World trade proves to be a prosperous way for countries to keep good relations while benefiting from one another. World trade reduces poverty in many unique forms, allowing businesses to buy and sell their goods in an easier, safer environment while improving economic balance and structure.
Economic Benefits
According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), an economy will grow quicker and at a more consistent pace when free trade is more easily accessible. A company which earns a greater profit is more likely to hire a larger amount of people while giving their employees a stable position within the company, without fear of being laid off or fired due lack of funds or money.
WTO reports that there has been a 34 percent wage increase for companies in sub-Saharan Africa that participate in exporting goods. In a closed economy, the numbers severely decrease in amount, proving that the impact of trade can have a great consequence on each individual country. Generally speaking, world trade reduces poverty by boosting each economy and providing more opportunity for growth in any country.
Education and the World Trade Institute
With a better economy that has higher profits, this creates more money to be given to educational institutions. Not only do elementary, middle and high schools benefit, but for countries with an open market, this gives college-aged students and business owners a chance to learn the skills in trade, importing and exporting.
The World Trade Institute (WTI) provides many different programs for graduate students interested in learning the art of trading. WTI offers Doctorate and Masters programs in economics, political science or international law and economics. The World Trade Institute also offers courses and topics in trade, investment and sustainability, leaving its students with the knowledge of a successful career in trade while providing internship opportunities to gain experience and learn how world trade reduces poverty.
Reduction of Corrupt Governments
Many times, high poverty rates within a country can be a sign of government corruption or the country’s leaders taking advantage of its citizens. The World Trade Organization has enabled many different plans to help fight bribery, extortion, fraud and nepotism. Through the Government Procurement Agreement, government purchases can now be tracked and watched to ensure all money received or gifted is in good faith and only used for those who are abiding by the law.
The American Society of International Law reports that citizens universally pay around 25 percent more than average for communal goods and services under corrupt governments. When the government is providing better funding for things such as housing, education or creating jobs rather than participating in questionable business deals, this opens up opportunities for the people to create a better life.
Industrialization and Infrastructure
When business owners and entrepreneurs have access to public transportation and roads, it provides an outlet that allows them to travel to and from different regions, expanding their markets and advertisements. However, when a business owner who produces a good they would like to trade does not have a simple entry into other provinces, it proves difficult for them to be able to make any money or get their product noticed.
The World Bank reports that, sometimes, increasing trade for poverty-stricken areas can have quite an easy answer; sometimes, all that is needed is a new road. The World Economic Forum states that for a continent such as Africa, it is best for nations to trade with their neighboring countries. This allows the business to trade on a smaller scale before moving on to trade with first-world countries such as China or the U.S.
Technology Brings New Trading Outlets
Technological advances have made it easier than ever before for consumers to find what they wish to buy and for business owners and product builders to “post” their brand online. This way, the consumer can have their product delivered right to their door, while the company benefits from the profit.
E-commerce sites have recently become a staple in African communities, and businesses such as Jumia have seen a rise in revenue by raising $150 million in 2014 alone. Websites like Jumia have everything a customer could possibly want or need, from electronics to fashion to grocery items. Websites like Jumia showcase how technology can bring in money and jobs, while easily marketing brands around the world.
Technology, economic benefits and industrialization are only a few ways world trade reduces poverty. The Office of the United States Trade Representative ensures that our markets are left free and open, while keeping trade agreements with countries where poverty can be most prominent, such as Africa, the Middle East and South and the Western Hemisphere of the Americas. Keeping good relations with these countries ensures economic and job growth while bringing in an abundance of goods.
– Rebecca Lee
Photo: Flickr
15 Facts About Poverty in Africa
Many people are aware that Africa suffers from widespread poverty, but many do not know what that poverty consists of or why it exists. Understanding the facts and seeing the statistics can result in change. Here are 15 facts about poverty in Africa.
Facts and Stats about Africa Poverty
Knowing the facts about poverty in Africa can illustrate not only the work that needs to be done but also the progress that has been implemented. Africa is a struggling continent, and these facts about poverty in Africa point to a complex problem of young governments, few resources and a growing population. There is plenty of work still to be done.
– Emily Degn
Photo: Flickr
Cities That Will Run Out of Water Soon Without Proper Attention
Over 70 percent of the world’s surface area is covered in water. However, the majority of the world’s poor, who number about three billion, live in areas absent of clean water. Most of the earth’s water is saltwater, but there are still means to purify it for drinking and cooking purposes.
