Christian Aid response to High Level Panel report

 

Friday May 31 May 2013

HIGH LEVEL PANEL: A GOOD START, BUT INCREASING INEQUALITY CAN'T BE IGNORED

 

Responding to news of today's High Level Panel report on the global plan that should follow the Millennium Development Goals when they expire in 2015, Helen Dennis, Christian Aid's Senior Adviser on Poverty and Inequality, said:

'The Panel has made an encouraging start on a new global master plan to tackle poverty. Its recommendations on promoting women's equality are especially strong.

'Recommendations on protecting the environment, which include the phasing out of subsidies for fossil fuels, are also welcome.

 'We are also pleased to see a reference to tackling illicit finance flows and tax evasion, which will be especially important for long-term financing of sustainable development. Global action in both developed and developing countries will be needed to make sure that poor communities don't lose out from tax-dodging.

'Disappointingly, the Panel has shied away from suggesting action that could address increasing economic inequality in many countries. This is an awkward subject for some but sustainable development will only be achieved if we reduce the gap between the haves and the have-nots.  

'The Panel's report is a good one. We hope that governments around the world will now build on this work as they negotiate a new global plan to replace the Millennium Development Goals.'

For more information, contact the 24-hour press duty phone: 07850 242950.  

Notes to Editors:

1. Christian Aid works in some of the world's poorest communities in around 50 countries at any one time. We act where there is great need, regardless of religion, helping people to live a full life, free from poverty. We provide urgent, practical and effective assistance in tackling the root causes of poverty as well as its effects.

2. Christian Aid has a vision, an end to global poverty, and we believe that vision can become a reality. We believe that the underlying causes of poverty were made by, and can be ended by, human action. Our strategy for building the power of us all to end poverty is embodied in a new report 'Partnership for Change': http://www.christianaid.org.uk/Images/2012_strategy.pdf

3. Christian Aid is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of more than 130 churches and church-related organisations that work together in humanitarian assistance, advocacy and development. Further details at http://actalliance.org

4.Christian Aid is a member of Beyond 2015 which is a global campaign with over 600 participating organisations in nearly 100 countries. Beyond 2015 is calling for an ambitious post-2015 agenda in line with our vision of a more equitable and sustainable world. Beyond 2015 has been calling for the High-Level Panel report to deliver recommendations that are fit for purpose and in line with this vision."

5. Christian Aid is a member of the Enough Food For Everyone IF campaign, a collection of more than 180 agencies in the UK that is calling on governments to address some of the key factors causing global hunger, which at present afflicts nearly a billion people. As well as providing aid, it wants governments to stop big companies dodging tax in poor countries, prevent poor farmers being forced off their land, particularly by biofuel concerns, and insist on greater governmental and business transparency.

6. Follow Christian Aid's newswire on Twitter: http://twitter.com/caid_newswire

7. For more information about the work of Christian Aid visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk

 

 

 

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Women Deliver 2013 Concludes with a United Call to Invest in Girls and Women

 

Women Deliver 2013 Concludes with a United Call to Invest in Girls and Women

 

World leaders and advocates demand girls and women are prioritized in lead-up to 2015 Millennium Development Goal deadline and beyond

 

Jill Sheffield and Melinda Gates present first-ever Women Deliver Rising Star Awards to young leaders fighting for progress for girls and women

 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 30 May 2013 — Women Deliver 2013 concluded today with a call for continued investments in girls and women. The conference was the largest of the decade focused on girls' and women's health and rights, bringing together more than 4,500 leaders and advocates representing over 2,200 organizations and 149 countries.

 

The final day of Women Deliver 2013 focused on the critical need to prioritize girls and women in the lead-up to the 2015 Millennium Development Goal (MDG) deadline and beyond. The morning plenary speakers—including United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark, Former President of Finland Tarja Halonen, African Women's Development Fund CEO Theo Sawa and Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark—addressed the importance of placing girls and women at the center of the next development agenda, and discussed advocacy strategies to keep girls' and women's needs in focus.

 

The appeal for action came one day before the United Nations' High-Level Panel is expected to announce its recommendations for the post-2015 development framework. With progress lagging on the MDGs relating to women, policymakers and activists provided insights about how the next set of development goals can adequately and effectively address women's health and empowerment.

 

In her remarks, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark called for a global development agenda "which gives priority to gender equality and the empowerment of girls and women to make their own decisions about the lives they lead."

 

In the conference's closing plenary, Women Deliver President Jill Sheffield and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Co-Chair Melinda Gates recognized the next generation of leaders for girls and women and presented the first-ever Women Deliver Rising Star Awards to three emerging voices in the field of women's health and rights:

·         Senator Pia S. Cayetano is the youngest woman elected in the history of the Philippine Senate, a champion of the rights of women and children and a staunch advocate for health. Armed with the training of a lawyer, discipline of an athlete and heart of a mother, Senator Pia excelled in her first term as legislator and was reelected to a second term in 2010.

·         Imane Khachani, MD, MSc. is a Resident in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Maternity Hospital Les Orangers, in Rabat, Morocco. She has extensive experience in sexual and reproductive health research and advocacy, particularly for adolescent and young women; and has collaborated with several UN agencies, including UNFPA, WHO and UNAIDS. She currently sits on the Women Deliver and the Guttmacher Institute Boards of Directors.

