Thursday, October 24, 2019

Office of International Disability Rights Act.. October 2019


CALL TO ACTION!!

 
In 2017, then US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson eliminated the Special Advisor for International Disability Rights, a position established under the Obama Administration and held by long-time disability activist, Judith Heumann. USICD wrote to both Secretary Tillerson and Secretary Pompeo with our concerns and no acknowledgment or response was ever received. The Trump administration has not appointed a Special Advisor. Letters can be found on our website.

USICD is asking our members, the US disability community and our allies, to respond by communicating your support for the bipartisan Office of International Disability Rights Act (HR 3373). The Bill was introduced on 20 June 2019 by Congresswoman Dina TItus (D-NV) and has six co-sponsors as of today. We have one Republican co-sponsor (Representative Don Young R-AK) and need more to show strong bipartisan support for the bill.

The Office of International Disability Act establishes a permanent office at the US Department of State. The bill also requires the appointment of a Special Advisor and mandatory disability inclusion training for all civil service, foreign service personnel, and chiefs of mission. Read the Office of International Disability Rights Act.

Please visit the USICD Call to Action web page to learn more and to download the Call to Action Packet. The packet contains a letter from USICD's President, Dr. Patricia Morrissey and a sample letter to send to members of the House of Representatives. The last page of the packet contains a list of Representatives we would like you to contact as soon as possible. Please share this important announcement with your friends, family and colleagues! 

Establishing a permanent Office of International Disability Rights has been a key advocacy priority for USICD.
 



Washington, DC Puerto Rico/Puerto Ricans Diaspora Summit, 11.16.19


Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans Washington, D.C. Diaspora Summit 2019
Saturday, November 16, 2019, 8:30 AM - 6:30 PM

George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052


The increase in emigration from Puerto Rico has created opportunities for Puerto Ricans living in the United States.

Given the importance that population size and growth have in the social and political discourse in the United States, this increase in the size of the Puerto Rican population throughout the country will contribute to make Puerto Ricans more visible politically, socially, economically, and culturally.

Hurricanes Irma and Maria may have brought destruction and devastation to Puerto Rico, but they also brought opportunities for the building of a stronger Puerto Rico and Diaspora.





Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Strengthening Disaster Preparedness in the Caribbean. October 21, 2019

https://www.wri.org/blog/2019/10/strengthening-disaster-preparedness-caribbean

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Strengthening Disaster Preparedness in the Caribbean

 and  - 
When disasters hit small countries, the effects on individuals, families and communities last well after the headlines fade. Natural disasters are traumatic, bringing loss of life, dislocation and violence. The devastating effects of Hurricane Dorian on the Bahamas' Grand Bahama and Abaco islands reveal a larger problem: countries with the least responsibility for climate change are often hardest hit by its impacts, and least equipped to deal with them.
Damage in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian. The Caribbean needs international support to prepare for disasters ahead of time. Photo by All Hands and Hearts.

Damage in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian. The Caribbean needs international support to prepare for disasters ahead of time. Photo by All Hands and Hearts.problem: countries with the least responsibility for climate change are often hardest hit by its impacts, and least equipped to deal with them.

Hurricane Dorian was the second strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, with sustained winds of more than 180 miles per hour. The storm parked itself over the Bahamas for almost 48 hours, causing 61 fatalities, destroying entire communities and causing damage totaling $7 billion, according to preliminary estimates. Research shows that storms like this will become more damaging as temperatures warm, and that Dorian lingered so long over one place due to climate change.
Disasters are often more devastating in small island nations like the Bahamas, which have more limited resources to cope, including small populations and modest economic bases, competition for limited finances, limited pools of technical specialists and inadequate institutional measures.
<p>Local responders distribute supplies in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian. Photo by Jerry Christopher Butler.</p>
Local responders distribute supplies in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian. Photo by Jerry Christopher Butler.
Despite these challenges, Caribbean countries are beginning to respond to intensifying climate change impacts in innovative ways. Disaster preparedness and management agencies are using better tools and improving their effectiveness in every country in the region. But Dorian has shown us that adapting to climate change also requires a concerted response from the international development community, since the scale of preparedness, relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts countries and communities need to carry out are beyond the scope of national and regional budgets.
As recent research from the Global Commission on Adaptation lays out, adaptation isn't just about bracing for the impacts of climate change. Done well, it boosts economies, ensures social equity and improves development outcomes. Investing in resilience before a disaster hits is more effective than relying heavily on post-disaster recovery. Protection — not simply response — saves lives. However, the post-disaster response to help countries recover is still necessary and must be sustained, since recovery can take years.
"Natural disasters are on the rise around the globe and there's a critical need for a more thoughtful approach to how we respond and help impacted communities recover," said Petra Nemcova, co-founder of All Hands and Hearts, a nonprofit that provides relief for those affected by natural disasters worldwide. "It's pressing for people from all different sectors to come together and solve seemingly intractable global problems. Collaboration for sustainable solutions needs to be our shared and urgent mission."
With that in mind, here are three ways that the Caribbean and international community can respond to more frequent and severe disasters in the region:

