Iraqis invited to apply online for ministerial posts. October 8, 2018

Commend Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Adbul Mahdi

Changing the Paradigm.  A 21^st Century Giant Step Forward in Inclusion and Diversity.

Youth, Next Generation Leaders play an important role.

BEMA International

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45796268 In a statement on his personal Facebook account, Mr Abdul Mahdi invited "those with expertise, specialisation and practical experience" to come forward.   Adel Abbul Mahdi has until 1 November to form a new government Iraq's Prime Minister-designate Adel Abdul Mahdi has launched a website to allow Iraqis to apply for ministerial positions in his new cabinet. They have until Thursday to submit a CV and evidence they meet his conditions. Mr Abdul Mahdi was asked to form a new government last week, ending months of deadlock after inconclusive elections. The independent Shia Islamist politician - who has a PhD in economics and has served as vice-president, oil minister and finance minister - was nominated by the two Shia-led blocs that won the most seats in parliament in May. He will have to oversee the reconstruction of Iraq following the four-year battle against the jihadist group Islamic State (IS), which left tens of thousands of homes and business destroyed and displaced more than three million people. Mr Abdul Mahdi has until 1 November to form a government. In the Facebook post, the prime minister-designate said he had decided to open up the ministerial recruitment process following a "number of requests for direct personal meetings either to offer congratulations, present programmes and ideas or to apply for ministerial posts". The website Iraqcabinet2018.com says men and women who "meet all the conditions stipulated in the constitution and enforced laws" have until 16:00 (13:00 GMT) on Thursday to submit applications.   Outgong PM Haider al-Abadi struggled to bring independent technocrats into his cabinet Hopefuls must provide their personal details, state whether they belong to any political party, and then say which ministry they would like to lead. They are also required to describe the most important projects they have overseen, outline their thoughts on what makes a successful leader, and then detail the practical solutions they would propose to tackle the problems their chosen ministry is facing. Previous Iraqi governments have been plagued by corruption, mismanagement, politicisation and sectarianism. Outgoing Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi sought to replace ministers who were political appointees with unaffiliated technocrats, but faced stiff resistance from parties in his ruling coalition. Parliament's failure to approve a non-political cabinet helped trigger protests in 2016 and prompted Mr Abdul Mahdi to step down as oil minister, a decision he said was aimed at "confronting an atmosphere of anxiety of chaos".

CARICOM, U.S. Gov't Plan High Level Meeting on Disaster Management. October 2018

Could CARICOM (CDEMA) provide initial response and assessment to Puerto Rico and USVI when disasters strike before additional resources and assistance from mainland U.S. arrives?

BEMA International

CARICOM, US gov’t plan high-level meeting on disaster management

• Stabroek News
• 9 Oct 2018

Colin Granderson

CARICOM and the United States government have agreed to hold a high level meeting to discuss solely, matters of disaster management and disaster recovery due to increased intensity of hurricanes and storms as a consequence of climate change, according to Assistant Secretary General Colin Granderson.

In an interview with the CARICOM’s Secretariat communications department website, today@caricom.org, Granderson said the high level meeting was one of the outcomes of meetings held between CARICOM regional heads of government, heads of states and foreign affairs ministers on the fringes of the just-concluded United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), held in New York, USA.

Granderson said the meeting will look at some of the support that can be provided for recovery whether it is technical or it is assisting with experts in disaster management and recovery, and financial and material assistance as has been provided in the past by US and international development partners.

At the meetings, he explained, they also discussed the need to put in place a regional insurance facility which would facilitate the ordinary man to rebuild from disasters. That and strengthening the coordination modalities with the US, in terms of sharing their expertise in meteorology, such as warnings of hurricanes and approaching storms, will be further discussed when the representatives of the US and CARICOM meet.

Asked about tangible outcomes of the meetings, Granderson noted that tangible outcomes of meetings on the sidelines of the UNGA with the international community are not always immediate.

However, they are “very important” platforms when it comes to international relations, he said, as there is always the possibility of engagement with third states with which CARICOM does not normally meet or have the opportunity to meet.

CARICOM representatives, he said, also had meetings with the representatives of the US, the United Kingdom and Japan at the request of those countries. They also met with the group of Nordic countries.

“These meetings were important for us to put forward our concerns and to get support for some of our interests,” Granderson said.

At the UNGA, he said, the most important thing was to make sure that all the Member States were on the same page.

Blacklisting

Following the meeting of the Prime Ministers regarding the CARICOM Single Market and Economy in Barbados in September, he said, a decision was taken to use the General Assembly to highlight the issue of the blacklisting of financial services in the region.

In their presentations, he said CARICOM Member States “highlighted and called on the UN to pay far more attention to the blacklisting of our financial services sector which has had quite a disastrous effect, not only on financial services, but on our economies.”

