“Norway condemns the use of violence against protesters in Syria,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

During the past week, there have been demonstrations several places in Syria. The Syrian authorities have clamped down hard on protesters, particularly in the city of Deraa in southern Syria. Ten people are reported to have been killed and many more wounded, and an unknown number have been detained.

“Norway urges the Syrian authorities to refrain from using violence against peaceful protesters, to respect freedom of expression and assembly, and to engage in dialogue with the Syrian people to discuss their legitimate demands,” said the Foreign Minister.

By the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway
Duty Press Officer

Norway condemns Wednesday’s terrorist attack in Jerusalem in the strongest possible terms. “Violence of this kind against civilians is unacceptable under any circumstances,” commented Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

On Wednesday, a bomb exploded at a bus stop near Jerusalem’s Central Bus Station, across the street from the Jerusalem International Convention Center. According to eye witnesses, the attack was not carried out by a suicide bomber. More than 30 people were wounded in the blast and one person was killed.

During the past week there have been a number of acts of violence in Israel and Gaza, including extensive rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza, and Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire against targets in Gaza.

“The possibility that the conflict may escalate further due to the acts of terrorism and the Israeli air and artillery attacks over the past week gives cause for grave concern. I call on all parties now to use all available means to reduce the level of conflict,” Mr Støre said.

By the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway
Duty Press Officer: March 23 2011

INDONESIA: Latrine “contracts” to fight open defecation

Photo: UNICEF Cambodia

Till death do us part… I do

TIMOR TENGAH SELATAN, 22 March 2011 (IRIN) – Even though eight out of 10 households in a district in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province, near Timor-Leste, have latrines, less than half of them are used, according to local officials, who are trying out social latrine “contracts”.

“Every family should have and use latrines. So we are creating a village regulation, a legal umbrella [to achieve this],” said the village chief of Napa, in the province’s Timor Tengah Selatan District.

Diarrhoea is the district’s biggest killer, said Cornelis Metta, head of counselling and health promotion in the district Health Ministry office. “People defecate in any place and people just do not realize the importance of washing their hands with soap and water before drinking,” he said.

The district has nearly 100,000 households, or 416,876 people, according to the most recent local census.

One afternoon in late February, volunteers went door to door in nearby Lanu village to explain the importance of water conservation and latrines. Five families agreed to build family latrines, signing “contracts” that were then countersigned by representatives of three levels of government.

The “contracts” bind signatories to build and use their latrines.

It matters little the quality of the latrines built, said a village sanitation official who goes by one name, Sabarudin. “The target is not the quality, but awareness of the importance of latrines, the desire to have one and to use it for defecation,” he explained.

When asked if there were penalties or fines for people who broke a “contract”, officials said shame is a “heavy price to pay in village settings and enforcement was not a concern”.

Based on the 2010 nationwide health survey, (RISKESDAS) 21.6 percent of people in NTT Province practice open defecation, while nationwide the figure is 17.2.

And their rubbish? Four out of 10 people nationally toss it in sewers, 18.9 percent straight on the ground and 14.9 percent in open dumps.

pt/cb

source http://www.irinnews.org

WATER: Optimism at World Water Day conference

Photo: Julius Mwelu/IRIN

Diarrhoea, often caused by poor sanitation, kills more children than AIDS, TB and malaria combined

CAPE TOWN, 22 March 2011 (IRIN) – Half the world’s population now lives in cities, and this figure is expected to balloon to more than 70 percent by 2050, but in Africa, where the rate of urbanization is highest, the provision of clean drinking water has been shrinking steadily since 1990.

“The ability of [African] governments to service urban water has been declining, and I’m not even talking about sanitation,” said Alioune Badiane, Regional Director for Africa and the Arab States at the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN HABITAT).

UN HABITAT was one of the organizers of the World Water Day Conference with the theme, Water and Urbanization: Responding to the Urban Challenge, which concluded on 22 March in Cape Town, South Africa.

The African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW), another of the conference organizers, welcomed the opportunity to bring together over a thousand representatives from government, civil society, and the private sector.

Julia Bucknall of the World Bank told the conference that diarrhoea, one of the major causes of which is poor sanitation, killed more children than AIDS, malaria and TB combined. “These challenges are not going away, they’re going to get worse,” she warned.