·         Remmy Shawa works at Sonke Gender Justice in Cape Town, South Africa, and coordinates a project to strengthen work with men and boys in the promotion of gender equality and in ending violence against women in Africa.

 

Jill Sheffield and Melinda Gates also recognized the Women Deliver 100 Young Leaders, an international group of activists under 30 who received scholarships to attend the conference because of their work on behalf of women and girls. The need to engage and include youth in the next development framework was a key theme throughout Women Deliver 2013, and young people's voices and perspectives were highlighted throughout the meeting.

 

"This week at Women Deliver 2013, we have changed history for girls and women everywhere. We renewed our commitments, shared lessons learned, and listened to those leading the way on women's health and rights, including young people who will carry this important work forward for years to come," said Women Deliver President Jill Sheffield. "Most importantly, we have joined together to raise our voices in a single call to action—girls' and women's health and rights must be prioritized today, tomorrow, and every day until our work is done. Because we know, when girls and women survive, all of us thrive."

 

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About Women Deliver: Women Deliver is a global advocacy organization that brings together voices from around the world to call for improved health and wellbeing for girls and women. Launched in 2007, Women Deliver works globally to generate political commitment and financial investment for fulfilling Millennium Development Goal #5—to reduce maternal mortality and achieve universal access to reproductive health. Building from the groundbreaking conferences Women Deliver convened in 2007 and 2010, Women Deliver harnesses commitments, partnerships and networks to help prevent the approximately 350,000 deaths of girls and women from pregnancy- and childbirth-related causes that occur every year. Women Deliver's message is that maternal health is both a human right and a practical necessity for sustainable development. Invest in women—it pays.

 

For live webcasts and archived videos of conference plenaries, presidential sessions and press conferences, please click here. Images are available on the Women Deliver Flickr page, and additional content is available here.

 

To access the full Women Deliver 2013 schedule, please click here.

 

For more information on Women Deliver, please visit: www.womendeliver.org, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Use the hashtag #WD2013 to join the global dialogue.

 

Top CEOs, Government Officials, and NGO Leaders to Gather in Chicago for CGI America 2013

May 30, 2013

Contact: press@clintonglobalinitiative.org

Top CEOs, Government Officials, and NGO Leaders to Gather in Chicago for Clinton Global Initiative Meeting on Boosting U.S. Economy 

Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to the President, the White House; Todd Park, chief technology officer of the United States, the White House; Ellen Kullman, chair of the board and CEO, DuPont; Jim Rogers, chairman, president, and CEO, Duke Energy Corporation; and Bill Simon, president and CEO, Walmart U.S., Walmart Stores, Inc. are among the latest leaders to join President Bill Clinton, Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, and top American innovators at third meeting of CGI America, June 13-14

Mayor Greg Ballard, City of Indianapolis; Mayor Alvin Brown, City of Jacksonville; Mayor Mick Cornett, City of Oklahoma City; Mayor Greg Fischer, City of Louisville; Mayor John Marchione, City of Redmond, Wash.; Mayor Michael Nutter, City of Philadelphia; Mayor Annise Parker, City of Houston; Mayor Kasim Reed, City of Atlanta, and Mayor Scott Smith, City of Mesa, Ariz., to join Mayor Rahm Emanuel, City of Chicago, for next meeting of the Infrastructure Financing for Cities Task Force

NEW YORK—Today, new participants and program details were announced for the 2013 meeting of Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America), to be hosted by President Bill Clinton, Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Clinton Foundation Board Member Chelsea Clinton June 13-14 in Chicago. Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett, Chief Technology Officer of the United States Todd Park, Chair of the Board and CEO of DuPont Ellen Kullman, Chairman, President and CEO of Duke Energy Corporation Jim Rogers, Walmart U.S. President and CEO Bill Simon, and leading U.S. mayors are among the latest participants slated to join nearly 1,000 business, government, and civil society leaders at the annual gathering dedicated to accelerating economic recovery and promoting the long-term competitiveness of the United States.

Other newly announced CGI America participants from the business and nonprofit sectors include some the country's leading innovators and experts on sustainable economic development, such as James Anderson, director of government innovation, Bloomberg Philanthropies; Janie Barrera, president and CEO, ACCION Texas, Inc.; Mike Brady, president and CEO, Greyson Bakery; Nikki Cicerani, executive director, Upwardly Global; Harold DePriest, president and CEO, EPB; Liz Dwyer, education editor, GOOD Magazine; Carly Fiorina, chairman and CEO, Carly Fiorina Enterprises, chairman, Good360; Sara Martinez Tucker, chief executive officer, National Math + Science Initiative; Tracey Nichols, director of economic development, City of Cleveland; Rex Northen, executive director, Cleantech Open; Katie Rae, managing director, TechStars Boston, founder, Project 11; Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez, founder and CEO, Hot Bread Kitchen; Davier Rodriguez, winner of CGI University's Commitments Challenge and co-founder, DREAMzone; Beth Shiroishi, vice president, sustainability and philanthropy, AT&T Services; and Laysha Ward, president, community relations, Target Corporation.

