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Written by Administrator

Parent Category: Life and Style

Category: Health and Safety

Created: 15 February 2013

Last Updated: 05 January 2016

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50 countries to be represented at the

8th Summit of the

World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty.

World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty

A major UN Forum will start in Dublin on the 20th February at which mayors and other senior municipals authorities from more than 100 cities will convene to discuss and debate solutions to the growing urban poverty challenges made more severe by the current economic crisis.  The cities include those from across Europe, but also from as far away as Ankara, Abeokuta and Addis Ababa to Beijing, Banjul, Cairo and Khartoum.

Opening statements at the conference will be made by:

Michael D Higgins, President of Ireland

Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director, UN Women, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

Mary Robinson, Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice

Tom Arnold, CEO, Concern Worldwide

Aisa Kirabo Kacyira, Deputy Executive Director, UN-HABITAT

The World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty (WACAP) is a network of more than 900 cities which work together to tackle development challenges collectively.  It was started by the United Nations Development Programme in 1996 following the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements.  The Dublin Forum will be the eighth such summit of city leaders.  A key feature of the Alliance is that it supports its member-cities to mobilize individuals, governments, and all sectors of society to confront the many challenges of urban poverty and to share successes - and failures - with other cities.

Woman on the streetDuring the WACAP 8th summit hundreds of best practices in reducing urban poverty will be presented. Cities from across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas will attend the Forum. For example, the City of Edmonton, Alberta will present how it eliminated the need for a garbage dump through aggressive composting and recycling programs.  UNICEF, UN-HABITAT and UN Women will bring city delegates from Port Moresby, Quito, Kigali, New Delhi and Cairo to showcase their "Safe Cities Free of Violence against Women and Girls" initiative.

UN WOMEN Executive Director Michelle Bachelet said that no city could be considered safe, smart or sustainable unless half of its population – women and girls—could enjoy public spaces without the fear of violence. “Working with municipal leaders, WACAP8 can help ensure that women, youth and children are safe to fully enjoy the many opportunities that cities offer, she said.”

The City of Geneva, Switzerland which hosted the Forum in 2000 recently joined WACAP’s Executive Steering Committee and will be represented in Dublin by Ms. Esther Alder, member of the City of Geneva's Executive Council.

For more information on the Summit, and to register, visit the website http://www.dublin2013.ie/

www.wacapnetwork.org/

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Written by Administrator

Parent Category: Life and Style

Category: Health and Safety

Created: 12 October 2012

Last Updated: 05 January 2016

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Key focus of the forum is to Make Cities Smart, Safe and Sustainable

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced on World Habitat Day (Oct. 1st) that Dublin, Ireland had been chosen as the host city of WACAP8. The forum will take place on the 20 – 21st of February 2013.

The World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty (WACAP) was first launched in 1996 as a global network of municipal governments.  Its objective is to address the challenges brought on by urbanization, and to share knowledge of best practices. Each Forum attracts senior political leadership from cities as well as policy and technical specialists with designated authority.

Naoise Ó Muirí, Lord Mayor of Dublin, commented that his city is delighted to host WACAP8 and is looking forward to receiving the delegates in February. “The International Forum and Expo will bring together key people to build solutions for the Millennium Development Goals and to address the global challenge of urban poverty,” he said.  “Through a diverse range of speakers and sessions, the Forum will specifically examine ways in which technology can make our cities ‘Smart, Safe and Sustainable’.”

The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development estimates that by 2050, 70 per cent of the world population will live in cities.

UNDP Administrator Helen Clark said more people now live in cities than in rural areas.

Dublin chosen to host WACAP8 - Markus Schieder –Getty“Cities should offer social, economic and political opportunities for citizens to reach their full potential. WACAP is meant as a contribution, with our partners, to facilitate this process.”

UN WOMEN Executive Director Michelle Bachelet added her views by saying that that no city could be considered safe, smart or sustainable unless half of its population – women and girls—could enjoy public spaces without the fear of violence. “Working with municipal leaders, WACAP8 can help ensure that women, youth and children are safe to fully enjoy the many opportunities that cities offer”.

WACAP is led by UNDP and a 10-member executive steering committee consisting of the cities of Florence (Italy), Malaga (Spain), Huy (Belgium), Monaco, Nantes (France), Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Dublin (Ireland), in addition to UNDP, UNITAR and UN Women.  Past Forums have taken place in Lyon, France (1998); Geneva, Switzerland (2000); Huy, Belgium (2002); Rome, Italy (2004); Valencia, Spain (2006); Athens, Greece (2008) and Rotterdam, Netherlands (2010).  This year’s forum in Dublin will coincide with the country’s hosting of the presidency of the European Union.

