This past week, global leaders met at a four-day international conference on Financing Development in Ethiopia’s capital of Addis Ababa. True to name, the top priority on the summit’s agenda was the creation of a comprehensive financing framework for sustainable development.
This conference was the first of three summits scheduled for 2015, all of which aim to reestablish the world’s vision of sustainable prosperity and revamp the collaborative effort toward achieving this goal. Collectively, these summits will set transnational aspirations and set the global standard for sustainable development.
Conference attendees included high-level political representatives, Ministers of Finance, Foreign Affairs, and Development Cooperation, non-governmental organizations and business sector entities. The final outcome of the prolonged discussion was a document known as the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.
The Action Agenda will support the implementation of the post-2015 worldwide development agenda. Most notably, it will provide some backbone for the upcoming Sustainable Development Goals, scheduled to replace the current Millennium Development goals this September.
After intense discussion and deliberation, the 193 UN Member States were able to agree on a series of groundbreaking measures. These measures strategically aim to refurbish global finance practices and generate investments that will help tackle economic, social and environmental challenges.
Technically, the finalized agreement represents months rather than days of hard work and prolonged negotiations between countries. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is proud of this highly anticipated outcome.
He said, “The results here in Addis Ababa give us the foundation of a revitalized global partnership for sustainable development that will leave no one behind.” Indeed, the Action Agenda will help transform the upcoming SDGs from a dream into a reality, as strategized financing is key to the Goals’ success.
The agenda contains more than 100 concrete measures, addressing all sources of finance, and covering cooperation in terms of technology, science, innovation, trade and capacity building.
Specifically, the representatives agreed to establish a Technology Facilitation Mechanism at the SDG Summit in September. This will help to enhance collaboration among all relevant actors supporting the Sustainable Development Goals’ long-term implementation.
Infrastructure was another key point of focus, leading to an agreement to establish a Global Infrastructure Forum. This forum will help to identify infrastructural areas that need improvement. Additionally, it will help leaders pinpoint opportunities for investment and promote cooperation on international infrastructure projects.
In order to protect the poorest and most vulnerable global citizens, the countries adopted a new social compact that will work to establish social protection systems. To address health issues, the countries agreed to consider taxing harmful substances.
Representatives pledged their commitment to promote affordable access to credit for smaller business enterprises. They vowed to develop a global strategy for youth employment and promised to implement the International Labor Organization Global Jobs Pact within the next five years.
Leaders restated their commitment to achieve the original Millennium Development Goal target of allocating .7 percent of their countries’ gross national incomes for development assistance, and .15 percent to .2 percent for the world’s least developed countries.
In addition, the Action Agenda stresses the importance of inclusive cooperation among national tax authorities and the dangers of climate change. It calls on developed countries to achieve the goal of mobilizing $100 billion annually by 2020 to address developing countries’ most pressing needs.
By breaking down the complex financing needed to fight global poverty and promote sustainable development, the Action Agenda symbolizes a monumental step in the right direction. This pioneering financial framework will make the Sustainable Development Goals all the more achievable.
– Sarah Bernard
Sources: United Nations 1, United Nations 2, NPR, The Guardian
Photo: NPR
Why the Number of Syrian Recruits is Not Surprising
There has been a great deal of criticism lately in regards to the Obama Administration’s efforts and plan to combat ISIS. An article by The Hill says that the GOP even goes as far as to state, “President Obama doesn’t have a serious strategy to defeat ISIS.” One of the strategies by the Defense Department is to train Syrian rebels to fight the terrorist organization.
How many rebels have actually been trained? There are a variety of numbers floating around the Internet, but few of them are actually accurate. According to the Washington Post, less than 200 rebels had started training in May. This July, Nancy Pelosi expressed she was surprised that only 60 people had actually been trained since the project started in 2014.
The low numbers are only partially understood. It is important to make sure that the recruits may not be in any way connected to ISIS. General Martin. E. Dempsey says that to fight ISIS, the U.S. needs to recruit at least 12,000 people. If at this point the Defense Department has only recruited 6,000 people, and not all of those people can be trained, how is it that this program would be successful?
If the Defense Department is looking to recruit Syrians, perhaps it should look to the 9 million or so Syrian refugees. Out of these 9 million, a good portion is likely able and willing to help the United States fight ISIS. Or at least would be if the funding to aid them was not getting cut over time.
