Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

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Women’s Rights in Japan

Women’s Rights in Japan
The World Economic Forum ranks countries’ progress toward gender equality by assessing gender gaps across four categories: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival and Political Empowerment. According to its 2021 Global Gender Gap Report, Japan ranks 120th out of the 156 included countries. This lower-end ranking highlights the struggle for the progression of women’s rights in Japan. For example, despite Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe’s intention to implement gender equality reforms, particularly in the workplace, Japan scores very poorly in the Economic Participation and Opportunity index, with only 60.4% of this gap closed as of 2021. A closer look at women’s rights in Japan within the political and workplace environments provides insight into the country’s progress.

Japan’s Political Arena

Women endure significant underrepresentation in Japan’s political environment, with only 45 women elected to the 465-member House of Representatives in 2021. As such, the Inter-Parliamentary Union ranked Japan 165th on its index of women in national parliaments. The 2003 prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, set the missed target of having 30% females in leadership positions by 2020. Since then, Japan has set several other goals for gender equity with little to no action. Yuriko Koike, the governor of Tokyo, referred to the gender inequality barrier for women as an “iron plate” rather than simply a “glass ceiling.” With such underrepresentation in government, women’s rights in Japan remain an issue with limited advocates for aggressive policy changes.

Women in the Workplace

According to the 2021 Global Gender Gap Report, 72% of Japanese women participate in the workforce, however, “the share of women working part-time roles is almost twice that of men.” Although Shinzo Abe, serving from 2012 to 2020, urged companies to bring more women into management positions, his efforts effectively stopped there. While there are laws that ensure equality between men and women and there are courts to hear cases of discrimination, litigation is a long (averaging five years), expensive and inconsistent process. There also remains the cultural shame of pursuing such a case.

Overwhelmingly, parenting in Japan falls on the women to ensure children succeed in a highly competitive educational system. Certain policies have emerged to alleviate some burdens, such as 12 months of parental leave at 50% income. There are also programs in place for the provision of childcare services. However, these changes have proven to be largely ineffective as the demand for childcare services grows significantly faster than the supply and there is a lack of legally binding authority for parental leave policies. Many employers, especially in small organizations, do not have specific policies around parental leave. The societal view of a woman’s place within the household is still visible in the workplace, which shows in the policies surrounding women’s rights.

Women’s Rights Progress

One success for Japanese women is that there is no gender gap in educational opportunity in terms of primary education. In addition, Japan has closed “95.3% of its secondary enrolment education gender gap and 95.2% of its tertiary enrolment education gender gap.”

For other areas of improvement, there are organizations advocating for more women in leadership positions. For example, the Japanese Women’s Leadership Initiative “empowers Japanese women to become leaders and to make positive social change and innovation in Japan.” The initiative started in 2006 in Boston, Massachusetts, with three women, Atsuko Toko Fish, Mary Lassen and Catherine Crone Coburn. The program invited emerging women leaders in Japan to participate in a four-week training during which they would develop action plans to create social change after returning to Japan. After receiving more funding, JWLI expanded to hold public forums in Japan, reaching hundreds of Japanese citizens.

Politically, the new Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, reinforces his predecessor’s commitment to promote gender equality and “become one of U.N. Women’s top contributors.”

The advancement of women’s rights in Japan may entail a long journey of fundamental reform within Japanese society, but with the pressing need for women’s economic contributions to end poverty and the rise of more women wishing to join the workplace, Japan will need to prioritize changes to women’s rights in the workplace. Although slowly, the Japanese government is taking steps toward transforming the nation into a more equitable society. Often, change does not happen linearly, but rather, exponentially. Perhaps it is Japan’s time for exponential change.

– Rachael So
Photo: Unsplash

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Ukraine’s Invasion and the Food Crisis in Egypt

Food Crisis in Egypt
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 unleashed numerous consequences on the global economy, the domino effect of some of them still playing out. The increase in fuel prices in the wake of the invasion has received much media attention. However, a more overlooked consequence of the disruption of exports from both Russia and Ukraine is the detrimental effect on global food security, causing a global wheat shortage. The food crisis in Egypt has been a particular challenge.

Invasion and Wheat Exports

In 2019, Russia was the largest exporter of wheat in the world. According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, Russia and Ukraine together produced 25.4% of global wheat exports. In addition to wheat, the Russian and Ukrainian markets are vital global sources for other essential food items such as corn, sugar and oil. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, the invasion could reduce wheat exports from Russia and Ukraine by 12%.

“Exports are lowered for Ukraine by four million tonnes to 20 million, as the conflict in that country is expected to disrupt exports from the Black Sea region,” according to the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report.

