Monday, November 27, 2006
Friday, November 24, 2006
At Children's Summit Delegates Visit Expo & Draft Committments
At Children's Summit Delegates Visit Expo & Draft Committments
Nairobi/Nagoya (25 July 2005) - Around 600 children aged 10 –14 from 65 countries are gathering this week in Aichi Prefecture, Japan for the first ever Children's World Summit for the Environment.
They will share their experiences and voice their concerns on the importance of the environment in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
The Summit will be presided by His Imperial Highness Prince Akishino, who will be accompanied by his wife Imperial Highness Princess Kiko. Their two daughters Princess Mako and Princess Kako, who are respectively 14 and 11 years old, will also participate in the Summit as delegates.
From 26 to 29 July, each day focuses on a different theme – Energy, Biodiversity, Water, and Recycling – and the participants are expected to make commitments relevant to each of these themes.
In addition, the Junior Board, which is made up of 11 children who guide the event, has decided to draft a petition to governments and business leaders, urging them to pay more attention to the environment.
A giant canvas will also be developed with an environmental message addressed to Heads of State and Government who will gather in New York at the World Summit in September 2005.
The Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Klaus Toepfer, said: "This Children's World Summit is an important event and it comes as a follow-up to earlier adult gatherings in Rio de Janeiro and Johannesburg. I hope it will be significant in underlining the commitment of young people to the environment"
Mr Toepfer added: "2005 is especially significant. On the one hand, the United Nations celebrates its 60th anniversary but, more importantly, world leaders gathering at the World Summit in New York next September are expected to reshape the agenda of the United Nations. It is crucial that issues concerning the future of the environment and the future of children guide their discussions "
The Children’s Summit will unfold essentially in the cities of Toyohashi and Toyota City. Its programme includes workshops, presentations and field trips, including an entire day spent at Expo 2005, which is currently taking place in Aichi Prefecture, with the theme 'Nature's Wisdom'.
The Governor of Aichi Prefecture, Mr. Masaaki Kanda said: “Through the participation in the environment-oriented EXPO, I believe that the children will be exposed to different ways of living on Earth, such as living in harmony with nature and using cutting-edge technology to conserve the environment.“
The 600 children were selected from over 2,000 applicants, based on the environmental projects of their schools and organisations.
The Summit is organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Aichi Prefectural Government and sponsored by the Toyota Motor Corporation, Suntory, the Chubu Electricity Company, Japan Railways, the AEON Environmental Foundation and the Kyocera Corporation. It is supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Health Organization and the World Bank.
Note to Editors:
The Children's World Summit is part of UNEP's TUNZA programme for children and youth. 'Tunza' means ‘to treat with care and respect’ in Kiswahili. It is part of a wide-ranging programme to involve children and young people in environmental issues.
For more information, please contact Eric Falt, UNEP Director of Communications at +81-(0)80-3810.6129 or Theodore Oben, Head of the Children and Youth Unit at +81-(0)90-7022.0472
UNEP News Release 2005/37
At Children's Summit Delegates Visit Expo & Draft Committments
At Children's Summit Delegates Visit Expo & Draft Committments
Nairobi/Nagoya (25 July 2005) - Around 600 children aged 10 –14 from 65 countries are gathering this week in Aichi Prefecture, Japan for the first ever Children's World Summit for the Environment.
They will share their experiences and voice their concerns on the importance of the environment in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
The Summit will be presided by His Imperial Highness Prince Akishino, who will be accompanied by his wife Imperial Highness Princess Kiko. Their two daughters Princess Mako and Princess Kako, who are respectively 14 and 11 years old, will also participate in the Summit as delegates.
From 26 to 29 July, each day focuses on a different theme – Energy, Biodiversity, Water, and Recycling – and the participants are expected to make commitments relevant to each of these themes.
In addition, the Junior Board, which is made up of 11 children who guide the event, has decided to draft a petition to governments and business leaders, urging them to pay more attention to the environment.
A giant canvas will also be developed with an environmental message addressed to Heads of State and Government who will gather in New York at the World Summit in September 2005.
The Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Klaus Toepfer, said: "This Children's World Summit is an important event and it comes as a follow-up to earlier adult gatherings in Rio de Janeiro and Johannesburg. I hope it will be significant in underlining the commitment of young people to the environment"
Mr Toepfer added: "2005 is especially significant. On the one hand, the United Nations celebrates its 60th anniversary but, more importantly, world leaders gathering at the World Summit in New York next September are expected to reshape the agenda of the United Nations. It is crucial that issues concerning the future of the environment and the future of children guide their discussions "
The Children’s Summit will unfold essentially in the cities of Toyohashi and Toyota City. Its programme includes workshops, presentations and field trips, including an entire day spent at Expo 2005, which is currently taking place in Aichi Prefecture, with the theme 'Nature's Wisdom'.
The Governor of Aichi Prefecture, Mr. Masaaki Kanda said: “Through the participation in the environment-oriented EXPO, I believe that the children will be exposed to different ways of living on Earth, such as living in harmony with nature and using cutting-edge technology to conserve the environment.“
The 600 children were selected from over 2,000 applicants, based on the environmental projects of their schools and organisations.
The Summit is organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Aichi Prefectural Government and sponsored by the Toyota Motor Corporation, Suntory, the Chubu Electricity Company, Japan Railways, the AEON Environmental Foundation and the Kyocera Corporation. It is supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Health Organization and the World Bank.
Note to Editors:
The Children's World Summit is part of UNEP's TUNZA programme for children and youth. 'Tunza' means ‘to treat with care and respect’ in Kiswahili. It is part of a wide-ranging programme to involve children and young people in environmental issues.
For more information, please contact Eric Falt, UNEP Director of Communications at +81-(0)80-3810.6129 or Theodore Oben, Head of the Children and Youth Unit at +81-(0)90-7022.0472
UNEP News Release 2005/37
WORLD EXPO 2005 Aichi, Japan
EXPO 2005 Message
The 20th century saw the formation of a new global society. The remarkable progress made in science and technology, the development of high-speed methods of transportation, and the evolution of information and communications technologies have all accelerated the global interchange of people, goods, and information to an unbelievable extent. The world has been truly transformed.
Human beings' seemingly insatiable desire for expansion, the source of this transformation, continues unabated. This has placed a tremendous burden on the natural environment, exceeding its capacity for self-recovery. The result is that we must now deal with a number of potential world crises.
The time has come for the people who make up the global society of the 21st century to work together in the pursuit of a sustainable and harmonious coexistence for all life on Earth. Paramount to this is a global perspective.
EXPO 2005 Aichi, Japan, is the perspective we need.
The inspiration for EXPO 2005 is the marvelous mechanism of nature and the power of life. Learning from the world's vast collection of wisdom and methods of interaction with nature found around the globe, we hope to bring the world together for the creation of a global society allowing the multitude of cultures and civilizations to coexist together.
EXPO 2005 will be a focal point, acting as the loom for a wonderful creation. The theme of the EXPO-Nature's Wisdom-will be the vertical thread in this loom and rich and varied exchange-a Grand Intercultural Symphony- the horizontal. When woven together, they will produce a soft, rich and beautiful fabric. Perhaps the fabric for a wonderful new global society.
The participants of EXPO 2005, the nations, regions, private enterprises, independent citizens, NPOs/NGOs, and volunteers that form the backbone of global society, will be the weavers on this loom, sure to produce a wondrous fabric for the world.
Closer contact will naturally give rise to friction-the very reason we wish to carefully nurture reason, love, and the adoration of the objects of beauty that humankind possesses. These are sentiments the world over.
But what will be the catalyst for genuine exchange? We believe the answer to be people meeting people, followed by discourse that goes beyond words to achieve mutual understanding and respect.
EXPO 2005 Aichi, Japan, is the place for this intercultural exchange.
In 2005, the world will gather together in Aichi Prefecture. There, we can weave together a fabric for a new global society; we can stand together, exchange smiles and share the wisdom of the world-felt and enjoyed with all our senses and experienced with our whole being.
Let us do this for all life and the future of our planet!
