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Archived Documents, Reports and Articles
Poverty and Development
2005
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Human Development Report (2005)
The United Nations for Development Programme's Human Development Report for 2005 focuses on “aid, trade and security in an unequal world." The report mainly addresses rich countries’ obligations to bring about a change in an increasingly polarized world. At the start of the ten-year countdown to 2015, this issue raises doubts about the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.2004
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By dismantling the myth of "Clash of Cultures", the Human Development Report of 2004 emphasizes the need of multicultural policies that recognize differences, champion diversity and promote cultural freedom in order to create greater empowerment and participation for all people. (United Nations Development Program)
Multilateral agencies view “good governance” as crucial to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This article asserts that good governance wrongly portrays economic growth as the primary source of development. The article further calls for a critical review of obstacles, such as global neo-liberal orthodoxy, that confront the MDGs. (Focus on the Global South)Poverty, the Next Frontier in the Struggle for Human Rights (December 9, 2004)
In recognition of World Human Rights Day on December 10, UNESCO's Assistant Director General for Social and Human Sciences Pierre Sane calls for the abolishment of poverty, which “is at once the cause and the effect of the total or partial denial of human rights.” While three billion people receive only about 1.2% of world income, one billion people in the rich countries receive 80%. (Pambazuka)One Billion “Denied Childhood” (December 9, 2004)
The UNICEF report on the State of the World’s Children highlights that the number of children dying from poverty is not decreasing as much as in the 1980s and 1990s. As a result, over a billion children currently face a brutal existence because of poverty, war and AIDS. The report criticizes countries for failing to effectively fight the AIDS pandemic and preventing armed conflicts, and urges governments to view children’s poverty as a lack of basic rights. (BBC)Reduce Poverty - Get a Safer World (November 18, 2004)
The US should demonstrate “good leadership” by addressing global poverty and embracing the Millennium Development Goals instead of pursuing a security agenda based solely on self-interest, says the Christian Science Monitor. This article concludes that the US should take the lead in the fight on poverty by reviewing its subsidy and aid policies making the world safer for a majority, not for a minority.Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers in Africa: Are They Really Making a Difference to Policies? (November 1, 2004)
This book review looks at a study on Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), which UK's Overseas Development Institute conducted in seven African countries. The text argues that PRSPs make aid more effective by reinforcing national “ownership” of development strategies, but warns of failure if donors don’t commit on a long term basis and include more local organizations. (ID21)“Guns or Growth? Assessing the Impact of Arms Sales on Sustainable Development” – A Summary (June 2004)
Oxfam warns that arms trade threatens poor countries’ achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. While rich countries annually allocate $60 billion on aid, worldwide expenditure on arms amounts to $900 billion. Oxfam proposes an Arms Trade Treaty, which would permit arms trade for “legitimate security needs” but restrain trade if it jeopardizes sustainable development.Global Warming Threatens Work of Top Aid and Environment Charities Says New Report (October 20, 2004)
Development and environment agencies warn in a new report that global climate change hits primarily poor communities and hinders them from achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The report concludes that governments must face the inseparable challenges of poverty and a rapidly warming global climate. (New Economics Foundation)Now, Dangers of a Population Implosion (October 7, 2004)
While population continues to rise in poor countries, rich countries introduce financial rewards to pump up birth rates. Affluent governments worry increasingly over demographics, arguing that increased national birth rates will secure future economic vitality and ability to fund pension programs. (Christian Science Monitor)G-77: No Development Without Science and Technology (October 4, 2004)
The Group of 77, the largest coalition of poor countries at the UN, warns about the widening digital gap between poor and rich countries. The group identifies scientific research as the key to progress and states that poor countries must catch up in the global information economy in order to overcome poverty and achieve development. (TerraViva)One Goal Is to Tell Talk from Action (September 24, 2004)
It seems fashionable for governments of rich countries to discuss debt cancellation and poverty reduction strategies. This article pointins out that “announcements are one thing, action another.” While heads of states talk strategies, they overlook the most effective poverty reduction tools: decrease in agricultural subsidies and increase in Official Development Assistance. (Inter Press Service)EU Promises Action Over MDGs (September 22, 2004)
Inter Press Service informs that the European Union development commissioner Luis Michel has promised to make the Millennium Development Goals "central to all of the European Commission's policies." The question remains whether the promise will result in active pro-poor development policies, such as fairer trade rules, increased Official Development Assistance and less subsidies.Malnutrition a Major Barrier to Economic Success in Asia, Top Ten WFP Officials Says (September 15, 2004)
The World Food Program (WFP) has urged Asian governments, gathered at a recent nutrition conference in India, to address the issue of vast malnutrition. The organization warns that undernourishment, passed on from generation to generation, endangers the economic potential of the Asian region. (One World)UN Warns of Population Explosion (September 15, 2004)
The State of the World Population 2004, a report issued by the UN Population Fund, stresses that donor governments have failed in fulfilling the funding pledges given at the population conference in Cairo in 1994. Unless donors live up to their promises, the lack of reproductive health care programmes may lead to a population boom in poor countries. (BBC)Battling Poverty or Fighting Wars? (September 10, 2004)
Global military spending will likely approach the one-trillion-dollar mark by the end of 2004. Paradoxically, the world spends only 50 billion dollars on development aid annually. These figures reveal a lack of commitment among governments of rich countries to the UN Millennium Development Goal of reducing poverty. (Inter Press Service)UK Leads a $4 Billion Vaccination Drive (August 9, 2004)
France, the UK and Bill Gates backed an initiative to vaccinate children for preventable diseases, such as polio and yellow fever. The program will strengthen healthcare systems and begin long-term vaccine buying policies, aiming to save over 2 million children per year by 2015. (Guardian)World's Poorest Nations on Slippery Slope (July 2, 2004)
Leaders of poor countries cite "rising debts, declining development aid, poor commodity prices and increased Western tariff barriers on third world products" for the increasing levels of poverty within their countries. They unequivocally concluded that domestic resources alone could not adequately build sustainable development, and that foreign assistance and the private sector were needed as well. (Inter Press Service)Financial Liberalization and Poverty: Channels of Influence (July 2004)
This paper argues that governments must ensure that financial liberalization is designed with poverty reduction as its thrust or else it will not benefit the poor. This failure stems from the market's nature, which primarily gives advantage to those who already have access to economic resources and information. (Social Science Research Network)Companies with More Females at the Top Perform Much Better (June 24, 2004)
"High hopes are pinned on the power of women" in development initiatives around the world. Female borrowers tend to repay loans and spend profits on family needs more consistently than men. For these reasons, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, UNESCO, and many NGOs are focusing on women's education and empowerment as central to development work. (World Bank Press Review)World Bank: Poor Countries Need Institutional Reform for Water Projects to Work (June 18, 2004)
Lasting institutional reform is critical to development. Some past reform methods, created by experts and policy makers, have been ineffective because they failed to elicit the population-based, behavioral changes needed for successful projects. To create such change, effective programs require significant funding and years of planning.(World Bank Press Review)Gordon Brown: We Need Irreversible Progress in Tackling World Poverty (June 1, 2004)
At the current rate of progress, the world will not meet the Millennium Development Goals in Africa, set for 2015, for another 100 years. The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer urges rich countries to live up to their promises and promote fair trade, aid and debt relief. (Independent)'EU Failing to Fight Poverty' (April 28, 2004)
Aid agencies argue that the European Union (EU) must redouble its anti-poverty commitments to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Hans Zomer from the Irish national network of development charities criticizes the EU for spending just 0.35 percent of its GNP in 2003 on overseas aid, while 600 million children live in poverty. (Inter Press Service)Resources Mobilization and Enabling the Environment for Poverty Eradication in the Context of the Implementation of the Program of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2001-2010. (April 23, 2004)
This extensive Report by the Secretary General discusses the resources and activities that poor countries will need to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. It covers a wide range of topics--from international assistance, to remittances, to trade, to mobilization of domestic resources--concluding that successful development will only come from a multi-layered endeavor that utilizes public and private mechanisms to mobilize a variety of resources. (ECOSOC)World 'Failing Poverty Pledges' (April 23, 2004)
In a joint study on tackling poverty, the World Bank and IMF call on rich countries to “take the lead” in addressing the root causes of poverty. James Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank, argues that governments must “change their priorities and spend more on aid.” Yet, Wolfensohn mentions nothing about the World Bank changing its neoliberal agenda. (BBC)Putin Launches War on Poverty (March 22, 2004)
Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has “demanded” a reduction in the number of Russians living below the poverty line by half over the next three years. Putin argues that for the economy to grow faster, the government must increase the taxes on the oil industry and reduce the tax burden on other sectors. (Moscow Times)ECOSOC Calls for "Comprehensive Effort" to End Deep Poverty (February 18, 2004)