The UN has been making food aid cuts since December 2014, and the cuts are growing, according to the United Nations’ Website. The United Nations News Service says that “a severe lack in funding is forcing the United Nations,” to make these cuts. As one of the leaders of world policy, the United States could be leading the charge in assisting the refugee population. Or perhaps the U.S. could be providing the UN with the funding that it needs to help the people in need.
This population needs help from someone; and it is possible that as an impoverished group from war-torn country, they could be vulnerable to recruitment by terrorist organizations like ISIS. If Washington wants to stop ISIS it needs to make sure that the available human capital is attainable. Primarily by providing the at-risk people, including the refugees, with the food that they need to survive before another organization provides them with that assistance.
Pelosi is correct in being “surprised” by the number of people that have been trained and recruited because the United States should be doing a better job of preparing to combat ISIS.
But, it is not in fact surprising that the Defense Department is having trouble recruiting enough people from Syria. How does the United States expect to recruit Syrians to help the U.S., when the government is not doing enough to help the country’s refugees?
– Clare Holtzman
Sources: The Hill, Reuters 1, Reuters 2, Syrian Refugees, UN News Centre, The Washington Post
Photo: New York Post
President’s Malaria Initiative: Progress and Future
In 2005, George Bush launched the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) to work towards eradicating malaria across 15 high-risk African countries.
By acting quickly and efficiently, PMI has helped to reduce malaria mortality by 50 percent since 2005. Over 6 million people are alive today – without the influence of PMI, they would have died from malaria.
Since its creation, PMI has expanded and has helped hundreds of millions of people by core preventative strategies: providing people in high-risk zones with durable and insecticide-treated mosquito nets, antimalarial treatment options, fast-acting diagnostics, indoor anti-mosquito spray and prevention options for pregnant women.
Malaria is a disease carried by mosquitoes, which bite and infect people, leaving them ill with fevers, chills and symptoms associated with the flu. If the disease is not treated, people are at risk of death. In 2013, 198 million cases of malaria were reported, and of those, half a million people died. Many of these deaths were children under the age of 5.
The World Health Organization estimates that 106 countries and 3.4 billion people are at risk of malaria infection.
Mali is an example of where PMI has contributed to improving the quality of life of citizens through malaria treatment. The entire population of Mali is at risk of contracting malaria with 90 percent of citizens living in the central and southern regions where the disease is endemic.
People in transit, perhaps fleeing their homes due to displacement, are even more at risk because of their weaker immune systems. Malaria is the primary cause of death in Mali, especially for children under the age of five.
Despite malaria’s omnipresence in Mali, the devastation caused by malaria has diminished since PMI’s inception in 2005. The mortality rate of children under the age of 5 has decreased by 50 percent in 2013.
PMI’s success is not limited to Mali – the Initiative has made incredible progress across Africa. It has distributed over 31 million mosquito nets, sprayed over 5 million households with insecticides (impacting 18 million people), given over 13 million antimalarial medications for pregnant women and trained over 27,000 health workers.
According to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on their website, Impatient Optimists, “Malaria is clever, resilient and capable of evading our most dependable interventions. If we aim for a malaria-free world, the global response must constantly evolve and adapt to challenges that don’t even exist yet.” The strategies that have worked in the past may not work in the future. Eradicating malaria fully will be a constantly transforming process.
In partnership with the President’s Malaria Initiative and other organizations, the Gates Foundation is committed to eradicating malaria in the future. On Impatient Optimists, the Foundation highlighted its goals broadly: “We need to expand access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment, which PMI has proven capable of doing on a massive scale. We also need to build stronger health systems and introduce new tools and strategies, an increasingly important part of PMI’s work in recent years.”
The reduction of malaria in the world so far illustrates the potential for completely eradicating malaria in the future — a goal that will save millions of lives.
– Aaron Andree
Sources: CDC, Impatient Optimists, PMI
Photo: Impatient Optimists
Gaming For Good: Changing Lives Through Gaming
The video game industry is a $10.5 billion per year industry. With the level of financial power held by this form of entertainment, there is a great opportunity for gaming to become a major force for good. Gaming For Good is an organization that seeks to fulfill this opportunity. The organization encourages players to purchase “points” through donations made to charitable efforts by Save the Children International. These points can then be spent on games such as Psychonauts, Splice and Worms Revolution.
Gaming for Good was founded by Bachir Boumaaza, better known by his online nickname “Athene.” Athene has been described within gaming media as “the best gamer in the world,” and holds records ranging from the first to reach level 60 in Diablo III to the most hands of online poker played in one month. This organization is a way for the online celebrity to take what is clearly more than a hobby for him and use it to make a difference.
