Sex and Politics
“Sex and Politics” goes together like “horse and carriage” as the old song says about romantic love and traditional marriage. Reading the recent article in the New York Times by Stephen Clarke,“No Sex, Please, We’re French” on the next French Presidential election having a problem with two sexally attractive candidates reminds me of reading similar news headlines from Asia a decade ago “No Sex, Please, We are Chinese”, on opposition to the bringing of sex education and HIV/AIDS education into China a decade ago. In China then, it was sexual politics. “Sex and Religion” also goes together like “horse and carriage” when I read quite often in the news from many parts of the world about preachers, priest, and monks sexually abusing young boys and girls. Forbidden fruit seems to tase better than unforbidden one. Ordinarily people tend to make separate decisions about love, sex, and marriage now-a-days, so the old song has to be changed to “Sex and Politic” or “Sex and Religion” instead.
Filed under Funny, World Affairs | Comment (0)Fuelwood Use and Climate Change
I am glad that more and more people are questioning whether we give enough attention to the use wood as fuel by a large number of people around the world for daily cooking and heating, especially in the developing countries. It is of concerned that more than half the volume of total wood removals from forest and trees is used to generate energy in the home. We need a dialogue at all levels on the environment impact in the use of wood for generating energy and on the questions rose about the impact of increased fuelwood use and the use of wood residues and waste. In Tanzania for example, wood meets 92 per cent of energy requirements. Is that good or bad from the perspective of environmental impact? Wood fuel demand drives to rapid destruction of forest cover. Do we need guidelines for wood harvesting and charcoal burning to prevent forest destruction? We need also to promote cleaner fuelwood use by improving stoves and charcoal-making technology. Balance has to be maintained in preventing destruction of forest and the country’s need for not relying on imported oil energy. It is encouraging to know that some communities are now establishing tree planting for energy, and address integrated land use issues. The recent meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) held earlier this month rightly focused on forest and energy as a new challenge in sustainable forest management. This is an issue that relates to climate change. Many representatives wanted assistance in developing comprehensive and integrated national bio-energy strategies, which include wood energy. We should match a higher demand for wood with increasing production of trees and efficient use of biomass. The issue of energy for sustainable development and climate change will be taken up this coming May, at the meeting of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development in New York. On this issues there are some good news: the European Union’s effort to target 20% reduction of carbon emissions by 2020, and Brazil 45% of energy consumed comes from renewable sources and 80 per cent of cars sold have flex fuel engines enable them to run on either gasoline or ethanol.
Filed under Environment, United Nations, World Affairs | Comment (0)2007 International Women’s Day
2007 International Women’s Day
This year, the United Nations observed the International Women’s Day on March 8 under the theme
We can stop this pandemic by acting together to hold perpetrators accountable, bring about justice and provide remedies to victims. We can no longer tolerate these continued violence against the girls by adult men and women in their continuing the practices of female genital mutilation, rape, selling of girls in human trafficking and for sex-trade industry. The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has reminded us that violence against women and girls makes it hideous imprint on every continent, country and culture and it doesn’t care about the person’s income, class, race or ethnic background. I agree with Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, UN General Assembly’s President that most sexual and physical violence against women and girls happens at home. That is where I think change of attitude must begin. Father, husband and brother have to be re-educated to stop their violent behavior in abusing wives, daughters and sisters. This can be done through sensitive learning programmes on gender equality and human rights education for parents and adolescents. UNFPA has been doing a good job worldwide on this aspect. But just to protect the girls by teachers and polices working together is not good enough. Young women and girls themselves have to be motivated to fight for their own safety. Training in martial arts and self-defense would be useful for girls. There have been many good practices and examples of solutions to eliminate violence and end impunity from local to the global levels that can be used as model project. I could not agree more with my friend, Rachel Mayanja, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women that discrimination persists in all cultures in violation both of the United Nations Charter itself and of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women. To change this, global action is required.