Destacados

• La Sra. Rosario Murillo, Coordinadora del Consejo de Comunicación y Ciudadanía, Presidencia de la República de Nicaragua, indicó que, desde del 26 de mayo hasta la fecha, como consecuencia de la temporada de lluvias, hubieron 15 muertos y 12 mil personas damnificadas. Se encuentran albergadas 1,660 personas en 13 albergues activos y 2 mil 293 viviendas con afectaciones en su estructura en 14 departamentos, 47 municipios, 149 localidades.

• COMUPRED de la RAAS decretaron alerta amarilla en El Rama, Kukra Hill, Bluefields y Laguna de Perlas, donde se reportaban más de 200 familias evacuadas.

• Se mantiene la Alerta Amarilla decretada en Prinzapolka – nueva afectación en 5 comunidades

• SINAPRED anuncio por los medios oficiales que las familias que fueron evacuadas por las últimas inundaciones en la RAAS, permanecerán en refugios hasta que no disminuyan el nivel de los ríos crecidos.-

• COMUPRED de las zonas afectadas en coordinación con Defensa Civil están realizando la evaluación de daños y necesidades, por lo que no se cuenta todavía con los datos oficiales de las afectaciones en la población y cultivos.-

• COMUPRED: La Cruz del Río Grande, Laguna de Perlas y Kukra Hill, solicitan de forma verbal ayuda humanitaria

• A nivel nacional el dengue ha causado 5 muertos y más de 1,900 personas afectadas.-

07/26/2013 18:44 GMT

UNITED NATIONS, July 26, 2013 (AFP) - The main Syrian opposition Friday called on the UN Security Council to apply greater "international pressure" on President Bashar al-Assad to halt the country's bitter conflict.

But the first meeting between the Syrian National Coalition and the 15-member Security Council highlighted international divisions over the war, which the UN says has left more than 100,000 dead, and the obstacles to organizing a peace conference.

New coalition president Ahmad Jarba said he told the council: "We need far more international pressure to force the Assad regime to accept a political transition."

Jarba made no direct appeal for arms, but he added: "I said that as long as the Assad regime is waging war against the Syrian people, the opposition must have the right to self-defense."

The coalition has been on a tour seeking to put across its political objectives and press for western weapons supplies. Jarba and other top coalition leaders met with French President Francois Hollande in Paris on Wednesday and with US Secretary of State John Kerry in New York on Thursday.

The Security Council held an informal meeting with the coalition, because Russia, Assad's main international backer, said an official meeting would confer recognition on the opposition group, according to diplomats.

Britain's UN ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, whose country organized the meeting, said the opposition had put across a "positive" message opposing extremism and backing democracy in Syria.

There was little sign however of a breakthrough in efforts to organized a follow up to the Syria peace conference held in Geneva last year.

The coalition opposes any role for Assad in a transitional government and insists that it must have full control of the army and security forces.

"I think members of the Security Council will have been encouraged by the commitment shown by the opposition, it remains to be seen whether the regime is equally committed," Lyall Grant told reporters when asked about the chances of a new conference.

"Clearly there are still some obstacles to be overcome" for a new peace conference, commented Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin who said there should be talks "without pre-conditions."

tw/nss

La ayuda humanitaria brindará asistencia a 2.000 personas para garantizar su seguridad alimentaria

Ciudad de Guatemala, 26 de Julio de 2013.- La Comisión Europea va a proporcionar 150.000 euros (1.529.000 quetzales) para asistir a las personas más vulnerables a los efectos de la plaga de roya en el café, en los departamentos de Baja Verapaz y Chiquimula. La ayuda humanitaria llegará a 2.000 personas (400 familias) que recibirán semillas en apoyo a la agricultura familiar y se beneficiarán de programas de Dinero por Trabajo, todo ello con el objetivo de garantizar su seguridad alimentaria tras la dramática caída de ingresos a causa de la roya. Las operaciones humanitarias serán llevadas a cabo en el terreno por la organización Oxfam.

“Queremos evitar que la roya termine causando una crisis alimentaria y humanitaria y por ello emprendemos esta operación", afirmó Ingrid de Loof, responsable de emergencias en Centroamérica del Departamento de Ayuda Humanitaria y Protección Civil (ECHO). "Los beneficiarios de la ayuda serán las familias más vulnerables de la zona, aquellas sin reserva de grano, sin acceso a empleo regular o que obtuvieron más de un 25% de sus ingresos del café. También a las familias que tengan a mujeres como cabeza de familia, menores de 5 años con desnutrición o estén compuestas por más de 4 miembros”, añadió.