This method is working incredibly well. Along with partnering with major gaming media such as Twitch TV, the site won a Webby Award in 2013. More importantly, the charity has been an absolute powerhouse in terms of fundraising. In 2013, the organization reached $10 million in donations. The organization’s recent support of charity efforts in Nepal came with a request of $200,000. It raised over $805,000 for relief in Nepal thus far.
Everybody has a hobby. For some it is collecting, for others painting and, for many, that hobby is gaming. With gaming being such a successful industry, this organization does something amazing by mobilizing that success to promote change in the developing world.
Gaming for Good can be visited here.
– Andrew Michaels
Sources: Polygon, Kotaku 1, Kotaku, Save the Children , Webby Awards, Save the Children
Photo: Dual Shockers
Can Aid Abroad Aid Detroit?
In 2013, Detroit filed for bankruptcy. The city is full of empty factories and dirty streets. Two years ago, when crossing the border from Canada back into Detroit, my family and I commented on the dramatic change in scenery that occurs when crossing this small border. On one side of the border, the streets are immaculate and bright with blues and greens, there are ongoing construction projects, and polite signs telling drivers to, “pull over and take a nap.” On the other side in Detroit, it seemed to me that almost everything was grey and brown. Many of the people crossing the street appeared to be living in poverty.
An article by economyincrisis.org comments that the city looks, “war-torn,” partially thanks to the fact that, “American automakers shipped their jobs to Canada and Mexico.” While Detroit could use economic assistance in its transportation, educational and architectural sectors, what the city really needs is jobs. Perhaps one place that these jobs could come from could be foreign aid.
USAID has lost funding since 2009. While a loss in funding is always an issue, USAID was already understaffed in 2009.
Foreign aid is shown to boost the United States’ economy and create jobs, so why is the countries aid organization losing funding?
USAID is one source of potential in the U.S. job market. If USAID were better funded, it would have the ability to create more jobs and expand in order to have locations to manage and contain those jobs. One city that could perhaps become a place of USAID expansion could be Detroit. In addition, USAID works with many partner organizations in order to help people abroad. If USAID had the economic ability to utilize these partners more often, then the partner organizations would expand as well. This leaves yet another avenue open for expansion into Detroit, or at the very least providing some of the unemployed people there with jobs.
Detroit had an unemployment rate of 24.8 percent in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
While USAID expansion could in itself be at least a partial solution to the Detroit job crisis, sending more aid abroad will also be a great solution. AIPAC.org says that “by law, nearly all of U.S. assistance must be spent on American-produced items.” If the U.S. sends more aid, then it will have to open up factories in order to create projects to keep up with the increase in aid. As the aid brings greater numbers of people out of poverty, these aid products will become purchased products.
If more people abroad can afford these products from the United States, then more people will buy them. While these factories may begin as “aid” factories, they will in the end boost the American economy. The United States was once an industrial giant and Detroit was in some ways at the center of the industry.
Perhaps the solution is to return Detroit back to its roots and get the empty “war-torn” factories running again.
– Clare Holtzman
Sources: AIPA, Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Detroit News 1, The Detroit News 2, Economy In Crisis, Foreign Policy, Jalopnik
Photo: Urban Ghosts
UN Conference on Financing Development
This past week, global leaders met at a four-day international conference on Financing Development in Ethiopia’s capital of Addis Ababa. True to name, the top priority on the summit’s agenda was the creation of a comprehensive financing framework for sustainable development.
This conference was the first of three summits scheduled for 2015, all of which aim to reestablish the world’s vision of sustainable prosperity and revamp the collaborative effort toward achieving this goal. Collectively, these summits will set transnational aspirations and set the global standard for sustainable development.
Conference attendees included high-level political representatives, Ministers of Finance, Foreign Affairs, and Development Cooperation, non-governmental organizations and business sector entities. The final outcome of the prolonged discussion was a document known as the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.
The Action Agenda will support the implementation of the post-2015 worldwide development agenda. Most notably, it will provide some backbone for the upcoming Sustainable Development Goals, scheduled to replace the current Millennium Development goals this September.
After intense discussion and deliberation, the 193 UN Member States were able to agree on a series of groundbreaking measures. These measures strategically aim to refurbish global finance practices and generate investments that will help tackle economic, social and environmental challenges.