Food Prices Inflation

Global food prices had been already steadily inflating since the beginning of the pandemic due to disruptions to supply chains. The sudden blacklisting of Russian exports and the disruption of the Ukrainian economy have spiked this inflation in recent months, with the stock market value of global agricultural commodities sharply increasing. This sudden wheat shortage in an already inflated economy is beginning to detrimentally affect food security in many developing countries reliant on Russian and Ukraine exports, such as Egypt, Sudan and Kenya.

The Egyptian Wheat Shortage

Egypt, where bread is a staple food with almost every meal, is the world’s largest importer of wheat, spending $5.2 billion in 2020. In 2021, 80% of Egyptian wheat imports came from Russia and Ukraine. The war between the two countries has therefore had a massive effect on the Egyptian economy and food security. The price of wheat has increased by 44%, compounding the price hike to the subsidized cost of bread the government had announced only weeks prior to the start of the conflict.

Subsidizing Dilemma

The subsidizing of bread costs has long been an economic staple of successive Egyptian governments, and its price increase represents an existential shift for Egyptians, resulting in a food crisis in Egypt.

“Keeping bread affordable to the poor has for 60 years been something of an informal social contract between citizens and the political authority,” said Egyptian sociologist Ammar Ali Hassan. “The symbolism associated with the loaf of bread goes well beyond it being just a consumer item. In reality, it defines the bond between people and the state.” Indeed, many analysts point to the rising cost of food, particularly bread, as the breaking factor that sparked the Egyptian revolution of 2011. Therefore, the question of food security is also one of political security for both the Egyptian people and the government – and the global wheat shortage is pushing it into the forefront of Egyptian policy in 2022.

In the aftermath of the invasion, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stated that the government will go ahead with the price raise despite the global wheat shortage’s impact on imports. Madbouly pointed to the five-month worth of strategic wheat reserves as a stopgap measure. However, with the conflict not deescalating since it began, the Egyptian government is beginning to explore new alternatives to, in the short term, brave this global wheat shortage, and in the long term, lessen this dependence on food imports.

The Path to Self Sufficiency

On March 28, the Minister of Agriculture Ali Moselhi announced that the Egyptian government will seek to procure 6 million tonnes of wheat from local farmers during the upcoming wheat season between April and June, offering incentives to sell to the government rather than to the private sector. However, resolving challenges to wheat self-sufficiency in Egypt is not possible overnight.

The main challenge for the domestic agricultural industry to meet Egyptian demand and counter the current global wheat shortage is water scarcity. According to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, 97% of Egypt’s water is sourced from the Nile at 54 billion cubic meters, well below the 114 billion annual demand of the country’s fast-growing population of 100 million.

Therefore, for Egypt to be able to develop the means to domestically produce wheat for its population, it must address its long-standing water scarcity issue – and it is here where international efforts and expertise can aid Egypt in its endeavor to combat food insecurity and poverty. “The water issue is a pivotal issue in the field of achieving sustainable development, which requires increased cooperation and exchange of experiences between different countries of the world in the field of water,” said Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Atti.

The World Food Program (WFP) and the Food Crisis in Egypt

One existing avenue to aid in alleviating the food crisis in Egypt is through the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). Operating in Egypt since 1968, “the U.N. agency’s operations in Egypt are designed to respond to the country’s long-term food and nutrition insecurity.” In recent years, it has been collaborating with the Sisi government in achieving Egypt Vision 2030, a 10-pillar strategy toward sustainable political, economic and social development. Food security is to be a crucial factor to achieve in this 2030 vision and the WFP in Egypt currently collaborates with the Egyptian government to strengthen these public institutions.

The Future

First, the COVID-19 pandemic and now the sudden events in Ukraine have shown that developing countries cannot rely on supply chains for crucial commodities such as basic foodstuffs. In fact, this has long been an issue exacerbating world poverty and food insecurity even before the pandemic. While the Russian invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated food shortages around the world, it also presents an opportunity for countries long reliant on food imports to develop sustainable domestic resources to build new self-sufficient agricultural infrastructure and economic systems.

The United States and other global leaders in the international community must also seize this opportunity, providing financial aid and expertise to nation-building projects such as Egypt Vision 2030. In the short term, the immediate expansion of WFP operations in Egypt and other countries it operates in detrimentally by the Ukrainian conflict can allow these countries to set off on the path of food security while also mitigating the short term poverty and hunger the global wheat shortage could cause in 2022.

– Majeed Malhas
Photo: Flickr

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Laos’ Development Into A Digital Economy

Digital Economy
Many consider Laos one of the poorest countries in its surrounding region. However, its economy has significantly improved in the last 20 years, slowly connecting to the rest of the world digitally, especially as businesses were forced to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic. While Laos has made progress to develop a digital economy, it is still lagging behind as accessibility, quality and affordability are currently issues for its citizens. Thankfully, the Lao Ministry of Technologies and Communications has recognized the need for Laos to develop digitally. In fact, several sectors of the Lao Government are partnering with USAID to allow businesses to access the SMART UP e-learning platform to help enhance their digital literacy.

