This weekend,
a memorial ceremony and tribute charity concert will be held in Petra, Jordan, in commemoration of the late Italian tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, who died a little over a year ago.Under the
patronage of HRH Princess Haya Bint al Hussein of Jordan, a UN Messenger of Peace, the concert at the renowned archeological site at Petra will generate funds for projects in Afghanistan by UNHCR and
the UN World Food Programme (WFP) as well as to the Petra National Trust.Some of the world's biggest classical and pop music names – many of them veterans of the "Pavarotti &
Friends" concerts – will take part in the Sunday event, coinciding with Pavarotti's birthday. They include Sting, Andrea Bocelli, Jovanotti, Laura Pausini, Zucchero, Angela Gheorghiu, Andrea
Griminelli, Cynthia Lawrence, Roberto Alagna and José Carreras. U2 lead singer Bono will join through a video-link. The concert will be conducted by Eugene Kohn.Since 2002, more than 5
million Afghans have returned to their country from Pakistan, Iran and elsewhere. The joint WFP/UNHCR projects will focus on the most vulnerable of them – especially women and children – and
pay to construct schools, provide health, skills and literacy training, and build micro-hydropower and irrigation canals to bring electricity and improve agricultural production. The Italian Ministry
of Foreign Affairs has so far announced a donation of 2.1 million Euros (about $2.9 million) to UNHCR and WFP projects in Afghanistan.For over 10 years, until his death in September 2007,
Pavarotti actively supported UNHCR projects in Kosovo, Pakistan, Zambia, and Iraq. For his continuous commitment to refugee causes, he received UNHCR's Nansen Refugee Award and was named a UN
Messenger of Peace.Short feeds from the memorial event and tribute concert will be distributed by APTN. Donation information, latest updates and background information can be found on www.thepavarottitribute.com. In Italy, donations can be made through the toll free number, 800 900 067.A
media package on the concert is available on UNHCR's media site. Contact Cristina Gatti for more information.
A man injured in a roadside blast waits to receive treatment at a local hospital in Peshawar October 9, 2008. A suicide bomber attacked police headquarters in Islamabad, warplanes killed 20 ...
Food and hunger
