The World Economic Forum recently published a report answering the question, “What are the top trends facing the world in 2014?” Based on a poll of 1,592 leaders from academia, business, government, and non-profits, the report determined 10 global trends to expect in the coming year.
1. Increasing Tensions in the Middle East and North Africa
For the post-Arab Spring countries, promise and hope has given way to uncertainty. A debate continues about whether or not to keep religion and government separate while unemployment persists. The report recommends an entrepreneur-friendly climate to help promote economic growth for the masses, which in turn would build stability.
2. Widening Income Disparities
The gap between rich and poor is a major challenge for most of the world. The problem is seen as the most pressing issue amongst North Americans.
3. Persistent Structural Unemployment
History has shown that chronic joblessness is tied to social unrest, especially among a young generation growing up in hopelessness. A solution: train and offer mentorship to young adults so that they could develop in roles that show promise for career growth. Governments should create incentives for companies to create jobs and invest in their workers.
4. Intensifying Cyber Threats
Emerging technologies are outpacing security. Technology allows us to operate remotely more than ever, but our vulnerabilities to hackers increase. Rather than attempting to prevent all possible forms of hacking, the report suggests that we ensure that it’s not catastrophic to get hacked.
5. Inaction on Climate Change
There is action and attention towards climate change, but not at the scale that is needed. For example, there is $1 trillion of cumulative investment in renewable energy. However, $1 trillion per year is needed.
6. Diminishing Confidence in Economic Policies
The pop of the American housing bubble retrospectively revealed the deficiencies in US economic policies. The Pew conducted polls across the globe that showed people voicing similar widespread concerns about economic conditions in their countries. Europeans were particularly disillusioned.
7. A Lack of Values in Leadership
People in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa do not trust that their leadership, even when elected, will act in the interest of the common good. Free press is important for promoting accountability along with the sharing and understanding of various values.
8. The Expanding Middle Class in Asia
More than any other region, Asians are hopeful about the economic prospects for the next generation. This is a result of free market reforms, investments in science, technology and education, a culture of pragmatism, meritocracy, and peace, and a strong the rule of law. Nonetheless, there is a need to make sure this generation of Asians does not negatively impact the global environment more than it needs to.
9. The Growing Importance of Megacities
According to the United Nations Population Division, more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. By 2025, there will be 35 megacities in comparison to 22 in 2011.
10. The Rapid Spread of Misinformation Online
One-third (30%) of the world’s youth have been active online for at least five years, according to the International Telecommunication Union. Social networking has also spread around the world. Rumors fly easily when there are 1 billion tweets produced every two-and a-half days
– Maria Caluag
Sources: Pew, World Economic Forum
Photo: National Post
Kashmiri Lose Faith in UN
Speaking as the voice of the 26 confederated Kashmiri groups in the Hurriyat, Syed Ali Geelani directed a scorching criticism at the UN on November 3. He claimed the organization has “miserably failed to address core international concerns.” This loss of faith from one of the many significant stateless populations – which also includes Palestinians and Kurds – has resonance around the world.
It occurs at a time when the UN is facing difficult transitions into the post-2015 period and seeking structural evolution unwelcome to those nations which are accustomed to holding inordinate power with the current status quo. This state of affairs, while unfortunate, is an opportunity for the UN to showcase exactly how indispensable it is.
The debate over structural evolution is one of the premier examples of the difficulty and significance of the United Nations. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed the belief that the new structure – which will emphasize streamlining the expansive body of UN subsidiaries and enable more efficient cooperation with third parties – will put the UN in a singularly influential position in global politics. If he succeeds, he will undoubtedly be proven correct. Financial watchdog groups have claimed for many years that the UN is too ineffective with resources to achieve the grand aims set by its ambitious Secretary-General.
