150 years of humanitarian action in the midst of
armed conflict
GENEVA (ICRC) -- On 17 February, the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) marked its 150th anniversary
and commemorate the beginning of its efforts to bring relief to millions and
improve the lives of countless people adversely affected by armed conflict. At
a time when people are suffering the agonies of war in Syria, Mali, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo and elsewhere, the ICRC is more determined
than ever to carry on with its humanitarian mission.
"This anniversary provides us with an opportunity
to look critically at our past, and also to develop awareness of the strengths
that have helped us in our activities carried out for millions of victims of
armed conflict and other violence," said Peter Maurer, president of the
ICRC.
"Now more than ever, we must not only
remain true to our principles but also search for new ways to better serve the
people who need help. We must redouble our efforts to make sure that the
neutral, impartial and independent nature of our humanitarian activities is understood
by all."
The ICRC continues to adapt to new forms of
armed conflict and to a number of challenges confronting humanitarian
activities.
"We are carrying on with our work in an
environment that is being shaped by the use of new weapons and technologies,
the proliferation of armed groups, the difficulty of obtaining access to people
requiring aid, and a plethora of NGOs and other humanitarian organizations
endeavouring to serve communities with competing approaches," said the
ICRC president.
"Together with our partners within the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the broader humanitarian
community, we must seek ways of meeting these challenges," said the ICRC
president.
"We have to better coordinate humanitarian
efforts, and pay very careful attention to the opinions of those we are seeking
to help – and give them the opportunity to play an active role in these
efforts, the ultimate aim of which is to enable people in need to achieve a
lasting recovery.''
The biggest challenge facing the ICRC and other
humanitarian organizations is a lack of respect for international humanitarian
law, which prohibits violence directed against people who are not involved in
armed conflict, like children, the wounded or sick, or detainees. "The need
for a strong political will to spare civilians and otherwise comply with
international humanitarian law, whether on the part of States or of non-State
armed groups, has never been greater," said Mr Maurer.
Many of the ICRC's everyday activities now have
far-reaching effects. "When ICRC delegates visit detainees in Guantanamo,
or facilitate the release of hostages in Colombia, or help people in
Afghanistan obtain health care in safe conditions, or provide the maintenance
and technical know-how that keep the water and electricity networks up and
running in Goma, a city of half a million people, or push for a binding
international treaty on cluster munitions, they have a direct and lasting
impact on the lives of many people," said Maurer.
"The vision of Henry Dunant – the Red Cross
idea – has not only survived but flourished through all these long years,"
said Maurer.
"Over the past century and a half, the ICRC
has overcome political adversity, financial difficulty, cultural barriers and
countless other obstacles, even attacks on its own staff to bring vitally
needed humanitarian assistance and protection to people in need." Once
quite small with an entirely Swiss staff, the ICRC now performs its
humanitarian tasks in over 90 countries all over the world, and has a workforce
of almost 13,000 men and women of over 100 different nationalities.
In the Philippines, the ICRC has been present
for more than 60 years and carries out a broad range of humanitarian activities
for the vulnerable populations adversely affected by armed conflicts or other
situations of violence. (ICRC/PIA-Caraga)
NEDA chief bullish about Mindanao development
DAVAO CITY, Feb. 18 – The country’s
socioeconomic planning secretary has expressed optimism on Mindanao’s economic
growth, saying it may still surpass other local economies in the Philippines
should the island-region maximizes its full economic potentials.
“Mindanao has the capacity to surpass local
economies of Luzon if the region can harness its potentials to the fullest,”
said Arsenio Balisacan, Director-General of the National Economic Development
Authority (NEDA).
Balisacan cited Caraga Region, located in the
northeastern part of Mindanao as one of the country’s fastest growing regions
with an accelerated growth rate of 9.6 percent in 2011. Other regions in the
country that posted encouraging growth rates include Central Visayas with 7.9
percent and Central Luzon with 7.5 percent.
The provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del
Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Dinagat Islands, and the six cities of
Bayugan, Bislig, Butuan, Cabadbaran, Surigao, and Tandag comprise Caraga
Region.
At the first Mindanao Development Forum (MDF)
held here recently, Balisacan said that among Mindanao’s strong potentials rest
in the agri-industry sector, particularly in the export of rubber, pineapple,
banana, coffee and organic agriculture products, which command high demand in
the global market.