According to UNICEF, women may spend between 30 minutes to eight hours a day searching for water. The average walking distance for women in Africa and Asia is 6.0 km (3.7 miles) to walk and carry the water for their families. The following are all cities that will run out of water soon without proper attention.
Better planning and management of water sources are only possible once wealth increases and corruption is eradicated. Eliminating undue bureaucracy is a difficult step, so it is important to approach each of these cities’ challenges on a needs basis. It is necessary to understand that water is not only a basic human need but also a basic human right.
– Awad Bin-Jawed
Photo: Flickr
Combating Statelessness for Rohingya Refugees Continues
The Muslim Rohingya minority found in Myanmar have been systematically stripped of citizenship in bureaucratic ways, which has led to combating statelessness for Rohingya refugees.
In 1982, the ruling military junta put in place discriminatory citizenship laws in Myanmar. The law favors the country’s “national races” and excludes the Muslim Rohingya and several other ethnic minorities, automatically granting full citizenship to these “national races.” The national races include groups that were present in Myanmar before the British conquest in 1824.
Removing Rohingya Rights
Throughout past years in Myanmar, each form of ID was declared invalid and then taken from the Rohingya, replaced with a card that indicated fewer rights. The “white cards,” created in 1982, were temporary documents that left the Rohingya in legal limbo.
Currently, the authorities urge the Rohingya to apply for a “national verification card.” The new identification card is highly criticized because of the multistep citizenship process associated with the cards. Many Rohingya, in addition, don’t feel confident that they would have “full” citizenship or basic rights with the new cards.
Nurul Hoque and his family are Rohingya refugees that are fearful of these new cards. He holds on to his grandfather’s old and frail identity card from Myanmar from before the implementation of the discriminatory citizenship laws. This old document is a reminder of a life that he and his family had left behind in Myanmar.
Nick Cheesman, a political scientist at Australian International University, describes to DW that the deprivation of citizenship among Rohingya was not a result of the 1982 law but more an inaccurate implementation of the law.
United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees and Combating Statelessness
In combating statelessness for Rohingya refugees, the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) has declared a worldwide effort to end statelessness by 2024. Around 10 million people in the world are denied citizenship, which causes many obstacles in obtaining basic rights.
To overcome statelessness, the UNHCR works with many other organizations to assemble and endorse more compelling solutions. It collaborates with other international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, civil society groups, national human rights institutions and academic and legal associations. The United Nations General Assembly granted, through a series of resolutions in 1995, the UNHCR the formal approval to combat statelessness through identification, prevention, reduction and protection of stateless individuals.
The UNHCR believes that citizenship, or some structure of documented status within a state, is required for basic rights to be achieved. This statelessness determination status, though, is to give individuals an interim way to attain basic rights. The final goal is to end statelessness altogether.
United States Assistance to Myanmar
The United States humanitarian policy in Myanmar has been guided by the importance of protection of basic rights for refugees and asylum seekers. On September 20, 2017, the State Department allocated $28 million in humanitarian aid for displaced people in Bangladesh.
The overall objective for United States policy in Myanmar is to establish a democratically elected civilian government that recognizes human rights and civil liberties of all Myanmar citizens and residents, revealing another effort in combating statelessness for Rohingya refugees.
– Andrea Quade
Photo: Flickr
Inequality in South Africa is Still Being Perpetuated Today
South Africa has long been known as one of the most unequal societies in the world. In the 1990s, South Africa’s Gini coefficient–a measure that reflects inequality, where zero is absolute equality and one is absolute inequality–was, at 0.66, the highest in all the 57 countries for which this data was available. That measure, as of 2015, has remained the same. The top 10 percent of South Africans earn roughly 60 percent of all income and own 95 percent of all the country’s assets, whereas 80 percent own no wealth at all. Inequality in South Africa continues to be a major issue as the country moves to distance itself from its apartheid- era exclusionary style.
The root causes of South Africa’s severe inequality can be traced back to the establishment of Cape Town, a Dutch shipping port in the 1650s. Over the next two centuries, “military conquest and political exclusion, which took a colonial and racial form,” expanded into the interior.
After the British took over in the early nineteenth century, the defeated indigenous groups were never fully incorporated into the economic and political model. The twentieth century brought the neighboring counties under British rule, culminating in a peace settlement which “inscribed racial discrimination in the foundations of the new South African state.” The framework for inequality in South Africa had already been laid by the time the National Party came to power in 1948 and enforced its apartheid legislation.