And indeed, the UN has many failures to temper its successes, failures in implementation and conceptualization which can give the impression of incompetence. But what UN member states and representatives of stateless demographics like Mr. Geelani must keep in mind is that the sheer scope of the UN’s responsibility far exceeds what is asked of any other organization. The volume of factors weighing on any situation is so great that a period for learning must be accepted.
As time goes on, the UN has exhibited an ability to learn from mistakes and continue to raise the bar higher for itself. Mr. Ban has insistently focused his rhetoric and energy on the truly global concerns – human rights, pollution, food production and so on. If UN member states are to preserve a way of life with any semblance to their traditional activities, it behooves them to surrender a degree of sovereignty and resources to the organization best suited to addressing the problems which threaten those activities. Likewise, Mr. Geelani’s plea to Kashmiri to abandon the UN and boycott elections may resonate emotionally, but the best chance for his people, and for the Kurds, Palestinians and others, to achieving the legal right to a homeland is not to eschew the international forum, but to embrace it and utilize the publicity.
– Alex Pusateri
Sources: Fox News, The Nation, Care2, Business Insider
Palestinian Poverty in the Holy Land
The status of Jerusalem is the most contentious issue in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which has led to an alarming rate of poverty among Jerusalem’s Palestinian population. According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, 86% of Jerusalem’s Palestinian children are below the poverty line.
As a whole, 77% of Palestinian Jerusalemite households faced poverty in 2010, compared to only 25% of Israeli households.
Prior to the 1967 war, East Jerusalem was the hub of urban and commercial life for Palestinians. After the war, Israel annexed East Jerusalem. Palestinian Jerusalemites were given a separate legal status as merely ‘permanent residents,’ restricting “access to housing, employment, education, health services and representation in the city.” Since then, Palestinian Jerusalemites have faced a policy of neglect and have become virtually isolated from the rest of the West Bank with the construction of the Israeli separation barrier in 2003.
The East Jerusalem economy accounted for 15% of the Palestinian economy prior to the 1993 Oslo Accords. In recent years, however, the economy has shrunk by half. It is estimated that the separation barrier has led to over $1 billion in direct losses to the East Jerusalem economy.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) lists key factors contributing to poverty in East Jerusalem as: (1) the separation barrier and isolation from the West Bank; (2) a weakened job market; (3) the neglected school system and obstacles in higher education and professional training; (4) difficulties integrating women into the job market; (5) employment in West Jerusalem; and (6) revocation of residency and the provision of temporary status.
The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) echoes these factors, maintaining that Jerusalem’s increasing economic isolation, “including the building of Israeli separation barrier,” left it “integrated neither into the Palestinian economy nor into the Israeli economy.”
Politics aside, ACRI contends that a crucial way of overcoming Palestinian poverty is to address employment and fair labor conditions. Due to its isolation from the West Bank, East Jerusalem’s economy is dependent on the Israeli market, which serves as a source of employment and trade. ACRI stresses a key point for policy change should be Israeli government investment in employment services. “While Palestinians constitute a third of the municipal population, only three welfare offices operate in East Jerusalem, in contrast to the 18 in the western part of Jerusalem serving Israelis.” ACRI believes that an expansion of employment services is one way to offer the necessary tools for Palestinian residents to find jobs that offer financial stability and professional development.
– Rifk Ebeid
Sources: Al Jazeera News, Haaretz, UNCTAD, ACRI
United Arab Emirates: From Rags to Riches
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is composed of the seven emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah. Located in the southern half of the Arabian Peninsula, it occupies over 83,000 square kilometers and boasts a population of 9 million.
In comparison to the rest of the world, the country is relatively young. It gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1971. The discovery of oil reserves in the 1960s catapulted the once impoverished region into a center of international business and wealth. Today, the UAE is the eighth richest country in the world.
The UAE’s political structure is both traditional and modern in its approach. Each emirate is led by an emir or ruler who oversees the internal political affairs of the region. Representatives from each emirate are chosen to form the Federal National Council. The President and vice president also serve as emirs of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, respectively.