At a UN meeting on poverty eradication, President of ECOSOC and Ambassador of Finland, Marjatta Rasi demanded that governments develop "pro-poor growth policies” that generate employment, prevent further income disparities and lift the world's poorest nations out of extreme poverty. There was broad consensus on the need for changes in trade rules and a number of other measures. (UN Wire)Data Show Basic Education Underlies Economic Development, Political Stability, Healthy Populations (February 17, 2004)
The Basic Education Coalition argues that education is crucial for poverty reduction and democracy. A report by this umbrella group of 19 NGOs contends that basic education fosters higher life expectancies, lower infant mortality rates and greater political stability.State of the World 2004: Richer, Fatter, and Not Much Happier (January 8, 2004)
The Worldwatch Institute argues that the unsustainable consumption rates by more than a quarter of humanity degrades the natural environment and makes it harder for the world’s poor to break the cycle of poverty.Brazil Pays Parents to Help Poor Be Pupils, Not Wage Earners (January 3, 2004)
To break the cycle of poverty, more and more Latin American countries create incentives for parents to invest in their children’s future. In Brazil for example, the program “Family Grant” guarantees the poor small monthly cash payments on the condition that they keep their children in school. By 2006, the program will reach one quarter of the Brazilian population. (New York Times)2003
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The United Nations Development Program’s annual Human Development Index ranks 175 countries based on income per person, life expectancy, literacy and school enrollment. The report is a tool for evaluating progress toward the Millennium Development GoalsWhy Eyes Are on Brazil (December 24, 2003)
Two World Bank officials admit that the Bank’s “Washington Consensus” did not succeed in pulling Latin Americans out of poverty. It forced Latin America to endure financial austerity before seeking to improve the basic living conditions. Yet, the officials still express skepticism about Brazilian President Lula da Silva’s strategy of giving social progress the priority over economic growth. (International Herald Tribune)Reducing Poverty or Repeating Mistakes? (December 18, 2003)
In 1999, the World Bank invented the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) to replace its increasingly criticized Structural Adjustment Programs. Yet, this report argues that both mechanisms generate the same neo-liberal policy contents, such as privatization and liberalization, instead of focusing on equity issues and poverty reduction. (People Participating in Poverty Reduction)Getting Girls into Schools is First Step to Reaching MDGs (December 11, 2003)
UNICEF’s “State of the World’s Children” contends that promoting basic education for girls will jump-start the progress needed to reach the Millennium Development Goals. Currently, school enrollment and literacy rates are still far higher among boys than among girls, perpetuating the vast waste of human potential.The First UN Millennium Development Goal (November 6, 2003)
What is poverty? How is it measured and by who? Mainstream media and UN institutions generally rely on the World Bank for data on poverty and poverty reduction. This article criticizes the World Bank's arbitrary way of developing these data, thereby critically assessing the fundaments of the Millennium Development Goals. (Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs)The Importance of Basic Education (October 28, 2003)
Economist Amartya Sen argues that the example of Japan proves that real social and economic progress has to build on universal access to basic education. He insists on the importance of closing educational gaps, as basic education can have a “powerfully preventive role in reducing human insecurity of nearly every kind.” (Guardian)Bleak Arab Progress Report (October 21, 2003)
The second Arab Human Development Report highlights poor education and the absence of political freedoms as underlying causes of lagging development in the Arab world. Moreover, outside trends work against an open Arab society. For example, US laws make it difficult for Arab students and academics to obtain visas. (Christian Science Monitor)The Bilgaon Model (October 11-24, 2003)
This article presents a development initiative in the Indian Narmada Valley. The project illustrates that sustainable ideas building up on equitable sharing and common control of resources can have great impact. It provides electricity and school education to twelve villages where the government failed to do so. (Frontline, India)Angola: School Feeding an Incentive for Pupils and Parents (October 9, 2003)
Only 50 percent of Angolan children have access to formal education. To increase children’s attendance at primary schools, the World Food Program started a program that allows schools to offer children two meals a day. (Integrated Regional Information Network)Can We Abolish Poverty? (October 9, 2003)
This article from the Daily Trust (Nigeria) argues that the ongoing poverty alleviation strategies in Nigeria do not sufficiently take into consideration the particular way of thinking of the people.Slums Are the Heartbeat of Cities (October 6, 2003)
UN Habitat projects that within thirty years, one-third of the world’s population will live in slums. The organization blames the proliferation of slums on World Bank and IMF policies in the 1980s, and urges governments to show political will to improve the intolerable living conditions of slum dwellers. (East African)Debt and the Millennium Development Goals (September 2003)
CAFOD, Christian Aid and Eurodad urge multilateral and bilateral donors to undertake policy actions to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The joint paper argues that without the requisite finance, low-income countries cannot meet the goals. It furthermore proposes specific aid and debt policy reforms.World Development Report 2004: Making Services Work for Poor People (September 2003)
The World Bank generally advocates the privatization of services, contributing to the corrosion of universal access to education, health care and water. Yet, in its World Development Report 2004, the Bank states that the access to basic services represents a necessary condition to help poor people acquire the means to escape poverty.The IMF and the Millennium Development Goals (September 2003)
This Oxfam paper criticizes the IMF for spreading pessimism toward increasing aid flows to poor countries. It urges the Fund to use its authority in a dynamic way, and to help establish the financial framework necessary to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.Drugs Are Just the Start (August 28, 2003)
UK finance minister Gordon Brown asks rich countries to demonstrate their sincere commitment to achieving the Millennium Development Goals at the summits of the WTO, the IMF and the World Bank. Brown calls for a phasing out of agricultural protectionism, and announces British plans to double development assistance. (Guardian)Latin America’s Poverty Indices Stagnate (August 25, 2003)
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) found that 43 percent of the Latin American population lives in poverty. ECLAC further estimates that, due mainly to the lack of growth in per capita GDP, living conditions will not significantly change in most countries in 2003.The Tanzanian Poverty Puzzle: Arusha or Washington? (August 21, 2003)
Tanzania is caught between the conflicting priorities of the World Bank Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper and the home-grown National Poverty Eradication Strategy. Although the plans should complement each other to eliminate poverty, funding addresses mainly the less ambitious PRSP targets. (Panos)A Path to Helping the Poor, and His Investors (August 10, 2003)
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has announced the possibility to include the private sector in the fight against world poverty, further encouraging microfinancing initiatives. This New York Times article highlights the risks of private sector involvement, as microfinancing ventures primarily seek profits rather than poverty reduction.Brain Drain Strangling Economic Development (July 14, 2003)
Professionals of poor countries cripple their nations’ socio-economic development when they leave for rich countries, often only to find work doing menial jobs. (Herald)The Lost Decade (July 9, 2003)
According to the 2003 Human Development Report, overall human development fell in 21 countries during the 1990s. By contrast, only four countries suffered falling human development in the 1980s. Neo-liberal policies and the spread of AIDS caused increasing disparity in wealth and living standards. (Guardian)The Spoils of the War on Poverty (July 2, 2003)
The G-8 and inter-governmental financial organizations use the rhetoric “fighting poverty” to appear to be helping the world’s poor. Realistically, their liberalizing economic policies and one-size-fits-all development plans create greater global inequality. (Guardian)Brazil Pays Its Poor to Send Kids to School (July 1, 2003)
Poor Brazilian children often spend their day trying to earn enough money to eat, rather than attending school. A government program offers families a stipend for their child’s school attendance. (Washington Post)Is 'Wi-Fi' Good for Developing Nations? (July 1, 2003)
Closing the digital divide between rich and poor nations is important, but the basics--clean water, health, food--must come first. (Yale Global)An International Decent Work Strategy (June 4, 2003)
Global unemployment represents a serious problem in an increasingly wage-dependent world, but governments and international financial institutions have largely treated unemployment as a secondary concern. John Langmore of the International Labour Organisation discusses how governments, corporations, and communities can act to create “decent work” and boost income for millions of poor people. (Evatt Foundation)Ranking the Rich (June 2003)
“Foreign Policy teamed up with Center for Global Development to create the first annual CGD/FP Commitment to Development Index, which grades 21 rich nations on whether their aid, trade, migration, investment, peacekeeping, and environmental policies help or hurt poor nations.”Breaking the Conflict Trap: Civil War and Development Policy (May 2003)
This World Bank report finds that ethnic tensions and ancient political feuds are rarely the primary cause of civil wars. Instead economic forces such as entrenched poverty and heavy dependence on natural resource exports are usually to blame.US, Japan Flunk Global Poverty-Reduction Test (April 28, 2003)
A new index that evaluates the poverty reduction policies of the world’s 21 wealthiest developed countries concludes that smaller donor countries pursue more successful policies than the G7 countries. (OneWorld)How These People Are Doing More for the Third World Than Western Governments (April 20, 2003)
World Bank reports demonstrate that relatively poor migrant workers in rich countries provide more financial flows to developing countries than the combined total of government aid, private bank lending, and IMF/World Bank assistance. In many smaller developing countries, remittances are playing a significant developmental role. (Observer)World Bank, IMF Say Third World Development Lags (April 14, 2003)
Senior officials of the World Bank and IMF criticize rich countries for failing to live up to their pledge to support the UN Millennium Development Goals. The officials particularly targeted these countries’ refusal to reduce trade barriers and their failure to grant additional aid to help poor countries. (Los Angeles Times)Poor Countries Overlooked at World Bank, Say NGOs (April 10, 2003)
