Integrated Approaches for Participatory Development

I'm awestruck by new technologies that can help communities develop and have a voice in their own development. The website http://www.iapad.org/ stands for Integrated Approaches for Participatory Development.

The focus is on using Geographic Information Technologies and Systems (GIT&S) together with Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) methods. The purpose is "to compose peoples’ spatial knowledge in the forms of virtual or physical, 2 or 3 dimensional maps used as interactive vehicles for discussion, information exchange, analysis and as support in advocacy, decision making and action taking. PGIS practice is usually geared towards community empowerment through measured, demand-driven, user-friendly and integrated applications of GIT&S, where maps become a major conduit in the process."

The site has a library of resources, examples, videos, and funding resources for non-profits.

There's also a companion site, www.PPgis.net, the electronic forum on participatory use of geo-spatial information systems and technologies. The forum hosts four distinct discussion lists, the global list which is Anglophone, and its Latin American (Spanish), Lusophone (Brazilian) and Francophone chapters.

The author of both sites is Giacomo Rambaldi, Natural Resource Management and Participation Specialist.

UNA-USA Student Alliances

There's a great new opportunity for students to become involved with the UN and with the Unitd Nations Association of the USA The UNA-USA Student Alliance program will re-launch in August with a new format. UNA's Membership Department is working with the Council of Chapters and Divisions Steering Committee and others to develop a trial format for the UNA-USA Student Alliance program. The one-year trial, which is scheduled to start in August in time for the 2009-2010 school year, will offer students an opportunity to learn about the UN, to become involved in leadership in important global issues, and to receive benefits from UNA and local chapters and divisions where they exist.

The UNA-USA Student Alliance Program will invite students to form UNA-USA Student Alliance Groups, at the middle school, high school or college levels. Students may also join individually. More information will be posted on the www.unausa.org website soon.

A Lot Going On

Since I've last written, I've been involved in two major events. One was the United Nations Association of the USA's Biannual Convention. That took place in Washington, DC, from June 12 - 14. Photos are online at the www.unausa.org Flickr account, and I've written an article for the UNA Southern New York State Division's website: www.unasouthernny.org. Anticipated by all was a chance to get to know Ambassador Tom Miller, UNA's new president. Tom plans to work closely with Chapters and Divisions of UNA-USA, a departure from the previous president, and this was welcomed by all.

The other event, on Ethanol and Bioenergy, was organized by the Public-Private Alliance Foundation. It featured aspects of investment in bioenergy, with participants from the financial sector, producers, non-Governmental organizations, and the United Nations. A report on the event will be available soon at www.ppafoundation.org Meanwhile, you can view one of the participants speaking about investment issues on PPAF's YouTube account: www.YouTube.com/ppafoundation

UNA-USA's YouTube Channel

The United Nations Association of the USA - UNA-USA - is now presenting videos on http://www.youtube.com/unausa01 . These include some videos produced by the United Nations, tapings done by UNA-USA of events such as the UNAUSA Model UN Conference held at the UN in May 2009, and interviews conducted by UNA Board Member Bill Miller, producer and moderator of Global Connections Television. Other materials include interviews with students participating in the UNA HERO project. If you're not familiar with YouTube - it's possible to go to the UNA-USA Channel link above, and sign on to alerts for updates.

The Story of Stuff

Although it's not directly related to the United Nations, The Story of Stuff, a 20-minute video available online and as a DVD, gives an important global message. The narrator and researcher, Annie Leonard, shows a cartoon-approach to the proliferation of "stuff" and its history. Extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal are shown in clear ways, with limited graphics and symbols. The main message is how to aim for sustainability and equity and the role of people in making such decisions. This is worthwhile for anyone from elementary school on up. It relates to finding ways to consume less (raw materials, energy) and thus to help reduce global warming and to leave a more sustainable earth for our children.

The Story of Stuff is available in eleven languages at www.storyofstuff.com/international (Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Taiwanese Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai. Teasers are available on YouTube. Here's a sample of a teaser about externalizing costs of goods: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz3tPxUFGbY

UN's New Website!

What a great surprise to find a pleasant, accessible new website for the United Nations. Worth exploring: http://www.un.org/ . On the home page, just tap on Welcome in the language you want to read.

Losing women's rights

The Dominican Republic has added a clause to its constitution effectively prohibiting abortion. But Dr. Milton Cordero, according to a DR1 article, notes that approximately 90,000 abortions occur in the Dominican Republic annually, contributing to the third leading cause of maternal death. These are mainly self-induced, or at the hands of an untrained practitioner.

I know from my lifelong work in public health (maternal and child health, family planning and HIV/AIDS) that those abortions which were previously done by a trained physician are now likely to go underground. The Dominican Republic in 2000 already had about 150 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births - higher than many of its peers in the Caribbean and Latin America. One can expect more deaths of pregnant women if clandestine abortion becomes the norm.

According to an article online in Latina, Aldrian Almonte, president of the Dominican Gynecology and Obstetrics Society has warned that the number of maternal deaths will increase considerably once the new laws are enforced and women are no longer able to gain access to safe and medically supervised abortions. Even if the pregnancy endangers a woman’s life, abortion will no longer be a feasible option for physicians. “I would like the honorable legislators to tell me: What are we going to do before the presence of a woman with severe eclampsia, convulsing in any emergency room around the country? What must we do, see her die to protect ourselves from the repercussions this law stipulates?” Almonte asked.

According to Dominican Today (April 29, 2009), the national focal point for the UNDP Human Development Report, Miguel Ceara Hatton, has further said that the new Constitution excludes the women’s right to life and encourages the incidence of clandestine abortions and maternal deaths in the country.

The work of the UN's agencies to educate about and promote safe women's reproductive health must continue in support of women's reproductive rights in the D.R., while the draconian new policies are reviewed by the country's people.