Prior to its entry into the global oil industry, the UAE’s revenues mainly stemmed from its failing pearl and fishing industry. Today, over 90 % of Emirati are literate, due to extensive investments in education, healthcare and infrastructure.
The UAE currently rates 23 out of 189 countries for ease of doing business. Its positive relationships with foreign investors have allowed the country to successfully compete in the global marketplace and exposed its citizens to the level of globalization necessary to conduct international business.
Success has also visited the neighboring countries of Iran, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia as organizations continue to promote the importance and healthcare in the region.
– Jasmine D. Smith
Sources: CIA World Factbook, BBC, Doing Business
Photo: Win Wallpapers
Katy Perry Becomes UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
International pop star Katy Perry has become UNICEF’s newest Goodwill Ambassador as of December 3. Perry is the singer of the anthemic ballads “Firework” and “Roar” and she is obviously living up to her songs’ inspirational messages. UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake stated, “Katy Perry is already a champion for children, and we look forward to hearing her ‘roar’ on behalf of UNICEF.”
Perry’s first project with UNICEF was a trip to Madagascar in April of this year. She spent four days there speaking with local people as well as government and UNICEF workers discussing the major issues facing the country as a whole. Perry met with abused and abandoned children and young mothers. She also visited schools and medical centers and learned how UNICEF has been working toward improving poor living conditions in Madagascar. Over half of the people in Madagascar live in poverty, and the country is plagued with chronic malnutrition, poor sanitation, and lack of education. Perry’s time there and her work with UNICEF evidently impacted her, leading to her new position as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Perry has stated that her experiences in Madagascar changed her life. The trip reportedly taught her to realign her priorities away from material possessions and social status, and put her own situation into perspective. She also stated that her music has been influenced by the stories of the people she met, particularly those of oppressed and abused women. Her new hit “Unconditionally” was inspired by her time there.
Goodwill ambassadors are public figures who choose to use their put their fame and influence to good use by becoming powerful advocates for impoverished and suffering individuals globally. As a wildly successful pop icon, Perry is in the perfect position to engage young people as advocates for the world’s poor, neglected, and abused children and adolescents. She plans to focus her efforts on young people, inspiring those with the power to help, and giving aid to the vulnerable people who need it.
She stated, “I believe young people have the power to change their own lives, with our help. I am honoured to join UNICEF as a Goodwill ambassador, and committed to doing everything I can to help children and adolescents who come from such different backgrounds but want the same thing: a brighter future.”
Perry posted this statement on her widely trafficked Tumblr page, as well as some celebratory tweets and pictures from UNICEF. Perry has previously appealed to her social media followers to support UNICEF and its relief efforts for children.
Actor and comedian Danny Kaye pioneered the Goodwill ambassador concept in 1954 and its most famous participant was Oscar winner Audrey Hepburn. Today, Katy Perry joins a long list of committed ambassadors including Amitabh Bachchan, David Beckham, Harry Belafonte, Orlando Bloom, Jackie Chan, Mia Farrow, Danny Glover, Angelique Kidjo, Liam Neeson, Leo Messi, Sir Roger Moore, Vanessa Redgrave and Susan Sarandon, among others.
– Kathleen Walsh
Sources: Unicef, The Borgen Project, Tumblr, ABC, Unicef
Photo: Xinhua Net
5 Facts about Poverty in Yemen
As one of the poorest countries in the Middle East, Yemen is currently faced with some of the most extreme poverty issues in the world. There are several issues that are unique to Yemen that contribute to this magnitude of poverty, issues that are on track to only get worse unless direct action is taken to mitigate these circumstances. If basic problems, such as lack of access to water, are not properly addressed, other matters, such as sub-par literacy rates, will continue to plague the region and exacerbate poverty in Yemen.
Top 5 Facts about Poverty in Yemen
1. Yemen’s population stands at 25.4 million and approximately 54% of those people live in poverty. In other words, 54% of the population survives on fewer than 2 dollars per day.