For the first time, CGI America will feature Broadcast Conversations, programming produced in conjunction with and broadcast by CGI media partners, which is now a regular feature of the CGI Annual Meeting in September.  At this year's meeting of CGI America, Bloomberg TV anchor Trish Regan will host sessions where top government, business, and nonprofit leaders will address the U.S. economy, including how to improve access to capital for small businesses and how the U.S. can enhance its energy production in a way that's sustainable for the environment and beneficial to the economy.

CGI America 2013 will also serve as the site of the next meeting of the Infrastructure Financing for Cities Task Force (IFC Task Force). Launched in April and chaired by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel with the co-leadership of President Clinton, the IFC Task Force is a collaborative effort by the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and CGI to spur investment into job-creating public infrastructure projects. Task Force mayors participating in CGI America 2013 include Mayor Emanuel; Philadelphia Mayor and USCM President Michael Nutter; Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard; Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown; Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett; Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer; Redmond, Wash. Mayor John Marchione; Houston Mayor Annise Parker; Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed; and Mesa, Ariz. Mayor Scott Smith.

Today's list of new participants join the business, government, philanthropy, and nonprofit leaders announced May 2, including Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey; Jacob J. Lew, United States Secretary of the Treasury; Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers; Jim Gibbons, president and CEO, Goodwill Industries International, Inc.; Anne R. Pramaggiore, president and CEO, Commonwealth Edison; Jessica Jackley, venture partner, the Collaborative Fund; Eva Longoria, founder, the Eva Longoria Foundation; Janet Murguía, president and CEO, National Council of La Raza; and Lucien Vattel, chief executive officer, GameDesk.

For more information, including the full program and list of participants, visit cgiamerica.org. Follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative for meeting news and highlights. The event hashtag is #CGIAmerica.

Sponsors for CGI America 2013 include: J.B. & M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation; Allstate Insurance Company; American Federation of Teachers; APCO; Chevron; Diageo; ExxonMobil; Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold; The Joyce Foundation; MacArthur Foundation; Peter G. Peterson Foundation; and Toyota.

Media registration is now open and press planning to cover must be credentialed by the Clinton Global Initiative. To apply, please complete the form at: cgilink.org/17T5nSR. The deadline to apply is June 10. If you have any questions, please contact press@clintonglobalinitiative.org or visit press.clintonglobalinitiative.org/cgiamerica.

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About CGI America
The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. Established in June 2011 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America) addresses economic recovery in the United States. CGI America brings together leaders in business, government, and civil society to generate and implement commitments to create jobs, stimulate economic growth, foster innovation, and support workforce development in the United States. Since its first meeting, CGI America participants have made more than 200 commitments valued at $13.4 billion when fully funded and implemented. To learn more, visit cgiamerica.org.

CGI also convenes an Annual Meeting, which brings together global leaders to take action and create positive social change, CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world, and, this year, CGI Latin America, which will bring together Latin American leaders to identify, harness, and strengthen ways to improve the livelihoods of people in Latin America and around the world. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

If you would rather not receive future communications from Clinton Global Initiative, let us know by clicking here.
Clinton Global Initiative, 1301 Avenue of the Americas 37th Floor, New York, NY 10019-6022 United States

Fwd: PRESS RELEASE: UN RESPONSE TO NEW REPORT BY PANEL LED BY DAVID CAMERON

 

UNFPA Welcomes Eminent Persons' Call to Place People, Particularly Women, at Heart of Transformative Development Efforts

 

Panel Seeks Targets to End Child Marriage, Ensure Access to Reproductive Health, Rights

 

UNITED NATIONS, New York, 30 May 2013-- Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, the Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, warmly welcomed the report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda that was presented today to the United Nations Secretary-General. 

 

"We strongly agree with the Eminent Persons' declaration that people should be at the heart of any development agenda and no person denied universal human rights and basic economic opportunities on any grounds," said Dr. Osotimehin. "We also echo their call for a people-centred agenda that ensures the equal rights of women and girls, and empowers them to take leadership roles in their societies."

 

"UNFPA strongly believes that women and girls should have the means to exercise their right to make choices on their health, particularly their sexual and reproductive health, freely and without coercion," said Dr. Osotimehin. "The Eminent Persons' report shows, once again, that investing in women's health is not only the right thing to do, but also smart economics. We also fully support their proposals to decrease maternal death and ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights." 

 

Noting that "no society has become prosperous without a major contribution from its women," the Eminent Persons called for women's equal and full participation in decision-making. "This is yet another testament to the fact that women are major drivers of economic growth in their communities and countries," said Dr. Osotimehin. "But for them to fulfil this potential as economic drivers, we must re-double our efforts to enable them to determine if, when and how often to have children.  Only then would they be better able to pursue education, be more economically productive and help end poverty."

 

Furthermore, added Dr. Osotimehin: "We strongly welcome the Eminent Persons' recommended goal to end child marriage. Child marriage threatens the potential of millions of our very own daughters, nieces and grand-daughters. We particularly welcome their support for education for young people which will also provide them with an understanding of sexual and reproductive health."

 

"UNFPA believes that young people, particularly those living in poverty, must get their rightful place at the table, so that every young person's potential is fulfilled," said Dr. Osotimehin.

