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OEI Earth Literacy Group Views a Wonder of the Universe June 8th, 2012
The June 2012 Earth Literacy group at the Oblate Ecological Initiative was able to see the rare Venus transit with the help of local astronomers. After June 2012, the next pair of transits occurs on December 11, 2117 and December 8, 2125.
The OEI Earth Literacy Group, June 2012, Godfrey, Illinois
World Bank Increases Transparency June 1st, 2012
The Jubilee USA Network, of which the Missionary Oblates is a member, commends the World Bank for promoting an anti-corruption and anti-fraud position.
WASHINGTON, DC – The World Bank made an important move to promote transparency as they released this week’s sanctions board decisions on fraud, corruption and collusion cases. Jubilee USA commends the World Bank’s policy change to publicly disclose why they decide to sanction companies and individuals for corruption and fraud.
“This is a great move by the World Bank and everyone wins with this decision,” noted Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA Network. “NGOs, businesses and governments can now better monitor patterns of fraud and corruption. Most importantly, the poor will benefit as this reporting further helps curb this behavior and ensures that resources are not stolen from the developing world.”
The sanctions board is an independent tribunal led by mainly external members and acts as the final decision-maker in all contested cases of World Bank funded projects. Historically, the World Bank only disclosed summaries of past board decisions but this new change in policy will give an in-depth review of every appeal and the logic behind deciding where misconduct occurred and what sanctions should be administered.
Canada Declares Support for Human Right to Water May 31st, 2012
In a surprising turnaround, Canada bowed to years of national and international pressure, deciding at last to recognize the human right to water and sanitation.
The Council of Canadians, Canada’s largest social justice advocacy organization, has campaigned for more than a decade to ensure the human right to water, and posted this response to the announcement on their website:
As recently as last month, Canada was isolated in the Rio+20 negotiations as the only country to publicly claim there is no legal basis for the right and call for its deletion. This position was untenable, however, almost two years after the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution recognizing the right (GA Res. A/64/292) followed by three subsequent confirming Human Rights Council resolutions.
Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and a former UN Senior Advisor on Water to the President of the General Assembly, says, “It took unprecedented pressure to get this government to change its position, and the shift is a good thing, but words are not enough. We need actions, and the government’s actions directly contradict respect for the human right to water.”
The Council has consistently asked Canadian governments to show their commitment to water by implementing a national water act including a domestic plan of action on the human right to water. The Council of Canadians looks forward to the government providing a clear plan of what it intends to do to meet its international and domestic obligations with regard to the human right to water and sanitation.
Rio+20 – the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development May 25th, 2012
The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio+20, is to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 20 to 22 June 2012. This also mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, in Rio de Janeiro, and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.
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Maryland Becomes the Second State to Pass Legislation on Congo Conflict Minerals May 25th, 2012
The state of Maryland has taken a definitive step toward curtailing the use and trade of conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). On May 2, Governor Martin O’Malley signed the Maryland State Procurement and Congo Conflict Minerals Bill into law. Maryland is now the second state to adopt such legislation, following California’s example in September 2011. A similar bill is under consideration in Massachusetts.
Under the Maryland State Procurement and Congo Conflict law, the State of Maryland is prohibited from doing business with companies that do not comply with federal disclosure requirements on conflict minerals. Section 1502 of the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 is a disclosure requirement that calls on companies to determine whether their products contain conflict minerals by carrying out supply chain due diligence and to report this to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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