Non Governmental Organization

BACKGROUND: Global health research is essential for development. A major issue is the inequitable distribution of research efforts and funds directed towards populations suffering the world's greatest health problems. This imbalance is fostering major attempts at redirecting research to the health problems of low and middle income countries. Following the creation of the Coalition for Global Health Research - Canada (CGHRC) in 2001, the Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH) decided to review the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in global health research. This paper highlights some of the prevalent thinking and is intended to encourage new thinking on how NGOs can further this role. APPROACH: This paper was prepared by members of the Research Committee of the CSIH, with input from other members of the Society. Persons working in various international NGOs participated in individual interviews or group discussions on their involvement in different types of ...

Since 1988 we have analyzed 140 150 water samples from tube wells in all 19 districts of West Bengal for arsenic; 48.1% had arsenic above 10 μg/L (WHO guideline value), 23.8% above 50 μg/L (Indian Standard) and 3.3% above 300 μg/L (concentration predicting overt arsenical skin lesions). Based on arsenic concentrations we have classified West Bengal into three zones: highly affected (9 districts mainly in eastern side of Bhagirathi River), mildly affected (5 districts in northern part) and unaffected (5 districts in western part). The estimated number of tube wells in 8 of the highly affected districts is 1.3 million, and estimated population drinking arsenic contaminated water above 10 and 50 μg/L were 9.5 and 4.2 million, respectively. In West Bengal alone, 26 million people are potentially at risk from drinking arsenic-contaminated water (above 10 μg/L). Studying information for water from different depths from 107 253 tube wells, we noted that arsenic concentration decreased with increasing depth. Measured arsenic concentration in two tube wells in Kolkata for 325 and 51 days during 2002–2005, showed 15% oscillatory movement without any long-term trend. Regional variability is dependent on sub-surface geology. In the arsenic-affected flood plain of the river Ganga, the crisis is not having too little water to satisfy our needs, it is the crisis of managing the water.

BACKGROUND: Global health research is essential for development. A major issue is the inequitable distribution of research efforts and funds directed towards populations suffering the world's greatest health problems. This imbalance is fostering major attempts at redirecting research to the health problems of low and middle income countries. Following the creation of the Coalition for Global Health Research - Canada (CGHRC) in 2001, the Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH) decided to review the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in global health research. This paper highlights some of the prevalent thinking and is intended to encourage new thinking on how NGOs can further this role. APPROACH: This paper was prepared by members of the Research Committee of the CSIH, with input from other members of the Society. Persons working in various international NGOs participated in individual interviews or group discussions on their involvement in different types of ...

3.0 Ecological Functions and Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3.1 Ecological Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3.1.1 Flood Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3.1.2 ...

Waste is an unavoidable by product of human activities. Economic development, urbanization and improving living standards in cities, have led to an increase in the quantity and complexity of generated waste. Rapid growth of population and industrialization degrades the urban environment and places serious stress on natural resources, which undermines equitable and sustainable development. Inefficient management and disposal of solid waste is an obvious cause of degradation of the environment in most cities of the developing world. Municipal corporations of the developing countries are not able to handle increasing quantities of waste, which results in uncollected waste on roads and in other public places. There is a need to work towards a sustainable waste management system, which requires environmental, institutional, financial, economic and social sustainability.This study explores alternative approaches to municipal solid waste (MSW) management and estimates the cost of waste management in Mumbai, India. Two alternatives considered in the paper are community participation and public private partnership in waste management. Data for the present study are from various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and from the private sector involved in waste management in Mumbai. Mathematical models are used to estimate the cost per ton of waste management for both of the alternatives, which are compared with the cost of waste management by Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM). It is found that the cost per ton of waste management is Rs. 1518 (US$35) with community participation; Rs. 1797 (US$41) with public private partnership (PPP); and Rs. 1908 (US$44) when only MCGM handles the waste. Hence, community participation in waste management is the least cost option and there is a strong case for comprehensively involving community participation in waste management.