 

***

 

For more information, please contact: 
Omar Gharzeddine: Tel: +1 212 297 5028; gharzeddine@unfpa.org

To view the report and for more information about the panel, visit www.post2015hlp.org

 

 

Fwd: Girls’ & Women’s Health and Rights in Focus at Women Deliver 2013 in Kuala Lumpur

 

For more information, please contact:

 

Janna Oberdorf, Women Deliver

joberdorf@womendeliver.org

+60 (0)11 23 326 420

 

Jessica Freifeld, Global Health Strategies

jfreifeld@globalhealthstrategies.com

+60 (0)11 23 326 315

 

Girls' & Women's Health and Rights in Focus at Women Deliver 2013 in Kuala Lumpur

 

Malaysian Prime Minister Honorable Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak and other global luminaries open largest conference on girls and women of the decade

 

World Bank and Guttmacher Institute release new data on the value of investing in girls and women

 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 28 May 2013 — Today, more than 4,000 global leaders and advocates from nearly 150 countries gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for Women Deliver 2013, the largest conference of the decade focused on the health and wellbeing of girls and women. The opening sessions of this three-day event highlighted the critical need to invest in girls and women to spur development worldwide.

 

Malaysian Prime Minister Honorable Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak delivered welcoming remarks and discussed Malaysia's efforts to ensure equal rights and opportunities for women as a critical component of the nation's development and economic growth. The Prime Minister highlighted Malaysia's success in reducing maternal mortality, and offered to share lessons learned with countries working to improve maternal health.

 

"We are honored to have this global village in our midst for the next few days," said the Malaysian Prime Minister in his remarks. "We know that women play an indispensable role at every level of society. Together your strong voices will help frame the solutions, policies and strategies that will ensure progress for girls and women; of our nation, our region and our world."

 

The day's events also included the release of new reports from the World Bank and the Guttmacher Institute quantifying the economic and social benefits of investing in girls and women. Their new research makes clear that gender inequality and gaps in reproductive and maternal health hinder global development.

 

The World Bank report, Investing in Women's Reproductive Health: Closing the Deadly Gap Between What We Know and What We Do, developed for the Women Deliver 2013 conference, demonstrates that addressing the reproductive health needs of women is critical to achieving gender equality and improved development outcomes. As women constitute 40% of the world's workforce, the report finds that investments in reproductive health are a major missed opportunity in development, and that to drive progress, proven interventions must be put into practice. These include addressing women's agency, making improve­ments in the delivery of health services and increasing accountability in health systems.

 

The Guttmacher Institute report, Adding It Up: The Need for and Cost of Maternal and Newborn Care, Estimates for 2012, provides new regional data on the unmet need for maternal and newborn care. Although there have been improvements in access to medical care during pregnancy and delivery, tens of millions of women and newborns in developing countries still do not receive the care they need. Each year, an estimated 287,000 women worldwide die from pregnancy-related causes, and approximately three million newborns do not survive past the first 28 days of life. The report finds that additional investments in reproductive and maternal health would generate immediate returns in terms of reducing disability among women and newborns, and saving lives.

 

"The research presented today shows that when we address the reproductive health needs of girls and women, the global economy is stronger, households are more likely to prosper and future generations have a greater chance of living long, healthy lives," said Jeni Klugman, Director of Gender and Development at the World Bank. "Investing in reproductive health and family planning is not just the right thing to do; it's smart economics."

 

The day concluded with a discussion of progress and ongoing challenges for women in leadership roles, in fields including health, education, finance, culture and government. Clinton Foundation Board Member Chelsea Clinton, Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards, Former President of Finland Tarja Halonen and Yakin Ertürk of the Council of Europe shared lessons learned and visions for female leadership in the 21st century.

 

The second day of the conference, 29 May, will focus on global access to family planning, and features such notable speakers as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Co-Chair Melinda Gates, UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin, Senegalese Minister of Health Awa Coll-Seck and Philippines Secretary of Health Enrique Ona, among others. The third day of the conference, 30 May, will focus on the importance of prioritizing women's health and rights in the post-2015 development framework, and will feature UNDP Administrator Helen Clark, Special Representative for UNAIDS HRH Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit and more.

 

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About Women Deliver: Women Deliver is a global advocacy organization that brings together voices from around the world to call for improved health and wellbeing for girls and women. Launched in 2007, Women Deliver works globally to generate political commitment and financial investment for fulfilling Millennium Development Goal #5—to reduce maternal mortality and achieve universal access to reproductive health. Building from the groundbreaking conferences Women Deliver convened in 2007 and 2010, Women Deliver harnesses commitments, partnerships and networks to help prevent the approximately 350,000 deaths of girls and women from pregnancy- and childbirth-related causes that occur every year. Women Deliver's message is that maternal health is both a human right and a practical necessity for sustainable development. Invest in women—it pays.

 

For live webcasts and archived videos of conference plenaries, presidential sessions and press conferences, please click here.  Images are available on the Women Deliver Flickr page, and additional photography is available here.

 

To register for the Women Deliver conference as media—on-site or virtual—please click here.

 

To access the full Women Deliver 2013 schedule, please click here.

 

For more information on Women Deliver, please visit: www.womendeliver.org, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Use the hashtag #WD2013 to join the global dialogue.