Member States are relying heavily on revenue coming from financial services, he said.

On the issue of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which CARICOM was able to place as a priority on the UN agenda in 2011, he said, “it means that far more attention is now being placed on NCDs, far more resources are being made available and at this General Assembly there was a Third High Level meeting on NCDs.” “Resources are required to deal more effectively with the fight against NCDs. We have to strengthen our policy responses. By placing it on the international agenda, we are able to sensitize not only the international community but a number of our international development partners,” Granderson added.

CARICOM also organized a side event at which a number of development partners were present. Also present were the Director General of the World Health Organization, President the UNGA, and Secretary General of the Commonwealth.

Presentations were made by the Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, who holds the health portfolio in the CARICOM prime ministerial quasi-Cabinet; Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness and Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley. The event commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Port-of-Spain Declaration, which is the policy document guiding individual Member States in the fight against NCDs.

During the UNGA, Granderson said, they were also able to meet with representatives of other small island states and their groupings, like the Pacific Islands Forum.

“We also had a meeting with representatives of the OAS (Organisation of American States), informal meeting with SICA (Central American Integration Systems), and informal meetings with the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat,” he said.

The Power of the Diaspora. THE PARADIGM SHIFT. Cameroon Launches Emergency Fund for Victims of Separatist Conflict. June 2018

https://reliefweb.int/report/cameroon/cameroon-launches-emergency-fund-victims-separatist-conflict

"All Cameroonians have been called upon to contribute to the fund."

June 21, 2018   1:56PM Moki Edwin Kindzeka YAOUNDE — Cameroon has launched a multi-million dollar emergency humanitarian assistance plan for hundreds of thousands of its citizens who the government says live in precarious and life-threatening conditions in Cameroon and Nigeria due to the ongoing conflict with armed separatists of Cameroon’s Anglophone regions seeking to break away from the predominantly French-speaking country.  All Cameroonians have been called upon to contribute to the fund. Cameroon Prime Minister Philemon Yang says the $23 million fund was ordered by President Paul Biya after more than a hundred Cameroonians, 84 soldiers and police have been killed, and hundreds of thousands of the country’s citizens now live in precarious and life-threatening conditions. Yang says the fighting has internally displaced 74,000 people who are facing famine along with disastrous health conditions, and that 21,000 others have fled to Nigeria and should be brought back home. "Our emergency humanitarian assistance plan aims at providing emergency humanitarian assistance to affected people; ensuring the socio-economic reintegration of the affected populations; reconstructing destroyed infrastructure, housing, food and basic needs, health care, education.  This action will include assistance and visits to show compassion to Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria," Yang said. The prime minister said people living outside of Cameroon instigate armed youths under the influence of drugs to kill, kidnap and rape, adding that many teenagers have been recruited as child soldiers.  He said famine was looming in English-speaking areas since most farms and cattle ranches had been abandoned, and most businesses closed. Yang said he was counting on government resources and contributions from Cameroonians and the international community to fund the emergency humanitarian assistance plan. Reactions have been varied.  Many people say it is a good initiative to bring back thousands who have fled and reconstruct their destroyed towns and villages. But Father Appolinarius Nkeng of the Catholic Church, who has been providing food aid to displaced populations and is calling for an end to the violence, says the government should first of all call for a cease-fire and initiate dialogue with the armed separatists. "The option and the way out is proper and organized dialogue.  But I think it cannot be done in the manner politicians are talking about. You cannot have unity and peace without justice." Schools have been closed in the English-speaking northwest and southwest areas of Cameroon since November 2016 when lawyers and teachers called for a strike to stop what they see as an overuse of the French language. Separatists took over, calling for the independence of the English-speaking from the French speaking regions.  Cameroon’s government reacted with a crackdown and several dozen leaders of the strike were arrested. Last week, human rights group Amnesty International criticized Cameroon’s government for using what it said was unnecessary and excessive force that frequently placed civilians in the web of violence and desperate conditions.

