,
December 15, 2005 - Participants in today’s panel discussion on the United
Nations Convention against Corruption, which entered into force yesterday,
hailed the instrument as a comp- rehensive set of rules to
avert, punish, control and remedy corruption. Adopted by the General Assembly
in 2003, the Convention has been signed by 140 countries and ratified by 38.
Its entry into force came 90 days after Ecuador’s ratification on September
15. The treaty’s main pillars include
prevention, criminalization, international cooperation and asset recovery. Not one person in the room
raised a hand when UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa asked if
anyone had never encountered corruption in their personal and professional
lives. Mr. Costa said he was not
surprised, “…since corruption was as old as our species and as wide as our
planet. According to the Old Testament, it started in the Garden of Eden,
when the snake bribed Adam and Eve with an apple.” The devastating effects of
corruption were described by keynote speaker John R. Bolton, Permanent
Representative of the United States.
Mr. Bolton discussed some of corruption’s harmful effects, including
bribery, drug trade, human trafficking, and criminal support for clandestine
terrorist activities. The World Bank estimates that $1 trillion in bribes are
paid annually – money that should be used to improve infrastructure and
government services. “Bad money drives out good money,” he said, pointing out
that investors fled corrupt countries. Around the world, people are
increasingly frustrated with the injustice and deprivation that corruption
brings. Corrupt leaders amass immense
fortunes which are protected abroad by banking secrecy laws, while ordinary
people toil to scrape a living. The UN Convention has
established a framework for dealing with corruption on a worldwide basis –
the first document of its kind to do so. His Excellency Mr. Jan Elliasson President of the Sixtieth Session of the General
Assembly Holds an Informal Briefing for NGO Community United Nations, New York,
December 16, 2005 - In an
unprecedented show of support for the NGO community, H.E. Mr. Jan Elliasson,,
President of the Sixtieth Session of the General Assembly held an informal
briefing for the NGO community today. He spoke of his gratitude for
the NGO support he received while in the field in Somalia and Sudan. He discussed the need for NGO space for
meeting and community as the UN prepares to implement its Capital Master
Plan. He spoke of NGOs doing their own work within their own borders by
showing their engagement in a global community without borders. He spoke of
the work being done by field NGOs for the 1.2 billion people for whom clean
water is a luxury, while holding up his glass of clean water to demonstrate what most of the
world takes for granted. He
concluded his remarks saying that in the global community, “Good
international cooperation is in the national interest.” Press Release: Archdeacon Taimalelagi
Fagamalama Tuatagaloa-Leota Awarded an Honorary Doctor of Divinity. On the 8th of June 2006,
Archdeacon Taimalelagi Fagamalama Tuatagaloa-Leota was honored with a Doctor
of Divinity honoris causa. The ceremony took place just before the passing of
the sign of Peace at the Noon Eucharist in the Episcopal Church Center. Archdeacon Taimalelagi
Fagamalama Tuatagaloa-Leota is the Anglican Observer at the United Nations.
Originally from the Anglican Province of Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia
she was the Archdeacon for Samoa Archdeaconry for eight years before taking
up the post of Anglican Observer at the United Nations in August 2001. At the ceremony the Testimonial
was read, followed by H.E. the Revd Dr. Anthony J. De Luca, Rector of
Ignatius University presenting the Degree. The Testimonial read at the
Ceremony paid a tribute to Archdeacon Leota and her long-standing service for
the worldwide Anglican Communion, which was recognized, valued and affirmed
at the Ceremony. A tribute to the Archdeacon
Leota and her achievements § Archdeacon Leota worked for the
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for 25 years. First as a Program
Officer, handling development issues in Fiji and Samoa and then later as an
Operations Manager of the Samoa Field Office until early 2001 before assuming
the position of the Anglican Observer a few days before September 11th. § For eight years she was the Archdeacon
for Samoa Archdeaconry in the Anglican Province of Aotearoa, New Zealand and
Polynesia. § For six years a member of the
Anglican Consultative Council from 1987 to 1993 § Archdeacon Leota was elected as
President of the National Council of Churches Women of Samoa after being
Treasurer for the same organization for five years. § For nine years until June 2001,
Archdeacon Leota was a member of the Board of Oversight for Saint John's
Theological College (Auckland, New Zealand) § She also served as a trustee of the
Anglican Investment Agency and the Archbishop of Canterbury's Anglican
Communion Fund. § For the last five years Archdeacon
Leota has served her country and church through the Office of the Anglican
Observer at the United Nations, for which the Archdeacon was awarded the
Order of Samoa by her Nation and awarded the Saint Augustine's Cross by the
Archbishop of Canterbury. Archdeacon Leota will be retiring from her post as
Anglican Observer at the end of this month. As an Anglican Observer
Archdeacon Leota helped motivate women of the Episcopal Church to organize
Anglican Women's Empowerment which raised funds to bring Anglican Women from
around the Communion to New York to attend the United Nations Commission on
the status of Women. Also as an Anglican
Observer Archdeacon Leota spoke out for the Church against taking up arms
when nations wanted a war. She also spoke up for indigenous people by helping