Technically, the finalized agreement represents months rather than days of hard work and prolonged negotiations between countries. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is proud of this highly anticipated outcome.
He said, “The results here in Addis Ababa give us the foundation of a revitalized global partnership for sustainable development that will leave no one behind.” Indeed, the Action Agenda will help transform the upcoming SDGs from a dream into a reality, as strategized financing is key to the Goals’ success.
The agenda contains more than 100 concrete measures, addressing all sources of finance, and covering cooperation in terms of technology, science, innovation, trade and capacity building.
Specifically, the representatives agreed to establish a Technology Facilitation Mechanism at the SDG Summit in September. This will help to enhance collaboration among all relevant actors supporting the Sustainable Development Goals’ long-term implementation.
Infrastructure was another key point of focus, leading to an agreement to establish a Global Infrastructure Forum. This forum will help to identify infrastructural areas that need improvement. Additionally, it will help leaders pinpoint opportunities for investment and promote cooperation on international infrastructure projects.
In order to protect the poorest and most vulnerable global citizens, the countries adopted a new social compact that will work to establish social protection systems. To address health issues, the countries agreed to consider taxing harmful substances.
Representatives pledged their commitment to promote affordable access to credit for smaller business enterprises. They vowed to develop a global strategy for youth employment and promised to implement the International Labor Organization Global Jobs Pact within the next five years.
Leaders restated their commitment to achieve the original Millennium Development Goal target of allocating .7 percent of their countries’ gross national incomes for development assistance, and .15 percent to .2 percent for the world’s least developed countries.
In addition, the Action Agenda stresses the importance of inclusive cooperation among national tax authorities and the dangers of climate change. It calls on developed countries to achieve the goal of mobilizing $100 billion annually by 2020 to address developing countries’ most pressing needs.
By breaking down the complex financing needed to fight global poverty and promote sustainable development, the Action Agenda symbolizes a monumental step in the right direction. This pioneering financial framework will make the Sustainable Development Goals all the more achievable.
– Sarah Bernard
Sources: United Nations 1, United Nations 2, NPR, The Guardian
Photo: NPR
Stories from America’s Poor
The Huffington Post has started exploring the lives of America’s poor in a novel way. Rather than reporting on them, it asks the poor themselves to write about their experiences. All their stories are consolidated under a page entitled “All Work and No Pay: False Promises of the American Economy” on the Huffington Post’s website. While many are from people who live under the poverty line, others are from those who earn well above it–and still struggle to make ends meet. Here are a couple of common themes in these stories:
– Radhika Singh
Sources: Huffington Post 1, Huffington Post 2
Photo: Epic Times
Top 5 Diseases that are Nearly Eradicated
For many years, life expectancy of humans was around 40 to 50 years old. Once modern medicine advanced, these numbers changed drastically. Thanks to vaccinations and better medical understanding of diseases, people all over the world can rest a little easier knowing some life-threatening diseases are now nearly eradicated.
Smallpox
Smallpox has been responsible for an estimated 300 million to 500 million deaths in the 20th century alone. This horrifying disease was characterized by small, painful bumps which appeared all over a patient’s body. Smallpox was particularly scary because it affected people of all ages. When scientist Edward Jenner noticed that individuals who had been exposed to cowpox were seemingly immune to this disease, an idea struck. Since the invention of the small pox vaccine in 1796, the world has seen a rapid decrease in the number of cases. In fact, smallpox is the only disease that is considered to be 100 percent eradicated throughout the entire world.
Polio
At its prime, polio was known to be one of the most feared diseases in the world, mainly because it primarily affected young children. It sent hundreds of thousands of children to the hospital. When Dr. Jonas Salk invented a vaccine against it, the world rejoiced. Although this vaccine has not yet been spread throughout the world, with help from organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, polio is on its way out. Hopefully within the next few years, polio will have been eradicated throughout the entire world and parents will no longer have to fear for the lives of their children.
The Plague
The Black Death killed over 50 million people in Europe, accounting for about 60 percent of the population at the time. The disease was spread through infected rats and other small animals. Once infected, people were highly contagious. This disease was characterized by horrible blisters called “boobos” that would emerge and fester on an ill persons’ body. While doctors did not know how to prevent this disease at the time it has since disappeared from the world as sanitation and medical practices have become much more elaborate. While there may be one case every decade, it looks like the plague is gone for now and, hopefully, will never make another appearance.
