MANAUS, Brazil, December 14 (UNHCR) - Fifty-six-year-old Pedro Villanueva* has found a new life and a new love for life on the banks of the mighty Amazon. "I am still fighting a daily battle, but this is an easy one," said the Colombian, who fled his country in 2006 after three years of internal displacement.

He has integrated remarkably well in Manaus, capital of northern Brazil's Amazonas state and the largest city on the Amazon River. He started a small business making garden fountains and has received a micro-credit loan of US$750 to expand this enterprise.

By Raymond Colitt

BRASILIA, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Scores of Indians in the Amazon who traditionally roamed freely in the jungle's thicket are seeking refuge in Brazil from advancing guerrilla fighters, loggers and oil companies.

Indians from several tribes in Peru, Colombia and Venezuela have left behind ancestral grounds to live with distant relatives in Brazil. They are often stripped of basic civil rights and face problems with authorities, according to local Indian leaders and Brazilian officials.

On the upper Rio Negro river alone, in

GLIDE code: FL-2007-000004-BRA

The Federation's mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and its millions of volunteers are active in 185 countries.

In Brief

Period covered by this Final Report: 19 January 2007 to 22 June 2007.

CHF 95,000 (USD 77,900 or EUR 59,097) was allocated from the Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 19 January 2007 to respond to the needs in this operation, or to replenish

BRASILIA, Brazil, August 22 (UNHCR) - In a sign of their growing visibility and support in Brazil, refugee delegates took part in the recent Second National Conference on Policies for Women here in the Brazilian capital.

Support for female refugees was included among the final resolutions of the August 17-21 conference, which was attended by more than 2,500 delegates from around the country. The meeting passed a resolution to include women refugees' issues among Brazil's national policies for women.

"To participate in this conference

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Opinion

"ESTABLISHING GLOBAL OPERATIONAL STANDARDS FOR INTERNATIONAL URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE FROM COLLAPSED STRUCTURES"

Arjun Katoch

International disaster managers responding to earthquakes bemoan the multiplicity and wide range of professional capability, amongst responders professing to be USAR teams. In Bam, Iran during the 2003 earthquake approximately 1300 responders from 34 countries had arrived by day three. Normally the Government of the affected country has limited knowledge of the operational capabilities of teams that arrive. Coordination,

The Federation's mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and its millions of volunteers are active in 185 countries.

In Brief

This DREF Bulletin is being issued based on the situation described below reflecting the information available at this time. CHF 95,000 (USD 77,900 or EUR 59,097) was allocated from the Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to respond to the needs in this operation, or to replenish disaster preparedness stocks distributed