South Africa continues a system of socioeconomic exclusion. However, whereas historically the exclusionary practices were racially-based, today the extent and depth of inequality in South Africa is increasingly intersectional. Although it continues to impact black South Africans the most, it strikes at race, gender, class and age. Over 55 percent of South Africans continue to live in poverty and unemployment sits at 25 percent.
All hope is not lost, however. The University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg has founded a new center, the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, that will drive a five-year-long, interdisciplinary project. It will include approximately 80 researchers from across the country: economists, historians, legal academics, healthcare experts, sociologist and other disciplines.
The most promising hope yet for combating inequality in South Africa comes from the implementation of the National Development Plan. The plan seeks to reduce inequality and eliminate poverty by 2030 by “drawing on the energies of the country’s people.” Some of the key points include: increasing employment to 24 million, ensuring all children can read and write by the third grade and providing affordable healthcare and a public transit system. It also aims to strengthen the criminal justice system, including governmental accountability. “Progress over the next two decades means doing things differently,” the plan states.
In detail, the plan calls for:
After handing over the plan to President Jacob Zuma, Minister Trevor Manuel stated that “social cohesion needs to anchor the strategy.”
South Africa’s apartheid era formally came to an end in April of 1994. Less than a month later, in May of 1994, Nelson Mandela became the first black, democratically elected president. The exclusionary system that Mandela grew up in is still widely overreaching within the country, but as the nine provinces continue to work together, there will be hope. Inequality in South Africa does not have to be a perpetuation.
– Aaron Stein
Photo: Flickr
How Agritourism Benefits People in Rural China
As China continues its efforts to lift its citizens out of poverty, initiatives have been established to help those living in rural communities. The government has created the twelfth Five Year Plan that aims to alleviate poverty and focuses on people in rural China, who are more susceptible to poverty than those who live in metropolitan parts of the country.
The plan states that China plans to “lift all of its poor out of poverty by 2020,” by mainly focusing on people living in the nation’s 128,000 poor villages and 832 counties. The plan further encourages the development of competitive industries in areas that include agriculture and tourism to help pursue the goal of alleviating poverty by 2020.
Beyond the government’s efforts to support citizens in rural communities, migrants from these communities, who previously moved to metropolitan cities for better opportunities, are moving back to their hometowns and villages to set up businesses to help progress these areas.
A cause for this shift is attributed to favorable policies implemented to help progress the lives of people in rural China. The Chinese government has created policies that focus on improving rural infrastructure, providing subsidies, streamlining registration procedures, improving financial services and setting up entrepreneurial parks.
In recent years, approximately seven million returnee migrants have established agriculture-based enterprises in their hometowns and villages. Estimates state that the number of returnee migrants is increasing by 10 percent each year. As a result, The Ministry of Agriculture states that at least eight new jobs on average have been created for people in rural China when businesses are set up by returnee migrants.
What is Agritourism?
One industry that has been proven effective in alleviating poverty in rural China is the agritourism industry, which has seen increased interest by both developing and developed countries with large agriculture industries. Agritourism can be defined as the act of tourists visiting a farm or ranch for leisure, recreation or educational purposes.
The increased interest in agritourism can be attributed to tourists’ increased understanding of environmental protection and a heightened interest in improving the quality of life for those who live in rural China. The urban economy in China has also contributed to this popularity with its growing economy and raised awareness of healthy living, which has increased the demand for organic products and rural tourism.
The Results of Agritourism
The past six years have brought success to the agritourism industry and have helped bridge the economic gap between the urban economy and rural economy in China.
In 2012, there were roughly 1.7 million leisure farming and agritourism businesses that were created and helped create employment for 6.9 percent of the total rural labor force. These enterprises brought in an annual revenue of over 240 billion yuan from the 800 million tourists who visited rural China.
In 2016, the number of tourists increased to 2.1 billion people, who brought in and estimated 570 billion yuan that helped 6.72 million households in rural China.
Needed Improvements to the Agritourism Business Model
Even though agritourism has proven successful for millions of citizens, there are still sectors in the agritourism industry that need improvement.
There have been numerous issues that have arisen concerning agritourism and how to sustain the industry, so it can become a more reliable avenue to help alleviate poverty in China. These issues include problems with sanitation practices, lack of program planning and lack of reliable research and monitoring systems.
Also, with rural residents offering tourists “rural-style themed” food and accommodations, these practices have hindered further development of the agritourism industry. Solutions proposed have been to encourage the government to “help logistically and practically by integrating education resources in vocational institutions and by providing tailored training services for the new farmers.”
