United Nations, New York, 8 July 2010 - Acclaimed actor and conservation activist Edward Norton took on his latest role today, as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon designated him United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity. Mr. Norton said he hopes to channel the attention he receives for his acting to spotlight the unprecedented loss of biodiversity due to human activity and ensure world leaders take appropriate measures to safeguard the variety of life on Earth.
PRESS RELEASE: DOCTOR ERIC NOJI JOINS THE CAUSE AS MEDICAL EXPERT
MEDICAL EXPERT
JOINS THE CAUSE
Los Angeles, CA
July 19,2010
Physician, scientist, scholar, legendary teacher and humanitarian visionary. Dr. Eric K. Noji was elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science for pioneering work in the use of social media and global communications networks for disaster relief, humanitarian aid and other public health crises. On the evening of 24 September 2006, his webcast on disaster management was seen by over 1.5 million viewers, still the largest audience in history for a single academic lecture.
An award named in Dr. Noji's honor is presented annually by the DoD's Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance to recognize individuals whose careers have been characterized by exceptional teaching, ground-breaking research and leadership in emergency health management, conflict stabilization and peace-keeping operations, medical diplomacy and civil-military cooperation.
Dr. Noji has nearly 25 years of experience working with government agencies, NGOs, and international organizations such as WHO, USAID, MSF, the World Bank, UNICEF, UNHCR and others that provide disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, and support for reconstruction, emergency preparedness and crisis monitoring. From 1988 to 2007, Dr. Noji was the Director of the International Emergency and Refugee Health Program, Office of Global Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He is currently Chairman and CEO of Noji Global Health & Security, an organization he established in 2007 that specializes in humanitarian resource mobilization and management, particularly during major crisis situations such as the tsunami disaster in 2004, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the recent catastrophic earthquakes in Haiti and China in 2010.
Dr. Noji has unparalleled experience, expertise and success in crisis fund-raising, facilitating fast-track procurement and acquisition during emergencies, innovative technology brokering and rapidly assembling the best talent. An undergraduate at Stanford, he completed his medical studies, graduate work and residency training at the University of Rochester, the University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins before joining the full-time faculty and attending staff of the Johns Hopkins Hospital & School of Medicine.
New Bill a Breakthrough for Campaign Against Conflict Minerals
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Yesterday Congress passed the financial reform bill with the inclusion of a key provision on conflict minerals, an incredible victory for the thousands of activists who for months have been calling on their members of Congress to take decisive action to end the trade in Congo's conflict minerals. The amendment will require companies to disclose whether they source conflict minerals from Congo or neighboring countries, and require companies to report on steps taken to exclude conflict sources from their supply chains, backed by independent audits. From the day President Obama signs the bill, the Securities and Exchange Commission will have nine months to develop regulations implementing the new law.Huge Victory on Conflict Minerals
Today, the world moved a step closer to ensuring that the supply chains for our laptops and cell phones do not finance violence in eastern Congo. Today, human rights activists, American consumers, and the people of Congo won an incredible victory. Congress passed the Wall Street reform bill with the inclusion of a key provision on conflict minerals which will require companies to disclose whether they source conflict minerals from Congo or neighboring countries, and require companies to report on steps taken to exclude conflict sources from their supply chains, backed by independent audits.
The growing movement for Congo across America should be very proud of this impressive victory. Activists and concerned consumers from communities across the country came together with one voice and told Congress we demand strong legislation that will put us on the path to ending one of the deadliest conflicts in modern history. You overran the Facebook pages of elected officials and electronics companies, followed up with phone calls, wrote letters and emails to their offices, met face-to-face with your representatives, and called on industry leaders to clean up their supply chain. These are just some examples of the creative advocacy that has helped elevate the issue of conflict minerals to reach today’s tipping point. Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Russ Feingold (D-WI), and Reps. Jim McDermott (D-WA), Howard Berman (D-CA), and Barney Frank (D-MA), along with many other upstanding members of Congress, deserve special praise for leading this battle over the past two years.
President Obama, This is your Rwanda moment - Dave Eggers and John Prendergast in today's New York Times
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The United States has a pivotal role to play in preventing a return to full-scale war in Sudan, a country that is approaching a January 2011 secession vote that could re-ignite a conflict that has already taken two million lives, argue Enough Co-founder John Prendergast and critically-acclaimed author Dave Eggers in a New York Times op-ed out today.Says the op-ed:“This is President Obama’s Rwanda moment, and it is unfolding now, in slow motion. It is not too late to prevent the coming war in Sudan, and protect the peace we helped build five short years ago.” |
Al Gore Says Mass Movement Key to Solving Climate Crisis
Al Gore Says Mass Movement Key to Solving Climate Crisis: "NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 650 volunteers with The Climate Project from branches worldwide assembled in Nashville last weekend for a training session with former Vice President Al Gore. Those trained were current Presenters and new trainees with The Climate Project. Presenters deliver an updated version of the slideshow featured in the Academy-Award winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. The international training focused on the science of climate change as well as solutions to mitigate its most harmful effects, incorporating new slides and material from Vice President Gore's latest book, Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis."
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