Desde la segunda mitad del año pasado, Centroamérica ha visto un aumento dramático de las zonas afectadas por la roya, considerada la enfermedad más severa que puede afectar a la planta de café, lo que podría conllevar una disminución del 25% de la cosecha 2012.-13 y del 40% en la cosecha 203-14. El café es una fuente de ingresos clave para cerca ce 300.000 de pequeños productores (según datos de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe, CEPAL), muchos de los cuales viven por debajo del umbral de la pobreza. Se estima que la bajada de la producción puede prolongarse de tres a cinco años. La falta de ingresos puede empeorar considerablemente la seguridad alimentaria de las poblaciones más vulnerables.

ECHO proporcionará 150.000 euros a uno de sus socios humanitarios en el país, Oxfam GB, para apoyar a aquellos a quienes la pérdida de ingresos sitúa en una situación de alto riesgo para su seguridad alimentaria. Por ello se distribuirán semillas, que permitan cultivos y fuentes de alimentación alternativas, y también se organizarán donaciones y programas de Trabajo por Dinero para aumentar los ingresos de dichas familias vulnerables.

Asimismo se realizarán estudios en Honduras (en los departamentos de Copán y La Paz) y en y Nicaragua (en los departamentos de Jinotega, Matagalpa y Estelí) para evaluar la situación en cuanto a zonas afectadas por la roya y su impacto en las poblaciones.

Desde 1998, ECHO ha destinado 47 millones de euros (535 millones de quetzales) en ayuda humanitaria a Guatemala. A raíz de los daños causados por el terremoto del 7 de noviembre de 2012, ECHO destinó 2.2 millones de euros (22.4 millones de quetzales) a asistir a los afectados. También proporcionó 2 millones de euros (20.3 millones de quetzales) en asistencia humanitaria tras la depresión tropical 12-E en octubre de 2011, para ayudar a las comunidades más afectadas a recuperarse de los daños a sus viviendas y sus cosechas.

Asimismo, Guatemala se beneficia del programa de preparación ante desastres, conocido como DIPECHO por su nombre en inglés (Disaster Preparedness ECHO), que en 2012-2013 ha invertido 2.2 millones de euros (22.4 millones de quetzales) en 7 proyectos en el país con 83.000 beneficiarios para ayudar a las comunidades más vulnerables y a las instituciones locales a reducir los riesgos de desastres asociados a fenómenos naturales como terremotos, tsunamis, inundaciones, deslizamientos, sequías y erupciones volcánicas.

Más información sobre la ayuda humanitaria de la Comisión Europea:http://ec.europa.eu/echoPágina de Centroamérica:http://ec.europa.eu/echo/aid/central_south_america/centralamerica_en.htmEn Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/ec.humanitarian.aid

Contactos:

Ingrid de Loof
Responsable en Emergencias en Centroamérica
Comisión Europea – Departamento de Ayuda Humanitaria y Protección Civil (ECHO) -
Tel.: +505 22706186 Ingrid.de-loof@echofield.eu

Isabel Coello
Oficial de Información para América Latina y Caribe
Comisión Europea – Departamento de Ayuda Humanitaria y Protección Civil (ECHO)
Cel: +505 888 39079 isabel.coello@echofield.eu

Sergio De León
Oficial de Prensa
Delegación de la Unión Europea en Guatemala
Tel. +502 2384 2596 Sergio.De-Leon@eeas.europa.eu

Court Quashes Plan to Force Refugees Into Camps Bars Moving 55,000 Urban Somalis, Others

(Nairobi, July 26, 2013) – Kenya’s High Court on July 26, 2013, quashed a government plan to move 55,000 mostly Somali refugees from the capital, Nairobi, and other cities to camps, Human Rights Watch said today. The court said the relocation would violate refugees’ dignity and free movement rights, and would risk indirectly forcing them back to Somalia. It also said the authorities had not proved the move would help protect national security, following a series of grenade and other attacks in Kenya by unidentified people.

Police subjected Somali and Ethiopian refugees and asylum seekers in Nairobi to 10 weeks of abuse – including torture and rape – in late 2012 and early 2013. The police called the refugees “terrorists” and said they should move to the camps.

“The court’s judgment is a welcome reprieve for Kenya’s 55,000 urban refugees and a reminder that the authorities can’t just walk all over refugees’ rights,” said Gerry Simpson, senior refugee researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The court’s decision should send a strong message to the authorities that the recent violence and threats against Nairobi’s refugees should end.”