With efforts underway to improve the livelihoods of China’s rural residents, and with agritourism having already been proven as a successful industry, only time will tell whether this industry can be enough to lift people in rural China out of poverty for good by 2020.
– Lois Charm
Photo: Flickr
5 Important Ways that World Trade Reduces Poverty
World trade proves to be a prosperous way for countries to keep good relations while benefiting from one another. World trade reduces poverty in many unique forms, allowing businesses to buy and sell their goods in an easier, safer environment while improving economic balance and structure.
Economic Benefits
According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), an economy will grow quicker and at a more consistent pace when free trade is more easily accessible. A company which earns a greater profit is more likely to hire a larger amount of people while giving their employees a stable position within the company, without fear of being laid off or fired due lack of funds or money.
WTO reports that there has been a 34 percent wage increase for companies in sub-Saharan Africa that participate in exporting goods. In a closed economy, the numbers severely decrease in amount, proving that the impact of trade can have a great consequence on each individual country. Generally speaking, world trade reduces poverty by boosting each economy and providing more opportunity for growth in any country.
Education and the World Trade Institute
With a better economy that has higher profits, this creates more money to be given to educational institutions. Not only do elementary, middle and high schools benefit, but for countries with an open market, this gives college-aged students and business owners a chance to learn the skills in trade, importing and exporting.
The World Trade Institute (WTI) provides many different programs for graduate students interested in learning the art of trading. WTI offers Doctorate and Masters programs in economics, political science or international law and economics. The World Trade Institute also offers courses and topics in trade, investment and sustainability, leaving its students with the knowledge of a successful career in trade while providing internship opportunities to gain experience and learn how world trade reduces poverty.
Reduction of Corrupt Governments
Many times, high poverty rates within a country can be a sign of government corruption or the country’s leaders taking advantage of its citizens. The World Trade Organization has enabled many different plans to help fight bribery, extortion, fraud and nepotism. Through the Government Procurement Agreement, government purchases can now be tracked and watched to ensure all money received or gifted is in good faith and only used for those who are abiding by the law.
The American Society of International Law reports that citizens universally pay around 25 percent more than average for communal goods and services under corrupt governments. When the government is providing better funding for things such as housing, education or creating jobs rather than participating in questionable business deals, this opens up opportunities for the people to create a better life.
Industrialization and Infrastructure
When business owners and entrepreneurs have access to public transportation and roads, it provides an outlet that allows them to travel to and from different regions, expanding their markets and advertisements. However, when a business owner who produces a good they would like to trade does not have a simple entry into other provinces, it proves difficult for them to be able to make any money or get their product noticed.
The World Bank reports that, sometimes, increasing trade for poverty-stricken areas can have quite an easy answer; sometimes, all that is needed is a new road. The World Economic Forum states that for a continent such as Africa, it is best for nations to trade with their neighboring countries. This allows the business to trade on a smaller scale before moving on to trade with first-world countries such as China or the U.S.
Technology Brings New Trading Outlets
Technological advances have made it easier than ever before for consumers to find what they wish to buy and for business owners and product builders to “post” their brand online. This way, the consumer can have their product delivered right to their door, while the company benefits from the profit.
E-commerce sites have recently become a staple in African communities, and businesses such as Jumia have seen a rise in revenue by raising $150 million in 2014 alone. Websites like Jumia have everything a customer could possibly want or need, from electronics to fashion to grocery items. Websites like Jumia showcase how technology can bring in money and jobs, while easily marketing brands around the world.
Technology, economic benefits and industrialization are only a few ways world trade reduces poverty. The Office of the United States Trade Representative ensures that our markets are left free and open, while keeping trade agreements with countries where poverty can be most prominent, such as Africa, the Middle East and South and the Western Hemisphere of the Americas. Keeping good relations with these countries ensures economic and job growth while bringing in an abundance of goods.
– Rebecca Lee
Photo: Flickr
Foreign Investment Growing Development Projects in Mauritius
Mauritius is a southern African island country in the Indian Ocean that is famous as a tourist destination. The country is known for its peaceful people comprised of mixed races and multiple languages. Mauritius initially had an agriculture-based economy which the nation diversified into various sectors, including sugar, tourism, textiles and apparel and financial services, transforming it from a lower- to an upper-middle-income economy.
At present, the country is trying to achieve the status of a high-income economy by 2020. In order to reach this goal, various development projects in Mauritius are aiming to create job opportunities, update primary education, generate sustainable energy and improve the infrastructure of the country.