The Iraq crisis will likely overshadow poverty, AIDS, education, and debt relief for poor countries at the World Bank and IMF's annual spring meetings in Washington, highlighting rich countries' gross over-representation at the two institutions. A Bank report says, "bluntly speaking," poor countries will not meet UN goals to halve poverty rates by 2015. (Reuters)War on Iraq Threatens UN Poverty Goals (April 4, 2003)
Eveline Herfkens, the UN's executive coordinator for the Millennium Development Goals, warns that the US-led war on Iraq may jeopardize UN goals to reduce poverty by 2015. Funds that could have been used to fight poverty and AIDS will be diverted to military and post-war construction projects. (Inter Press Service)Brazil’s War on Hunger off to a Slow Start (March 30, 2003)
Brazil’s Zero Hunger program has generated more controversy than results, mired in internal debate within the new government. President Lula da Silva adopted IMF prescribed austerity measures that reduced the scope of aid provisions to hungry families, provoking widespread resentment. (New York Times)Poverty Pushes Cuban Women into Sex Tourism (March 26, 2003)
Since the fall of the Soviet Union halted the flow of aid and investment to Cuba, the relentless US embargo has had an even more devastating effect on Cuba's economy. Many men choose to find work abroad, leaving women with few options to support their families outside the booming sex tourism industry. (Digital Freedom Network)Hungry in a Wealthy Nation (March 26, 2003)
As the Bush administration spends billions of dollars to invade Iraq, 12 million children in the United States do not have enough to eat. Anuradha Mittal of the California-based Institute for Food and Development Policy argues that the US government fails to guarantee the fundamental human rights of food, shelter, and education for its own people. (Inter Press Service)Bolivian Coca Growers Fight Eradication (March 25, 2003)
The Washington Times reports that the US-sponsored Bolivian ‘anti-narcotics’ war has devastated the livelihood of the local indigenous population and left them with no alternative means to survive. Bolivia is heavily dependent on US and IMF financial aid.Helping Hand for Bangladesh’s Poor (March 25, 2003)
The Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), a non-governmental development organization, manages 34,000 schools, provides health care and microcredit, runs an internet service provider, several agricultural factories, a plant-tissue laboratory, and more. In short, BRAC has taken over where the Bangladeshi government and the private sector have failed. (New York Times)As Bolivian Miners Die, Boys Are Left to Toil (March 24, 2003)
In Potosí, Bolivia, boys as young as 10 risk their lives and ruin their health in the same mines that bankrolled Spanish military expansion centuries ago, but now poverty, not outright imperialism, drives child labor. (New York Times)Activists Rage against Global 'Water Wars' (March 23, 2003)
While delegates gathered at the World Water Conference in Kyoto, activists protested in Florence against a trend by governments and corporations to treat water as a commodity, not a right, at the expense of the world’s poor. (Independent)Trees in Haiti Fall Victim to Poverty of the People (March 22, 2003)
Once blanketing the country with rich vegetation, 90 percent of Haiti's forests are gone, damaging topsoil quality and altering weather patterns. Haiti’s government recognizes the severity of the problem, but doesn’t have the resources to enforce anti-logging laws or provide people with alternate means of livelihood. (Associated Press)Fishing for a Future (March 19, 2003)
In the Ghanaian fishing village of Elmina, the entire community is suffering the economic consequences of the ocean’s rapidly declining fish stocks. The government of Ghana imposes strict regulations on large commercial trawlers, which are largely responsible for depleting fish stocks, but it lacks the resources to enforce those regulations. (BBC)With Little Loans, Mexican Women Overcome (March 19, 2003)
In Mexico, two microcredit organizations have discovered that small loans to women, and only women, produce dramatic results for helping families lift themselves out of poverty. (New York Times)The Water Crisis Is Taking A Toll Worse Than Any War (March 18, 2003)
“More people are likely to suffer and die this decade from lack of clean water than from all armed conflicts combined,” writes a managing director of the World Bank in the International Herald Tribune. He argues that the world’s failure to address the water crisis has only to do with political will and focus, not ideological conflict.Lula's Brazil (March 10, 2003)
The neo-liberal free market policies of the previous Brazilian government together with a skyrocketing debt threaten to undermine President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva’s new set of economic and social policies aiming to decrease poverty. (Alternatives)Facing a Financial Time Bomb and the War (March 10, 2003)
According to Reinaldo Gonzalves of the Economic Institute of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, the Lula government will face a major fiscal crisis if it continues to adopt traditional measures to deal with its debt problem. This Brazilian economist calls for alternative strategies to challenge the strangle hold of domestic and the international elites on the Brazilian economy. (Alternatives)Wrong Policy Guides Poverty Alleviation Drive, Says Expert (March 6, 2003)
Noted Indonesian poverty expert Mubyarto criticizes Indonesia’s current policy that focuses on macro economic growth, but neglects the country’s rural poor. According to Mubyarto, the government should aim for an equal distribution of wealth. (Jakarta Post)Once Secure, Argentines Now Lack Food and Hope (March 2, 2003)
This report illustrates how the recent financial crisis has hurt Argentina's public, including widespread hunger, malnutrition and a public health crisis. (New York Times)Banned Pesticides Poisoning Millions (February 27, 2003)
The Environmental Justice Foundation discloses the wide use of pesticides in poor countries, which can potentially cause severe health hazard for poor farmers. The foundation calls for more government effort to reduce reliance on pesticides. (Independent)World Bank Launches Initiative To Help Rural Poor With Increased Lending, Lobbying (February 20, 2003)
A new World Bank initiative aims to protect poor farmers from the negative impact of rich countries’ agricultural subsidies. The Bank says it is answering the UN’s call to pay special attention to the plight of the rural poor because “the industrial world is still not doing anything significant about it." (Associated Press)Rural Hunger (February, 2003)
Hunger is a problem not confined to the so-called Third World. Even in the wealthiest country on earth, many mothers struggle to keep their children fed. Second Harvest paints a portrait of decaying rural communities in the US plagued by unemployment, economic stagnation, poverty, and hunger.An Assault on Poverty Is Vital Too (February 13, 2003)
While terrorism and weapons proliferation must be dealt with, British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown argues, “a world where some live in plenty while half the human race lives on less than two dollars a day cannot, in the long run, be either just or stable.” Brown underscores his appeal for a new international finance facility to double aid to poor countries. (Guardian)US, Dumping of Farm Goods Hurts Poor, Says Think-Tank (February 11, 2003)
A new study by a US-based think tank criticizes the US practice of dumping agricultural products into developing countries’ markets, destroying poor farmers’ livelihood. This study puts forward various proposals to end unfair dumping of farm commodities.(Inter Press Service)Women as the Key to a Shift in Priorities (February 11, 2003)
A potential war on Iraq and fears of economic recession must not turn attention away from the environment and poverty in the developing world, write the authors of “Linking Population, Women and Biodiversity” from the State of the World 2003. To address poverty and biodiversity loss, world leaders must address the crucial problem of gender inequality and reproductive health. (International Herald Tribune)Liberalisation Makes Rajasthan's Drought Lethal (February 5, 2003)
The monsoon hasn’t come to northeastern India since 1998, but development workers say India’s economic liberalization, not drought alone, is responsible for the current famine. Relief organization Christian Aid has seen an increase in rural poverty and acute hunger since India began liberalizing its economy and dismantling agricultural subsidies. (Guardian)Balancing Trade Rules, the Environment and Sustainable Development (February 1, 2003)
From the WTO’s Doha “development” trade round to public-private “partnerships” for development, members of the world business community have begun to promote themselves as purveyors of poverty alleviation. But this interview with the General Manager of the Environmental Protection Authority of Ethiopia reveals the wariness with which poor countries receive such rhetoric. (allAfrica)Lula Launches War on Hunger - Both Causes and Effects (January 30, 2003)
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s “Zero Hunger” plan takes a multifaceted approach to addressing the causes, not just the symptoms, of hunger. The plan aims to create jobs, improve access to education, and expand land reform in addition to providing immediate hunger relief. (Inter Press Service)Palestinians 'Sink Into Extreme Poverty' (January 29, 2003)
A report by the charity organization Christian Aid says Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are living in extreme poverty, as Israeli soldiers bulldoze over olive and citrus groves and curfews prohibit trade between villages. The report blames the Israeli military occupation for the crisis, as well as decades of unjust treatment of Palestinians. (BBC)Argentina, US Searching for New Policy Guidelines (January 29, 2003)
A senior Argentinean official announced that the US and Argentina will work together to rethink the “Washington Consensus” development model of free trade, deregulation, and privatization in response to the Latin American economic crises. The economist who first coined the term will work with Latin American economists to create a new development model. (Reuters)Can Small Still be Beautiful? (January 28, 2003)
India and China are both pursuing development strategies made in the West based on growth, efficiency, and consumption of natural resources. This article warns that “the result is likely to be a highly degraded environment and serious depletion of resources, rather than the elimination of poverty.” (Christian Science Monitor)Namibian Development Policies Failing to Assist Most Marginalized Minorities (January 27, 2003)
A Minority Rights Group International report censures Namibia for failing to consider the impact of development policies on indigenous and minority groups. The report represents one of many instances in which policy developers neglect to consult marginalized communities.Poverty is the War of Wars We Have to Win (January 26, 2003)
Eveline Herfkens, UN Special Advisor on the Millennium Development Goals, argues that a potential US war on Iraq cannot halt the global war on poverty. Herfkens contends that EU members have taken a strong stand on aid and development, arguing that “we can do things even if it does not involve the US.” (Inter Press Service)Brown Plan for Extra $50 Billion in War on Poverty (January 23, 2003)
