| PPAF Home | Vol. 1, No. 3 October 2007 |
| Fish Farming Consultation Story |
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| PPAF Leaders Meet President Fernández Story |
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| Small Island States Meeting on Climate Change Story |
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| MDG Awards Story |
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| Conference on Climate Change: How it Impacts us All Story |
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| Meeting with Congressman Charles Rangel Story |
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| Meetings with Dominican Minister of Sports Story |
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| New Beginnings in San Pedro de Macoris Story |
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| PPAF officially recognized by UN ECOSOC Story |
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| Interns and Volunteers Story |
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| "Shaping Global Citizens" Newspaper Supplement Story |
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From the Executive Director This newsletter covers work from late July through mid-October, 2007, including UN Economic and Social Council recognition of PPAF, and meetings and work in Santo Domingo, San Pedro de Macoris, and New York City. It covers two main PPAF themes: policy development and pro-poor business development. Upcoming events in November include participation in the International Money Transmitters Convention in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, plus meetings with FAVACA (the Florida Association for Volunteers Action in the Caribbean and the Americas) and the Patel Center of the University of South Florida. In December PPAF is cooperating with a number of Dominican and international organizations to hold a "Consultation on Education and Investment for Fish Farming." The purpose? To produce fish for the local and export markets and to help people better to manage their businesses. In Madagascar, PPAF is starting to work with a new microfinance organization. This is at an early stage and builds on earlier efforts under the UN Public-Private Alliance for Rural Development. PPAF is also collaborating with several partners to plan the MDG Awards Festival and Telecast, scheduled for June 5, 2008 in the UN General Assembly Hall. This will promote the UN Millennium Development Goals and celebrate organizations that are making meaningful contributions to improving people's lives. Your support and interest in PPAF are needed! Your contributions will help us bring together partners of all kinds in support of pro-poor business and related activities. Please visit our Donors page and make a generous donation. Several volunteers and numerous interns also bring important resources to PPAF. I would welcome hearing from you personally to talk about our programs and how you can become involved — as a donor, investor, volunteer or partner.  David Stillman dstillman@ppafoundation.org |
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September 27-29
Fish Farming Consultation
An important part of the preparations was a meeting on September 28 with the Rector of UASD, Roberto Reyna. He received in his office Drs. David Stillman of PPAF and Richard Thompson, President of Caribbean Valley Fish Farms and President of Hispanic American College, in Puerto Rico, for discussions on the Consultation and related research and training. The Vice-Rector for Research and Graduate Studies, Clara Benedicto, and Lourdes Rojas, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Sciences of UASD participated in the meeting. As described below in the article about establishment of a UASD branch campus in San Pedro de Macoris, the fish farming consultation will be a practical step related to engagement of that new branch. |
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September 19 and 21
Meetings with President Fernández 
On September 19 PPAF leaders participated in an event organized by Counterpart International to honor President Leonel Fernández and others. This provided opportunity to discuss PPAF policy development and pro-poor business development with several corporate and foundation representatives and to meet the President. On the 21st, President Fernández was Guest of Honor at the Hunts Point Economic Development Corporation 20th Business Tent Party at Hunts Point Market, New York, which Ambassador Lorenzo and Dr. Stillman attended. A highlight of the day was signature of a memorandum of understanding among the Center for Export and Investment of the Dominican Republic (CEI-RD), the Council of Dominican Agri-business Entrepreneurs (JAD), the Ministry of Agriculture, the New York City Terminal Market and the Hunts Point Economic Development Corporation. This will establish a Dominican Resource Trade Desk aimed to promote business partnerships in the food industry. It will assist in market research and development, import-export matching, training, promotion and marketing, and a web portal. It could bring significant opportunities for the strengthening and profitability of agri-business. PPAF is very interested in how this works out. |
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September 19