Indian Government Development Projects in Mauritius
In March 2017, India allocated ₨ 12.7 billion for various priority development projects in Mauritius, including the following:
In August 2017, ₨ 9.9 billion was earmarked for the construction of an express metro, which will facilitate transportation between Curepipe and Port Louis, covering a distance of 26 km. The project aims to decrease traffic congestion and save ₨ 4 billion each year. It consists of 19 stations, 6 urban terminals and four interchanges with 18 air-conditioned trains in operation. It is expected to be completed by September 2019.
The project started in 2017 with the aim of supplying digital tablets to students in grades one and two containing digitized study materials. ₨ 500 million has been spent on this program, which includes the cost of hardware, software and training assistance.
India is providing a fund of $4 million with an additional $52.3 million line of credit for this project. Its aim is to upgrade the maritime and surveillance operations of the Mauritius National Coast Guard to fight against drug trafficking in the Indian Ocean.
The remainder of the ₨ 12.7 billion is going towards the construction of several new buildings, including ₨ 1.1 billion for a new Supreme Court building in the capital city of Port Louis, ₨ 700 million for construction of social housing units and ₨ 500 million for an up-to-date ENT hospital.
Projects with the African Development Bank
In 2013, the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa granted $1 million for the development of a Deep Ocean Water Application Project in Mauritius. The aim of the project was to install an innovative low carbon seawater air conditioning system.
Mauritius has no oil or natural gas reserves, and so to reduce its energy imports, it has employed this seawater air conditioning system. The system extracts and pumps cold water from the Indian Ocean, which is used to air condition the business district of Saint Louis and its adjacent regions.
This innovative technique has helped to lower the cost of air conditioning systems and reduced carbon emissions by 40,000 tons. It has provided jobs to local engineers and technicians and also created job opportunities in other sectors like aquaculture, pharmaceuticals and bottling.
Mauritius is also looking forward to other development projects in cooperation with India as well as the World Bank, which will help it achieve the status of a high-income developed country.
– Mahua Mitra
Photo: Flickr
Strengthening Women’s Education in Ghana
Several steps are being taken to strengthen women’s education in Ghana and to also narrow the gender gap in schools throughout the country. The country is very close to achieving gender equality in primary school enrollment, which is a significant milestone. Women’s access to education in Ghana past primary school, however, still has room for improvement.
Different approaches are being enacted to promote empowerment and women’s education in Ghana. While some approaches are traditional and in correlation with poverty reduction and Millenium Development Goals, others are led by individuals and women trying to make a difference in their own communities.
One such individual is Adeline Nyabu. Nyabu created the Girls Empowerment League, aiming to increase attendance and boost the academic performance of young girls. This league connects girls to female role models and teaches leadership, passion for education and achievement, and shows the realistic and positive outcomes for a woman who completes continuing education. In addition, the program is designed to boost the self-esteem, confidence, aspirations, determination and self-worth of girls in an unequal society.
Another program in place is the Campaign for Female Education. This program partners with MasterCard to provide scholarships to pay for examination registration fees, uniform costs, educational materials and financial packages for girls in rural communities in Ghana. Since 2012, more than 4,000 girls have been awarded the scholarship to continue their education and are equipped to become influential leaders and scholars, in hopes that they will pave the way and be role models for other girls in situations that seem impossible to get out of.
A traditional approach to improving women’s education in Ghana and narrowing the educational gender gap throughout the country is through the Girls Education Unit (GEU), part of the Ghana Education Service under the Ministry of Education. Since its establishment in 1997, GEU has made it possible to have a Girls Education Officer in every district and region of the country.
The Ministry of Education also provides training for female teachers in male-dominated rural areas and promotes girls’ clubs and camps teaching empowerment, self-worth, leadership and teamwork in a female-dominated environment.
These initiatives and programs have resulted in progress towards the goal to increase women’s education in Ghana, created greater access for girls and narrowed the gender gap within schools. Enrollment in both primary and secondary education has increased by around 10 percent, with a significantly greater increase in enrollment for girls. As a result, Ghana’s gender parity index has improved from 0.93 to 0.95. The country can continue to build on this success to achieve complete gender parity and empower its women and girls to reach their full potential.
