Aerobics against substance abuse

In Southern Sudan,


Got to love this UNDP job offer (via @quarsan)

All personnel are struggling to cope with the chronic stress of working within a post-conflict environment in which few counseling, social support, and other support and recreational services are available. Of particular concern is the need to help staff deal with traumatic stress, chronic stress, communication and resolution of interpersonal conflicts, multi- and cross-cultural diversity, and alcohol and substance abuse education.

How to solve this appalling situation?

Therefore, we are seeking to recruit a fitness Instructor to assist in providing exercises as part of the wellbeing of staff in order to ensure work/life balance, which is another important referral service for staff members....
The Fitness Instructor will coach groups or individuals in exercise activities and the fundamentals of sports e.g. weight training, cardiovascular programs, aerobics;

So how much are we sending over to the UNDP?

Well according to last year's review

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has a leading role in reaching the MDGs, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected countries. It has a distinct comparative advantage in democratic governance and crisis-prevention and recovery. It has an important role managing the Resident Coordinator system and multi-donor trust funds on behalf of the wider UN development system.
UNDP has many strengths, but we also want to see urgent progress in several important areas over the next two years. Top priority is:
• Improving the consistency of UNDP’s delivery at country level, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected countries.

• UNDP to focus more of its efforts on its areas of comparative advantage, especially around crisis prevention and recovery.

• Evidence of how UNDP is controlling costs and achieving greater efficiency in its operations and much better reporting of results.

We will continue to fund UNDP at 2010 levels, closely monitor performance and review progress within two years, when we may increase or decrease our core funding.

And those numbers are quite big, 2008/9 the latest I can find is £264m.

Is that the police? Daddy is smoking in the study. Can you arrest him?

Thanks to Mark Wadsworth for bringing this to my attention,

The last refuge is vanishing for besieged smokers — at least in Honduras. A new law that took effect Monday says family members can call in the police on people who smoke at home.
...
A clause, however, expressly says relatives or visitors can summon police to deal with smokers at home: "Families or individuals may complain to law enforcement authorities when smokers expose them to secondhand smoke in private places and family homes."

Which be an interesting law to implement.

Rony Portillo, director of the Institute to Prevent Alcoholism and Drug Addiction, said those who violate the law will first receive a verbal warning and after the second offense could be arrested. To be released they would have to pay a $311 fine, the equivalent of a monthly minimum wage salary in Honduras.

"The law is clear and we will comply with it," Portillo said. "Authorities will intervene (at a home) when someone makes a complaint."

Tis is just geting silly. The level of state interference is beyond compare. What is instructive is the pressure that will be put on the police. As Mark underlines,

That police-to-public ratio of 1:667 is impressive, that's about half European levels.

And they are not busy enough already without rounding up locals who smoke in their own houses. After all as the US state department puts it,

Crime is endemic in Honduras and requires a high degree of caution by U.S. visitors and residents alike. U.S. citizens have been the victims of a wide range of crimes, including murder, kidnapping, rape, assault, and property crimes. Eighty-five U.S. citizens have been reported murdered in Honduras since 1995; only twenty-four cases have been resolved. Sixteen U.S. citizens were reported murdered in Honduras in 2009, nine in 2008, four in 2007 six in 2006, and ten in 2005. Kidnappings of U.S. citizens have also occurred in Honduras. Five U.S. citizens were reported kidnapped in 2009, four in 2008, and two in 2007. Poverty, gangs, and low apprehension and conviction rates of criminals contribute to a critical crime rate, including acts of mass murder. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) reported 4,473 murders in Honduras in 2008 giving Honduras, with a population of approximately 7.3 million people, one of the world’s highest per capita murder rates.

The UNDP report can be found here. I guess harrasing people in their own homes is easier than sorting out the real problems.