The Larger Issue

Laos’ lag in digitalization results in a lack of transparency, increased procedural hurdles for investors, high costs for business and lacking public-service delivery for the government. Laos ranks 154 of 190 in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2020 report as well as 117 of 132 in The World Intellectual Property Organizations 2021 Global Innovation Index. Around 80% of the country works for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in which an estimated 100,000 operate informally due to “time, fees and paperwork associated with registering.”

Much of this is due to the Lao PDR’s processes being inefficient, having higher costs and disincentivizing businesses to be part of the formal economy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 78% of children in urban centers and 87.5% of children in rural areas could not access schooling. Around 48.9% of the population remained offline at the beginning of 2020. With 37.6% of the current population in urban areas and 64.2% in rural areas, Laos needs to increase its digitalization for its own development and to catch up with the rest of the world.

Efforts to Create a Digital Economy

The Lao Minister of Technologies and Communications Boveingkham Vongdara has acknowledged Laos’ need to accelerate and move into digital transformation with sustainable development. He claims the ministry is “promoting local language and creation of digital contents by developing fonts and keyboards that support the Lao language for computers and mobile devices.”

The Department of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion, Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Lao ICT Commerce association partnered with USAID to launch the SMART UP e-learning platform to help SMEs enhance their digital skills. SMART UP has eight modules that aim to help provide skills to businesses to enhance and promote themselves. It should help with digital literacy to help businesses become agile in the current economic environment, as well as to respond to digital development challenges so SMEs can survive as well as create new opportunities. With SMART UP helping SMEs and entrepreneurs, it will also create more jobs and opportunities for Lao citizens.

Within the first month of the launch, 373 users registered to use the SMART UP platform including 109 for Basic Accounting for SMEs, 63 in Digital Marketing for SMEs, 43 for Introduction to Data Analysis for SMEs, 35 in Full Stack Development, 34 in Multimedia for SMEs and 34 for Introduction to Digitalization. As a result, many small business owners have had a stronger foundation of knowledge in a quickly changing business environment.

Looking Ahead

While the COVID-19 pandemic presented many challenges, it also presented opportunities for the Lao PDR to participate in the digital age and develop a digital economy. With its government recognizing the necessity for a digital economy and platforms such as SMART UP allowing citizens to become more digitally literate, Laos will elevate itself and create more opportunities for economic growth.

– Jerrett Phinney
Photo: Flickr

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How Somali Women Use a Money Lending System

Money Lending System
Displaced women in Somalia have been using an age-old money lending system to help each other. The system is known as Ayuuto, which is Somali for “help.” The informal program allows small communities of women experiencing poverty in Somalia to access money for needs and emergencies.

How Ayuuto Works

The concept of Ayuuto exists in different countries across the globe. It is a type of informal money lending system that can help provide people in impoverished communities with money in emergencies. Ayuuto primarily functions in small groups; in this case, small groups of Somali women who live in camping settlements across Somalia. The women meet once a month in their respective camps and add a fixed amount of money to a pot. The manager of the group selects one person to lend money to each month, which is usually whoever is experiencing the direst need for funds. As Al Jazeera sums it up, Ayuuto is “an interest-free rotating savings scheme based on mutual trust.”

Since Ayuuto is an informal system, it is completely separate from any official banking system. This can make it riskier, but also faster and less complex to provide monetary help in an emergency. Aid from formal agencies has decreased and there are very few opportunities for formal work within the cities. Ayuuto allows the women to purchase day-to-day necessities and provides funds for the women to start their own small businesses.

Utilizing the Ayuuto system has also allowed women in these camps to support each other in other ways. The women come together and bond through conversation, listen to each other’s needs and support each other emotionally. Overall, the system helps foster a community of trust and security.

Poverty in Somalia

A 2019 World Bank Group report indicates that about 70% of people in Somalia live in poverty, making the country one of the most impoverished in sub-Saharan Africa. A notable number of people in Somalia are living just above the poverty line. About nine in 10 households in Somalia suffer deprivation in a minimum of one dimension, either “monetary, electricity, education or water and sanitation.” Urban areas experience less extreme poverty than rural communities and displaced people experience the most extreme poverty.

Since 1991, Somalia has experienced extreme levels of famine, political instability and droughts that have caused almost three million people to become displaced. Surveys show that the consequences of drought and the COVID-19 pandemic stand as the most significant difficulties for impoverished communities in Somalia. These conditions have forced families, most of them from rural areas, to abandon their homes and livelihoods and flee to camps that are inside and around cities in the hopes of finding a way to survive. In fact, three-quarters of displaced people live in cities. The camps that displaced Somali people settle in are often overcrowded and do not have sufficient resources of food and water for everyone.