Small Island States Meeting on Climate Change Ambassador Lorenzo, on behalf of the Dominican Republic, Dr. Stillman, on behalf of PPAF, and Chuck Chaitovitz of GETF, on behalf of the Patel Center of the University of South Florida, participated in a Roundtable on Climate Change organized by the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and Friends on Climate Change. About 15 ambassadors and as many senior staff participated. The program was led by Ambassador Angus Friday of Grenada. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the climate change challenges facing many vulnerable states and to discuss financing prospects with presentations by the International Finance Corporation and the Global Environment Facility. This meeting is preparatory to the Bali Climate Change Conference, scheduled for December. Representatives at the meeting agreed on the need for a round of discussions with private sector companies and the drafting of several fundable project proposals. PPAF expects to continue its contacts with AOSIS. |
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September 12
MDG Awards What does a Grammy Awards winner and producer have in common with the President of the UN General Assembly, Ambassadors and other national representatives to the UN, UN departments, NGOs, and others? All came together at the UN for a press conference and luncheon to announce the MDG Awards Festival and Telecast that will take place on June 5, 2008 in the UN General Assembly Hall.  Initiated by the UN Permanent Missions of Madagascar and the Dominican Republic, partners include Nile Rodgers and his company, Hollywood producer-director Brett Ratner, PPAF, BidGive International, staff of the UN Global Compact, the UN Department of Public Information, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, UNDP units including the UN Millennium Campaign and the MDG Support Team, ROI Advertising and Communications, Schramm Sports & Entertainment, and a growing number of foundations, non-governmental organizations and corporate sponsors.The September 12 event started with seven-time Grammy Producer Nile Rodgers presenting an MDG Awards crystal statue to the President of the 61st UN General Assembly, Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa of Bahrain, for her work in promoting the Millennium Development Goals. This was followed by well-attended Press Conference and a luncheon, where plans were described and participants were asked to share their ideas about the MDG Awards. UN press coverage of the event has appeared in the International Herald Tribune, Sobika.com (Madagascar), Kuwait News Agency (Kuna.net), The Star Online (Malaysia), and other newspapers and online services. For a video of the Press Conference and copies of news releases from September, see the "News" link on the website www.UN-MDGAwards.org. See the website also for the MDG Award application form and for information on how to sponsor MDG Award candidates. photos: UN Photo; Liberty News; Gloria Starr Kins |
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September 5 - 7
UN Department of Public Information / NGO Conference on Climate Change: How it Impacts us All Over 1,700 people from 62 countries attended the 60th Annual DPI/NGO Conference at UN Headquarters in New York from 5 to 7 September 2007. Representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) attended roundtables, panels and workshops during the 3-day event. The Conference reviewed the scientific evidence on climate change, including its consequences on indigenous peoples, water security, land use and the politics of energy. Ambassador Lorenzo and Dr. Stillman spoke at conference events about partnerships, rural development and the significance of climate change to island countries. PPAF co-organized a luncheon for about 60 principal conference speakers and others, emceed by Dianne Davis of the International Council for Caring Communities. Sponsors included the UN Association of the Dominican Republic and FUNGLODE. Participants included Pilar Sandoval, Executive Director, UNA-DR, Yamile Eusebio and Patricia Brito of FUNGLODE, and MDG Awards Committee members Michael Jacobson, Heidi Walters and Jeanne Betsock Stillman. The conference participants produced a Conference outcome document that makes recommendations for individual action as well as a collaborative work to combat climate change. This Final Declaration was agreed upon by delegates on Friday, 7 September 2007, during the Closing Session. |
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August 11
Meeting With Congressman Charles Rangel A lunch honoring Congressman Charles Rangel just before the Dominican Day parade in New York City provided an opportunity for PPAF representatives and colleagues to honor his work with the Dominican community. Rangel is Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. The Congressman and his wife Alma have a second home in the Dominican Republic.
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August 6 - 11
Meetings With Dominican Minister of Sports  A visit to the United Nations by H.E Felipe Jay Payano, Minister of Sports of the Dominican Republic, provided opportunity to initiate plans for a Group of 77 Conference on Sports and Culture that could be held in the Dominican Republic in Spring 2008. The G-77 Executive Secretary and the Director of the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation of UNDP and PPAF leaders joined in the discussions. Later that week Ambassador Lorenzo and Dr. Stillman joined the Minister and other Dominican and New York City dignitaries at the opening of the Dominican Patriotic Games in New York, where over 2,000 players would compete in 17 events over several days.