The authorities should protect refugees in Nairobi, allow the UN and refugee groups to assist them, and urgently investigate police officers responsible for the appalling abuses against refugees in 2012 and 2013, Human Rights Watch said.

In January, the Kenyan nongovernmental organization Kituo Cha Sharia (Center for Law) filed a petition challenging the lawfulness of the December 2012 refugee relocation plan, under which all urban refugees and asylum seekers were supposed to leave Kenya’s cities and move to squalid, overcrowded, and closed refugee camps.

Kenya’s High Court ordered the authorities to suspend the plan until the court had reached a decision. On July 26, the court ruled that the plan would violate a range of refugee rights, including their right to free movement, their right to dignity, and potentially the right not to be returned to persecution, which the court said would be more likely if they were “aggressively” forced into squalid camps bordering Somalia.

On January 21, Human Rights Watch called on the authorities to drop their relocation plan, saying that Kenya had failed to show, as required by international law, that the plan was either necessary to achieve enhanced national security or the least restrictive measure possible to address Kenya’s national security concerns. Human Rights Watch said the plan also unlawfully discriminated against refugees because the policy allowed Kenyan citizens to move freely and denied refugees that right.

Human Rights Watch also said that transferring tens of thousands of refugees from the cities to closed refugee camps facing a funding shortfall of over US$100 million would violate a range of their other rights, including the right to free movement, the right not to be forcibly evicted from their homes, and the right not to have reduced access to basic rights – to food, livelihoods, health care, and education.

Officials announcing the relocation plan in December said the move would swiftly be followed by repatriation of Somali refugees to Somalia, despite the fact that most of south-central Somalia remains extremely insecure with ongoing conflict, killings, indiscriminate violence against civilians, and limited access for humanitarian agencies.

Human Rights Watch reiterated its call to the Kenyan authorities not to press refugees to return to Somalia. Such pressure would violate Kenya’s obligations not to forcibly return – or refoule – refugees to situations of persecution or generalized violence.

“This judgment should serve as a wake-up call to the authorities about their most fundamental of obligations towards refugees,” Simpson said. “Kenya’s government should never pressure or force refugees back to places that threaten their lives and freedom.”

KEY MESSAGES

• Ground moisturize conditions in the southern areas of Haiti improved due to the rainfall from Tropical Storm Chantal. Preparation for planting beans and sweet potatoes is taking place in these areas.

• Nippes, Sud and Grand’Anse departments of southern Haiti will have a significant reduction in yields, due to the irregular rainfall distribution from April to June.

• Small farmers in El Paraíso and Olancho departments of Honduras could see a reduced yield due to poor rainfall from April 1 to June 30 and the seasonal dry spell expected in late July/beginning of August.

• Some areas of high elevation in Guatemala (Sololá, Huehuetenango and Quiche departments) report fungal diseases due to excessive moisture.

BANGUI, 26 July 2013 – A UNICEF-chartered cargo aircraft loaded with 52 metric tonnes of humanitarian supplies touched down today in Bangui, Central African Republic.

The shipment – equivalent to six large truck-loads or 44 (4x4’s) worth of essential supplies – is the third UNICEF charter of emergency supplies to arrive since March 2013. It includes medicines and health supplies to treat over 20,000 people, tarpaulins to provide emergency shelter for 1,000 families, 400 boxes of therapeutic milk to treat severely malnourished children, and health and nutrition equipment to benefit children and women in areas most hard hit by the violent crisis, particularly those in the interior of the country where humanitarian needs are the greatest.

“This is the largest shipment of supplies we have received since the crisis began. These life-saving supplies will be delivered immediately to affected communities across the Central African Republic,” said UNICEF Representative Souleymane Diabate in Bangui. “This month, through the work of mobile teams, we re-established a presence in the interior of the country and the supplies will be used to ensure that the health and nutritional needs of the most vulnerable women and children are met.”

Since the onset of the crisis in March 2013, UNICEF and partners have managed to scale up the humanitarian response and make a difference in the lives of 223,000 people who now have access to basic health services and medicines in affected areas through UNICEF-supported emergency interventions. In addition, 10,035 children with severe acute malnutrition benefited from therapeutic care and close to 123,000 children have been vaccinated against measles in Bangui, with the rest of the country to be vaccinated before the end of September security permitting. “The delivery of these humanitarian supplies is critical with the Central African Republic on the brink of a humanitarian disaster and the lives of 2.3 million of children at stake,” added Diabate.

To respond to the crisis, UNICEF is expanding emergency interventions to meet pressing needs on the ground. Thanks to the generosity of donors, US$8 million has already been raised. However, an additional US$24 million is needed for an immediate scale-up in response.