How Poverty Disproportionately Affects Women

Most displaced women in Somalia do not meet the requirements to apply for a formal bank account, such as existing credit history or financial identity. Data also shows that almost twice as many women as men have no source of income.

Since the pandemic began, an increasing number of girls have dropped out of school. Data also shows that only about a quarter of female heads of households has had any type of formal education compared to more than 40% of male heads of households.

Reports show that more than a third of girls living in camps have said that their greatest worry is experiencing sexual violence, followed by difficulty accessing resources and violence in the household. Females head about four in 10 Somali households and only 37% of women are active in the labor market in contrast to 58% of men.

All of these challenges contribute to the fact that poverty in Somalia disproportionately affects women. Ayuuto serves as a safety net for women who are experiencing many barriers to establishing a stable income and livelihood.

– Melissa Hood
Photo: Flickr

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What is the Millennium Challenge Corporation?

The Millennium Challenge Corporation
The United States has many agencies of humanitarian assistance and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) stands as one of them. The MCC is “an innovative and independent U.S. foreign assistance agency that is helping lead the fight against global poverty.” Founded by the United States Congress in 2004, the agency focuses on a country’s policies and results. This agency aims to strengthen the institutions and economies of developing nations that already show signs of good governance. The MCC is uniquely selective in delivering aid by choosing to aid nations that have existing yet fragile institutions to promote democracy and competent governance.

Operations

The agency measures a nation’s eligibility to receive aid from the Millennium Challenge Corporation through 20 different indicators based on different political freedoms, civil liberties, economic freedoms and economic conditions. A nation is eligible to receive aid if it passes 10 out of 20 of the indicators, passes the “Control of Corruption Indicator” and/or passes either the “Political Rights Indicator” or the “Civil Liberties Indicator.” A nation passes an indicator if it performs better than the median score in the nation’s income group, a score that a particular third party will measure.

The MCC is diverse in its approach to stabilizing developing nations. It generally delivers three types of aid packages: Compacts, Concurrent Compacts for Regional Investments and Threshold Programs. Compacts are large five-year grants to specific grassroots projects targeted at poverty reduction or economic growth that meet MCC’s eligibility standards.

Concurrent Compacts for Regional Investments are grants designed to promote trade, economic integration and collaboration between nations.

Threshold Programs help nations that are not quite eligible to receive MCC Compact packages by allowing countries a chance to show their dedication to “democratic governance, economic freedom and investments in their people.”

Comparing USAID and MCC

One of the key differences between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Millennium Challenge Corporation is that USAID grants aid exclusively on the merits of a proposed project toward some form of a democratic goal. USAID also has programs that have “unrestricted ineligibility” where any nation may receive aid for a particular project.

On the other hand, the Millennium Challenge Corporation has strict standards on different aspects of a nation’s governance to determine whether a program receives a grant. It requires that nations meet certain political and economic standards determined by reputable third-party sources in order to receive aid. The Millennium Challenge Corporation grants are also restricted to five years whereas USAID programs can extend the period of a grant or contract.

While USAID and the Millennium Challenge Corporation have various differences, both collaborate closely in delivering and developing aid programs. For example, the USAID administrator holds a role as a permanent member of the Millennium Challenge Corporations Board of Directors.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation learns from USAID’s decades of technical expertise while USAID also benefits from the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s rigorous economic and political analysis to improve the outcomes of aid programs.

USAID and the Millennium Challenge Corporation both serve important roles in delivering aid to struggling nations. USAID has an emphasis on building up new institutions whereas the Millennium Challenge Corporation has more of an emphasis on strengthening already existing institutions in struggling nations. The goals of these agencies often overlap, leading to large amounts of interagency collaboration.

– Alexander Richter
Photo: Flickr

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Child Poverty in Colombia

Child Poverty in Colombia
In 2019, World Bank data found that Colombia’s child poverty rate for ages 0-14 stood at 20%. After years of civil unrest, Colombian children are growing up in an era of displacement and poverty. These past conflicts have a way of infiltrating the lives of children as their guardians work to rebuild their own lives. Child poverty in Colombia is an issue that persists as countless families seek to gain stability.

Colombia’s History of Conflict

The prevalence of social injustice issues and the uprising of guerilla groups during the mid to late 20th century, threatened governmental authority in Colombia. Colombia’s 2016 Peace Accord put to rest 50 years of conflict with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), providing Colombia with its first signs of hope in decades.

Colombian children now have the opportunity to grow up in a peaceful country for the first time in more than 50 years. The long-awaited end to the civil conflict brings hope but the legacy of conflict and violence has lasting consequences for Colombia’s people.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Colombia has one of the highest rates of internally displaced persons in the world —  a consequence of the decades of war. As of 2022, 8.5 million Colombians suffer internal displacement, which equates to a staggering 74% of the population.