– Lydia Lamm
Photo: Flickr
The Successes of Welfare Programs in Ethiopia
Policy in Ethiopia has overwhelmingly been focused on combating and eliminating poverty in recent years. Many programs in Ethiopia have helped to further the country’s station in terms of poverty reduction. Programs such as the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP), the Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction Program (SDPRP) and the Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to End Poverty (PASDEP) have been implemented recently to help Ethiopia meet its short and long-term goals. These goals, known as the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, are to:
Correspondingly, according to the United Nations, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development in Ethiopia report, the World Health Organization and the World Food Programme, Ethiopia has worked towards these goals for several years now and is on track to achieve six of the eight goals listed above so far. The goal of reducing child mortality has already been achieved, and progress is being made on many of the others thanks to the work of the welfare programs in Ethiopia.
Goal One: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
Ethiopia is on course to reduce extreme poverty in the country by half. The percentage of people living under the poverty line has decreased from 45.5 percent in 1996 to 29.6 percent in 2010. The welfare programs in Ethiopia have contributed to this progress in different ways. The PSNP has helped families avoid food shortages. The SDPRP focuses on increasing water resource utilization to ensure food security. The PASDEP strengthens human resource development, manages risk and creates employment opportunities.
Goal Two: Achieve Universal Primary Education
The net enrollment ratio for education in grades one through eight has increased from 77.5 percent in 2006 to 85.4 percent in 2011. The attendance ratio has also risen from 30.2 percent in 2001 to 64.5 percent in 2010.
Goal Six: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases
Ethiopia has achieved a greater decrease in disease prevalence than anticipated. In 2010, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS was an estimated 1.5 percent, lower than the Millennium Development Goal of 2.5 percent.
Goal Seven: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
With the Climate Resilient Green Economy strategy, Ethiopia has taken necessary steps towards integrating the principles of sustainable agricultural development. The SDPRP has aided the progress of governance and the transformation of society by improving the framework and provisions enabling environmental and private sector growth. It also focuses on agricultural research, water harvesting and small-scale irrigation.
Goals three and five of the Millennium Development Goals lack progress and are struggling to be realized. Entrenched traditional views of women in the nation are among the obstacles that these programs encounter. However, on the whole, the employment of these programs in Ethiopia has decreased the overall issue of poverty and have moved the country forward in terms of development.
– Lydia Lamm
Photo: Flickr
The Effects of the Proposed Budgets for Global Health and Foreign Aid
After months of threatening to make serious cuts in the proposed budgets for global health and foreign aid, the Trump administration and Congress signed a budget deal on March 21, 2018 indicating increases to nearly all government-allocated scientific research agencies, many of which contribute to global health research. For instance, the National Institues of Health received a $3 billion increase in federal budget allocations, a reversal of the 22 percent reduction in the budget proposed by the White House earlier this year.
These developments fall in line with press releases published on the White House website. The White House explains that the Trump administration champions the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which helps to prevent the spread of diseases through increases in disease prevention provisions in countries prone to an outbreak.
President Trump himself has expressed that “the world cannot have prosperity unless it is healthy”. His administration’s reports detail the GHSA and clearly show the impact that this specific global health advancement has had on outbreaks of dengue fever in Burkina Faso, as well as the Marburg virus in Uganda.
This viewpoint on global health security and the recently approved 2018 budget contrast with the Trump administration’s 2019 proposed budgets for global health and foreign aid. The 2019 budget proposes 30 percent cuts to the Senate Foreign Affairs Budget as well as the Department of Health and Human Services.
While the recently approved 2018 budget increased the funding to agencies vital to public health, it is still important to understand the impact these proposed budgets for global health and foreign aid could have on agencies internally. Budget cuts to United States government institutions materialize in a slowdown of impactful research and operations that occur within the agency. Decreases in budgets inevitably reduce the number of grants that are approved and also limit the number of researchers institutions are allowed to hire.
The less money an agency receives, the fewer projects it is able to complete. As of right now, the deepest cut in the proposed budget for global health and foreign aid are to the State Department, with a primary focus on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Cuts to USAID will reduce the number of programs and limit the amount of personnel and projects carrying out USAID work.
As of right now, USAID is in a hiring freeze and only seeking out critical personal on an as-needed basis through specialized waivers. Despite this challenge, current USAID administrator Mark Green claims that the tightening of the USAID budget causes the agency to operate as efficiently as possible. Green explained that even with budget restrictions, he is working with the president to show how development is a necessary soft approach to national security and global health.
While some global health programs are proposed to receive equal or additional funding through presidential and Congressional support of the CDC’s GHSA program, USAID looks to remain under tight restrictions. Overall, advocates of global health and USAID will continue to emphasize the institution’s importance to foreign policy, but it is ultimately up to President Trump and Congress to approve the organization’s desired funding.
– Daniel Levy
Photo: Flickr