October 6, 2008 (Barcelona, Spain) - United Nations Foundation Founder and Chairman Ted Turner joined the Rainforest Alliance, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) today to announce the first-ever globally relevant sustainable tourism criteria at the IUCN World Conservation Congress. The new criteria - based on thousands of best practices culled from the existing standards currently in use around the world - were develope more...

Google has announced a project under which it will devote U.S.$10 million to fund development of 'ideas to change the world by helping as many people as possible'. People are invited to submit their ideas by October 20th. Google will select 100 of these for public comment. It will then select the best for funding.

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* Community: How can we help connect people, build communities and protect unique cultures?
* Opportunity: How can we help people better provide for themselv more...

IPS News. By David Cronin. BRUSSELS, Sep 25 (IPS) - Almost two years after the European Union resolved to step up its efforts to address the shortage of doctors and nurses in poor countries, its progress has been found unsatisfactory by the bloc's own officials. In December 2006, the EU's governments approved a 'programme of action' for ensuring that a higher number of qualified health workers are made available to treat the world's poor.

But a new assessment by the European Commission, the E more...

IPS News. By Mario Osava RIO DE JANEIRO, Sep 25 (IPS) - Crime and violence will be key issues in the October local elections in Brazil's largest cities, especially Rio de Janeiro, although public security is the responsibility of state governments rather than the municipalities.
Violence has become a 'hurdle to development' in Brazil, said Fernando Gabeira, a federal lawmaker from the Green Party (PV) who hopes to be one of the two most voted candidates for mayor of Rio de Janeiro on Oct. 5, a more...

IPS News. By Diego Cevallos. MEXICO CITY, Sep 26 (IPS) - Atheists who have built up a virtual community over the last decade will hold the 'First Global Atheist March for a Secular Society' on Sunday, with the aim of defending their views and protesting that they are misinterpreted and in some cases discriminated against. The organisers say the main marches will be held in Madrid, Mexico and Lima, while demonstrations may also take place in London and Rome.

'We have decided to take to the str more...

IPS. By Stephen Leahy. UXBRIDGE, Canada, Sep 30 (IPS) - Why do U.S. oil companies -- some of the most profitable corporations on the planet -- receive 20 to 40 billion dollars a year in subsidies from the U.S. government? And, in a time of skyrocketing oil prices and profits, why did the George W. Bush administration in 2005 authorise an additional 32.9 billion dollars in new subsidies over a five-year period?

'Those are very good questions,' said Doug Koplow of Earth Track, Inc., an independ more...

IPS News. By Milagros Salazar. LIMA, Oct 2 (IPS) - Social movements, trade unions, peasant farmer and indigenous organisations are holding strikes and demonstrations to demand that Peruvian President Alan García fulfil the social commitments he has made, in writing and at negotiating tables. 'We are organising throughout the length and breadth of the country to plan a day of repudiation and condemnation of a political programme that lacks credibility, because the government does not keep its wo more...

The dynamism of cities could be dramatically increased by adopting 14-hour working instead of the standard 9-to-5 paradigm, claims a new report on sustainability of the world’s mega-cities. James Calder, one of its authors, suggests that planners and governments were starting to realise that adding more infrastructure is too expensive and usually only increased demand rather than improving existing conditions. “The 14-hour working city would enable early and late shifts - work times would ov more...

A project to improve living conditions and the environment in key urban centers in the Indian state of Bihar has been given a boost by Japan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Japan Special Fund, through ADB, will provide a grant of $1 million to help prepare the groundwork for the proposed Bihar Urban Development Project in the cities of Patna and Gaya, the state’s two largest cities. The government of Bihar will contribute a further $250,000.

An earlier ADB study found Patna and Ga more...

Twelve organizations from across the Asia-Pacific region have launched a network to share solutions for improving water management to tackle the region’s many pressing water challenges. The network, known as “KnowledgeHubs,” is an initiative of the Asia-Pacific Water Forum, which was established in 2006 with support from Japan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to promote leadership and boost investment in the water sector.

Some 650 million people in the Asia-Pacific region lack acces more...