Situation Awareness. ARC. Disaster Operations Update. October 9, 2018

American Red Cross NHQ NGO/GOV Update Disaster Operations Update - October 9, 2018 Dear Colleague, LINKS Hurricane Florence Partner's Brief Hurricane Michael Partner's Brief Red Cross Weather & Hazard Center Red Cross Tropical Hazard Center Red Cross Mobile Apps  redcross.org National Weather Service JOIN our email list! Send us  your name, organization and email address The American Red Cross is preparing for its second large-scale hurricane relief effort in less than a month as Hurricane Michael moves toward Florida's Gulf Coast. This dangerous storm is still strengthening, and the Red Cross urges people in its path to obey evacuation orders and get ready now. The Red Cross is also working with partners to prepare evacuation centers, trained disaster workers, relief supplies, vehicles and other equipment to help people in the affected area. Right now, more than 500 disaster workers are traveling to the Gulf Coast to help. They will join hundreds of volunteers already on the ground.  To find evacuation shelters in Florida, click here. Click on the map and scroll in to Florida Click on the square shelter icon to find the facility name, address. Navigate the information and if you see "EVAC," it is an evacuation center only.  There is also a list of the evacuation centers and shelters below the map. As people come to the center, you will see daily increases in the numbers at the center. Definition of Evacuation Center: Provides for the immediate needs of disaster survivors, typically for less than 72 hours Provides basic life-sustaining services until the threat has passed, or until shelter residents transfer or transition to a Short-Term Shelter, including: Basic food items or snacks (people are encouraged to bring their own food) Hydration (generally water) Basic medical care Sanitation (restrooms) Disaster-related information Cots are typically not available. People are encouraged to bring sleeping bags, or mats to sleep on. Hurricane Florence Public Story Map We have created the Hurricane Florence Story Map  (Click on this link or copy it into your browser) that can be shared with everyone to provide information about how the American Red Cross is working with partners to support and comfort those affected by the storm. It also provides useful tips about what to do after a disaster and how people can help. This story map can be shared widely. Several important key points to note: Please use Chrome or Firefox when accessing the link The information will be updated every 3-5 days There is a Spanish version that can be accessed in the upper right corner The story is mobile friendly If you have questions about the tool, please reach out to April Wood at April.Wood@redcross.org Situational Awareness Tool IMPORTANT -  Chrome or Firefox are the recommended browsers for this tool As a trusted partner of the American Red Cross, we would like to share our Hurricane Florence Partner's Brief  and Hurricane Michael Partner's Brief (Click on the links or copy into browser) with current information. Please do not share these briefs with the general public. It is designed to help partners  have common situational awareness about emergencies. If you have questions about the tool, please reach out to April Wood at April.Wood@redcross.org. Take Time to Prepare The American Red Cross urges everyone to make sure they are prepared for a disaster and not wait until an emergency occurs and it's too late. People should take steps now to be ready if an emergency occurs. It's critical that all members of one's household know what to do. Get a Kit. Make a Plan. Be Informed. American Red Cross | redcross.org You can download the Red Cross Emergency App to have safety information available on your mobile device. If you need to find a shelter or evacuation center, you can visit redcross.org, check the Red Cross Emergency App or call 1-800-768-8048. This all-inclusive app also lets you monitor more than 35 different severe weather and emergency alerts, to help keep you and your loved ones safe.  Text "GETEMERGENCY" to 90999 or download the app from Google Play or the Apple App Store.

The Dangers of Mass Crowd Panic. October 2018

The Dangers of Mass Crowd Panic

Recent incidents of mass crowd panic triggered by false reports of gunfire highlight the need for the
public to maintain situational awareness and follow guidelines to ensure personal safety. The National
Capital Region’s (NCR) crowded transit hubs—handling over 500,000 commuters daily—and large-scale special events that draw thousands of attendees present potential risks for crowd panic situations.

•        This past weekend at the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, New York City, thousands of concert-goers rushed to exit the outdoor venue after false reports of gunshots. Law enforcement quickly notified the crowd to remain calm and that the noise was a barrier fence that fell.

•        On August 26, two people were injured in Little Rock, Arkansas, after being trampled when 38,000 spectators began to flee from perceived ‘gunshots’ at the 2018 Salt Bowl football game. Spectators jumped over partitions onto the field to escape the perceived threat.

•        In April 2017, 16 people were injured during a stampede in New York City’s Penn Station following a false report of gunfire. The noise that caused the panic was found to be a taser used by an NYPD law enforcement officer.

•        In August 2016, mass crowd panics at JFK airport in New York and LAX airport in Los Angeles prompted travelers to flee terminals onto the tarmac. In both cases, loud noises were mistaken for gunshots. No injuries were reported in either incident. 

Public safety experts say false-alarm panic situations are as serious as real threats because fear can trigger crowds to stampede. The following tips are helpful guidelines for NCR residents and visitors to follow to stay safe in a panicked crowd situation.   

    

	What to Do in a Crowd of Panicking People
•	Pick a “meet up” point with family and friends prior to an event;
•	Stay in communication with family and friends;
•	Remain calm and do not panic in the event of a panicked crowd situation;
•	Move with the crowd to avoid being trampled and injured;
•	Find shelter or cover, if possible; • Find non-traditional escape routes and avoid choke point exits; and •Work your way to the edges of a panicked crowd, where there are less people