Theme / Exhibition
The Philippine pavilion's theme is "Usbong: Seeds of Life." It showcases a variety of coconut-based exhibits because the Philippines is one of the world's largest exporters of coconuts. The exterior of the dome-shaped pavilion, made up of bits of fabrics, looks like a cross-section of a coconut. A soft glow in the night shining through a facade, made of precision-cut aluminum panel strips using water jet technology, beckons visitors to come nearer. Using laser beams, indigenous habitants' poems are carved onto the fabrics. Stepping inside, visitors stand on modernly engineered coconut floors. The walls and ceiling are a continuous weaving using panels of Philippine fabrics and textiles of "silk cocoon" woven to architectural specifications. The walls double as screens in themselves.
Most interesting is a 7-meter-diameter sphere, called "Essences," a cocoon of "Health and Wellness." In the lower lounge of the sphere, visitors can enjoy flavored tea and have a unique sensory experience of seeing, tasting, feeling smelling and touching essential oils and herbs. The upper lounge of the sphere is a special private place where visitors can experience the "hilot" therapeutic and healing coconut oil massages free of charge. Advance booking is necessary.
WORLD EXPO 2005 Aichi, Japan
EXPO 2005 Message
The 20th century saw the formation of a new global society. The remarkable progress made in science and technology, the development of high-speed methods of transportation, and the evolution of information and communications technologies have all accelerated the global interchange of people, goods, and information to an unbelievable extent. The world has been truly transformed.
Human beings' seemingly insatiable desire for expansion, the source of this transformation, continues unabated. This has placed a tremendous burden on the natural environment, exceeding its capacity for self-recovery. The result is that we must now deal with a number of potential world crises.
The time has come for the people who make up the global society of the 21st century to work together in the pursuit of a sustainable and harmonious coexistence for all life on Earth. Paramount to this is a global perspective.
EXPO 2005 Aichi, Japan, is the perspective we need.
The inspiration for EXPO 2005 is the marvelous mechanism of nature and the power of life. Learning from the world's vast collection of wisdom and methods of interaction with nature found around the globe, we hope to bring the world together for the creation of a global society allowing the multitude of cultures and civilizations to coexist together.
EXPO 2005 will be a focal point, acting as the loom for a wonderful creation. The theme of the EXPO-Nature's Wisdom-will be the vertical thread in this loom and rich and varied exchange-a Grand Intercultural Symphony- the horizontal. When woven together, they will produce a soft, rich and beautiful fabric. Perhaps the fabric for a wonderful new global society.
The participants of EXPO 2005, the nations, regions, private enterprises, independent citizens, NPOs/NGOs, and volunteers that form the backbone of global society, will be the weavers on this loom, sure to produce a wondrous fabric for the world.
Closer contact will naturally give rise to friction-the very reason we wish to carefully nurture reason, love, and the adoration of the objects of beauty that humankind possesses. These are sentiments the world over.
But what will be the catalyst for genuine exchange? We believe the answer to be people meeting people, followed by discourse that goes beyond words to achieve mutual understanding and respect.
EXPO 2005 Aichi, Japan, is the place for this intercultural exchange.
In 2005, the world will gather together in Aichi Prefecture. There, we can weave together a fabric for a new global society; we can stand together, exchange smiles and share the wisdom of the world-felt and enjoyed with all our senses and experienced with our whole being.
Let us do this for all life and the future of our planet!
Theme / Exhibition
The Philippine pavilion's theme is "Usbong: Seeds of Life." It showcases a variety of coconut-based exhibits because the Philippines is one of the world's largest exporters of coconuts. The exterior of the dome-shaped pavilion, made up of bits of fabrics, looks like a cross-section of a coconut. A soft glow in the night shining through a facade, made of precision-cut aluminum panel strips using water jet technology, beckons visitors to come nearer. Using laser beams, indigenous habitants' poems are carved onto the fabrics. Stepping inside, visitors stand on modernly engineered coconut floors. The walls and ceiling are a continuous weaving using panels of Philippine fabrics and textiles of "silk cocoon" woven to architectural specifications. The walls double as screens in themselves.
Most interesting is a 7-meter-diameter sphere, called "Essences," a cocoon of "Health and Wellness." In the lower lounge of the sphere, visitors can enjoy flavored tea and have a unique sensory experience of seeing, tasting, feeling smelling and touching essential oils and herbs. The upper lounge of the sphere is a special private place where visitors can experience the "hilot" therapeutic and healing coconut oil massages free of charge. Advance booking is necessary.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Sunday, November 19, 2006
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