Aunque las condiciones del volcán Turrialba regresaron a su actividad normal dentro de los parámetros de un volcán activo, un grupo de científicos de la Red Sismológica de la Universidad de Costa Rica (RSN: UCR-ICE) y el Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de la Universidad Nacional, que realizaron hoy un sobrevuelo, indicaron que es necesario aumentar la vigilancia, por cuanto estiman que el evento de ayer lunes muestra un cambio importante.

Con el lema “Porque la Reducción de Riesgo de Desastres es Responsabilidad de todos”, representantes de diversas instituciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales, participaron del Foro de la Política Nacional de Gestión Integral de Riesgo de Desastres; para socializar los contenidos documentados en la Plataforma Nacional y como mecanismo de consulta para incorporar y actualizar aspectos que deban ser tenidos para la implementación efectiva de sus lineamientos.

Durante las últimas semanas, las fuertes lluvias, deslizamientos de tierra e inundaciones han afectado a varios países de la región (Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Colombia, Paraguay, Perú y Uruguay, entre otros) en los que se han producido situaciones de emergencia con importantes daños personales y materiales.

WFP’s school meals programme has benefitted millions of school children across Ethiopia over the last 19 years and currently serves some 650,000 students in 1,800 schools in different parts of the country. Fatuma is one of those children.

Gewane, ETHIOPIA – A daily round trip of three hours along a dusty road might not appeal to many, but for schoolgirl Fatuma Hamedu, the journey shows just how committed she is to changing her life.

“I travel this distance every day,” says Fatuma. “I do it to learn but also so I can eat.”

CHAPAINAWABGANJ, Bangladesh, May 22 2013 (IPS) - Fahima Begum rises each morning at dawn and walks two kilometres to a small pond, the nearest source of fresh water. On her way she passes the rusty old hand-pumped tube well that used to supply water to her village in Bangladesh’s arid Barind region until the water table here dropped out of reach.

Using a ragtag array of pots, she carries back as much as her frail body will allow, knowing that it will have to last her family all day.

SC/11013

Security Council
6969th Meeting (AM)

Grave Turmoil’ Threatens Regional Stability, Warns United Nations Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace Process

With “grave turmoil” on the ground threatening stability across the Middle East, a top United Nations official warned the Security Council today that the coming weeks would be critical on two major diplomatic fronts — negotiations to halt the increasingly bloody crisis in Syria, and ending the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is seeking proposals from individual organisations or consortia of organisations to carry out a high-quality operational research programme on national and local capacity building for disaster risk management. This programme is being supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), with potential contributions from other donors.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Yesterday, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced seven new winners in the Agency’s open competition for development ideas. These projects are co-funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID’s Development Innovation Ventures WASH for Life Partnership – an initiative to support DIV grantees improving water, sanitation, and hygiene in developing countries. These seven grantees are testing new and cost-effective solutions to water challenges around the world.

Ambassador Isi Siddiqui attended The Chicago Council’s Global Agricultural Development Initiative’s fourth annual Global Security Symposium yesterday in Washington, D.C. The symposium was on “Capitalizing on the Power of Science, Trade, and Business to End Hunger and Poverty: A New Agenda for Food Security.” As chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Siddiqui is responsible for bilateral and multilateral negotiations and policy coordination regarding food and agricultural trade.