About UNICEF

UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org

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For further information, please contact:
Linda Tom
UNICEF Central African Republic
Tel: +236 70550210
E-mail: ltom@unicef.org

Laurent Duvillier
UNICEF West and Central Africa
Tel: +221 77 637 66 04 – 221 77 740 35 77
E-mail: lduvillier@unicef.org

Notes to editors
UNICEF estimates that the entire population of CAR’s 4.6 million people are affected by the crisis, half of whom are children is either. Since December 2012, more than 206,000 people have been internally displaced and nearly 59,000 new refugees have fled to neighbouring countries. Even before crisis, CAR consistently ranked among the bottom ten countries in development indicators with little or no improvement over the last 20 years. The under-five mortality rate is 164, the sixth highest in the world. The infant mortality rate is 108, the fourth highest in the world. The maternal mortality is 890, the third highest in the world.

Spokespersons available for interviews in country.

The use of modern agricultural inputs is considered the key to raising crop productivity and overall agricultural production in Ethiopia. The government places high priority on making modern agricultural inputs, particularly fertilizer and improved seed, more available to farmers. This reports describes the patterns of use of agricultural inputs by farmers in Ethiopia. It is based on the 2012 Baseline Survey carried out by the International Food Policy Research Institute for the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA). The ATA Baseline Survey includes a household survey, a community survey, and a cooperative survey. This report is based on the results of the household survey. The household survey used a stratified random sample of 3,000 farm households in the four main regions of Ethiopia: Tigray, Amhara, Oromiya, and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s (SNNP) region. The households are dispersed across 100 woredas and 200 kebeles. In order to gather more in-depth information on the 83 woredas initially identified as the ATA zone, these woredas are oversampled. In other words, 67 of the 83 ATA woredas were selected to be included in the sample. The household questionnaire was 23 pages long and covered a wide range of topics related to agricultural production and marketing and rural livelihoods in general.

CDC Continues to Support the Global Polio Eradication Effort

The eradication of polio is an important priority for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We are closer than we have ever been to eradicating polio and it is critical that we take advantage of this opportunity.

On December 2, 2011, CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, activated CDC’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to strengthen the agency’s partnership engagement through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) External Web Site Icon, which is committed to completing the eradication of polio. On December 14, Dr. Frieden enlisted the support of the entire CDC community to become active participants in an intensified effort to eradicate polio worldwide.

CDC’s Involvement

In the final push toward global polio eradication, CDC continues its close collaboration with partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Rotary International, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to ensure a coordinated global and country-level response.

CDC polio eradication activities and staff have moved into the EOC operational structure to ensure maximum use of CDC resources to support polio eradication, and to scale up timely technical expertise and support for polio-infected countries (Angola, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan) and for countries at risk of polio outbreaks (at-risk countries), in coordination with GPEI partners.

Since December 2, 2011, approximately 450 workers have supported CDC’s polio eradication efforts in the EOC and in the field. Of these, 137 workers have completed 413 field deployments to Angola, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, and other areas. Each day an average of 70 people are working on polio eradication in CDC’s EOC.

Activation of the EOC has provided enhanced capacity for CDC’s STOP Transmission of Polio (STOP) program, which trains public health volunteers in the United States and globally to improve polio surveillance and help plan, implement, and evaluate vaccination campaigns. Since December 2, 2011, more than 500 individuals have been deployed to work with the STOP program in a number of countries, including Chad and Kenya.

In addition, the EOC has provided enhanced capacity to scale up in-country technical expertise and support for – polio surveillance, planning, implementation, and monitoring of polio vaccination campaigns – strengthening routine immunization, strengthening management and accountability.

A few additional examples of CDC polio eradication activities include:

An in-depth review of priority countries’ polio eradication plans to assess program gaps and training needs, and elaboration of plans for CDC’s engagement in those countries.

Publication of several joint World Health Organization Weekly Epidemiologic Record/CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR) highlighting polio eradication progress in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Africa, Chad, and Nigeria.

Collaboration with GPEI partners on detailed country-plans for expanded technical and management support, including assistance with outbreak responses, surveillance reviews, vaccination campaign planning and monitoring, and data management.

Provision of operational support to Nigeria for the country’s FY 2012 Polio Eradication Emergency Response Plan. The plan focuses on enhancing management and leadership skills to improve program performance.

The development of indicators for monitoring polio vaccination campaign performance in the areas of planning, implementation, and evaluation.