The ripple effect of this displacement plays a large role in child poverty. As conflict and violence force families to flee their homes, many people lose their assets, land and houses and are unable to return to their former lines of work. This leads to a rise in poverty and unemployment, which, in turn, leads to children growing up in impoverished environments due to inadequate sources of income.

Effects of Child Poverty in Colombia

Malnutrition is a serious effect of child poverty in Colombia. According to a 2016 report citing UNICEF, “one in 10 Colombian children suffers from chronic malnutrition.” Further, the consequences of poverty disproportionately impact Indigenous Colombian children — the region of La Guajira accounts for only 7% of Colombia’s population, however, it accounts for more than 20% of malnutrition-related death among children younger than 5. Since the beginning of 2021, 17 Indigenous Wayuu children in La Guajira have died due to malnutrition.

Growth stunting is another consequence of malnutrition. In 2021, the Global Hunger Index showed a 12.7% prevalence of growth stunting among children younger than five in Colombia. As malnourishment increases, the depletion of mental and physiological strength necessary for work and school diminishes, leading to an exacerbation of poverty.

Violence Against Children

Sexual violence is another devastating outcome of child poverty in Colombia. Children who experience this sexual violence often come from low-income households. Poverty increases the risk of child labor, trafficking and sexual exploitation. The perpetrators are typically criminal gangs or even one of the child’s own family members. These victimized children tend to reside in slums or remote, outlying communities where victims rarely acquire justice.

According to a 2019 survey that the Health Ministry and Family Welfare Institute conducted, nearly 42% of Colombia’s youth endured “physical, sexual or psychological abuse as a child.” Unfortunately, Colombian NGOs have said that people report only 30% of these cases. In fact, the Colombian Public Prosecutor estimates that up to 200,000 Colombian children face sexual abuse annually.

Lack of education is another component that goes hand-in-hand with child poverty in Colombia. For these children, education is a doorway to a better life, but is, unfortunately, not as accessible as it should be. Despite the Colombian constitution’s mandate that children between 5 and 15 attend school, a 2019 article from Children Incorporated discloses that about 10% of Colombian children receive no education at all. This 10% equates to about 35,080 Colombian children out of primary school in 2019.

Children International in Colombia

Children International is an organization that acknowledges the severities of child poverty in Colombia. The organization has been working in Colombia for 33 years now, transforming the lives of Colombian children.

With malnutrition being a prominent result of child poverty in Colombia, Children International recognizes a need for check-ups and exams. Health care can be expensive, a fact that is especially true for Colombia’s lower class. To date, more than 74,000 sponsored children have received medical exams from Children International’s clinic.

Children International has implemented the HOPE Scholarship program, which provides funds that give children an avenue to complete tertiary studies after high school in order to obtain skilled jobs and break cycles of poverty. Through Children International’s Into Employment program, children learn skills for jobs in demand within their communities. About 71% of Into Employment program members found placement in jobs requiring the skills they gained during the program.

Child poverty is a persistent problem in the reverberations of Colombia’s civil conflict. Malnutrition, sexual violence and lack of education are a few of the direct effects that contribute to the vicious cycle of child poverty in Colombia. Thankfully, Children International has dedicated itself to improving these lives. With help from organizations such as this one, Colombian children may have the chance to escape the firm grip of poverty.

– Madeline Ehlert
Photo: PxHere

How FTO Designations Obstruct Aid

FTO Designations
Recently, the usefulness of implementing foreign terrorist organization designations (hereafter, FTO designations) has become contested at the highest levels of the United States government. This conflicted stance is evident in the State Department’s 2021 FTO designation of Yemen’s Ansar Allah (aka, Houthis) which it subsequently revoked only a month later.

Furthermore, the former Director of National Intelligence Jim Clapper commented on FTO designations describing them as “symbolic,” elaborating that he could not “think of a case where somehow that [designation] facilitated our ability to track them better.” What is not undergoing debate in FTO designations is their respective impact on humanitarian aid. FTO designations often have the unintended consequence of obstructing the flow of humanitarian aid getting to the people who need it the most.

How FTO Designations Hamper Humanitarian Aid: Mozambique

On March 11, 2021, the State Department designated ASWJ or al-Shabaab (aka, ISIS in Mozambique) as an FTO in consideration of the ongoing widespread violence the group is responsible for in Cabo Delgado province. After this FTO designation, humanitarian aid workers ran into a myriad of new problems with legal, physical and logistical complications. As for the legal ramifications of FTO designations, humanitarian workers can experience long wait times in obtaining their visas for travel. At times, visa delays can take months and can prevent these aid workers who otherwise would be helping out on the ground from providing relief.

As for physical and logistical problems, FTO designations impede communications between humanitarian aid workers and armed groups. This lack of communication between humanitarian aid organizations, Mozambican forces, private military contractors and ASWJ places humanitarian aid workers in more danger. Restricting communications leaves uncertainty with armed groups who may mistakenly identify and attack aid workers seeking safe passage for their personnel and humanitarian supplies.