 

Cookstove Enterprises Split $2 million Fund to Spark Global Clean Cooking Market

Cookstove Enterprises Split $2 million Fund to Spark Global Clean Cooking Market

Kuala Lumpur (May 29, 2013) -- The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves announced today that five of its partners will share a $2 million fund to spur the creation of a global market for clean, safe, efficient, and affordable cooking solutions. The Spark Fund is a key element of the Alliance's strategy to strengthen supply and enhance demand in the clean cooking sector through innovation and entrepreneurial capacity development, including helping businesses become more investment-ready.

A global market for clean cooking solutions is necessary because 3 billion people still cook with solid fuels each day. When burned in open fires and basic cookstoves, wood, coal, charcoal, and other solid fuels emit a harmful smoke that claims 4 million lives annually through a range of diseases and injuries – making household air pollution from cookstove smoke the fourth greatest health risk in the world.

"From the outset, the Alliance realized that a market for clean cookstoves and fuels was the only way to effectively respond to such an entrenched, global problem as inefficient and dangerous cooking practices," said Radha Muthiah, executive director of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. "The five winners have a strong track record of results in their respective countries and markets, and have demonstrated that they can leverage the Spark Fund to attract new partners and investors to advance their ongoing efforts to save and improve lives, enhance livelihoods, and protect the environment through clean cooking solutions."

The five Spark Fund winners are as follows:

Burn Manufacturing Co. (BMC) in Kenya:

BMC has developed a facility in Nairobi to assemble cookstove kits produced in China. In 2013 BMC will start the development of a complete manufacturing facility in Kenya and will transition, over a 12 month period, to full local production. BMC will also utilize Spark Fund to purchase manufacturing equipment, and leverage up to $4 million in loans from General Electric and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). The production target is 237,000 cookstoves. http://burnmanufacturing.com/    

EzyLife in Kenya:
The Spark grant will help EzyLife supply 40,000 cookstoves to the Kenya market in 2013, and significantly reduce EzyLife's financing costs, thus making clean cookstoves more affordable and enabling the company to leverage additional investments to sell another 70,000 cookstoves within 12 months. The grant will also be used to recruit and train distribution channel partners, and leverages EzyLife's existing marketing activities. http://www.ezylife.com/

Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP) in Kenya:
With the Spark Fund, GVEP will provide capacity building to cookstove entrepreneurs to improve their technical, business and marketing skills, and establish a seed fund for producers to invest in expansion activities. The Spark Fund will help GVEP leverage $800,000 of Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) funding specifically focused on improved cookstoves in Kenya; increase the impact of the CARE2 (Capital Access for Renewable Energy Enterprises) project; and provide vital support for technical capacity building, better product design and manufacturing practices, and evaluation of potential of carbon finance. http://www.gvepinternational.org/en

Impact Carbon in Uganda:
With the Spark Fund, Impact Carbon will establish and support a national network of distribution and retail partners that will help drive a thriving cookstove market in Uganda. Impact Carbon will partner with BioLite to implement a full scale product launch of BioLite's HomeStove, a new fan stove that reduces household air pollution while enabling phone and light charging. Impact Carbon will launch innovative marketing campaigns to establish product awareness and consumer finance programs to drive adoption and long term usage. Impact Carbon's goal is to leverage initial support from the Spark Fund to achieve commercial viability after year 2 of the program. http://impactcarbon.org/

Relief International—Gyapa Enterprises in Ghana:
Gyapa Enterprises will use the Spark Fund investment to further grow the Ghanaian cookstove sector by leveraging its brand and proven platform to produce, distribute, and market fuel efficient stoves at scale. Gyapa Enterprises is developing a new charcoal stove model with improvements in both fuel efficiency and burning cleanliness that will be trademarked by Gyapa Enterprises. Once the stove is developed and tested, Gyapa Enterprises will use its platform to scale localized production, distribution and sales of the new stove. http://www.gyapa.com/

The Alliance received 78 proposals for the Spark Fund, and each was rigorously reviewed and analyzed by a panel of 6 experts from the clean cooking sector. The Alliance plans to issue the next Spark Fund call for proposals in September, making it an annual grant award.

The Spark Fund is made possible by Alliance donor partners Royal Dutch Shell plc, and the Governments of Sweden and Germany.

"Without the support of donors and investors, the clean cooking sector would be unable to meet the challenge that nearly half of humanity still cooks as their ancestors have done since the beginning of human history. I would like to thank Shell, Sweden, and Germany for their ongoing, robust support of the Alliance and its partners and for sharing our belief that 'cooking shouldn't kill'," said Muthiah.

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Media Contact:
Sean Bartlett | sbartlett@cleancookstoves.org | +1.202.419.6401

About the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves:
The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves is a public-private partnership led by the United Nations Foundation to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women, and protect the environment by creating a thriving global market for clean and efficient household cooking solutions. The Alliance's 100 by '20 goal calls for 100 million households to adopt clean and efficient cookstoves and fuels by 2020. The Alliance is working with its public, private and non-profit partners to help overcome the market barriers that currently impede the production, deployment, and use of clean cookstoves in developing countries. For more information, please visit www.cleancookstoves.org.
 