Goal, scope, and background The aim of this work is to present guidance on the application of ISO 14044 to allocation procedures for metal recycling. As such, graphical patterns of metal recycling and generic “rules” for metal recycling maps are presented. The results are intended to be useful in assessing and validating the suitability of allocation procedures for metal recycling in the context of life cycle assessment (LCA) and assist in the understanding of metals flow patterns in product systems. LCA uses a product-focus; therefore, the perspective here is on recycling metals in post-consumer products. The discussions, analysis, and illustrations in this paper emphasize old (post-consumer) scrap and do not detail flows of new (post-manufacturing, pre-consumer) or prompt (internal) scrap. The work included participation and review from International Council on Mining and Metals, the Nickel Institute, the International Copper Association, the International Zinc Association, worldsteel (formerly International Iron and Steel Institute), and the International Aluminium Institute. Methods A survey of generic metal flows was conducted for three major non-ferrous metals—nickel, copper, and zinc. Based on the results of this survey, four metal recycling map models were developed. Implications of these recycling maps for LCA were then considered, and parameters necessary to model metal recycling were presented. Relationships of inherent properties and recycling loops are provided and connected to the allocation procedures in the context of LCA. Results and discussion Four metals recycling map models were generated based on a survey and analysis of current metals flow analysis. The utility of the recycling maps is to serve the basis of a structured approach to recycling allocation in life cycle assessment and leveraging the efforts of harmonized recycling metrics. Conclusions A consensus on mapping metals is important in order to achieve an accurate understanding and measurement of metals recycling. To this end, consensus mapping presentation of a general allocation approach and identification of harmonized metrics were achieved among representatives of ferrous and non-ferrous metals groups. Perspectives For the future, allocation factors based on sound empirical data needs to be developed. Those metrics will empower the various stakeholders—industry, policy makers, non-governmental organizations, and academics to make appropriate decisions based on agreed scientific bases.

... affect underdeveloped countries, and were supposed to do development in a way very different from the way the state ... analysing the shortcomings of NGOs and the reasons and causes for their failure, suggests that there is need to bring the state back into development ...

The article analyzes curriculum processes and products pertaining to the overall reconstruction of Afghanistan’s education system after 2002. With the support of several international agencies, including UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education (IBE), as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education succeeded in making important progress with regard to quality education, curriculum planning and design. Based on a careful analysis of needs, new curriculum frameworks for primary and secondary education were developed over the period 2002–2006, and syllabuses and textbooks for primary and secondary education will be developed and disseminated in schools across the country. However, many challenges remain to be tackled, especially with regard to the dissemination of a new curriculum culture and the writing, printing and distribution of quality syllabuses and textbooks at all education levels. The article highlights both the achievements and the obstacles standing in the way of comprehensive curriculum reforms taking place in the difficult context of reconstructing a cohesive societal infrastructure in a country, such as Afghanistan, that is affected by conflict.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are increasing the influence they are able to play on global politics. As far as they represent political values, interests, and demands that cut across the borders of the states. Furthermore, they participate in many trans-national and world-level actions and programs, and are recognized also by policy-makers as actors of the world political system, the reserved domain of the states. For this reason, it is quite safe to say that they have an impact on the transformation of the structure and processes of world politics. At the same time, it is safe not concealing that the NGOs effective actorness continues to depend on the access given to them by state governments and international organizations (IOs) to international institutions and common decision-making processes and actions. This chapter analyses the participation of NGOs in humanitarian intervention and peace operations. Knowledge about this area of action is of great importance to underst...

The purpose of this study is to develop indicators to measure community tourism development within a sustainable framework. In order to develop such objective indicators, this study employed a modified Delphi technique . A panel of 38 academic researchers in tourism provided input into developing the indicators. After three rounds of discussion, the panel members reached consensus on the following set of 125 indicators: political (32), social (28), ecological (25), economic (24), technological (3), and cultural dimensions (13) for community tourism development (Table 7.1). This set of sustainable tourism indicators can serve as a starting point for devising a set of indicators at the local and regional level.

The Alqueva is a mega project in Southern Portugal and Spain which includes a large Dam and re- servoir (25.000ha, the largest in Europe), several smaller dams and a complex irrigation scheme which will benefit approximately 115.000 hectares. Several Environmental Impact Studies (EIS) were carried in order to access its environmental and socio-economic consequences. The project was twice submitted to public par- ticipation (in 1994 and 1995) in Portugal and Spain, with mixed results. Environmental authorities approved the dam and irrigation scheme but Environmental Non Governmental Organizations were extremely septic. After the initial Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) several EIS were carried (1997-present) to deeply assess the impact of all the project components, on a step by step approach. The Dam was completed in 2002 and the irrigation scheme is scheduled to be completed by 2015. The assessment of major impacts controlled the development of some components. So far the EIA ...

Assuring food security in Uganda is a fundamental challenge that the government and development agencies face. Recent analyses indicate that some successes have been achieved, but food insecurity gaps still exist, with implications for more concerted investments in a multiplicity of community assets to achieve better results. This study assessed whether social capital is a key asset for achievement of food security in Kamuli district, southeast Uganda. More specifically, it focused on the determinants and levels of participation in food security groups. The study also explored the status, challenges and gaps of information flows in rural communities. Potential relationships between social capital and food security were also examined. Data were collected using a survey (378 randomly sampled households from six sub-counties), group discussions (21 groups) and community interviews (12 communities), and analyzed using SPSS and NVIVO. Results indicated that participation in food security...