Review of WHO proposed outbreak response protocols for all polio-affected countries Creation of plans for needs assessments of immunization systems in Chad and Angola.

The Global Push toward the Finish Line

Polio incidence has dropped more than 99 percent since the launch of global polio eradication efforts in 1988. According to global polio surveillance data from July 23, 2013, 140 polio cases have been reported from the three remaining endemic countries: Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. In 2012, a total of 223 polio cases were reported from five countries: Afghanistan, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Of the 2012 polio cases, 97% (217 of the 223 cases) were reported from the three remaining endemic countries.

January 13, 2013 marked two years since a child was paralyzed by wild poliovirus in India. The country was once considered the most complex challenge to achieving global polio eradication. On February 25, 2012, WHO removed India, one of the four remaining endemic countries, from the list of countries considered to have never interrupted the transmission of wild poliovirus. India has not had a case of polio since January 13, 2011 and no recent environmental samples have detected wild poliovirus. Activities continue in India to secure the gains achieved. Large-scale polio vaccination campaigns and active surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases continue. Ongoing reports of AFP cases from India are fully expected. In fact, identification of high numbers of AFP cases means disease surveillance is working and enables India to quickly test cases to rule out polio as the cause.

While no polio cases have been detected in India for more than a year, poliovirus transmission is ongoing in the other three endemic countries – Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. GPEI’s Independent Monitoring Board considers Nigeria and Pakistan to be the greatest challenges for eradicating polio. In addition, Angola, Chad, and the Democratic Republic of Congo had eliminated polio in the past but have experienced reestablished transmission of poliovirus that has continued for more than one year, raising concerns that a window of opportunity to eradicate this crippling and sometimes deadly disease may be closing.

It is therefore imperative that we make this final push toward eradication one of our highest priorities. As Dr. Frieden has stated, “If we fail to get over the finish line, we will need to continue expensive control measures for the indefinite future…More importantly, without eradication, a resurgence of polio could paralyze more than 200,000 children worldwide every year within a decade.” Now is the time, we must not fail.

The aim of this study is to put forward actionable recommendations on learning lessons in DFID, particularly from evaluation studies and research findings.

Methodology

The study included 38 semi-structured interviews in Palace Street, Abercrombie House, and via video conference or telephone with staff in country offices; an online survey carried out by EVD and answered by 254 respondents; a review of documents obtained on a rolling basis in order to provide further insights, comparisons and triangulation; and analysis and iterations in particular with EVD staff, IACDI members and other DFID experts.

Findings and conclusions

Three perspectives of learning were identified in the study:

First, from the starting point of DFID’s research and evaluation outputs, the question of whether lessons are learned focuses on how influential that work is, whether findings and recommendations are taken up in policy and programming and acted upon.

Second, from the point of view of decision-making and action, the question of lesson learning becomes a matter of looking at the extent to which evidence (and in particular, that emerging from DFID’s research and evaluation) feeds into and informs the process of policy making and programming.

Third, looking at learning from the perspective of DFID as an organisation, the question of lesson learning focuses on how knowledge within DFID is captured, shared and used, as and where it is needed.

The study suggests that DFID is much better (or at least more comfortable) at using the findings of research and evaluation than organisational learning. Similarly, it is much better at using research and evaluation findings during, or as part of a project cycle, than in more complex and emergent decision making processes.

From the analysis of decision-making models and the role that evaluation/research based evidence plays, three main conclusions emerge:

1. Initiatives that promote a sense of ownership of research and evaluations and those that support the development and strengthening of interpersonal learning networks work well in DFID. In other words, learning in DFID (of the kind that promotes the incorporation of analysis into decision making and the development of a learning organisation) is more akin to a system with fewer intermediaries and more direct relations between users and producers of knowledge.

2. Formal mechanisms directed at lesson-learning seem to be more useful where it is possible to ‘go with the grain’ of what is required for learning in the circumstances faced; and

3. In line with this DFID’s systems are not properly set up to deal with the complexity of problems the organisation faces.

Read the full report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The combined effects of the 2011/2012 Sahel Crisis and heavy flooding in July/October 2012 have eroded vulnerable households’ coping mechanisms and resulted in protracted food insecurity in pockets of the country and persisting acute malnutrition.

Despite a recovery in cereal production from the 2012/2013 harvest, access to food continues to be constrained by high food prices and the lingering effects of last year’s food crisis. Two thirds of households face food insecurity, particularly during the annual rainy season, of which 5.5 percent suffer from ‘moderate’ or ‘severe’ food insecurity. Global acute malnutrition at the national level is 9.9 percent and stunting prevalence reaches over 30 percent in one region.