Although communications between humanitarian organizations and FTO designated groups are not grounds for FTO designation, the “knowing standard” puts relief organizations at high risk of being in the State Department’s crosshairs by mistake. In practice, the risk inherent to the “knowing standard” is that it requires humanitarian organizations to administer dangerous vetting procedures. Armed groups on the ground could interpret the vetting procedures as an indication that these humanitarian organizations are working on behalf of governments the FTO designated groups find hostile.

FTO Designation on the Yemeni Houthis: Revisited

On January 11, 2021, the outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated the Houthis as an FTO. However, the State Department revoked this designation shortly after Pompeo left.  Current Secretary of State Antony Blinken advocated removing the FTO designation is that it had “achieved nothing.”

Blinken formally removed the Houthis from the FTO designation list on February 16, 2021. He cited recognition of the appalling humanitarian situation in Yemen.  A coalition of governments and NGOs brought the situation to the State Department’s attention. Specifically, the international community lauded the revocation of the FTO designation as a step forward in the right direction to ensure that crucial humanitarian assistance reaches those who need it most.

However, recently renewed calls have emerged from the Biden administration for designating the Houthis as an FTO once again. This consideration of re-designating the Houthis as an FTO has raised similar concerns to those in 2021. Specifically, Ansar Allah (the Houthis) controls more than a third of Yemeni territory, encompassing nearly 70% of the population. If the Houthis were re-designated an FTO, the flow of humanitarian aid would immediately deteriorate. Additionally concerning are the prospects of a re-designation of the Houthis as an FTO potentially emboldening the group to act with further impunity.

A Coalition

In response to the Biden administration’s calls to re-designate the Houthis as an FTO, a coalition of 20 NGOs including Oxfam, Mercy Corps and International Rescue Committee (IRC), have sent a letter in opposition to this re-designation. The coalition of NGOs maintained that they stood united alongside the Biden administration in its decision in 2021 to remove the Houthis from the FTO designation list. The coalition cited an agreement with the Biden administration’s initial reasoning for removing the designation, as it was worsening a dire humanitarian situation.

In this letter, the coalition has called for the Biden administration to avoid a re-designation to preserve and continue the progress made thus far. A promising development going forward is now the international community at large has a greater understanding of the pitfalls of FTO designations, they can hurt the wrong people and they often do. What is even more promising is that the NGOs are not alone anymore. On February 23, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, alongside eleven other Congresspeople, called on the Biden administration to not pursue a designation because it would have a minimal impact on Houthi leadership and a catastrophic impact on the Yemeni people.

– Chester Lankford
Photo: Flickr

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Diseases Impacting Kyrgyzstan

Diseases Impacting Kyrgyzstan
The central Asian country Kyrgyzstan is home to more than 6.7 million people while many citizens fall victim to pressing issues such as violence terrorism and diseases. The following list assembles the diseases impacting Kyrgyzstan.

10 Diseases Impacting Kyrgyzstan

  1. Ischemic Heart Disease: Ischemic or cardiovascular heart disease is the cause of 25% of deaths in Kyrgyzstan per year. Ischemic heart disease or coronary heart disease happens when there is a reduction of blood flow to the heart muscle.  This is due to the complete or partial blockage of the arteries responsible for circulating the blood.
  2. Stroke: Stroke is responsible for 15% of deaths in Kyrgyzstan per year. Strokes occur due to an artery blockage/leakage, or when a blood vessel bursts. Some lifestyle factors that can put one at risk of stroke include being overweight and inactive. They also stem from alcohol and substance abuse.
  3. Cancer: Stomach, lung, breast, cervix and liver are the most common cancers in Kyrgyzstan. Also,  approximately 600 women per year are diagnosed with cervical cancer. Most cases of cervical cancer are due to human papillomavirus (HPV).
  4. Lower Respiratory Infections: Lower respiratory infections are a leading cause of death in children less than 5 years.   This is said to be due to an overuse of antibiotics and the under-diagnosing of asthma. In many of these cases, family stress and financial burdens are also contributing factors.
  5. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the seventh top cause of morbidity in Kyrgyzstan. COPD is an inflammatory disease in the lungs that causes obstructive airflow. Many people with COPD are current or ex-smokers.  Also, people with high exposure to biomass suffer from the disease.
  6. Cirrhosis: Cirrhosis is the fourth leading cause of morbidity. It is a chronic liver disease that can lead to scarring and liver failure. One of the most common causes of cirrhosis is alcohol abuse. One cannot generally undo the damage to the liver due to cirrhosis.
  7. Diabetes Mellitus: Diabetes mellitus is the cause of 428 deaths per year and The International Diabetes Federation estimates that the rate will further increase by the year 2025. Diabetes mellitus is an illness where the body is not able to produce enough insulin, causing blood sugar levels to reach abnormally high levels.
  8. Preterm Birth Complications: Preterm birth complications are a significant concern for newborn mortality. About 2,938 children less than the age of one died in 2015 due to birth complications. Folic acid deficiency is the number one factor that causes these complications. Hydrocephalus is another newborn complication that also occurs often when the mother is deficient in folic acid. To combat this problem, UNICEF took action to fortify flour in Kyrgyzstan by using the large mills that are in the country in order to get more of this nutrient into women’s diets.
  9. Cystic and Alveolar Echinococcosis: Cystic and alveolar echinococcosis are infectious tropical diseases that stem from tapeworm larva. The Kyrgyz climate and environment support the survival and durability of the parasitic eggs. In most cases, this disease tends to be under or misdiagnosed.
  10. Typhoid Fever and Brucellosis: Typhoid fever and brucellosis are infectious diseases that can spread to others through contaminated food and water. Kyrgyzstan has one of the highest numbers of cases worldwide. Many people who caught these diseases live in the Valley of the Mayluusuu River and in the uranium zone. In response, The World Bank created The Disaster Hazard Mitigation Project and has allocated more than $12.7 million to minimize radionuclides in the Mayluusuu area, improve emergency management and reduce the loss of property in those areas.