British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown proposes that rich countries double aid spending over the next fifteen years to help meet the 2015 Millennium Development Goals of cutting world poverty levels in half. Brown argues the global war on terrorism must include a war on poverty. (Guardian)Nestlé 'Breaking Code on Baby Milk for Third World' (January 17, 2003)
Despite a twenty-year, internationally recognized campaign against promoting baby formula over breast milk in poor countries, Nestle and Danone corporations continue to provide samples of baby formula to new mothers in third world hospitals. Unsafe bottle feeding contributes to the death of thousands of infants every year. (Independent)Report Urges New Strategy to Aid Europe's Poverty-Stricken Roma (January 16, 2003)
A United Nations Development Programme report shows that programs to lift minority Roma communities in Eastern Europe out of poverty have failed miserably. One in six Roma people in the region are “constantly starving,” and only a third of Roma children attend primary school.Chaos and Constitution (January/February, 2003)
President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela rose to power on a pro-poor, pro-democracy platform, drafting a constitution after taking office that extends political and property rights to Venezuela’s poorest citizens. However, his failure to promote economic growth has mobilized the upper classes in a violent effort to oust him. (Mother Jones)Viva Brazil! (January, 2003)
The rise of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva marks the beginning of a new historical cycle of resistance to the neoliberal economic paradigm in Latin America, this article argues. All across the continent, people are rebelling against structural adjustment policies that have had disastrous social consequences. (Le Monde diplomatique)The Bush Plan: A Global-Scale Disappointment (January 10, 2003)
This author argues that President Bush’s economic plan not only disproportionately benefits the US rich, but also reflects an unwise approach to the global economy. Instead, promoting fair trade with the developing world, and investment in poor countries’ social development, would generate wealth both in the US and around the world. (Asia Times)Study Looks at Squatters and Land Titles in Peru (January 9, 2003)
In Peru, the largest property title reform project in the world allows squatters to obtain legal title to the space they inhabit. A Princeton University study shows that communities that have undergone title reform have higher employment and a lower rate of child labor than communities without title reform. (New York Times)The Millennium Development Goals and Local Processes – Hitting the Target or Missing the Point? (2003)
The UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) is a great commitment to global poverty reduction, but the initiative has also several flaws: the MDGs embody issues that the international community has failed to address successfully through the last 40 years of aid work. This document argues that the MDG represent a positive step but one that risks complete undermining unless governments and aid agencies include a bottom-up perspective in addressing the global problems. It emphasizes also the need of fairer international trade policies and debt relief. (International Institute for Environment and Development)2002
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The UN’s most widely read report states that human development, freedom, and dignity are positively linked to democratic governments and institutions. The Report finds that despite the growing number of democratic countries many democracies are at risk of faltering. (United Nations Development Programme)
Argentina: Exclusion Claims Its Destined Victims (December 31, 2002)
Every day in Argentina children die of starvation and poverty related diseases, and many public schools have become little more than “public canteens.” While the government has pledged to bring food relief to the poorest, this article argues Argentina must address its prevailing economic model responsible for massive poverty and inequality. (Latin American Information Agency)Uprooted by Poverty (December 18, 2002)
The large numbers of “economic refugees” and migrant workers who flee crippling and degrading poverty are symptomatic of worsening global inequality. This article argues that rich nations, rather than building fortresses to keep migrants out, should address the root systemic causes of inequality and poverty. (ATTAC)Reproductive Health Key to Eradication of Poverty (December 17, 2002)
Speakers at the UN-sponsored Fifth Asian and Pacific Population Conference in Bangkok argued that lack of access to reproductive health services and information perpetuates poverty and gender inequality in Asia. The focus on reproductive health and poverty comes in response to US efforts to undermine global commitments to family planning. (Bangkok Post)Stop Passing the Buck to Business (December 15, 2002)
Despite broad consensus on the urgent need for sustainable development, the current UK government seems to shrink from the idea of corporate regulation more than any previous administration. However, without regulation, corporations have little incentive not to externalize costs onto the environment. (Observer)Slow Growth Seen Hurting Poverty Fight (December 12, 2002)
The World Bank warns in its economic forecast for 2003 that a decline in foreign direct investment due to slow worldwide growth will hinder efforts to fight global poverty. Additionally, the Bank argues that a drawn out war in Iraq would exacerbate the situation even further, creating a potential world recession. (Boston Globe)Argentina's New Social Protagonists (December, 2002)
In Argentina, homeless people are organizing a new, powerful social network to confront poverty and unemployment. The “piquetero” movement (directly translated as “picketers”) fights for social justice by setting up entire neighborhoods with gardens and community soup kitchens, and protesting with roadblocks and bonfires. (World Press Review/Clarin)Growing Poverty Is Shrinking Mexico's Rain Forest (December 8, 2002)
In Mexico’s southeastern Chiapas State, some people’s only means to avoid starvation involves cutting down patches of rainforest to plant food. Ecologists want to preserve the Chiapas forest, but for the desperately poor people who live there, “the issue is turning from saving the trees to saving the people.” (New York Times)Kazakhstan: Oil Money Threatens to Make Killing Fields (December 4, 2002)
The government of Kazakhstan is developing what will be the second largest oil field in the world, despite growing opposition from local people. To the Kazakh government, the prospect of immense oil profits outweighs the project’s enormous human and environmental risks. (The Guardian)A Program Intended to Offer Health Insurance to the Poor (December 4, 2002)
An experimental program sponsored by the World Bank and the International Labor Organization provides health insurance to poor people in developing countries by allowing small, regional insurers to pool risk over a large area, making them less vulnerable to large epidemics. (New York Times)Ensuring Reproductive Health and Rights Would Go a Long Way in Overcoming Poverty, New Report Says (December 3, 2002)
A United Nations Population Fund report strongly links access to contraception, family planning, and health care with poverty reduction and economic growth. The report argues that “universal access to reproductive health care, universal education, and women’s empowerment” are conditions for “creating a global society that is both stable and just.”Poor, Disabled and Shut Out (December 3, 2002)
In a Washington Post article, World Bank President James Wolfensohn underscores the importance of integrating the needs of people with disabilities into development strategies. “Addressing disability is a significant part of reducing poverty,” he argues.Azerbaijan Looks Beyond Oil In Efforts To Reduce Poverty (December 2, 2002)
The United Nations Development Programme is working with oil-rich Azerbaijan to lessen its dependence on oil production by developing non-oil sectors of its economy such as agriculture and tourism.Saved, or Ruined, by 'White Gold' (November 27, 2002)
The expensive, corruption-ridden Lesotho Highlands Water Project has already caused massive environmental damage and human displacement in Lesotho, but it represents a crucial source of money and jobs for the small landlocked country. “Dams bring progress,” argues one Lesotho farmer, “and we want progress.” (Washington Post)Nation's Countryside Struggling From Bad Policies, Lack Of Support (November 26, 2002)
Poverty in Mexico’s rural agricultural areas has soared in the last ten years to almost seventy four percent, primarily concentrated in indigenous communities. Mexico will likely concede to removing tariffs on US agricultural goods during upcoming high level trade talks, putting Mexican farmers at an even steeper disadvantage. (The News Mexico)Ecuadorians Elect Former Coup Leader As President (November 26, 2002)
The people of Ecuador elected Lucio Edwin Gutierrez, who ran against the country’s richest banana baron, on the basis of his pro-poor, anti-corruption, indigenous people-oriented platform. Recently, though, Gutierrez has been bowing to “jittery” investors by shifting his statements back to the center. (New York Times)Environmental Cost Of Asia's Development (November 26, 2002)
The Asian Development Bank warns that environmental degradation caused by economic growth in Asia is “pervasive, accelerating and largely unabated,” endangering resources necessary for long-term economic development. (Asia Times)Nearly 700,000 Cambodians Short of Food (November 24, 2002)
A combination of drought followed by floods has destroyed rice crops and left hundreds of thousands of people vulnerable to a food crisis in Cambodia. The World Food Programme calls for more attention to climatic abnormalities, stating that, “To ignore the threat of climate change is to gamble with people's lives.'' (Reuters)UN Plans Largest Ever Food Aid Programme For Palestinians (November 18, 2002)
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reports that “the failure of the peace process and the destruction of the Palestinian economy by Israel's closures policy have had the effect of a terrible natural disaster.” The UNRWA has increased its food aid to address worsening malnutrition among Palestinian children.Big Development Projects Need Cultural Impact Assessments (November 18, 2002)
Klaus Toepfer, the executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, argues that development projects should undergo strict evaluations for their impact on indigenous peoples. The UNEP finds a strong link between the loss of language and cultural diversity in indigenous communities and the loss of biodiversity.When Societies Fail, Terrorism Steps In (November 13, 2002)
Indonesia’s foreign minister argues that the poverty, ignorance, alienation, and desperation that lead to terrorism can be “exorcized by education” and “redressed with social justice.” He argues that the fight against terrorism should be intimately linked to a movement for political, social, and economic development. (International Herald Tribune)Security and Democracy in a Free Market (November 13, 2002)
The editor of The Nation, Bangkok, suggests that Amartya Sen’s ideas of “welfare economics” could have saved Thailand from its disastrous economic crisis in the late 1990s. Sen disagrees with the “Chicago school’s” faith in free markets and growth, and argues for social safety nets and democratic decision making.India: Politics of Starvation (November 12, 2002)