1. Mobilize and Guide New Avenues for Finance and International Support

Caribbean states have limited access to finance for adaptation and resilience. The Caribbean region has worked to provide insurance and reinsurance products that play a role in providing aid following major losses. However, international financial markets have largely focused on the region's debt repayments rather than on building resilience (two-thirds of Caribbean countries have debt amounting to more than 60% of their GDP). There is limited private sector involvement in equity and debt markets, because these financial markets are not well developed in the Caribbean. Multilateral banks and foreign governments that host debt for Caribbean countries should accelerate their efforts to implement debt-for-resilience swaps, where countries can exchange their debts for new funds that can be used for climate mitigation and adaptation. For this to work, multilateral banks and private investors need to invest in these funds.
Additionally, financial institutions in the region should create new mechanisms to support low-carbon and climate-resilience projects, coverage for people that lose housing and livelihoods, and guidance for using and collecting funds from external sources. For example, Jamaica recently issued the first-ever Caribbean Green Bond and is developing a framework for disaster risk management encompassing financial risk protection and contingent debt instruments.

2. Establish a Stronger, People-centered Regional Response

<p>A school in Dominica rebuilt after Hurricane Maria. Photo by Tom Kucy/Clara Lionel Foundation.</p>
A school in Dominica rebuilt after Hurricane Maria. Photo by Tom Kucy/Clara Lionel Foundation.
All countries in the Caribbean should collaborate to develop a permanent disaster response corps that is available for rapid-response missions. They could coordinate it through CARICOM or other regional mechanisms. Currently, there is no single group with the proper training in all of the disciplines needed for disaster preparedness, recovery and response. Relief efforts frequently require the secondment of troops from national defense forces. A standing, well-trained and adequately equipped regional disaster response corps, which could involve youth national service with education and training on climate change and disaster management, would be a better option.
A dedicated disaster response corps could also shift the paradigm to holistically manage hazards, rather than merely respond to them. It is important that approaches to disaster risk management be people-centered and holistic, and include mental health and counseling services for vulnerable populations. For example, the Clara Lionel Foundation is working with International Planned Parenthood Federation and Engineers Without Borders to make reproductive health clinics in the Caribbean more resilient to disasters.

3. Engage the Private Sector

<p>Young people outside a sexual and reproductive health clinic in Belize City. Making clinics resilient to disasters should be a priority. Photo by Erika Morillo/IPPF/WHR/Clara Lionel Foundation.</p>
Young people outside a sexual and reproductive health clinic in Belize City. Making clinics resilient to disasters should be a priority. Photo by Erika Morillo/IPPF/WHR/Clara Lionel Foundation.
All disaster preparedness and management efforts should involve private sector actors across the spectrum, ranging from large hotel chains to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Government, civil society and the private sector should map out and document available expertise and protocols for cooperation across sectors in advance of hazards and conduct regular drills. As part of such resilience efforts, companies can extend the reach of their own emergency preparedness, response and recovery activities to include employees, family members and members of the community. For example, Airbnb has partnered with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to provide temporary emergency housing during disasters.
We encourage and support actors across the Caribbean to consider these ideas for collaborative efforts oriented around action and solutions. Out of the devastation and loss caused by a hurricane like Dorian, we can build long-term climate resilience throughout the region.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Free Online Courses and College Credit for many. Community Imperative\Civil Society Investment Porfolio

Education and Training a vital part of 
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Take your knowledge, education, and training to the next step.
Awareness is step one to stepping up your ‘A Game’.

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., ‘Where Are We Going From Here:  Chaos or Community’.

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Community Imperative\Civil Society Portfolio Investment.

A vital part o the BEMA International Imperative

Community Imperative
Step 1:  CERT awareness, education, training, and active participation.
Step 2:  Proactive in addressing risks and vulnerabilities and disasters in community
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Community Imperative\Civil Society Portfolio Investment
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