Welcome
Inspired by the example of it founder, Vincent de Paul, the Congregation of the Mission (the Vincentians) is committed to the full integral development of the human person, especially those who are forced to live in situations of extreme poverty.Together with other humanitarian and religious NGOs, Vincentians work for the realization of a more just society where people can live lives free from fear and want. In this, the Congregation of the Mission finds itself in harmony with the peace, human rights and development goals of the United Nations.
General Assembly to establish a working group to follow up on the UN Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its impact on development
This summary tells about the creation of the follow up working group and what various groups of countries think the work of the follow up committee should be.
UN Warns of Widespread Water Shortages
The United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR-3) will be presented at the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul on March 16th, 2009. The report emphasizes that the increasing demand for water raises risk for political upheaval and economic stagnation over next 20 years. Aggravating factors are population growth, climate change, reckless irrigation and chronic waste.
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Faith and Values Organizations Form Coalition to Advance United Nations Decade for Inter-Religious Cooperation for Peace
Some forty-five religious, interfaith, and value-based organizations from five continents agreed to form a coalition to advance a "United Nations Decade for Inter-religious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding, and Cooperation for Peace." Coalition members expressed the hope that the UN Sixty-Fourth General Assembly, which will begin its deliberations in September 2009, will approve a resolution establishing such a decade from 2011-2020.
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A New Era of World Hunger? The Global Food Crisis Analyzed
This study discusses the main causes of the steep increase in global food prices and the resulting spread of hunger to nearly a billion people worldwide. Authors James A. Paul and Katarina Wahlberg conclude that biofuels and the agro-industrial approach to food production are the main culprits of the food crisis.
The paper looks at a wide range of factors endangering nutrition for all, including population growth, unsustainable consumption, international trade policy and climate change. The authors argue for effective and generous short-term aid as well as longer-term transformation of the agricultural system to make it more justly distributive, resilient, and sustainable for the future. (Global Policy Forum/Friedrich Ebert Foundation)
A New Era of World Hunger - Report
Source: Global Policy Forum
The MDG Project in Crisis "Midpoint Review and Prospects for the Future"
Jens Martens and Tobias Debiel point out that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are much less ambitious than previous international development goals.
Even so, the UN, World Bank and NGOs agree that most countries will not achieve most of the MDGs on time. The authors further argue that the MDGs fail to deal with the structural root causes of poverty, such as unequal distribution of wealth, land and political power, as well as unfair global trade rules. (Institue for Developmet and Peace)
The MDG Project in Crisis - Report
Source: Global Policy Forum