Photo: Press TV

Amjad al-Shawwa of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO, focal point of Social Watch in the occupied territories) says the Israeli regime is responsible for the deteriorating sanitary conditions in the besieged Gaza Strip, Press TV reported.

“Children and poor families were left behind before the crisis, they have been severely affected by the multitude of global shocks since 2008, and that, although they were briefly supported during the first phase of the crisis (2008-09), they were again left behind in 2010 despite their significant needs and increasing vulnerability,” wrote Isabel Ortiz and Matthew Cummins in the first pages of “A recovery for all: Rethinking socio-economic policies for children and poor households”, a book recently edited by UNICEF.

Agnieszka Kozlowska-Rajewicz, plenipotentiary minister for equal treatment. (Photo: Polish government)

Homosexuality is equivalent to rape, according to official teaching materials for Poles studying to be nurses and midwives. Teaching books refer to homosexuality as a “pathology”, under the section of “sexual problems”. “This is a particularly dangerous incident of homophobia,” said Agata Chaber, the president of the Campaign Against Homophobia of Poland.

Chili Harvest, Bhutan. (Photo: Gill Fickling/UN)

The recent Rio2012 Summit upheld the right of all people to food, and the need to support small farmers and promote ecologically-sound agriculture, reported Martin Khor, executive director of South Centre, in his most recent column for The Star, one of the leading Malaysian newspapers.

Meeting of the Afghanistan Youth Leaders Initiative in Kabul. (Photo: Asia Society)

The Afghanistan Young Leaders Initiative, a non-partisan and non-political group of young people who share common values and beliefs to address the social, economic and political problems in the country, asked the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan that will be held on Sunday 8 “a proper follow-up mechanism […] to ensure the promises delivered upon from both the […] government and its international development partners”.