More information: www.wacapnetwork.org; www.dublin2013.ie; and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wacapnetwork.

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Written by Kayla L. Lindstadt

Parent Category: Life and Style

Category: Health and Safety

Created: 20 June 2012

Last Updated: 05 January 2016

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STOP BULLYING:

By Kayla L. Lindstadt

Grade 5

KLR Elementary School

Monticello, New York, USA

Kayla-L.-LindstadtDo you know what one of the biggest problems in school districts is?  Bullying!  Schools have a responsibility to provide a “bully free” zone.

Bullying is seen in the forms of pushing, stealing, name-calling or just making anyone feel unsafe or uncomfortable for being who they are.  Two main reasons why people are bullied are first, because of their appearance and second, their social status.  Bullies pick on the people that they don’t think fit in; maybe because of how they look or how they act [for example, kids who are shy and withdrawn].  Bullying can affect everyone:  Those who are bullied, those who do the bullying and those who witness it.

There is another form of bullying called cyber-bullying.  It is you make fun of a person or say hurtful things to them or about them online.  It is just as hurtful seeing it online as it is hearing it in person.

One thing that can help prevent being bullied is to not respond to or forward cyber-bullying messages.  You should block the person who is doing the bullying, keep evidence of cyber-bullying by recording the dates, times and descriptions of the instances when the cyber-bullying has occurred and save and print screenshots, email and text messages.  Use this evidence to report Cyber-bullying to web and cell phone service providers.   This information should also be handed into school authorities.

If you are getting bullied or know someone who is getting bullied, DON’T WAIT!!!  Tell someone right away who will help solve the problem.  If kids would just tell their parents and teachers, this would help to backfire on the bully’s efforts.  If you get bullied, no matter how much you want to, don’t fight physically because this could make things worse.

“Treat others the way you want to be treated” is a good motto.  Together we can stop bullying!

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Written by Damian Brady

Parent Category: Life and Style

Category: Health and Safety

Created: 27 April 2012

Last Updated: 05 January 2016

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By Damian Brad

Ash Fire and Safety

fire blanketsWe live in a very technological era with most things around us plugged in or requiring a charge to keep powered. A typical household including my own has many gadgets and gismos including digital TVs, cordless phones, laptops, gaming devices just to name a few. .

Don’t get confused like a well intentioned person I once met who mistook an electric blanket for a fire blanket.  The good old fire blanket doesn’t require batteries or charging and it does “exactly what it says on the tin“.  A simple idea yet it could prove to be a very useful device (piece of safety equipment) to have handy either at home or at work.

A fire blanket is a safety device designed to extinguish small incipient fires. It consists of a sheet of fire retardant material which is placed over a fire in order to smother it.  A fire blanket either completely surrounds a burning object or is placed over a burning object and sealed closely to a solid surface around the fire. Whether the blanket is placed on top of the fire or surrounding it, the job of the blanket is to cut off the oxygen supply to the fire thereby putting it out. If you are familiar with the fire triangle a flame requires heat, fuel & oxygen to combust.  Smothering a flame with a fire blanket will remove the oxygen and hence starve the flame.

Small fire blankets such as those used in kitchens and around the home are usually made of   fibreglass sometimes Kevlar and are folded in to a quick-release container for ease of storage.

Larger fire blankets for use in laboratory and industrial situations are often made of wool and sometimes treated with a flame retardant fluid.  These blankets are usually mounted in vertical quick-release cabinets so that they can be easily pulled out and wrapped round a person whose clothes are on fire.

Many older fire blankets were made of woven asbestos fibre and are not NFPA rated. This can pose a hazard during the decommissioning of old equipment

Fire blankets are normally made of woven fibre glass which becomes brittle after use. They should cover the flame until all is safe.   They are not reusable.  All manner of fires can be put out with a fire blanket or even a damp cloth.   When using one make sure you cover your fingers with the corners of the blanket or you will burn them as you put the blanket on the fire. Practise now before you have a fire!!

Fire blankets can be used to throw around a person whose clothes have caught fire or to smother the fire. Other possible uses would be to smother a small free-standing fire, or to wrap someone protectively who needs to pass through an inflamed area to get to safety.

You can get your FIRE BLANKET from Ash Fire and Safety.

Just hit the link here,

phone Damian on +353 (0)87 8450902 &

we will get one to you, regardless where you are in the world.

It's as simple as that.

Keep safe and

Never give fire a chance.