Archive for October 9th, 2014

09/10/2014

To Be a Teacher in Kibera, the Largest Slum in Africa 'Hosting" One Million People

Human Wrongs Watch 

October 2014, UNESCO* — For Margaret Atieno Ochieng, teaching in Kibera Primary School presents new challenges every day, but she says she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Source: UNESCO

Source: UNESCO

“I believe that being a teacher is an inspiration from the inside, in particular being a te acher in the slums,” she says. “I tell myself, I am where children need me most.” Watch the video

Kibera slum is situated five kilometres outside Nairobi, Kenya, and is the biggest slum in Africa with approximately one million people living there. The school serves the population of Kibera and children aged between 5 and 17 are taught there. The school is bursting at the seams with some 2,200 children studying there and enormous class sizes of up to 90 children in a lesson.

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09/10/2014

Good Harvests, Abundant Inventory Continue to Drive International Food Prices Down – UN

Human Wrongs Watch

Food markets are more stable and prices for most agricultural commodities are sharply lower than they have been in recent years, according to the latest edition of the biannual Food Outlook report released on 9 October 2014 by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

FAO says Good harvests and ample stockpiles continue to drive international food prices down. Credit: FAO

According to a statement released by the Rome-based FAO, bumper harvests and abundant stockpiles are key factors helping drive down international food prices.

World wheat production in 2014 is forecast to reach a new record while world cereal production in 2014 is anticipated to reach 2.5 billion tonnes – with stocks set to hit their highest level in 15 years by the end of the cropping season in 2015.

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09/10/2014

Brazil's SUPERSIMPLES — a “Simple” Path to Formal Employment

Human Wrongs Watch

In Brazil, formal employment has risen by almost 14 per cent in a decade…SUPERSIMPLES is part of the reason. The forthcoming American Regional Meeting of the ILO will consider employment and social protection policies as boosters of productivity and formal employment.
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Source: ILO

Source: ILO

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Brasilia,  09 October 2014 (ILO News*) — Wilker Barbosa is the owner of Eventhus Buffett, a small business in Brasilia that organizes parties, dinners, birthdays and weddings. From the food to the waiters, he provides clients with everything they need for a successful event.*
 
Barbosa’s business started out in the informal sector in May 2008, but only two months later his company became part of the formal economy. According to Barbosa, that change was mainly due to his decision to join SUPERSIMPLES, a government programme that has reduced taxes and simplified regulations for many small businesses in Brazil.
09/10/2014

'Global Economy to Lose $1 Trillion Annually Without Action to Stop Ocean Acidification'

Human Wrongs Watch

The global economy could be losing as much as $1 trillion annually by the end of the century if countries do not take urgent steps to stop ocean acidification, says a United Nations report launched on 8 October 2014 in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea (ROK).

Coral Reef. Photo: World Bank/Carl Gustav | Source: UN News Centre

This figure reflects the economic loss for industries linked to coral reefs alone, which are some of the most vulnerable species to this phenomenon.*

The overall financial and environmental costs are still uncertain, states the report, An Updated Synthesis of the Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Marine Biodiversity, issued in Pyeongchang by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD (COP-12).

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