Looking Ahead

Poverty is a contributor to the diseases impacting Kyrgyzstan because many people suffer from malnutrition, whether underweight or overweight. Poor diets are one of the top contributors to malnutrition. Many Kyrgyz people do not have the finances to eat diets rich in nutrients the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended. Most households share a diet high in trans fats, saturated fats, sugar and salt. This diet has led to various health issues such as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which cause 80% of morbidity in the country.

Many of the diseases impacting Kyrgyzstan pose an immediate threat to its citizens; solutions to these issues can seem nearly impossible. However, improvements in the medical and sanitation industries can alleviate some of these burdens. Additionally, the work of The Disaster Hazard Mitigation Project and UNICEF should help reduce the prevalence of preterm birth complications, typhoid fever and brucellosis.

– Christina Papas
Photo: Flickr

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How to Stop Human Trafficking In The Solomon Islands

Trafficking in the Solomon Islands
Human trafficking is an appendage of inhumanity and crime that has innate ties to the broader scope of global poverty. Traffickers take advantage of people in impoverished conditions through predatory work contracts, coerced sex work and exploiting the workers through the largest markets in the world. The small islands that make up the Solomon Islands are an observable microcosm of human trafficking in nearly all its practiced forms. Fortunately, when surveying the pervasiveness of human trafficking in the Solomon Islands, there also is a pathway for ending human trafficking across the world.

The Context

The Solomon Islands is a country that includes six major islands and hundreds of smaller ones dotted across the Oceanic sprawl. Despite its seemingly inconspicuous size, it is a port for incoming and outgoing exploited human labor.  The poverty rate is as high as 31.5% in the Makira province according to the Solomon Islands Household Income and Expenditure Survey.

The Solomon Islands is a country that is economically vulnerable as its main exports require hard labor for a population that is around 600,000 people. The country’s main export is wood and it has a prominent logging industry which is very labor-intensive.  Mining,  agriculture, fishing and palm oil manufacturing and fishing are also labor intensive.

Trafficking in the Solomon Islands

A 2021 report from the United States Department of State revealed the dynamic nature of human trafficking in the Solomon Islands. Work contractors often take vulnerable immigrant laborers from southeast and east Asian nations such as Sri Lanka, The Philippines and North Korea. Then, they bring them to the Solomon Islands as fishermen or timber workers and pay them little to no wage under inhumane conditions.

In addition, traffickers force children who are native to the Solomon Islands into working in labor and sex trafficking in exchange for necessities. The combination of economic vulnerability and low population makes children in poverty-stricken families especially susceptible to becoming trafficking victims.

An American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative report surveyed 406 people from the provinces of Malaita, Guadalcanal, Makira and Western. About 49% cited that they believed victims of human trafficking should be accountable for their own involvement (placing the blame on the victims) and more than 44% did not report their knowledge of human trafficking instances.

The Solomon Islands’ Response

The same U.S. State Department report indicated that the Solomon Islands is a Tier Two nation regarding the degree of human trafficking violations. This indicates that the nation does not meet the standards of the Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. However, the nation is in a cooperative state and working towards meeting the standard of Tier One by allocating more funds and bureaucratic efforts toward transparency and response by local officials to address instances of trafficking. The U.S. State Department recommends measures including increasing the minimum age for hazardous work to 18.

Obstacles to a Solution

One key aspect of the global effort to end human trafficking in the Solomon Islands that has not occurred yet is the lack of the U.S. ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The United States is the only country of 196 others that has not signed this treaty. However, it is important to consider because the U.S., Mexico and the Philippines are the leading destinations for trafficked victims according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. If others hold the leading destinations for trafficking more accountable, then the trafficking of victims from the Solomon Islands may also see a decline.