This protracted relief and recovery operation aims to: (i) support the treatment and prevention of acute malnutrition among children under 5 and pregnant and lactating women in targeted regions (Strategic Objective 3); (ii) restore and rebuild the livelihoods of the most vulnerable population and support their transition to recovery (Strategic Objective 3); and, (iii) support the national disaster risk reduction agenda and enhance government and community capacity in emergency preparedness and response (Strategic Objective 2).

Food assistance for all asset-creation and training activities will be through cash transfers based on beneficiary preference, functionality of markets and the low cost of cash transfers relative to in-kind food distribution.

The PRRO is fully aligned with the Government’s national priorities as defined in national and sectoral plans and the latest national nutrition protocol, as well as with WFP Strategic Objectives 2 and 3. It contributes to Millennium Development Goals 1, 4, and 5 and supports the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (2012–2016).

07/26/2013 19:54 GMT

CAIRO, July 26, 2013 (AFP) - Clashes between supporters and opponents of Egypt's ousted president Mohamed Morsi in the coastal city of Alexandria killed five people Friday, state news agency MENA said quoting a security source.

The clashes also wounded 72 people, the agency said.

A previous toll for the clashes outside the Qaid Ibrahim mosque in Alexandria from medical sources said three people had been killed and 50 wounded.

tl/hkb

26 July 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today encouraged all Malians to cast their ballots in Sunday’s presidential election, a vital step to restoring constitutional order in the crisis-hit country, and to ensure that the polls are free and fair.

“The Secretary-General reiterates his call for a peaceful, credible and transparent process in line with the aspirations of the Malian people. He calls on all concerned to ensure that the electoral process takes place in an orderly manner,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement.

“The Secretary-General notes the importance of this election for the restoration of constitutional order and national dialogue and reconciliation in Mali,” the statement added.

The 28 July election will be an important step on the path to recovery for the West African nation that, over the course of last year, witnessed a military coup d’état, renewed fighting between Government forces and Tuareg rebels, and the seizure of the northern part of the country by radical Islamists.

Mr. Ban reaffirmed the UN’s continued support for the Malian peace and stabilization process. The world body is providing support through its Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), which became operational earlier this month.

He also cited the need to ensure that any post-election disputes are resolved through peaceful and legal means.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and other scientific institutions are using social media and crowdsourcing to learn more about earthquakes, according to a new report. These techniques provide inexpensive and rapid data to augment and extend the capabilities provided by traditional monitoring techniques.

The new report, Transforming Earthquake Detection and Science Through Citizen Seismology, released by the Commons Lab at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, outlines these groundbreaking citizen science projects.

The report describes how the USGS and others are engaging the public and advancing earthquake monitoring and knowledge of seismic events. The ultimate goal, according to the USGS, is to provide more rapid earthquake detection and generate more real-time hazard and impact information.

The efforts discussed in the report include the Tweet Earthquake Dispatch (TED), which uses an algorithm to provide seismologists with initial alerts of earthquakes felt around the globe via Twitter in less than two minutes. The report also examines the Quake Catcher Network, which equips the public with low-cost sensors to collect information on seismic activity, and Did You Feel It? (DYFI), which uses the Internet to survey individuals about their experiences in earthquakes, including location and extent of the damage.

Throughout much of the world earthquake sensors are sparse or nonexistent, meaning it can take the USGS up to 20 minutes to issue alerts about an earthquake. These crowd-focused systems – which are seen to complement, rather than replace, current systems – provide agencies like the USGS with a fast and inexpensive way to expand their ability to monitor seismic activity.

"Starting with science and having robust databases allows for the most informed decisions, and our research wouldn't be as detailed without the public's help and firsthand accounts through DYFI, TED and other citizen science applications," says Paul Earle, a seismologist with the USGS and a co-author of the report. "With the success of these efforts, scientists will continue to look for additional opportunities to involve the public, incorporate innovative and cutting-edge tools and ultimately extend our reach and monitoring across the landscape."

The report also looks at how future efforts could be improved. Successful crowdsourcing projects at the federal level must navigate a web of practical, legal and policy considerations. This report identifies some of these hurdles and provides lessons learned so that others may apply them to their unique missions. "Greater dialogue is needed between scientists and policymakers on issues from privacy to democratic participation," the authors conclude.

The initiatives are garnering interest, largely because they produce valuable data with a wide range of applications very quickly and in a cost-effective manner.