Delegates highlighted the need for better collaboration and communication between sectors, especially in developing countries, to improve access to water and deal with waste in urban areas, particularly informal settlements. They also discussed access to clean, affordable water and sanitation as a basic human right, and the need to scale up efforts in these areas.

“In the slums of Nairobi, the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, the bustees of Kolkata, and even right here in Cape Town’s townships, the provision of safe water and basic sanitation to the urban poor is a critical challenge facing the world today,” said Dr Joan Clos, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN HABITAT.

IRIN Photo Water is life

View slideshow

More than 100,000 households in Cape Town, a popular international tourist destination, lack basic sanitation, according to a 2010 report by Water Dialogues, an international research process.

Technological innovation and public-private partnerships can provide solutions to the challenges of water and sanitation in an environment of rapid urbanization, but delegates agreed that it would mean throwing out old models and adopting a new, multi-disciplinary, collaborative approach, as well as overcoming a lack of leadership and capacity.

“The water business has become complex, and requires not only critical mass, but highly qualified individuals,” said Mbangiseni Nepfumbada, Acting Director General of Policy and Regulation at South Africa’s Department of Water Affairs during a panel discussion on water in Southern Africa.

Despite the challenges, a mood of optimism and excitement prevailed at the conference. “Particularly in Africa, societies are continually adapting,” said Ania Grobicki, Executive Secretary of the Global Water Partnership. “The creativity and innovation that we see here [in Africa] is phenomenal.”

lm/ks/he

source http://www.irinnews.org

WATER: Optimism at World Water Day conference

Photo: Julius Mwelu/IRIN

Diarrhoea, often caused by poor sanitation, kills more children than AIDS, TB and malaria combined

CAPE TOWN, 22 March 2011 (IRIN) – Half the world’s population now lives in cities, and this figure is expected to balloon to more than 70 percent by 2050, but in Africa, where the rate of urbanization is highest, the provision of clean drinking water has been shrinking steadily since 1990.

“The ability of [African] governments to service urban water has been declining, and I’m not even talking about sanitation,” said Alioune Badiane, Regional Director for Africa and the Arab States at the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN HABITAT).

UN HABITAT was one of the organizers of the World Water Day Conference with the theme, Water and Urbanization: Responding to the Urban Challenge, which concluded on 22 March in Cape Town, South Africa.

The African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW), another of the conference organizers, welcomed the opportunity to bring together over a thousand representatives from government, civil society, and the private sector.

Julia Bucknall of the World Bank told the conference that diarrhoea, one of the major causes of which is poor sanitation, killed more children than AIDS, malaria and TB combined. “These challenges are not going away, they’re going to get worse,” she warned.

Delegates highlighted the need for better collaboration and communication between sectors, especially in developing countries, to improve access to water and deal with waste in urban areas, particularly informal settlements. They also discussed access to clean, affordable water and sanitation as a basic human right, and the need to scale up efforts in these areas.

“In the slums of Nairobi, the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, the bustees of Kolkata, and even right here in Cape Town’s townships, the provision of safe water and basic sanitation to the urban poor is a critical challenge facing the world today,” said Dr Joan Clos, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN HABITAT.

IRIN Photo Water is life

View slideshow

More than 100,000 households in Cape Town, a popular international tourist destination, lack basic sanitation, according to a 2010 report by Water Dialogues, an international research process.

Technological innovation and public-private partnerships can provide solutions to the challenges of water and sanitation in an environment of rapid urbanization, but delegates agreed that it would mean throwing out old models and adopting a new, multi-disciplinary, collaborative approach, as well as overcoming a lack of leadership and capacity.

“The water business has become complex, and requires not only critical mass, but highly qualified individuals,” said Mbangiseni Nepfumbada, Acting Director General of Policy and Regulation at South Africa’s Department of Water Affairs during a panel discussion on water in Southern Africa.

Despite the challenges, a mood of optimism and excitement prevailed at the conference. “Particularly in Africa, societies are continually adapting,” said Ania Grobicki, Executive Secretary of the Global Water Partnership. “The creativity and innovation that we see here [in Africa] is phenomenal.”

lm/ks/he

source http://www.irinnews.org