UK-Linked Tax Havens Must Join Countries Refusing To Hide Dirty Money

Wednesday 29^th May 2013

 

UK-LINKED TAX HAVENS MUST NOW JOIN COUNTRIES REFUSING TO HIDE DIRTY MONEY

 

Tax evaders will have fewer places to hide their money after nine countries, including tax havens Singapore and Luxembourg, today signed a treaty agreeing to share information about financial account holders.

Signatories to the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters agree to share information on request from other countries, with optional provisions for that to become automatic. 

Joseph Stead, Christian Aid's Senior Adviser on Economic Justice, said the new signings, announced by the OECD, increased the pressure on UK-linked tax havens to follow suit.

'It's time for the UK Government to say enough is enough and ensure UK-linked tax havens immediately follow the lead set today,' he said.

'Last week the Prime Minister wrote to the UK's Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, calling on them to sign the treaty. But the time for asking nicely is over. If he is to achieve effective results on tax and transparency at the G8, then he must ensure UK-linked tax havens follow this example. A G8 tax agreement is at stake.

'Until the Prime Minister achieves this, it's hard to see that the UK will have the credibility to lead the G8 into an ambitious agreement to tackle tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance that will benefit countries rich and poor.'

Mr Stead said the new signings were a welcome move against international financial  secrecy, which makes life easy for tax dodgers, money launderers and corrupt individuals the world over.

'When governments share financial information with each other, ideally automatically, they make it very difficult for their citizens to hide dirty money by placing it in another country,' he said.

'Developing countries need access to information, especially from tax havens, and this convention is a key tool to help them.

'The bad news is that many key governments still have not taken this first step and signed up, including UK-linked tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands, the Turks & Caicos and Bermuda.

'Tax havens like these help foreign citizens evade tax and hide finance corruptly gained. Tax dodging is especially damaging to poor countries – Christian Aid estimates it costs them $160 billion in lost revenues every year. This is money that could support desperately needed public services such as health and education.

For more information, contact Rachel Baird on 00 44 (0)207 523 2446 or ring the 24-hour press duty phone: 07850 242950.  

Notes to Editors:

1. Christian Aid works in some of the world's poorest communities in around 50 countries at any one time. We act where there is great need, regardless of religion, helping people to live a full life, free from poverty. We provide urgent, practical and effective assistance in tackling the root causes of poverty as well as its effects.

2. Christian Aid is a member of the Enough Food For Everyone IF campaign, a collection of more than 180 agencies in the UK that is calling on governments to address some of the key factors causing global hunger, which at present afflicts nearly a billion people. As well as providing aid, it wants governments to stop big companies dodging tax in poor countries, prevent poor farmers being forced off their land, particularly by biofuel concerns, and insist on greater governmental and business transparency.

3. Christian Aid has a vision, an end to global poverty, and we believe that vision can become a reality. We believe that the underlying causes of poverty were made by, and can be ended by, human action. Our strategy for building the power of us all to end poverty is embodied in a new report 'Partnership for Change': http://www.christianaid.org.uk/Images/2012_strategy.pdf

4. Christian Aid is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of more than 130 churches and church-related organisations that work together in humanitarian assistance, advocacy and development. Further details at http://actalliance.org

5. Follow Christian Aid's newswire on Twitter: http://twitter.com/caid_newswire

6. For more information about the work of Christian Aid visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk

 

 

 

 

 

---------  Enough Food For Everyone IF  Join the call for a fairer food system that works for all.  Visit www.christianaid.org.uk/if  ---------  Save paper, save trees and only print this email if you have to.  ---------  Christian Aid is a charity and company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales: 35 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RL. UK registered charity no. 1105851. Company no. 5171525.     Christian Aid also operates in Scotland: Registered Office: 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL. Charity no. SC039150    Christian Aid Ireland is a charity and company limited by guarantee registered in Northern Ireland: Unit 6 Linden House, Beechill Business Park, Belfast, BT8 7QN. Northern Ireland charity no: XR94639. Company no. NI059154.    Christian Aid Ireland is a registered charity and registered company limited by guarantee: 17 Clanwilliam Terrace, Dublin 2. Republic of Ireland charity no. CHY 6998. Company no. 426928.    Christian Aid Trading Limited is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales: 35 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RL. Company no. 1001742.    

Fwd: EU ON VERGE OF 'HISTORIC BREAKTHROUGH' FOR TAX JUSTICE

 

Friday 24^nd May 2013

 

EU ON VERGE OF 'HISTORIC BREAKTHROUGH' FOR TAX JUSTICE

 

An EU decision, reported late yesterday, that European multinationals will be required to report the profits made and taxes paid in every country where they operate,  would, if enshrined in law, be an 'historic breakthrough' in battling tax evasion, Christian Aid said today.

 

The organisation estimates that developing countries lose an estimated US$160bn in tax revenues every year, much of it the result of multinationals shifting profits out to low or no tax jurisdictions.

 

Christian Aid was the first major non-governmental organisation to call for country-by-country reporting across every corporate sector five years ago. It has campaigned on the issue ever since, saying the transparency the measure offered would facilitate the quicker identification of tax abuse.