"In this time of budgetary constraints, projects that can produce useful data with minimal cost are worth highlighting," says Lea Shanley, director of the Commons Lab at the Wilson Center and a co-author of the report. "They also offer a wonderful opportunity for citizens to participate in the work of government and contribute to rigorous scientific research. We also need to address the legal and policy challenges so that government can be more innovative and increase its engagement with the public in meaningful ways."

GENEVA (26 July 2013) – On the eve of the National Assembly elections in Cambodia on Sunday 28 July, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Surya P. Subedi, reiterates his call for free, fair and peaceful election that is underpinned by respect for human rights before, during and after polling day:

“Free political environment and the ability of the people to exercise their rights and freedoms, such as the right to vote, freedom of expression and assembly and the right to stand for election are the key to free and fair elections.

“Cambodia has made significant progress in strengthening democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and I call upon the Government to ensure full respect for its international human rights obligations as the country goes to the polls on Sunday.

“In the remaining hours, I urge the people of Cambodia to refrain from violence and have due regard for the rights of other fellow citizens when exercising their own. Every eligible voter must be given an equal opportunity to exercise his/her right to vote without intimidation, fear or pressure. Allegations of intimidation must be promptly investigated by the authorities.

“With regard to the National Election Committee (NEC), all complaints brought to its attention should also be promptly investigated, and if appropriate, remedied. It is not too late for many of the important concerns already raised to be addressed in a meaningful manner.

“At this juncture in the history of Cambodia, what is at stake is the credibility of the election, and thus also of the future governors of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

“The right to vote, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, is a fundamental human right that is intricately linked to the right to participate in the political, economic and social life of one’s country.

“This election can mark a milestone in the growth of Cambodia that the people wish to see - of an inclusive, just, equitable, and free society. I firmly hope it will and wish all the best for the people of Cambodia on Sunday.”

Professor Surya P. Subedi was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council as the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Cambodia in March 2009. As Special Rapporteur, he is independent from any government or organisation and serves in his individual capacity. He is currently Professor of International Law at the University of Leeds and a practising Barrister in the United Kingdom. He also is the editor of the Asian Journal of International Law (published by Cambridge University Press) and the Vice-President of the Asian Society of International Law.

UN Human Rights, country page – Cambodia: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/AsiaRegion/Pages/KHIndex.aspx

Check the Special Rapporteur’s latest report to the Human Rights Council: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session...

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Food Price Watch, July 2013: Prices Continue to Drop, But Food Subsidies a Concern

Highlights

• Food prices remain high even after prices of internationally traded food decreased between February and June 2013, the third consecutive quarterly decline.

• Higher production, declining imports and increasing stocks pushed down export prices.

• Uncertain weather conditions and domestic policy decisions still warrant close monitoring going forward.

Prices of internationally traded food declined for the third consecutive quarter since their historical peak in August of 2012. Increased production, declining imports and increasing stocks are exerting downward pressure on export prices, but international prices remain tight for maize.

Prices remain high and with recent price increases in May and June, uncertainties surrounding unstable weather conditions and domestic policy decisions among key food producers warrant close scrutiny.

Domestic policies worth watching include public procurement policies, but also consumer price subsidies, which, far from being a thing of the past, continue to be used – even though subsidies often bring meager benefits to the poor, high fiscal costs, corruption episodes and unproven nutritional effects.

Recent decisions by the governments of India, Indonesia and Benin to extend consumer food subsidies indicate that such policies remain in vogue.

Between the 1950s and 1970s, developing countries used universal food subsidies as major components of their poverty alleviation strategies. Lately, rising food prices and recurring price spikes have revived the popularity of such subsidies, leading countries with high poverty and weak safety nets to make food available at below-market prices – for example by subsidizing imports or giving vulnerable groups access to food discount stores.

Yet, the long-held consensus regarding consumer food subsidies, just as with electricity and fuel subsidies, is that when untargeted and poorly implemented, they are not effective in helping the poor. They can also distort market prices and agricultural production, while leaving nations with a hefty fiscal bill.

Data from the Middle East and North Africa, the region most dependent on generalized subsidies, illustrate the harmful equity and fiscal implications of consumer subsidies. According the International Monetary Fund estimates, only 35 percent of the amount spent on subsidies there reaches the bottom 40 percent of the population.

Country-specific estimates also confirm that the share of benefits from food subsidies reaching the poor is a fraction of total benefits.

Nueva guía de capacitación sobre género y cambio climático de la FAO

Describe los métodos para realizar investigaciones con perspectiva de género sobre los impactos del cambio climático.