When the Indian People’s Union for Civil Liberties discovered that indigenous people in Rajasthan had died of starvation while subsidized grain rotted in storage, the Indian government hurried to absolve itself of responsibility. However, investigators blame both India’s “anti-poor” policies and World Bank liberalization programs for the crisis. (Asia Times)Social Panorama of Latin America, 2001-2002
If Latin America’s economy progresses as predicted, poverty will rise by 40 percent over the next year. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean’s annual report argues that income distribution, among the most unequal in the world, represents a crucial problem in the fight against poverty in Latin America.Nobel Winner: Free Press Can Help Third World Development (November 7, 2002)
Former World Bank chief economist Joseph Stiglitz argues that freedom of the press “is at the heart of equitable development.” Free media could help fight poverty and promote development by giving voice to the poor and encouraging government accountability. (Reuters)Playing Politics With World Population (November 6, 2002)
The Bush administration threatens to sabotage the UN International Conference on Population and Development action plan, which promotes basic health, education, and reproductive rights for women around the world. The Dutch minister for development cooperation argues, "Poverty reduction will not be successful . . . without women being able to make their own choices." (New York Times)The Human Face of Climate Change (November 4, 2002)
Outside the UN Conference on Climate Change in Delhi, Indian people hardest hit by environmental degradation and natural disasters including fish workers, indigenous peoples, rickshaw pullers and street children convened to discuss climate change “from a human rights, social justice and labor perspective.” (Corpwatch)US in Denial as Poverty Rises (November 2, 2002)
In New Haven, Connecticut, elite and privileged students walk by desperately poor and homeless people on their way to class. The city reflects a sharp contrast between the obscene wealth and growing poverty in the United States, now exacerbated by the AIDS crisis. (Guardian)The Social Wars (November, 2002)
With poverty on the rise and inequality at “outrageous” proportions, many cities around the world have witnessed a sharp increase in robbery and violent crimes that arguably constitute a “social war.” This article argues, “The great lesson of the history of humanity is that in the long term people will always revolt against worsening inequality.” (Le Monde Diplomatique)Chile: No Future Without a Past (November, 2002)
Chile emerged from three decades of extreme socio-cultural change, marked by a brutal dictatorship and a series of coups, to its current status as the economic “tiger” of Latin America. Now, vulnerable to fluctuations in the global economy, the people of Chile are reeling from their “sudden transformation from social actors to consumers.” (Le Monde Diplomatique)Providing Insight Into Life's Injustices (October 31, 2002)
Buddhist teachings of compassion and non-exploitation ought to make the Thai government more serious about pro-poor development policies, reflects the assistant editor of the Bangkok Post. Instead, “the story of Thailand's economic growth is one of ruthless exploitation of rural people's resources to feed the urban rich.”The World’s Other Food Crisis: Central America (October 30, 2002)
The World Food Programme hopes to dispel the misperception in the international community that hunger in Central America is not as severe as in Africa or Asia. In fact, thousands of children are dying from malnutrition in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, where a food crisis is in its second year. (Christian Science Monitor)APEC: A Fruitless Exercise, Again (October 30, 2002)
Developing countries at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) annual summit accuse US President Bush of “hijacking” the trade negotiations to promote his war bid in Iraq. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo argues that shifting the focus from development to “security” fosters terrorism “by promoting hunger, disease and ignorance.” (Asia Times)Lula Promises Poverty Relief and Stability (October 29, 2002)
In his first speech as president of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva vowed to address poverty as the most important issue facing the country, claiming, "If every citizen is able to eat three times a day, I will have fulfilled my life's mission." (Guardian)Annan Says Economic Growth Alone Will Not Resolve World's Ills, Urges Broader Efforts (October 28, 2002)
In a speech delivered at the Dubai Strategy Forum in the United Arab Emirates, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan pressed for increased attention to balanced social development in addition to economic growth. (United Nations)Lack of Funds Forces World Food Programme to Cut Assistance to Hungry North Koreans (October 28, 2002)
A decrease in donations to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) will force the Program to cut its cereal distributions to three million people in North Korea. The director of the WFP warns that “such across-the-board cutbacks would cause acute suffering on a massive scale.”A Richer World Keeps Failing to End Hunger, Says UN (October 28, 2002)
Rich nations produce enough food to feed the entire world, but global famine has reached an unprecedented scale. Special Rapporteur of the UN Commission on Human Rights Jean Siegler argues that wealthy countries, by failing to alleviate hunger, violate the international human right to food for millions of people. (Inter Press Service)Forget Pretence, Poverty's Just Over the Fence (October 26, 2002)
The bombings in Bali should prompt Australia to care more about Indonesia’s failing economy and widespread poverty. This article discusses Indonesia’s troubled path to development and democracy, from Suharto to the Asian crisis and failed IMF adjustment policies. (Sydney Morning Herald)Brazil on Threshold of New Era With Lula Victory (October 24, 2002)
Luis Inacio da Silva, or “Lula,” won the Brazilian election partly as a result of the “resounding collapse” of his predecessor’s neoliberal economic policies. Now, Lula has the chance to redirect Brazil’s economic strategies so that “the poor, the marginalized, the workers become the driving force in the rebuilding of the nation.” (OneWorld)Brazil on Threshold of New Era With Lula Victory (October 24, 2002)
Luis Inacio da Silva, or “Lula,” won the Brazilian election partly as a result of the “resounding collapse” of his predecessor’s neoliberal economic policies. Now, Lula has the chance to redirect Brazil’s economic strategies so that “the poor, the marginalized, the workers become the driving force in the rebuilding of the nation.” (OneWorld)Mountain Cultures in Grave Danger Says UN (October 24, 2002)
A UN report warns that poor people in mountainous areas are particularly vulnerable to climate change and “insensitive” approaches to economic development. (Guardian)An IMF Critic Sets Up Project to Rethink Development Policy (October 22, 2002)
Joseph Stiglitz hopes the Initiative for Policy Dialogue will bring the debate on alternative development strategies “beyond the usual elite of government officials and business executives to include civic leaders, activists, academics and journalists.” (New York Times)Poverty: An Analysis From the Gender Perspective (October 17, 2002)
Poverty assessment indicators used by the World Bank and other development organizations are “incapable of reflecting the gender based inequalities that govern access to and control over resources.” This article proposes rethinking women’s roles in poverty alleviation. (Catholic Institute for International Relations)UN Secretary General’s Statement on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (October 17, 2002)
Secretary General Kofi Annan reminds the international community it is far behind on its pledge to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Annan encourages each country, including those in the developed world, to devise its own poverty eradication strategies based on local problems and needs. (United Nations)Looming Water Crisis Threatens Food Supplies (October 16, 2002)
A report released on World Food Day 2002 warns that increased competition for irrigation water, if unchecked, will lead to a food crisis. The lead author of the report calls for changes in water policy, warning, “Water is not like oil. There is no substitute.” (Environment News Service)Progress in Reducing Hunger Has Virtually Halted (October 15, 2002)
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) annual report "The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2002" says that in the last ten years, “the number of undernourished people decreased by barely 2.5 million per year and in most regions the number of undernourished people may be actually growing.”Diversification in Coffee Growing: A Viable and Sustainable Alternative to Ensure Self-Sufficiency in Food Production (October 8, 2002)
The Union of Agricultural and Cattle Ranchers in Nicaragua calls on farmers not to use all arable land for cash crops such as coffee, instead leaving some land for food production. The recent starvation of eighteen children on Nicaraguan coffee plantations prompted the union’s statement. (Catholic Institute for International Relations)The Fallacy of Foreign Aid as Engine of Economic Development (October 4, 2002)
Economic assistance and aid to Ethiopia have done nothing to alleviate poverty, and accepting more aid only increases the country’s debt burden. Instead, this author argues for an approach that relies on domestic resources and promotes Ethiopia’s private sector as an engine of growth. (Addis Tribune)Sustainability in the Fishing Industry (October 3, 2002)
Large foreign trawlers have seriously depleted fish stocks and left environmental damage off the coast of Pakistan, threatening the survival of small-scale Pakistani fishermen. The government of Pakistan lifted the ban on deep-sea trawlers this year due to financial pressures. (UN Integrated Regional Integration Networks)DNA Decoding Might Aid in Malaria Fight (October 3, 2002)
Sub-Saharan Africans constitute ninety percent of the world’s malaria victims, imposing a huge social and economic burden on the continent. New genetic information about malaria could lead to advanced prevention and treatment. (Washington Post)Middle-Class Barely Weathering the Storm (October 1, 2002)
Experts warn that the economic collapse in Argentina, which pushed many of the middle class into poverty, may result in an irreversible gap between rich and poor. (Inter Press Service)New UN Millennium Campaign Aims to Spark Global Movement (October 1, 2002)
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s new campaign presses governments to act on the Millennium Development Goals. Annan’s advisor on the campaign says, "the best news for the poor in centuries would be if we actually would implement these goals." (United Nations)Need of Absence (October 1, 2002)
A report from Volunteer Services Overseas (VSO) reveals that public education systems in Zambia, Malawi and Papua New Guinea face overwhelming obstacles, including teacher absenteeism and inaccessible schools. (Guardian)Abandon Neo-liberalism (October 1, 2002)
‘One-size-fits-all’ neo-liberal development policies have failed to lift developing countries out of poverty. Instead, this author argues that countries should tailor mainstream economic strategies, including investment strategies and institution-building, toward their specific strengths and needs. (Jakarta Post)Tackling Poverty in Asia (September, 2002)