 

Christian Aid's  Senior Economic Justice Adviser, Joseph Stead, said today: 'The EU decision, if it becomes law, is hugely welcome.  It will go a long way towards making transparent - and helping curb - the shifting of profits to tax havens to reduce tax liabilities in the country where the money was made. It will also help create a level playing field. At present, multinationals making extensive use of tax havens have a financial advantage over those that don't.

 

'Under present accounting rules, they can conceal their tax strategies by presenting global accounts in which it is impossible to determine where profits are made, and how much tax has been paid on them.

 

'However, the demand for transparency over corporations' tax affairs is growing with tax rapidly becoming a reputational issue for multinationals. Country by country reporting means that governments, and civil society organisations campaigning for tax justice, will quickly be able to spot where abuses may have occurred and bring those to public attention.

 

'This move also helps create a climate in which country by country reporting must ultimately be extended globally. The UK will next month preside over a meeting of the G8 in Northern Ireland. That will be a major opportunity for David Cameron to influence other countries beyond the EU to look at similar requirements.'

 

A recent ComRes, commissioned by Christian Aid, found a third (34 per cent) of Britons said that they were boycotting the products or services of a company because it does not pay its fair share of tax in the UK.  Almost half (45 per cent) said they are considering a boycott. In addition, two out of three (66 per cent) Britons believed tax avoidance to be morally wrong, And a remarkable four out of five respondents (80 per cent) said that multinationals' tax avoidance made them feel angry.

 

In a recent report Who Pays the Price? Hunger: The Hidden Cost of Tax Injustice, Christian Aid said the scandal of world hunger could soon be ended if the revenues that developing countries lose through tax dodging were available to them to invest in agricultural development.

One in eight of the world's population goes to bed hungry, with the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) recently citing US$50.2bn per annum, on top of existing funding, as the cost of creating a 'world free from hunger' by 2025.

 

Christian Aid's report said that amount, and more, would be raised every year if governments ended tax haven secrecy and curtailed profit-shifting and tax dodging by multinationals in poor countries.

 

Christian Aid, along with some 200 other agencies,  is part of the Enough Food For Everyone IF… campaign, which has called on  Prime Minister David Cameron to use the G8 summit to make tax justice a major weapon against poverty and hunger.

The campaign calls for a new international convention on tax transparency, which G8 countries should sign up to, and then pressurise tax havens to ratify.  It also wants the true ownership of companies and trusts to be put in the public domain – and the introduction of country by country reporting.

 

For further information please contact Andrew Hogg on 0207 523 2058/07872 350534 or 24 hour press duty phone – 07850 242950  

Notes to Editors:

1. Christian Aid works in some of the world's poorest communities in around 50 countries at any one time. We act where there is great need, regardless of religion, helping people to live a full life, free from poverty. We provide urgent, practical and effective assistance in tackling the root causes of poverty as well as its effects.

2. Christian Aid is a member of the Enough Food For Everyone IF campaign, a collection of more than 180 agencies in the UK that is calling on governments to address some of the key factors causing global hunger, which at present afflicts nearly a billion people. As well as providing aid, it wants governments to stop big companies dodging tax in poor countries, prevent poor farmers being forced off their land, particularly by biofuel concerns, and insist on greater governmental and business transparency.

3. Christian Aid has a vision, an end to global poverty, and we believe that vision can become a reality. We believe that the underlying causes of poverty were made by, and can be ended by, human action. Our strategy for building the power of us all to end poverty is embodied in a new report 'Partnership for Change': http://www.christianaid.org.uk/Images/2012_strategy.pdf

4. Christian Aid is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of more than 130 churches and church-related organisations that work together in humanitarian assistance, advocacy and development.  Further details at http://actalliance.org

5. Follow Christian Aid's newswire on Twitter: http://twitter.com/caid_newswire

6. For more information about the work of Christian Aid visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk

Research Reveals New Positive Insight into Girls’ Migration

Research Reveals New Positive Insight into Girls' Migration

Migration for majority of girls leads to greater autonomy and prosperity; Strong safety nets needed

WASHINGTON, DC (14 May 2013) — The Population Council today released Girls on the Move: Adolescent Girls & Migration in the Developing World, examining the social and economic drivers of internal migration for adolescent girls in developing countries, and the links between migration, risk, and opportunity. The report focuses on the ways in which rural-to-urban migration can—provided necessary safety nets and resources are in place—present adolescent girls with new opportunities that are unavailable in their home villages and towns. The Girls Count series is an initiative of the Coalition for Adolescent Girls. Support for this project was generously provided by the Nike Foundation and United Nations Foundation.

"Adolescent girls are on the move in developing countries—and for many of them, the results are positive. With the right support, they find work, make money, and grow," said Peter Donaldson, Population Council president. "When a migrant girl succeeds, she creates a ripple effect through generations: her family and future children will be better off because of her ability to finish school, get a job, and stay healthy. Girls on the Move presents the most up-to-date evidence about migrant girls and charts a bold agenda for the work that is needed to ensure the most at-risk migrant girls land safely and thrive."

Migration can be risky. But Girls on the Move finds that for the majority of girls, it can lead to autonomy, opportunity, and prosperity. Some migrant girls are able to combine work and schooling, expanding their opportunities. Many of these girls earn enough to send money home to their families. When a girl sends money home, it changes how her family views her—it can give her greater influence in decision-making, and in some cases, can delay early marriage.