2. Approximately 45% of the population is malnourished.
3. Life expectancy in Yemen is 64 years old, 14 years younger than the average life expectancy in the United States.
4. Major infectious diseases plaguing the country include Bacterial diarrhea, Typhoid fever, Dengue fever and Malaria, all of which are preventable, curable and in some cases largely unheard of anymore in the western world.
5. There is less than 1 physician for every 1,000 people in Yemen.
Major Causes Behind Poverty in Yemen Today
– Colleen Eckvahl
Sources: BBC: Yemen’s President cedes power, BBC: Yemen on brink of food crisis, Green Profit, Maplecroft, The World Bank
The Cost of Christmas
Beyond the messages of goodwill and the narratives of birth and rebirth, Christmas inevitably turns into an Olympics of materialism and consumerism. For now, there are only the hard questions on which to ruminate: What are the top ten gadgets we cannot live without this holiday season? What is the Cost of Christmas?
A Gallup Poll released November 14 revealed that the average amount an American plans to spend on Christmas presents this year totals to about $704. In 2012, Americans individually spent about $764 on average. To put it all in perspective, a Think Progress info-graphic revealed in 2012 that the amount Americans spend on Christmas (about $25 billion) is roughly equal to the cost of permanently ending homelessness in the United States ($20 billion).
The amount that Americans spend on Christmas presents and decorations entirely eclipses the $3.2 billion that the World Food Programme calculates is needed per year to feed all 66 million school-age children living in extreme poverty around the world. The American Christmas budget also dwarfs the annual budgets of the UNHCR, the World Food Programme, the UNDP and UNICEF combined.
Only $60 billion is needed to end world poverty.
The message here is that the extraordinarily privileged people of United States are entirely capable of leading the crusade against global poverty. Within the span of only one month of the year dedicated to holiday shopping, Americans spend enough money to permanently abolish global poverty by 50%.
While Christmastime may mean scrambling to the tree to unwrap the new Playstation 4, Xbox One and Apple products, perhaps it is time to additionally consider that that money can buy lasting world peace and equality—that these are gifts that are worth the investment and within our budget.
– Malika Gumpangkum
Sources: TIME, Forbes, Business Insider, NY Times, Think Progress, Oxfam
Photo: Telegraph
10 Global Trends for 2014
The World Economic Forum recently published a report answering the question, “What are the top trends facing the world in 2014?” Based on a poll of 1,592 leaders from academia, business, government, and non-profits, the report determined 10 global trends to expect in the coming year.
1. Increasing Tensions in the Middle East and North Africa
For the post-Arab Spring countries, promise and hope has given way to uncertainty. A debate continues about whether or not to keep religion and government separate while unemployment persists. The report recommends an entrepreneur-friendly climate to help promote economic growth for the masses, which in turn would build stability.
2. Widening Income Disparities
The gap between rich and poor is a major challenge for most of the world. The problem is seen as the most pressing issue amongst North Americans.
3. Persistent Structural Unemployment
History has shown that chronic joblessness is tied to social unrest, especially among a young generation growing up in hopelessness. A solution: train and offer mentorship to young adults so that they could develop in roles that show promise for career growth. Governments should create incentives for companies to create jobs and invest in their workers.
4. Intensifying Cyber Threats
Emerging technologies are outpacing security. Technology allows us to operate remotely more than ever, but our vulnerabilities to hackers increase. Rather than attempting to prevent all possible forms of hacking, the report suggests that we ensure that it’s not catastrophic to get hacked.
5. Inaction on Climate Change
There is action and attention towards climate change, but not at the scale that is needed. For example, there is $1 trillion of cumulative investment in renewable energy. However, $1 trillion per year is needed.
6. Diminishing Confidence in Economic Policies
The pop of the American housing bubble retrospectively revealed the deficiencies in US economic policies. The Pew conducted polls across the globe that showed people voicing similar widespread concerns about economic conditions in their countries. Europeans were particularly disillusioned.