Tetanus
Tetanus has long been considered a disease of filth, something one can catch by touching rusted metal or using an infected needle. It affects thousands of people each year and causes muscle spasms, lock-jaw and a whole host of other horrible symptoms. Nowadays, most developed nations such as the United States no longer have trouble with this disease, as children are regularly vaccinated against it. In developing nations doctors can administer emergency tetanus shots and have seen great success with this. It is imperative that doctors begin to vaccinate more patients in third world countries as these are the most at-risk individuals. Although this disease has not yet been eradicated, the number of cases has drastically dropped.
Rabies
Rabies has long haunted the big screen throughout the world, with visions of Old Yeller foaming at the mouth sending audiences to tears everywhere, but this image is a reality for many individuals who live every day surrounded by stray animals. Rabies is a virus which is contractible by almost any mammal and is characterized by over excitation, confusion, paranoia, fear of water and the tell-tale foaming at the mouth. Rabies can be transferred through a bite from an infected animal and can have devastating effects once the virus takes root. Thankfully, vaccines have been developed to prevent the disease from taking hold. Whenever an individual is bitten by an animal, it is mandatory that they get a rabies shot; these regulations have allowed doctors to monitor and significantly reduce the amount of rabies related deaths in the United States. Many other nations such as India and parts of Africa are beginning to adapt these procedures and are currently making key decisions about the lives of their stray furry friends.
Thanks to the care and dedication of many scientists and researchers, we now live in a safer and happier world. Hopefully more innovation can lead us down a path of true health and happiness.
– Sumita Tellakat
Sources: MNN, UNICEF
Photo: My NYC Doctor
UN Launches New Deal to End Global Poverty
After three days of negotiations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the United Nations has established a new deal that will finance the U.N.’s new Sustainable Development Goals. Ultimately, these goals set a 2030 deadline to greatly reduce global poverty.
The negotiations in Addis Ababa involved representatives from around 200 different countries. Seventeen goals make up the new U.N. plan, which mainly includes large, overarching goals such as completely eliminating global poverty and hunger, obtaining gender equality worldwide, creating environmentally sustainable cities and ensuring everyone quality education.
These goals also come with a hefty price tag. U.N. experts estimate that the Sustainable Development Goals will cost around $3 trillion each year in order to properly finance each goal. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim also estimates that along with billions of dollars in foreign aid, these goals will require “trillions in investments.”
“This agreement is a critical step forward in building a sustainable future for all,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. “The results here in Addis Ababa give us the foundation of a revitalized global partnership for sustainable development that will leave no one behind.”
– Alexander Jones
Sources: BBC, Cheyne, Solomon
Photo: BBC
Charity Versus Chauvinism: Successful Working Methodology at BRAC
What makes this methodology different from other approaches can be found in the difference between chauvinism and charity. Chauvinistic approaches to world aid portray a very “hands-off” tactic, whereas charity clearly sets out to give direct help to those in need.
Many IGOs are now looking to out-source the BRAC method. This method utilizes a short amount of time, 24 months, and a high amount of pressure on developing communities in order to produce the greatest results.
The first step is to determine the target individuals of aid by looking at the “determinants of poverty” – little to no healthcare availability, no livelihood skills or capital, low self-esteem and illiteracy, as well as social exclusion. This is done through “participatory wealth ranking,” which directly engages the community.
Next, the individuals are provided with adequate resources and taught fundamentals through “asset grants.” Fundamentals include different livelihood skills and literacy abilities, such as being able to write his or her name for the first time.
The last tactic is monitoring. Arguably, this demonstrates the importance of such a hands-on approach and in fact is referred to as the “hand-holding” step. Progress is closely supervised. For two years the individuals receive direct assistance and have proven that these individuals are able to maintain a better quality of life over the next four years after they “graduate” the BRAC system.
While this methodology might seem a “brute force approach” concerning its direct and hands-on elements, it proves to be the most effective. BRAC is smart, efficient, and proven to work. It targets the “ultra-poor” specifically, sets goals and drives the ball home until the individuals have successfully been pulled out of poor living conditions.
– Felicia L. Warren
Sources: The Guardian
Photo: Flickr
8 Ways PMI is Fighting Malaria
The effort has been largely successful, due partly to the range of methodology. The following are all ways that PMI is seeking to address the spread of the disease.
– Em Dieckman
Sources: CGDEV, PMI 1, PMI 2, USAID
Photo: Alliance for Malaria Protection