This report from British Overseas NGOs for Development (BOND) argues for increased European Community aid to Asia for community development and poverty eradication, rather than geopolitical strategy. The report specifically addresses the interests of indigenous and other marginalized peoples and the effects of resource privatization.8.6 Million Central Americans Face Hunger (September 30, 2002)
The World Food Program reports that a series of droughts alternating with floods has left millions of people in Central America vulnerable to food shortages. (Tierramérica)Making the Case For Bangladesh (September 30, 2002)
Developing countries know that the World Bank and IMF prescribe policies that hurt poor people and the environment. Still, the finance minister of Bangladesh reluctantly implements the institutions’ reforms, suggesting that it may be “better to try to use the system to our advantage from within . . . than to fight it from outside. (Washington Post)Economic Development in Africa: From Adjustment to Poverty Reduction - What is New? (2002)
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) criticizes the World Bank and the IMF for continuing to implement structural adjustment and economic stabilization policies in Africa, despite evidence that those policies have failed.Not Just Aid, But Stronger International Coordination Needed to Defeat Poverty (September 28, 2002)
The UN asks the World Bank and the IMF to follow up on goals set at the Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, calling for an international framework “to mediate a stable, effective and adequate transfer of real resources to developing countries.” (United Nations)Global Progress in Slashing Poverty (September 26, 2002)
A report from the Institute of International Economics shows that global poverty diminished significantly in the last half of the twentieth century. However, a World Bank report warns that poverty levels remain “disturbingly high,” particularly in Africa and Latin America. (Christian Science Monitor)Number of People Living in Poverty Increases in US (September 25, 2002)
The United States Census Bureau reports that US poverty increased “significantly” last year, and income inequality continued to grow. (New York Times)Digging to Development? A Historical Look at Mining and Economic Development (September, 2002)
This report from Oxfam America shows that mining did not contribute significantly to industrialized countries’ development, and argues that current World Bank mining projects in developing countries cause serious social and environmental problems.IMF Presses World to Scrap Farm Subsidies (September 19, 2002)
The IMF’s World Economic Outlook criticizes industrialized countries’ large agricultural subsidies. The report says that subsidies depress world product prices and increase input costs, hurting poor small farmers in developing countries. (Agence France-Presse)Broken Promises? Why It Is Time for Donors to Deliver on the EFA Action Plan (September 23, 2002)
The Global Campaign for Education calls on world Development and Finance Ministers to move forward with the Education For All (EFA) action plan. Rich donor countries say they support the plan, which would provide education to all children by 2015, but they have failed to take concrete action. (Oxfam)Poverty Responsible for Alarming School Dropouts (September 9, 2002)
Malawi launched an initiative to provide free primary education, but extreme poverty and hunger prevent many children from going to school. Instead, some children work during school hours in tobacco fields to supplement family incomes. (African Church Information Service)WSSD Both Attacks and Abets "Global Apartheid" (September 9, 2002)
This article claims that the “chains of global apartheid:” the WTO, the IMF, the World Bank, and multinational corporations, wielded too much power at the Johannesburg Summit to permit any real progress. Global elites, under the guise of fighting poverty and protecting the environment, did more harm than good. (Foreign Policy in Focus)Will NEPAD Work in the Presence of the Structural Adjustment Programmes? (September 9, 2002)
This article argues that New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) economic policies must not mirror neoliberal structural adjustment programs. Instead, NEPAD policies should take advantage of domestic resources and respond to local conditions. (Independent (The Gambia))Sustainable Development: R.I.P. (September 4, 2002)
This article from (CorpWatch) argues that the “disease” of neoliberalism and corporate partnerships have fatally marred efforts for sustainable development within the UN, inevitably producing a weak final Summit document.A New Development Paradigm: Domestic Demand-Led Growth (September, 2002)
Foreign Policy in Focus proposes a new paradigm based on domestic demand-led development. The report argues that neo-liberal export-led development policies have slowed growth in developing countries and increased income inequality.Death On the Doorstep of the Summit (August, 2002)
This Oxfam report argues that the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank contribute to poverty and food insecurity. It stresses the need for reform in agriculture policy with the help of parliaments, small farmers' representatives and civil society groups.We Can Do This Good Work Together (August 28, 2002)
President Mbeki of South Africa, President Cardoso of Brazil and Prime Minister Persson of Sweden call for a change in paradigm. They argue that globalization must become a positive force for all and measures to protect the environment must go hand in hand with fighting poverty and enhancing human welfare. (International Herald Tribune)The Great EU Sugar Scam (August, 2002)
This report by Oxfam criticizes the EU’s generous sugar subsidies as an example of the West’s double standards in trade policy. In this way, rich producers in Europe can depress world prices and receive vast surpluses, while poor farmers suffer the consequences.Arms Spending Instead of Basic Aid (August 22, 2002)
Former assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration, Lawrence Korb, stresses the need for redirecting budget priorities. While defense budgets are increasing, development aid continues to shrink. Existing financial resources should instead be used to meet basic human needs. (International Herald Tribune)Cows Are Better Off Than Half the World (August 22, 2002)
The average European cow receives more money a day in subsidies than 2.8 billion people live on during the same time. Meanwhile, the expected cost for reaching the Millennium goals, on top of current aid spending, arrives at one sixth of the West’s subsidies to its farmers. (Guardian)The Third World Versus the West (August 21, 2002)
Former military officer, John Downey, argues that poverty and global inequality breed terrorism. Reforming the global order should be a priority for the West rather than relying on force. (Open Democracy)World Agriculture: Towards 2015/2030 (August, 2002)
UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns that hunger will still be a big problem in 2030. Despite slower population growth and lower demand for food, environmental problems and food insecurity need urgent attention.(FAO)Children are Victims of Privatization, Warns Charity (August 21, 2002)
A report from Save the Children raises concerns over the World Summit and the participation of the private sector. The report shows that involvement of the private sector in supplying basic services often contributes to increased poverty and inequality. (Independent)Beyond Philanthropy (2002)
This report points out companies’ reluctance to address the health crisis in the developing world. It argues that prices could be lowered substantially with little effects on revenues, and that responsible companies should have policies on access to treatment for developing countries. (Oxfam, Save the Children, and VSO)Despair in Once-Proud Argentina After Economic Collapse, Deep Poverty Makes Dignity a Casualty (August 6, 2002)
Since January's default and devaluation, more than half of Argentina’s population is living below the poverty line. The Washington Post reports, on the pitiful conditions Argentines are living under in what is “in statistical and human terms” the worst conditions the nation has ever faced.Human Development Report Georgia 2001/2002
UNDP reports that in Georgia “poverty has overtaken all other concerns, even long-standing problems such as separatist conflicts.” Over half of the country’s population lives in poverty.Globalization Cures Poverty: Study (July 9, 2002)
A debatable report by Centre for Economic Policy Research claims that “globalization is responsible for dramatically reducing the number of abjectly poor people.” Economic Policy Institute contests the argument stating that “exceptional cases of China and India” have skewed the numbers. (National Post)Extreme Poverty, Human Rights and Roma (Winter 2002)
Human rights organizations have always seen poverty as a social rather than legal issue. The European Roma Rights Center has come to realize that poverty undermines political and legal rights, and has expanded its advocacy efforts to social and economic rights. Roma Rights devoted its winter issue to poverty among the Roma.A Hopeful Way Out of Poverty (July 5, 2002)
Information inequality and access to technologies is one of the largest obstacles to development and prosperity in developing nations. Barriers to information produce an oppressive political climate, which furthers underdevelopment. (International Herald Tribune)Farm Subsidies That Kill (July 5, 2002)
This article draws attention to the negative effects that Western agricultural subsidies have on poverty in the developing world. The author writes, “the US, Europe and Japan spend $350 billion each year on agricultural subsidies” creating “gluts that lower commodity prices and erode the living standard of the world's poorest people.” (New York Times)The Alchemy of Water (July 1, 2002)
This article fervently opposes the growing trend of water privatization in poor nations. The author states, “privatization reverses the seemingly irreversible flow of water -- from life-giving to life-taking. Water, long-viewed as a common property resource available to all, and basic human right, is transformed into a commodity.” (Common Dreams)Aid Is Fine - But Trade is What Poor Countries Need Most (June 25, 2002)
The International Chamber of Commerce, a bastion of transnational business, claims that aid and debt relief pale in comparison to the need for trade. This article argues that “without the ability to sell their products, the African countries will never achieve the economic growth they need. Trade barriers will cancel the benefits of aid programs.”The Real Reasons For Hunger (June 23, 2002)
“Leading Indian ecological activist Vandana Shiva disagrees with Amartya Sen’s analysis of global hunger and democracy.” She argues that trade liberalization and globalization are primary causes for hunger today and, in fact, undermine the democratic process. (Guardian)Corporate Secrecy Oils the Wheels of Poverty (June 20, 2002)
The links between poverty and the exploitation of natural resources have become widespread knowledge. Multinational oil companies working in developing countries refuse to publish what they pay, thus adding to a vicious cycle of corruption which harms the civilian population. (International Herald Tribune)100m More Must Survive on $1 a Day (June 19, 2002)
The Guardian reports on UNCTAD 2002 "Least Developed Countries Report." Focusing on the world’s 49 least developed countries, the report “rejects the claims that globalization is good for the poor, arguing it […] is tightening rather than loosening the international poverty trap.”Why Half the Planet Is Hungry (June 16, 2002)