7. A Lack of Values in Leadership
People in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa do not trust that their leadership, even when elected, will act in the interest of the common good. Free press is important for promoting accountability along with the sharing and understanding of various values.
8. The Expanding Middle Class in Asia
More than any other region, Asians are hopeful about the economic prospects for the next generation. This is a result of free market reforms, investments in science, technology and education, a culture of pragmatism, meritocracy, and peace, and a strong the rule of law. Nonetheless, there is a need to make sure this generation of Asians does not negatively impact the global environment more than it needs to.
9. The Growing Importance of Megacities
According to the United Nations Population Division, more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. By 2025, there will be 35 megacities in comparison to 22 in 2011.
10. The Rapid Spread of Misinformation Online
One-third (30%) of the world’s youth have been active online for at least five years, according to the International Telecommunication Union. Social networking has also spread around the world. Rumors fly easily when there are 1 billion tweets produced every two-and a-half days
– Maria Caluag
Sources: Pew, World Economic Forum
Photo: National Post
5 Ways Art Can Help Alleviate Poverty
Art is a frequent medium for human expression and resistance, and within that space of creation and possibility is the opportunity to find ways to fight poverty and alleviate the suffering of the global poor.
1. Art can help impoverished children increase their chances of going on to college and obtaining employment by developing fundamental cognitive capacities, critical analytical skills, and providing learning experiences that have a significant impact on children’s educational achievement and social development.
A recent report published last year by the presidentially appointed Committee on the Arts and Humanities showed results stating that low-income students who were highly involved in the arts performed better, stayed in school longer, scored higher in math assessments, and were more likely to graduate high school, attend college, find stable employment, perform volunteer work in their communities, and vote.
2. Art programs can focus on entire communities faced with poverty and provide multiple services and opportunities in terms of gainful employment, a platform of expression for the voiceless, creating beauty and hope amidst poverty and blight, provide awareness to suffering, galvanizing donors and philanthropists, and can allow others to advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves.
Programs like the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program target at-risk children, juveniles, and adults and provide them with opportunities and spaces of expression they would not otherwise have access to. The program has even taken a leading role in criminal and restorative justice by offering education programs in prisons and rehabilitation centers, helping to effectively reduce crime, violence, and the poverty and misery associated with it.
3. Art and creative expression can help provide employment and income to those who are impoverished. Having non-profit programs that help develop artists by providing a more equitable share of profits from sold work, and investing in opportunities for those who are poor to create and thrive as artists, means a larger return than one individual’s income and the chance to influence poverty in an entire community or area.
4. Art can advocate for the impoverished, provide visibility to issues of poverty, and be a platform for agency to effect change and eradicate this form of human suffering. Organizations like 2015 use art and creativity to change perceptions about poverty by raising awareness so that greater actions can be taken to fight poverty in the Middle East. By linking an art movement to the United Nations Millennium Goals, the public sphere and shared space of art becomes a political platform to support larger movements, fight poverty locally, and challenge the failings that allow for three billion people to remain trapped in poverty.
5. Art can help fund projects and utilize creativity to find measures to help end the suffering of the billions of the world’s poor. Artistic endeavors and the art community can be organized and motivated to provide fundraising and resources for essential programs and serve as the appropriate community to build connections of supporters. Art naturally involves innovation, and creative minds can be utilized to find solutions to problems like substandard housing or the effective use of public space. Those suffering in poverty need all the resources we have available, and art has the capacity to take its own form and be that of another, so when used to fight poverty, it becomes an instrument of justice.
– Nina Verfaillie
Feature Writer
Sources: Techo, TNW News, MinnPost, Astep, Mural Arts Program
Global Education Motivators
What do Mr. Rogers, Jane Goodall, and the United Nations all have in common? They are all close supporters of Global Education Motivators (GEM) one of the oldest initiatives for advocating the importance of global education in American schools.