In the Mindanao Development Report presented by
Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Chair Luwalhati Antonino, also at the
first MDF, the island-region recorded 94 percent self sufficiency on staple
food with rice domestic output of 66.91 percent, while other staples, which
include corn and other root crops posting at 27.13 percent.
Growth rate in the export of coconut-based
products was also recorded at 39.11 percent, while bananas registered a growth
rate of 42.22 percent. Other agricultural products such as pineapples and tuna
marked steady increases at 55.33 percent and 3.46 percent respectively.
Antonino also cited Mindanao’s foreign trade
expanding by 69.5 percent in 2011, which translated to increased export
earnings by 74.48 percent. The US remains as the region’s top export market
cornering 33.31 percent of Mindanao’s total exports, followed by China with
17.56 percent; the Netherlands 17.46 percent and Japan 17.23 percent.
“Mindanao has so much economic potential that
could spur higher growth for our country and contribute immensely in the
attainment of the inclusive development agenda,” said Balisacan, adding that to
achieve this, Mindanao must identify new players in the region in order to
increase and spread growth more equitably.
He also said the National government has
initiated market facilitation activities including market matching to assist
agriculture growers in entering in agreements with buyers and in opening more
markets for their products such as United States, Japan, China, Hong Kong,
Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Middle East and the Gulf Region, and parts of
the EU.
Late last year, MinDA organized a business
networking forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which clinched for Mindanao an
estimated investment commitments of P23 billion. Sixteen business deals were
secured and are expected to be actualized in the next two to three years which
will provide more than 89,000 jobs to Mindanawons.
The business networking was a side event to the
1st BIMP-EAGA and IMT-GT Consumer Fair in Melaka, Malaysia held from November
30 to December 2, 2012.
BIMP-EAGA stands for Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-the
Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area, while the IMT-GT stands for
Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle.
“These developments indicate Mindanao’s
encouraging performance,” said Antonino, stressing that the Board of Investments
(BOI)-approved businesses in Mindanao posted a 719 percent increase in 2011.
She added that the signing of the Framework
Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) last year opened opportunity for the
Bangsamoro area to effectively respond to the socioeconomic prospects that are
abound in both domestic and international markets, and with the BIMP-EAGA as
the integration platform.
“With the improvements in the peace and order
situation and the stability that comes with it, we must take advantage of the
situation to get these economic activities going in Mindanao,” Antonino added.
The first MDF, which gathered more than 300
Mindanao key stakeholders and representatives from national agencies and local
government units, Official Development Assistance (ODA) agencies, diplomatic,
and international communities, academe, the civil society groups, and private
and the business sector served as a venue to provide platform for dialogue and
discourse on Mindanao’s development agenda. (MinDA/PIA-Caraga)
Cebuano News: Malakanyang kumpiyansa nga kaya sa
Comelec mopahigayon sa luwas ug hapsay nga piniliay
Ni Susil D. Ragas
SURIGAO CITY, Peb. 18 (PIA) – Gipadayag sa
Malakanyang kagahapon nga ang Commission on Elections (Comelec) makahimo
pagpahigayon og luwas, ligdong ug hapsay nga piniliay karong 2013 national ug
local midterm eleksyon sa umaabot nga Mayo.
Sumala pa ni Deputy Presidential Spokesperson
Abigail Valte nga Comelec lamang ang maoy konstitusyunal body nga gitahasan
aron mopahigayon sa maong mandato ug kini atong gisalig kanila nga mahimo gyud
nila ang pagpahigayon og usa ka hapsay nga piniliay.
Samtang giseguro usab sa Comelec pinaagi ni
Chairman Sixto Brillantes nga madayon ang pagpahigayon sa automated election
karong Mayo human usab ang pag-aprubar gikan sa Technical Evaluation Committee
(TEC), nga maoy gitahasan pinaagi sa Republic Act 9369 aron maoy morebyu ug mo
certify sa sistema sa automated election, pinaagi sa mock polls nga gipahigayon
sa 20 ka mga voting centers sulod sa nasod.
Ang komitiba sa TEC gilangkoban sa Department of
Science and Technology (DOST), Commission on Informarion and Communications
Technology. (PIA-Surigao del Norte)