Solutions

The U.S. Department of Labor 2020 report presented a legal framework that increases access to educational opportunities for youth in economically susceptible homes. This would chiefly be accomplished by introducing laws that would go beyond catching those who traffic. New laws would also hold officials accountable for not performing the duties necessary to address the problem. In addition, eliminating the source of economic strain that leads to child labor in the first place by making education accessible, high. quality and free is a start to ending human trafficking.

Bringing awareness to the issue of Human Trafficking as it exists in the Solomon Islands will allow its citizens to become more hands-on with tackling the problem in a more democratic way. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a key appendage of the United Nations which has a page dedicated to the Solomon Islands and offers worldwide outreach to end human trafficking.

Looking Ahead

Human Trafficking is an issue that pervades every society. However, strict international and governmental policies alongside economic aid to poorer nations are practices that could put a stop to the exploitation of vulnerable peoples. Though the task may seem too daunting and the response too decentralized, it is possible with the help of more legislative initiatives by the largest world powers and cooperation from the international community.

– Albert Vargas
Photo: Flickr

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Everything to Know About Health Care in Congo

Health Care in Congo
The Republic of Congo is one of the most resource-rich and “least densely populated” nations in Africa. Its economy is heavily dependent on oil exports so it is vulnerable to dropping oil prices and economic crises. This, combined with its history of civil conflict, has resulted in a high poverty rate of 52.5% in 2020. Further, in times of economic decline, a lack of government funding has plagued health care in Congo. In turn, that has led to high out-of-pocket costs for the majority of patients. It also has resulted in a lack of health care professionals and an uneven distribution of health care services. Finally, the financial strain of the health care system exacerbates the country’s burden of communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, malaria and HIV. It has also contributed to the nation’s high rates of maternal and infant mortality.

Effects of Communicable Diseases

A major challenge that health care in Congo faces is the high rates of tuberculosis (TB), malaria and HIV. Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death in Congo and early diagnosis is a critical first step in ensuring successful treatment. To increase Congo’s TB testing capabilities, the World Health Organization (WHO) equipped the cities of Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire with GeneXpert diagnostic machines, which the Global Fund financed.

Delivered in December 2021, the GeneXpert machines have increased the TB testing rate eight-fold at the Antituberculosis Centre in Brazzaville. In the past, TB centers in Congo could only treat the most critical cases due to backlogs created by inefficient machines. By increasing the number of diagnoses, the GeneXpert machines have proven to be a cornerstone in expanding access to TB treatment.

The GeneXpert machines are part of the Global Fund’s two grants that total more than $64 million to strengthen prevention and treatment services for TB, malaria and HIV in Congo. Implemented by the UNDP and Catholic Relief Services, the goals of the grant are threefold:

  1. Successfully treat 90% of TB cases by 2023.
  2. Scale-up access to antiretroviral treatment for HIV-infected patients, with a special focus on pregnant women.
  3. Deliver 3.5 million mosquito nets across Congo by 2023 and increase access to malaria treatment and diagnostics.

Maternal and Infant Health Care Successes

In the past two decades, Congo has made significant strides in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates. The maternal mortality rate has fallen from 739 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 378 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2017. Similarly, the infant mortality rate has fallen from 106 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 63 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2020.

To continue on this trajectory of improving maternal and infant health, in June 2021 the World Bank approved $50 million for the Kobikisa Health System Strengthening Project. The project’s goal is to improve the quality and availability of maternal and child health care in Congo among the most impoverished households. With financing from the International Development Association, the Kobikisa initiative will provide free health services for pregnant women and their children in 36 districts across the country. Included in these services are treatments for diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis and the provision of vaccines. By delivering essential health care services free of cost, the Kobikisa initiative will help alleviate the financial burden of health care for millions of Congolese citizens.

Strengthening Congo’s Health Infrastructure

In addition to these targeted interventions, the Congolese central government has also begun to prioritize strengthening the infrastructure of health care in Congo. In 2018, the government increased its investment in health care from 5% of the annual budget in the previous year to 13%.

The main focus of the Congolese government’s investment is improving primary care services and revitalizing health districts. At a workshop in September 2021, executives in the Ministry of Health and Population received coaching and the tools needed to train and supervise various health care professionals “from 93 health areas of the 2020-2021 Operational Strategy.” The training of health care actors at the community level will not only improve the quality of primary care patients receive but will also expand the availability of health care in Congo to remote and rural communities that are underserviced.

Ensuring quality and affordable health care in Congo is one of the cornerstones of the nation’s development. While there is still much work to do, improvements are visible thanks to the support of the international community.

– Kaitlyn DeWeerd
Photo: Flickr