"This report points to important considerations for policy makers, NGOs, and multi-lateral organizations working to support adolescent girls around the world," said Kathy Calvin, United Nations Foundation president and chief executive officer. "Girls on the Move, in many ways, challenges assumptions that migration of adolescent girls in the developing world is fraught with danger, despair, and disconnection." She added "This report proves that—with the right safety nets in place—girls' migration can have many positive outcomes for girls and their families. If girls choose to migrate and are supported throughout the migration experience from before leaving their natal home through arrival and transition to their new environment, some migrant girls are able to combine work and schooling, expanding their opportunities."

To reap the benefits of migration, however, girls need adequate preparation before they migrate, arrangements for safe travel during their journey, and support once they arrive at their destinations. Current programs and policies aimed at helping migrants largely ignore adolescent girls. On the rare occasions when policies and programs attempt to reach vulnerable migrant girls, they are on a small scale and more likely to benefit more advantaged migrant girls or male migrants. Many programs and local governments view urban migration in negative terms—without acknowledging its potential benefits.

"Migrant girls are more socially isolated than their nonmigrant peers," said Margaret E. Greene of the Coalition for Adolescent Girls. "Finding effective ways to integrate migrant girls into their new communities is essential for ensuring their access to the resources available in urban areas. Accessing these resources is crucial to a migrant girl's success."

Girls on the Move provides policymakers, program planners, and funders with new evidence on the circumstances of migrant girls in the developing world, and offers eight recommendations to minimize the negative aspects of migration and maximize its benefits for adolescent girls in the developing world.

ACTION AGENDA FOR IMPROVING THE LIVES OF MIGRANT ADOLESCENT GIRLS

1.       Prepare and equip girls before they migrate: Ensure education, life skills, knowledge of rights, IDs Recommendations

2.       Make health and education services "migrant girl friendly": Ensure service providers are sensitive to age, sex, and migration status

3.       Ensure a smooth landing for migrant girls: Reduce isolation through safe places to stay and links with trusted individuals

4.       Build a safety net: Create time and space for migrant girls to meet with peers, mentors, and support networks

5.       Test innovative ways to prepare migrant girls for success: Investigate ways to develop girls' assets before things go wrong.

6.       Focus on the most isolated and vulnerable: Design girl-only approaches to reach domestic workers, child brides, & sexually exploited girls

7.       Fill critical evidence gaps: Illuminate age- & sex-disaggregated internal migration rates using new and existing quantitative data. Develop qualitative and longitudinal studies to shed light on migrant girls' experiences, as well as to evaluate and improve programs.

8.       Increase migrant girls' visibility through policy and advocacy: Maximize the benefits of migration for adolescent girls by increasing their visibility in policy engagement and advocacy efforts.

Girls on the Move is the sixth report in the Girls Count series, which uses adolescent girl-specific data and analysis to drive meaningful action. Each work explores an uncharted dimension of adolescent girls' lives and sets out concrete tasks for the global community. Together, these actions can put the 515 million adolescent girls in the developing world on a path of health, education, and economic power—for their own well-being and the prosperity of their families, communities, and nations. This Girls Count series includes:

·         Girls Count: A Global Investment & Action Agenda

·         New Lessons: The Power of Educating Adolescent Girls

·         Start with a Girl: A New Agenda for Global Health

·         Girls Speak: A New Voice in Global Development

·         Girls Grow: A Vital Force in Rural Economies:

·         Girls on the Move: A Girls Count Report on Adolescent Girls' Migration

The Population Council team that authored the Girls on the Move report includes Miriam Temin, Mark R. Montgomery, Sarah Engebretsen, and Kathryn M. Barker

Related materials released today include a policy brief, summarizing the book's recommendations, and a fact sheet.

###

About the Population Council
The Population Council confronts critical health and development issues—from stopping the spread of HIV to improving reproductive health and ensuring that young people lead full and productive lives. Through biomedical, social science, and public health research in 50 countries, we work with our partners to deliver solutions that lead to more effective policies, programs, and technologies that improve lives around the world. Established in 1952 and headquartered in New York, the Council is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization governed by an international board of trustees. For more information, visit: www.popcouncil.org. Twitter handle: @Pop-Council.

About the Coalition for Adolescent Girls

The Coalition for Adolescent Girls includes over 40 leading organizations committed to driving new and improving existing programming, policies and investments that will promote the rights and opportunities of adolescent girls. The Coalition envisions a world where adolescent girls are able to fully realize their rights, navigate challenges, and access opportunities during the transition from childhood to adulthood and beyond. The Coalition is supported by the Nike Foundation and United Nations Foundation. For more information, visit: www.coalitionforadolescentgirls.org.

About the Nike Foundation

The Nike Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to investing in adolescent girls as the most powerful force for change in the developing world. The work of the Nike Foundation is supported by NIKE, Inc., and by significant investments from the NoVo Foundation. For more information, visit: www.nikefoundation.org. Twitter handle: @GirlEffect.

About The United Nations Foundation

The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world's most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals. For more information, visit: www.unfoundation.org. Twitter handle: @UNFoundation

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Alanna Shaikh, MPH

www.tomorrowglobal.com