Use Rio+20 to overhaul idea of growth, urges EU climate chief

Overconsumption of critical resources and the rising prices of key commodities such as food, energy and natural materials as a result, risk derailing the world economy – but these problems will not be tackled unless today's economic models are overhauled, according to Connie Hedegaard, EU commissioner for climate action. (..) Hedegaard was one of the signatories to a report last week from the UN secretary-general's high level panel on global sustainability, which will feed into the Rio+20 summit in June.

Famine in Somalia is over, says UN

The famine is over in Somalia thanks to good rains, a bumper harvest and donor aid, but the next 90 days will be critical to ensure the country does not slip back into extreme hunger, United Nations officials have said. (..) The announcement came on the release of a new report by the FAO-managed food security and nutrition analysis unit and USAID's famine early warning systems network, which said the number of people in need of emergency humanitarian assistance had dropped from 4 million to 2.34 million, or 31% of the population. (..) The new report also warned that an estimated 325,000 acutely malnourished children are still at risk, with 70% of these in southern areas.

New Gates Foundation tourist attraction in Seattle much more than a ‘museum of philanthropy’

People are already joking it’s a good thing the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation isn’t charging admission for its new visitor center, which showcases Bill Gates’ multibillion-dollar philanthropy, not his computers. While it’s not exactly a “museum of philanthropy,” it’s also not just a public promotion of the Gates Foundation’s work. (..) “We know that there’s interest and passion for our work. We haven’t had a way to invite the public in to learn about our history, what we do and how we partner with others, and to think about what they can do,” said Martha Choe, chief administrative officer of the foundation.

TechnoTalk - WFP launches 'World Freerice Week'

The World Food Programme, the U.N. food aid agency, which is behind the Freerice game launched in 2007, is giving it a new twist for next week, which it has dubbed World Freerice Week (Feb. 6-11). Based on the "Six Degrees of Separation" theory, which asserts that everyone in the world is connected to every other person through at most six other people, it's asking players to recruit six friends to join in the online fight against hunger. (..) "With 6 Degrees of Freerice, we’re on our way to harnessing the power of online networks to make a difference in the fight against hunger," said Nancy Roman, WFP’s communications director.