The world's leading expert on the causes of famine, Nobel prize-winning economist Amartya Sen, answers crucial questions on why people starve when democracy falters. (Observer of London)Harvard Economist Challenges O'Neill on Poverty (June 19, 2002)
US Secretary of Treasury Paul O'Neill, on return from Africa, commented that private-sector growth and elimination of corruption would reduce poverty in Africa. Economist Jeffrey Sachs sharply disagreed with this view by pointing to health and education projects as the ways out of poverty.(Reuters)Oxfam’s Response to Walden Bello’s Article on Make Trade Fair (May 3, 2002)
In this note, Oxfam defends its position that international trade rules must be made fair against Bello’s charge that the report promotes neo-liberal, export-led growth in its focus on greater market access for developing countries. (Oxfam)Genetic Gains Unlikely to Help World's Poor, Report Predicts (May 1, 2002)
As genetic researchers develop vaccines to treat major diseases, the World Health Organization fears people in poor countries, who constitute the majority of AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis victims, will not have access to new medical treatments. (Washington Post)What's Wrong With the Oxfam Trade Campaign (April 26, 2002)
While renewing his respect for Oxfam, Walden Bello disagrees with the focus of its recent report that promotes developing countries' access to northern markets. Instead, Bello believes the WTO’s haphazard and unfair liberalization policies constitute the root of global trade problems. (Focus on the Global South)Squeezing the Poor (April 22, 2002)
The governing elites of market democracies and the western mass media are perpetuating the myth that "poverty alleviation" can best be achieved by opening markets and liberalizing trade, despite the social and economic evidence that points to the contrary. (Toronto Star)The Challenge of World Poverty (April 22, 2002)
Rich nations’ recent pledges to increase foreign aid will force the IMF and World Bank to make difficult decisions on institutional changes, the debt crisis and trade issues in order to make foreign aid effective. (Economist Global Agenda)Rigged Rules and Double Standards (2002)
In a controversial new report, Oxfam argues that free trade’s potential to reduce poverty is not realized because the rules governing international trade have been “rigged” in favor of the rich. Oxfam suggests institutional and policy reforms that would allow the benefits of trade to be shared more equally.UN Summit Links Poverty to Terrorism (March 22, 2002)
World leaders have recognized the inextricable link between poverty and terrorism. Pursuing peace and security requires an increase in aid to developing countries, as poor countries often constitute areas particularly susceptible to violence and conflict. (ITV)Price of Free Trade: Famine (March 22, 2002)
The impact of trade liberalization in Central America has already led to skyrocketing interest rates and bankrupt farms. The author argues that the proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement will exacerbate these problems, deepening an already widespread famine in the region. (Los Angeles Times)
How Does Foreign Economic Aid Under the Bush Budget Compare With Historic Levels? (March 20, 2002)
This analysis shows that, despite the Millennium Challenge Account spending increases, the level of aid as a share of the US economy continues to fall below historic levels. (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Center for Global Development)War on Hunger More Smoke Than Roast (March, 2002)
Though significant progress has been made in halving the number of hungry people in the world, numbers are declining at too slow a rate to meet the World Food Summit target. The basic technical tools to achieve the Summit objective are in place, says Jacques Diouf, director-general of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, but political will and resources have so far been lacking. (Inter Press Service)New Oslo Center Focuses on Democratic Governance as Key to Ending Poverty (March 8, 2002)
The United Nations has recognized democratic governance as one of the most critical factors in eradicating poverty, and a new UNDP-supported center in Oslo, Norway, will promote the sharing of governance experience and knowledge among developing countries and further democratic reforms. (UNDP)Poor-Mouthing Aid (March 4, 2002)
In a strong commentary on the effectiveness of aid for development, editorial writer Sebastian Mallaby argues that aid could accomplish more if only there were more of it. He urges the United States to join the UN and the World Bank in a push to double aid when President Bush attends the summit in Monterrey. (Washington Post)The Voice of the Majority (March 2002)
Despite the fact that poor people constitute the majority of the world population, their voices remain unheard. Rather, the rich make decisions on behalf of the poor to avoid any opinions about development that counter the western agenda. (New Internationalist)Wide Disparities Persist in Nepal Despite Steady Growth (February 27, 2002)
Nepal, one of the world’s poorest nations, is facing tough challenges from a growing insurgency and increasing inequality, despite poverty reduction efforts. Discrimination, lack of accountability and harvests fraught with uncertainty are among the chief challenges. (UNDP)Less Than $1 Means Family of 6 Can Eat (February 19, 2002)
In Zambia, the advent of liberal market economics following the end of the Cold War under a new president have brought utter poverty into the homes of eight out of ten Zambians who live on less than $1 a day. Rose, an educated widow with five children never knows whether selling tomatoes will earn her enough to feed her children. (Washington Post)North Korea: Hunger Grinds in Wheels of Evil Axis (February 14, 2002)
While most North Koreans continue to rely on food aid, even those with access to foreign currency face an economically desperate country. Will Pyongyang use economic aid to revive contact with the West or make a show of "military bravado"? (Far East Economic Review)Focus on Women's Access to Finance (February 8, 2002)
United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF): "Much attention has been given to increasing women's access to financial services, but there is a huge gap between rhetoric and reality when it comes to ensuring that women, especially those in poor communities, can get loans, set up bank accounts and carry out financial transactions." Three reports outline new strategies for success. (UNDP)The Mirage of Progress (January 14, 2002)
National interests of developing and transition countries have become secondary to powerful foreign interest. This have resulted in economic failures and the prevention of potentially successful development strategies during the past 20 years. (American Prospect)Calls for World Leaders to Close Global Equality Gap (January 11, 2002)
WorldWatch Institute reports on environmental pressure and growing disparities between rich and poor as threats to global stability. The report calls for global action in fighting inequality and suggests some "sustainability goals" for the Johannesburg Development Summit.Poverty Could Breed More bin Ladens (January 9, 2002)
Globalization and economic liberalization, without special efforts concentrated on the developing world, benefit rich countries on behalf of poor. The developed world creates a system with poverty and inequality, which in turn breeds violence and crime. (Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research)Governments Urged to Set Up Debt Management Offices (January 2, 2002)
UN agency for Trade and Development (UNTAD) urges developing countries to set up offices for handling debt crisis as well as decentralization of investment decisions. The directives come in times of increasing debts, despite debt relief programs. (TOMRIC News Agency)Chronic Poverty and Older People in the Developing World (January 2002)
Poverty-reduction strategies must take into account the fact that populations are aging, particularly in developing countries. Chronic Poverty Research Centre discusses chronic poverty in old age in terms of health, economics, social exclusion and gender implications.Investing in Health for Economic Development (January, 2002)
Faced with the challenge of epidemic disease in the world’s poorest countries, the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health found that the disease burden in the poorest countries is a barrier to economic advance, but one that could be overcome if rich countries would help poor countries obtain existing technologies. (Project Syndicate)
2001
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Professor Rajagopal argues that the vast majority of cases resulting in “ethnic cleansing” occur because of “everyday evictions to make way for development projects,” and not because of armed conflict or genocide. It is common knowledge that the World Bank and IMF both support large development projects across the globe. (Washington Post)
This Programme of Action outlines the policies and measures that both the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and development partners must adopt to help improve the human conditions of more than 600 million people in 49 LDCs before 2010. (United Nations)Can World Economy Help Poor? (December 22, 2001)
This article contends that the solution to poverty is not stopping globalization but increasing the ability of the world's poor to exploit opportunities in trade and investment. (Business Recorder).Britain Urges US to Expand Worldwide Antipoverty Programs (December 18, 2001)
The link between poverty and terrorism creates an interest in worldwide poverty reduction programs. Although the US wants to fight terrorism and poverty, it still seems reluctant to increase its development aid. (New York Times)Towards Johannesburg (Number 4, 2001)
The World Summit on Sustainable Development will take place in September 2002. During this summit, world leaders should promote policies that combine environmental concerns with poverty eradication. Measures must be taken to “protect the natural base of economic and social development.”(UN Chronicle)Marshall Plan For the Next 50 Years (December 17, 2001)
Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown argues for a “Marshall Plan” directed to long-term investments in the developing world. Gordon gives his view on what the developing world needs and how poverty reduction strategies can be improved. But where are the developing countries in this plan? (Washington Post)Boost US Foreign Aid, Big-Time. (December 13, 2001)
The United States spends only 0.1 percent of its GNP on foreign aid. To be able to fight terrorism and work for peace and development the US must make a U-turn on aid. (Christian Science Monitor)EU-Leaders Gathering at Laeken Must Seize Development Agenda for Peace (December, 2001)
An appeal of 45 NGOs to the EU Summit of Heads of State in Belgium in December 2001. The NGOs want the EU to give a strong signal of support for the FfD conference in Monterrey, and give core questions that should be addressed during the summit. (NGO Caucus for Financing for Development)Women Key To Effective Development, Bank Says (December 7, 2001)
According to the World Bank, countries which promote women's rights enjoy lower poverty rates, faster economic growth and less corruption than countries that do not. "The evidence shows that education, health, productivity, credit and governance work better when women involved."Amartya Sen and the Thousand Faces of Poverty (December 5, 2001)
Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen criticizes the traditional way of measuring poverty, by income level. Sen argues that multifaceted problems like poverty and inequality should instead be seen in relation to individual’s potential to function in their respective societies. (Inter-American Development Bank)An Unseen World: How the Media Portrays the Poor (November, 2001)