Founded in 1981, GEM has worked tirelessly to promote global issues in the American classroom through engagement with UN educational programs, leadership conferences, and workshops. One of the initiative’s foremost programs is “United Nations Day,” where young students work together, mock UN style, to provide solutions for issues such as human rights, environmental sustainability, education, and food security.
“Believing that international communication exchange is the key to future world peace, the inclusion of cross cultural perspectives has become an integral part of GEM’s global learning programs,” according to GEM’s mission statement. “Global awareness is closely tied to global responsibility.” This commitment to cross cultural perspectives is evident in the initiative’s distance learning courses. These courses are geared for K-12 students. African Folk Tales, Conflict in Sudan and Nuclear Awareness are some of the highlights of the courses available.
GEM also boasts partnerships with the African Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania and the project for Nuclear Awareness. Additionally, the group has a presence with the United Nations’ education initiative, UN Academic Impact. At UN Academic Impact’s Third Annual Conference, youth members of GEM presented about the program and the importance of empowering other youth to stand up for global issues through community involvement, arts and education.
While the organization most certainly embraces the mantra of “think global,” acting local is just as important for GEM. Based out of Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, GEM is a close partner with local Philadelphia schools and Philadelphia-based programs, like the Greater Philadelphia Global Education Network. Involving local communities and schools with issues of global development is an important part of inspiring larger movements for global education.
– Taylor Diamond
Sources: United Nations, Global Education Motivators
Photo: Dreamstime
Hunger Games Promotes Hunger Awareness
This Friday marks the premiere of the second film installment of the Hunger Games series, Catching Fire. While thousands of people will wait in line to see its midnight premiere, the film is more than just a blockbuster. The film partners with Feed America and the World Food Programme to raise awareness and advocacy for world hunger.
While the films’ website is a favorites spot for fanatics, it also offers an educational aspect, exploring hunger worldwide. The site specifically targets the younger audience, aiming to educate fans of the film about hunger and poverty. The site features a world map with five interactive factoids and links to both Feed for America’s county-level hunger map, and the World Food Programme’s interactive map of worldwide hunger. The five hunger facts are as follows:
Fact #1
1 in 5 kids suffers from hunger worldwide.
Fact #2
1 in 6 kids is underweight.
Fact #3
700 billion pounds of food are wasted every year in the U.S.
Fact #4
It costs 25 cents a day to provide a child with proper nutrition
Fact #5
This one is a video factoid. It features the personal impact of Feed for America in rural communities across the country.
Facts 1, 3 and 5 are sponsored by Feeding America and feature links to the organization’s interactive county-by-county hunger map. The map is the first of its kind to investigate the effects of hunger and poverty at a county level. Web users are able to explore how the most impoverished counties in America are affected by hunger and learn about Feeding America’s efforts to serve those communities.
Facts 2 and 4 are sponsored by the World Food Programme (WFP) and lead readers to the WFP’s world hunger map. More than 842 million people go hungry every night, and the WFP’s hunger map explores the severity of hunger country by country. The interactive map ranks countries based on prevalence of hunger and offers pertinent demographic information about each country. The site also provides information about WFP’s efforts and accomplishments to reduce hunger in each country. The map is easy to navigate and clearly communicates the need for hunger advocacy and awareness.
The Hunger Games also sponsors charitable merchandise for sale. The limited edition “Love Thy Neighbor, Feed Thy Neighbor” fan t-shirt is available for purchase, with all proceeds going towards Feeding America. The film’s star actress, Jennifer Lawrence, also partners with several charitable organizations. She has donated to DoSomething.org, Feeding America, the World Food Programme, and the Thirst Program. The film’s website presents a strong message to film fanatics that they must be educated and active against world hunger.
– Mallory Thayer
Sources: Hunger Games, Feeding America, WFP, Look to the Stars
Photo: Forbes