to keep the Inter Anglican Indigenous Network alive and spoke up for
sustainable development through the publication of the book 'Healing God's
Creation.' Therefore gender issues and
issues concerning the rights of children and others were some of the
priorities that Archdeacon Leota saw as important and hence pursued them in
response to what the Communion required of the Anglican Observer at the
United Nations. The Testimonial ended with;
"You have met the image of the divine in all you have served, and so
your life has been molded by things pleasing to divinity but you have come
closest to the divinity, who creates with a lavish hand, by being mother to 9
and grandmother to 29. Accordingly, Archdeacon Leota, for all these
achievements, Ignatius University confers upon you the degree of Doctor of
Divinity honoris causa. Congratulations Doctor Leota." After the Ceremony
Archdeacon Leota was congratulated by colleagues from the Episcopal Church
Center, the NGO Community, the Country Missions to the UN and by students of
Ignatius University. GREENHOUSE GASES REACH HIGHEST LEVEL EVER
RECORDED, UN AGENCY REPORTS New York, Mar 14 2006 5:00PM Globally averaged concentrations of
carbon dioxide (CO2), the most abundant greenhouse gas in the planet’s
atmosphere, as well as of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), reached
their highest ever-recorded levels in 2004, mainly due to human activity, the
United Nations meteorological agency announced today. CO2 increased by 1.8 parts
per million (ppm) to 377.1 ppm, or 0.47 per cent compared with 2003, the
World Meteorological Organization (<"http://www.wmo.ch/index-en.html">WMO)
reported in its first annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. The 35 per cent rise in
CO2 since the dawn of the industrial age in the late 1700s has largely been
generated by emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels. “Global observations
coordinated by WMO show that levels of carbon dioxide, the most abundant
greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, continue to increase steadily and show no
signs of levelling off,” said Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of the
Geneva-based agency. In contrast, atmospheric
levels of methane, at 1783 parts per billion (ppb), have shown signs of
reaching a plateau with virtually no rise in 2004 and changing by less than 5
ppb per year since 1999. Human activity such as
fossil fuel exploitation, rice agriculture, biomass burning, landfills and
ruminant farm animals account for some 60 per cent of atmospheric CH4, with
natural processes including those produced by wetlands and termites
responsible for the remaining 40 per cent. Nitrous oxide, at 318.6
ppb, has been steadily rising by about 0.8 ppb per year since 1988. Around
one third of N2O discharged into the air is a result of human activities such
as fuel combustion, biomass burning, fertilizer use and some industrial
processes. The rates supersede those
of pre-industrial times by 35 per cent for CO2, 155 per cent for CH4 and 18
per cent for N2O, and increased over the previous decade by 19 ppm, 37 ppb
and 8 ppb respectively in absolute amounts. H.E. Rev.
Ambassador Anthony J. DeLuca, Ph.D., United Nations Representative and Holy Wisdom Advisor and Holy Wisdom Reporter Ambassador Anthony J. DeLuca, PH.D. and the NGO representative of the Greek
Orthodox Archdioceses of New York Lila Prounis had a luncehon dissussion in
the UNICEF dining room. Then at Fordham University- Dr. Anderson, Ambassador
Anthony J. DeLuca, PH.D. Dr.Fflorence
Denmark, Past President of APA Fordham University, APA
International Division,President-elect (2007), APA Society for General
Psychology, AMBASSADOR'S PRINCIPAL SCHEDULE:
; October 6, Meeting at United Nations with Dr. Veccio, School of
Practical Philosophy October 11, Vespers for United Nations(SCOOCH/SCOBA), Greek
Orthodox Cathedral October 14, Honoring Sister Charlotte, St. Joseph Hill Academy,
Excelsior Grand, Staten Is. October 18, Meeting Barry Steingard, School of Practical
Philosophy October 15, Wedding Reception October 22, Wedding Reception November 10, Informal Informals, Second Committee of the General
Assembly November 15, EvenSong and Reception, Anglican Observer to
the United Nations, NYC. December 1, Informal Informals, Second Commitee of the General
Assembly, United Nations December 8, Protection and Promotion of Human Rights of People
with Mental Disorders, United Nations. December 22, United Nations,General Assembly passes resolution
for debt relief for Poor Mountain Countries (DeLuca worked with Second
Committee '04 & '05 on this issue) December 24, Christmas Midnight Mass, Ignatius University
Chapel, Staten Island, NY December 31, Wedding Reception January 5, Meeting, Counselor, Malaysia Mission to United
Nations January 13, Staten Island Community in Crisis Forum. January 18, 8th Annual Staten Island Church Unity Service, Zion
Lutheran Church. JANUARY 18 Special Meeting, Rev.Sayarayne, Liberia,
Pastor,Christ Assembly Lutheran Church on parish education satellite. Special Meeting, Canon Andrews, Rector Emeritus, St. Thomas
Episcopal church, NYC January 19 Meeting, Mr. Manuel Eduardo, Counselor Angola Mission
to UN
Meeting, Mr. Cyril Thomas, St. Vincent & Grenadines Mission to UN Meeting,
Dr. Vera Mehta, UN Secretariat
Fra Angelico Exhibit, Metropolitan Museum of Art Colloquium,
Dr. Peter Gay, New Perspectives in Psychoanalysis march 30-meeting with Ambassador Kazykhanov, Kazakastan
Ambassador to UN; survey presentation of economic and social commission for
Asia and Pacific. march 23 - Serbs in Kosovo; delegation for Serbian Orthodox
church -press confer at UN; Bishop Jovan; Bishop Teodosije. mar 9 meeting with Mr. Kinga, Bhutan mission to un |
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