Western media focus on disasters and conflicts in the developing world without explaining social and political causes. They also disregard the involvement of the developed world in these disasters, resulting in ignorance on the part of the Western public. (UNESCO Courier)Intellectual Property and the Knowledge Gap (December, 2001)
This Oxfam paper discusses the problems with intellectual property rules, which contribute to poverty and underdevelopment in developing countries. It also suggest possible campaign strategies to change the rules, so that they will serve people in need rather than big corporations.The Well Fed Have Many Problems, The Hungry Only One (2001)
The international community must provide stronger support and co-operation to meet the goal of the World Food Summit. The results depend primarily on the people and governments of the developing countries but lack of coordination among donors and aid organizations can result in wastage of resources. (UN Chronicle)Economic Theory, Freedom and Human Rights: The Work of Amartya Sen (November, 2001)
Nobel Prize winning economist Amartya Sen emphasizes the importance of human freedoms and human rights for development theory. This briefing paper analyzes the ways in which Sen’s research contributes to the shift from a focus on GDP and growth, to valuable human ends.(Overseas Development Institute)Child Poverty Has Grown in Eastern Europe Since 1989 (November 30, 2001)
A report by UNICEF shows that child poverty has risen sharply since the countries left Communism and in some parts the majority of children are poor. The agency calls for a focus on child poverty in national policy debate and to develop humane and democratic societies in the region. (Independent)Tinkering With Poverty (November 20, 2001)
The Bretton Woods system does not work for the poor, instead it enhances the power of the creditors. This article argues that the system is destined to fail and should be replaced with institutions or an “international clearing union” of the kind that Keynes envisaged. (Guardian)Doha Spells Disaster for Development (November 18, 2001)
This article argues that more than one international economic system is possible. The author tries to promote alternatives in the interest of wider equity, security and raise living standards for everyone. (Observer)New Thinking About How to Help the Poorest Help Themselves (November 17, 2001)
Three vice presidents of the World Bank argue the importance of equity, growth, participation, and clean governance to fight poverty. The world needs a new approach to development, where quality should be in the forefront, not growth. (International Herald Tribune)Brown Urges New Deal for Poor (November 16, 2001)
Taking into account the Zedillo report and emphasizing the need for the West to increase finance for development, Chancellor Gordon Brown states the need for an international tax on foreign exchange transactions during his speech at the New York Federal Reserve. (Guardian)GATS, Trade Liberalisation and Children's Right to Health (November 5 , 2001)
This Save the Children's report suggests that liberalization of trade in health services give economic interests priority over public health. Trade liberalization can result in impoverishment of families and increase health problems among children.We're Tricking The Poorer Nations Out Of Their Money (November 4, 2001)
According to the Sunday Times, free trade does not worsen poverty. The problem lies in the way developed countries practice free trade. Trade barriers in these countries cost the developing world about $100 billion a year, twice as much as they receive in aid.The Policy Roots of Economic Crisis and Poverty (November, 2001)
This paper presents the results of a joint World Bank and civil society review of the impact of Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) on poverty. The findings show how SAPs result in destruction of national productive capacity and intensification of poverty. (SAPRIN)Rich Nations Have Been Too Insensitive to Poverty (November 1, 2001)
The New York Times criticizes the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and their neo-liberal policies. This article argues that these policies lead to more income inequality and that the rich world should “cough up some serious money for the poor”.The Global Governance of Trade As If Development Really Mattered (October, 2001)
This report presents an alternative approach to economic development. It criticizes the focus on trade as a mean for development. Instead the report emphasizes the role of domestic institutional innovations and argues that a focus on poverty reduction can enhance growth. (UNDP)Earth Matters (October 31, 2001)
The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) will take place in September, 2002. The meeting aims to review the progress on sustainable development, a concept that remains ill-defined. As preparations begin through a series of meetings, contentious issues come to the fore. (Down to Earth)Multilateral Debt: The Unbearable Burden (October 31, 2001)
This article analyses the concept of “Multilateral Debt”. It provides background information, discusses problems with US domination within international financial institutions and gives key recommendations for the future of poverty reduction. (Foreign Policy in Focus)Food for All – Can Hunger be Halved? (2001)
This report studies the obstacles preventing every person in the world from getting enough food. The report argues that prevailing trade agreements undermine poor countries ability to develop their agricultural sectors and reduce poverty and starvation. (Panos)Global Public Goods: The Missing Component (October, 2001)
George Soros argues that globalization brings new opportunities for financing and provision of Global Public Goods. Financial support exists, but provision must be improved. A process which requires both international and non-governmental assistance. (Project Syndicate)Forget the War Against Poverty (October 24, 2001)
As western countries divert their attention towards Pakistan and other allies in the war against terrorism, they neglect the war against poverty in Africa. (Guardian )The Unremarkable Record of Liberalized Trade (October, 2001)
Policy-makers around the world promote trade liberalization and economic deregulation as means to combat poverty. Yet empirical evidence does not support this view. On the contrary, the reforms probably have a weakening effect on poverty reduction.(Economic Policy Institute)Annan Urges Central America to Eradicate Poverty, Strengthen Democracy (October 23, 2001)
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan reports on progress in Central America. He calls for strengthening judicial systems, eradicating poverty and, wealth inequality in order to maintain peace and stability. (Associated Press)Obasanjo Urges Support for African "Marshall Plan" (October 23, 2001)
Africa can develop with the help of richer countries but Africans should devise plans of development. The "African Marshall Plan”, an initiative by the presidents of South Africa, Nigeria and Algeria, includes ambitious aid and investment proposals. (Reuters)Silent Terror - The Shadow War on Poverty (October 23, 2001)
This editorial from South Centre discusses how to reduce poverty. Instead of creating new goals, interdependence should lead to an increase in multilateral co-operation. The basic needs of billions of people must take priority over economic interests. (Dawn)Aid: Using it Prudently (October 23, 2001)
Pakistan illustrates how aid distribution finances security instead of improving economic fundamentals. Rather than once again pump money into Pakistan, past debts could be converted into development assistance. (Dawn)With Us or Against Us (October 23, 2001)
The World Trade Organization’s trade strategy reduces the ability of poor countries to make their own decisions. They must have the right to choose their own path to development. The rules of the game must therefore be with them, not against them. (Christian Aid)'New Development Agenda' in Doha? (October 15, 2001)
The forthcoming WTO meeting can result in a “new development agenda” instead of a “new trade round”. However, a new title is not enough, “there has to be a change in substance”. (Inter Press Service)Ectractive Sectors (October 10, 2001)
This Oxfam report contests conventional economic wisdom. Oil and minerals do not necessarily lead to prosperity. These results should therefore encourage the World Bank “to re-think their approach to oil extraction and mining as poverty reduction tools."(Oxfam)Clean Text for WTO Ministerial; Dirty Slap in Face of Africans (October 9, 2001)
The WTO has nearly ignored all demands by the Zanzibar declaration. The author argues that the WTO draft is a trap for developing countries to give up their primary issues for illusory short term gains.(Attac)Let's Use This Great Coalition to Fight World Poverty (October 6, 2001)
The terrorist attacks of September 11 has created unprecedented world unity. This offers an opportunity for international solidarity and action for peace and security. It also should promote a new agenda to overcome world poverty and debt. (Independent/UK )Wake Up to the Perilous Cost of the Wealth Gap (October 3, 2001)
Development aid is losing public support and is slipping down on the political agenda. At the same time, the West is preparing for a war on terrorism. But this war will not combat the root causes of terrorism such as poverty and a widening gap between rich and poor nations. (International Herald Tribune)Death of 27,000 Children Barely Noticed (October 1, 2001)
The US has so far dedicated $40 billion in the campaign to avenge the deaths of those who died in the WTC attacks. That same day, 27’000 children under the age of 5 died from preventable causes. Regrettably, as the US is preparing for war, the UN Special Session on Children has been postponed. (Toronto Star)Trade, Gender and Poverty (October 2001)
Commissioned by UNDP, this paper analyzes the relationship between trade and gender inequality, as the discourse on development shifts to human well-being instead of income or consumption.General Assembly Opens High-Level Dialogue on Cooperation for Development (September 20, 2001)
The General Assembly stresses the importance of including developing countries, as well as “academia, civil society and the private sector,” for more open and deliberative economic cooperation. (UN News)Economic Development in Africa: Performances, Prospects and Policy Issues (September 11, 2001)
This UNCTAD report sketches the main policy measures required to reverse the economic situation in Africa. The report suggests, among other things, a doubling of aid flows and a critical review of current poverty reduction policies.Road Map Towards the Implementation of UN’s Millennium Declaration (September 6, 2001)
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan urges countries to take concrete steps, and gives recommendations in order to reach the goals set at the 2000 Millennium Summit on reducing poverty. (UN)Simputer Could Revolutionize IT in Developing Nations (March 13, 2001)
In an attempt to reduce the “digital divide”, Simputer, or Simple Inexpensive Multilingual People’s Computer, will have the potential to help even non-literate users surf the Net and e-mail. (Bytesforall)Road Map Towards the Implementation of UN’s Millennium Declaration (September 6, 2001)
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan urges countries to take concrete steps, and gives recommendations in order to reach the goals set at