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July 26 - 29
New Beginnings in San Pedro de Macoris 
Fulfilling an election campaign promise to secure a branch of the national public university for his province, Senator Alejandro Williams organized a celebration to mark its opening. He invited Ambassador Lorenzo, Dr. Stillman and several associated with PPAF to attend the celebrations in San Pedro de Macoris. In a rare event, the Rector and Council of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo met away from the main campus and participated in the ribbon cutting. UASD is the first university in Western Hemisphere, established in 1538. Opening of the San Pedro de Macoris branch means that many local students will be able to afford and obtain higher education.Presentations included one by Motoo Kusakabe of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on the idea of expanding government services through information technology. He outlined the "Open Cities Portal" project and encouraged steps for the city and province of San Pedro de Macoris to participate. Dr. John Steffens of the University of Oklahoma InfoPoverty Center engaged in related discussions on information technology for development. Responding to Ambassador Lorenzo's description of PPAF's work, including in relation to fish farming, the UASD Vice-Dean of Sciences, Lourdes Rojas de Ortiz, proposed to organize jointly a conference that would combine academic and business interests for practical results. For the status of action now underway, see the article above on fish farming and further details on the website. Other exploratory discussions were held with Carlos Pimentel of Esperanza International, on microfinance, microenterprise, community involvement and informational technology. Read about PPAF's efforts to support fish farming in the Domican Republic. |
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July 27
PPAF officially recognized by UN ECOSOC 
At its July session in Geneva, the Economic and Social Council officially recognized PPAF as part of the resolution adopted on the UN Public-Private Alliance for Rural Development. The draft was submitted by Vice-President of the Council, Léo Mérorès (Haiti). It appears as UN document E/2007/L.37.The resolution specifically mentions the recent launch of the Public-Private Alliance Foundation, as described in the letter dated 8 June 2007 addressed to the President of the Economic and Social Council from the representatives of Madagascar and the Dominican Republic to the United Nations. See the documents list on this website for details. This resolution resulted from negotiations led by Ambassadors Zina Andrianrivelo and Francis Lorenzo. |
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Ongoing
Interns and Volunteers Several College and Graduate School interns have worked with PPAF since July, including Lejla Hasecic (Baruch College), Sarah Arnagri (Lehman College), Vanessa Van Arendonk, Declan Galvin, Ebi Spahiu and Melody Calzada Courey (Manhattanville College), Sarah Combs (Columbia School of Public Health), Kristin Kvernland (Kenyon College), and Lynn Reviers (EF International Language School). Interns have helped with project tracking, event management, translations and research. Volunteers include attorney Scott Wright, who is assisting with legal matters; web designer Hewitt Pratt, revising our website and newsletter; computer specialist John German, with Non-Profit Computing, Inc., who is helping arrange for computers to be sent to Esperanza International in the Dominican Republic; Valdemar Prado of WAFUNIF, who helped set up a project monitoring system and made contacts related to ethanol, cacao and fish farming; and MBA graduate Yawa Degboe, who is assisting with a microfinance project in Madagascar. |
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Ongoing
"Shaping Global Citizens" Newspaper Supplement  In cooperation with The Journal News (a Gannett newspaper) and the Newspapers in Education program, PPAF and the White Plains School District have produced a 16-page classroom supplement called "Shaping Global Citizens: The United Nations Millennium Development Goals: Poverty and Hunger." The Supplement features a letter from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, written expressly for this, and it covers celebrity goodwill ambassadors, web resources and what schools, youth and community groups can do globally and locally to advance the MDGs. It features articles on PPAF, the MDG Awards Festival and Telecast, the One Laptop per Child program, the Global Run project, Not On Our Watch, UN Works, and other programs. The paper will be delivered in early November to 50,000 school children in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam Counties in New York. It will soon be available on-line at http://www.lohud.com/legacy/nie/supplements.html. photo: UN Photo/Mark Garten |
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