|
UNF:
UNITED
NATIONS FOUNDATION ISSUES URGENT APPEAL FOR FUNDS TO SUPPORT HURRICANE
DEAN RECOVERY EFFORT IN MEXICO: 15/9/2007 (MaximsNews.com)
|
UNITED NATIONS - / www.MaximsNews.com@
U.N./
- 15 September 2007 – The
United Nations Foundation (UN Foundation) today launched an emergency
fundraising appeal for $100,000 to support the recovery effort for communities
in and around the Sian Ka’an Biosphere reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage
site.
The
reserve’s infrastructure and delicate ecosystem were severely damaged by
Hurricane Dean, a category 5 storm that devastated the area in August
2007.
Paraiso
de la Bonita, a Rivera Maya resort and member of the World Heritage Alliance for
Sustainable Tourism, announced a $11,000 donation to the appeal to help
reestablish businesses in dozens of communities in the area that earn their
livelihoods through the sustainable cultivation of their natural environment.
“The
predominantly indigenous communities in the area were the hardest hit by
Hurricane Dean.
It
destroyed their crops, their fisheries, their factories – everything they need
to support their communities,” said Erika Harms, Executive Director of
Sustainable Development at the UN Foundation.
“We
are working with them to quickly rebuild their businesses before the start of
the busiest tourist season in the region.”
Contributions
from individuals will also be matched by both Expedia, Inc. and the UN
Foundation, up to a total contribution of $50,000 from each organization, making
every dollar donated three times as effective.
Donations
can be made at https://www.unfoundation.org/donate/fowh2/donate.asp.
During
the Hurricane Dean appeal, 100% of funds raised through the Friends of World
Heritage (www.friendsofworldheritage.com)
fund will go directly to these affected communities.
Since
1999, the founding partners of Friends of World Heritage (www.friendsofworldheritage.com)
– UNESCO, the UN Foundation, and Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) – together
with other partners, have supported sustainable development projects in and
around this natural World Heritage site, where families of 5 live on as little
as $700 per year.
The
project has enabled local communities – overwhelmingly Mayan indigenous
peoples – to sell environmentally-friendly tours and sustainable,
locally-produced food and other products to travelers, hotels and others in the
region.
These
products provide lifesaving income for local communities, and preserve their
delicate natural environment.
Among
the projects the Hurricane Dean appeal will support are:
• Food
for families.
Food
crops were destroyed by the hurricane, threatening the food supply for over
2,050 families.
Five
kilograms (11 pounds) of beans and a packet of seeds can help sustain a family
while it grows new crops.
A $50
gift feeds three families.
• Ingredients
to rebuild organically-harvested honey farms. For the nearly 500 families in the
area that earn their living through sales of organic honey, the storm’s damage
means a critical loss of income. A $30 donation sends 20 kilos (42 pounds) of
sugar and 10 kilos (22 pounds) of organic honey to help beekeepers rebuild their
organically-harvested honey farms.
• Shades
for sustainable lobster harvesting. Lobster shades are lobster traps that help
protect Sian Ka’an’s delicate coral reefs. These shades support sustainable
fisheries practices, and enable 92 fishermen in the reserve area to support
their families. A $15 gift will help replace one lobster shade.
Note to
the editor: For more information about the Sian Ka’an Biosphere reserve, visit
the websites of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre whc.unesco.org/en/284 or
Friends of World Heritage www.friendsofworldheritage.org/wh_sites/sian_kaan.htm.
The UN
Foundation will provide photos and audio podcasts from Sian Ka’an to document
how the Hurricane Dean appeal funds raised are being used to help the
communities in and around Sian Ka’an to rebuild.
About
Friends of World Heritage
Friends
of World Heritage (www.friendsofworldheritage.com)
is a grassroots initiative dedicated to raising awareness about the importance
of protecting World Heritage, promoting sustainable development, offering ways
to explore these sites through sustainable travel, and raising funds to support
projects in communities that depend on World Heritage sites.
Friends
of World Heritage was created by the United Nations Foundation and its partners
are: Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) and UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre. www.FriendsofWorldHeritage.org.
About
World Heritage
World
Heritage sites are places around the world that have been internationally
recognized for their outstanding value as natural and cultural treasures.
All
World Heritage sites are protected by the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention,
signed to date by 184 countries and administered by the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
There
are currently 851 World Heritage sites (660 cultural, 166 natural and 25 mixed
properties). For a complete list of sites, visit http://whc.unesco.org/
About
the United Nations Foundation
The UN
Foundation was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted
Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN
Foundation builds and implements public-private partnerships to address the
world’s most pressing problems and also works to broaden support for the UN
through advocacy and public outreach. The UN Foundation is a public charity. www.unfoundation.org.
Labels: United
Nations, U.N.,
~~~~~
MaximsNews.com, An Independent Voice from the
U.N., provides commentary and analysis from
leading world figures: King Abdullah II
(Jordan), HRH Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein
(Jordan), Sir Brian Urquhart, Hans Blix, Amb.
Richard Holbrooke, Anwar Ibrahim, Bianca Jagger,
Dr. Nafis Sadik, Shashi Tharoor, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Noeleen Heyzer, Kerry
Kennedy, Ian Williams, Stephen Schlesinger, Sen.
Timothy E. Wirth, Marc Morial, Amb. Jayantha
Dhanapala (Sri Lanka), Amb. Pierre Schori
(Sweden), Amb. William H. Luers, Susan Roosevelt
Weld, Rory Kennedy, Mehri
Madarshahi, J. Michael Adams, Gloria Feldt,
Jeffrey Laurenti, Rodney D. Smith, Ashley
Bommer, Rory
O'Connor, Genevieve Stamper, Max Stamper and
others.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MaximsNews Network® LLC is a Global News Network reaching over 30,000 in the International Community. It is associated with MediaChannel.org and Globalvision News Network, global news and media information services with more than 350 news affiliates in 135 countries.
MaximsNews®LLC is in partnership with the United Nations Foundation and the Better World Fund.
Established in 1999.
The views expressed are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of MaximsNews®
LLC.
MaximsNews.com
U.N. ® LLC News for the United Nations and the International Community -
www.MaximsNews.com
| MaximsNews@MaximsNews.com |
Please
contact us about Republishing:
Syndication@MaximsNews.com ©Copyrights 1999 - 2007, MaximsNews® LLC. All rights
reserved.
|