Santiago de Chile, 26 de julio de 2013- Una nueva guía de capacitación de la FAO sobre género y cambio climático proporciona los recursos y herramientas necesarias para llevar a cabo investigaciones con perspectiva de género sobre los impactos del cambio climático.

La guía explica cómo utilizar diversas herramientas de investigación participativa para que los agricultores y agricultoras puedan cumplir su rol en generar una agricultura climáticamente inteligente y productiva.

Soledad Parada, consultora de género de la FAO, explica que “es necesario realizar más estudios para entender cómo hombres y mujeres del campo se están adaptando al cambio climático para mantener la seguridad alimentaria y nutricional.

La guía, creada por la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura, FAO, y el Grupo Consultivo para la Investigación Agrícola Internacional (CGIAR, por sus siglas en inglés) permitirá a los usuarios abordar la investigación sobre la adaptación al cambio climático, los riesgos que plantea y su mitigación.

Utilizando la guía, las comunidades agrícolas, los hogares y los individuos que se enfrentan al cambio climático podrán recolectar, intercambiar y analizar información con perspectiva de género. La publicación también ofrece orientación sobre las diferentes formas de presentar los resultados de la investigación para que puedan ser analizados adecuadamente.

La guía fue creada por la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura, FAO, y Grupo Consultivo para la Investigación Agrícola Internacional (CGIAR, por sus siglas en inglés) para proporcionar una comprensión más clara de los conceptos relacionados con el cambio climático y el género.

Mejor información para mejores políticas

La aplicación de la guía asegurará que la información clave sobre género y cambio climático sea recogida, permitiendo a los investigadores y agentes de desarrollo formular políticas y programas con perspectiva de género apropiadas para el desarrollo rural.

“Se necesitan metodologías y enfoques para la investigación y la planificación del desarrollo en materia de género y cambio climático, para enfrentar el reto doble que significa alimentar a una población en crecimiento a través de una agricultura climáticamente inteligente y con perspectiva de género”, explicó Parada.

La guía de capacitación está disponible en español, inglés y francés e incluye información sobre igualdad de acceso a recursos y poder para la seguridad alimentaria frente al cambio climático.

Fue creada por el Programa de Mitigación del Cambio Climático en la Agricultura de la FAO (MICCA) y el Programa de Investigación de CGIAR sobre Cambio Climático, Agricultura y Seguridad Alimentaria (CCAFS).

An independent United Nations human rights expert today encouraged the Government of Madagascar to step up efforts to combat the sexual exploitation of children and ensure that perpetrators are punished.

“The scourge of sexual exploitation of children through prostitution or sex tourism is omnipresent and too often justified by poverty. Its exponential growth, in particular since 2009, underlined by all stakeholders met, is alarming,” said Najat Maalla M’jid, the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.

“Its actual scope remains difficult to determine, due, among other factors, to reluctance to report and fear of reprisals. The low number of reported cases is very rarely followed by heavy sanctions, as provided by Malagasy law,” she stated in a news release issued following her official visit to the country.

During her 15 to 26 July mission, the expert met with various State and local authorities, as well as representatives from UN agencies, the diplomatic community, civil society and the private sector. She also met child victims and went to the main spots of child sexual exploitation in the capital, Antananarivo, as well as in Toliara, Nosy Be and Toamasina.

Ms. Maalla M’jid noted the alarming poverty affecting 92 per cent of the population, as a result of successive political crises. This socio-economic precariousness affecting families and communities has considerably increased the number of children out of school and the vulnerability of children to all forms of economic and sexual exploitation, she noted.

She also raised with concern the survival strategy adopted by many parents who encourage their children to enter prostitution.

Madagascar, the expert pointed out, has a relatively complete legal framework but the implementation of these laws is significantly compromised by a lack of effectiveness due to corruption, impunity and difficult access for children to reporting mechanisms ensuring their protection and security.

“Amicable settlements take place at the expense of the rights of children, whose voice is rarely taken into account,” the news release stated.

Despite initiatives such as the National Committee for the Protection of Children, Child Protection Networks and centres for legal and psychological counselling, care and assistance to children remains very partial and suffers from a significant lack of resources.

The Special Rapporteur stressed the gravity of the situation and the necessity to act urgently to ensure an integrated protective framework for children.

“It is unacceptable that so many lives of Malagasy children are sacrificed under the excuse of the current political and economic crisis,” said Ms. Maalla M’jid, who encouraged the international community to support the establishment of integrated child protection and development plans at the local level to efficiently combat all forms of violence, abuse and exploitation of children.

Independent experts, or special rapporteurs, are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.