May 05

Unity Deal – Very Cautious Optimism

The word “Hamas” tends to elicit a strong response whenever mentioned. There are few people on the fence when it comes to this Islamist political party; most are either tenacious supporters or resolute critics. Perhaps these polemical views have justifiable roots, as either side has an ample supply of news that can be interpreted to defend one side or the other. Israel and the occupied territories are never far from the headlines. Considering Hamas’ prominent role in the ongoing conflict, most recently as the party in control of the Gaza Strip, it stands to reason that it is often mentioned.

The violent actions taken by Hamas since its inception are unquestionably deplorable. They are responsible for 426 terrorist attacks since 2000 alone, 58 of which were suicide bombings. Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas leader, recently condemned the United States for killing bin Laden – hardly the sort of declaration that could or should help win Western support. Nor is Fatah, the Palestinian political party that rules the West Bank, without its problems. Corruption haunts its ranks, leaving international powers to question whether or not the money they pour into Fatah is actually doing any good. By some estimates, members of the Palestinian Authority, mostly controlled by Fatah, have siphoned off $700 million of public funds to their personal accounts. Regardless of its issues, Western powers have continued to support Fatah in hopes that it will be a partner in peace with Israel. From the West’s perspective, it is, often times, the lesser of two evils.

When a potential unity deal between the two parties was announced last week, people were quick to jump to conclusions. The last time a unity government was formedbetween these parties was after Hamas’ surprising electoral victory in 2006. The coalition quickly collapsed, leading many to believe that the two would never see eye to eye on enough issues to form a working partnership. The deal, officially signed yesterday in Cairo, led many commentators to quickly construct the worst-case scenario, a common response to issues in the Arab-Israeli conflict. According to this narrative, Fatah, led by the beleaguered Mahmoud Abbas, was finally giving up on Continue reading

Share

May 04

The Power of Pensions

Using Social Protection Mechanisms to fight Poverty

Social Protection. These two words alone have the ability of easing the tension burden on old and poor people. Over the past few years, more and more attention is being given to this new development tool after the realization that it can combat povertyeffectively. Even while you are reading this post, the United Nations is trying to initiate its Social Protection Floor Initiative. More than 80 countries in the world engage in social pension plans, which involve regular cash transfers to older people. The numbers at first are hard to believe. About 2 million people in Bangladesh, 6 million in Thailand and around 100 million in China receive some form of social pension.

The structure of these pensions varies from country to country. Some are universal to all citizens over a particular age while others are specific, targeting people that belong to a particular area or income level. Although the benefits are small, they can make a huge difference in the economic livelihood of a person. To examine how exactly social pension eases the burden of poverty on a country’s shoulders, lets look at the average older individuals in Brazil. If there was no pension plan, this person would have to work to earn a living, and when they cannot anymore, supporting them is an additional burden on their family. Social pensions would take that burden off.

Not only can pensions cut poverty rates amongst the older population, but also impacts the lives of the entire household where these individuals live. Bolivian households used the social pension they received and re-invested it in agriculture causing a 50% increase in the value of the pension. The good thing about social pension plans is that they are affordable, even for the poorest of countries. In addition to this, they are also an extremely popular option amongst people, which speaks volumes about its potential sustainability. But countries with large populations (India and China in particular) face problems like lacking the resources to monitor the process and the delivery and targeting process. Nevertheless, many countries are looking at new ways to implement different social protection plans, and the pension plan is quickly becoming the most favorable option.

Udit Hinduja is a student at New York University double majoring in Economics and Political Science. As a Program and Research intern with the SISGI Group his focus areas are education, poverty and economic development in Asia and South America.
Share

May 03

Dangerous Reporting

Essentialism in Western Media Perspectives

Even today, among reputable news sources, there still remains a level of ignorance and an essentialist undertone in Western media perspectives of the “developing world.”

For example, in a recent issue of The Economist, I came across a feature on Gendercide in India, which discusses the distorted sex ratios in India and China. The article offers fresh insights- for example, that the frequency and prevalence of female foeticide have shown to have little correlation with poverty and family education levels, a conclusion which the average reader would not anticipate. However, it glosses over the issue without carefully delving into the root cause, or even differentiating among regions that are particularly at risk. Except for one or two redeeming sentences about specific states, the author extrapolates very specific circumstances to the entire population of approximately 1.2 billion citizens.

A similar feature, India’s Skewed Sex Ratio, opens with the touching story of a girl who was sold to a wage-laborer for the equivalent of one hundred dollars, a narrative meant to appeal to the readers’ emotions. It then concludes with broad statements about gender discrimination, highlighting practices that are still made infamous in Western media, such as the significance of dowries and the necessity of marriage across India.  Without further scrutiny, these assertions place female infanticide/foeticide with other infamous practices under the umbrella of “patriarchal traditions observed throughout India,” obscuring the cultural, religious, geographic, and socioeconomic diversity of the population.

These articles represent a broader issue, that Westerners have always had skewed images of India. But how could they not, when their preconceptions are thoroughly confirmed in award-winning films like “Slumdog Millionaire”- in which everything that could go violently wrong in Mumbai slums, does go wrong, and yet the protagonist emerges without a scratch just in time to entertain the audience with a synchronized Bollywood-style dance scene during the end credits?  And how about the more recent, “Eat, Pray, Love,” in which Julia Roberts’s privileged American character lives every new-age Westerner’s dream, travelling to an Indian ashram where she finds her inner God, connects with a free-roaming elephant, and befriends a hapless young Indian girl who is reluctant about her impending arranged marriage to a computer programmer in Delhi? Filled with precisely the images that American audiences want to believe!

Mainstream America is thus exposed to three distorted images of India: the India living in abject poverty, with subjugated women, starving children, and amoral, eve- Continue reading

Share

May 03

Where do we go from here?

Osama bin Laden is dead. The news spread like wildfire as it was being released,consuming the feeds of social networking sites, forums and blogs. The reaction in New York City was particularly robust, with people crowding around Ground Zero and chanting “USA! USA!” Many expressed a deep sense of satisfaction at his death, thankful that bin Laden had finally gotten what they believe he deserved.

It’s an event like this when the American spirit is really put to the test. Our reaction to this death will characterize our national attitude for years to come. Will we allow this celebrated news to pull us into the mire of xenophobia and ignorance or will we use it as a springboard towards positive global outcomes? As we consider these options, a few facts about bin Laden’s influence must be kept in mind.

Some would argue that his death means little. Bin Laden held diminishing sway over al-Qaeda and consequently his death will do little to deter future attacks, or so goes the argument. There is some evidence to support the claim that not all branches of al-Qaeda were dependent on bin Laden. Some branches carried out operations that contradicted with the orders of bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. One such example was al-Qaeda in Iraq, led by the infamous al-Zarqawi. Going against the orders of bin Laden, Zarqawi unleashed attacks against Iraqi Shiites. The backlash of these attacks led to the destruction of al-Qaeda in Iraq, which deteriorated into a criminal organization hardly capable of any grand jihadist objective.

Yet disobedient and ineffective branches do not adequately display a lack of overall influence from bin Laden. Some branches that operate with autonomy are still heavily influenced by bin Laden. His fugitive state forced al-Qaeda to rethink its strategy, turning into an organization that could survive well beyond the removal of any single leader. Splinter organizations have continued to develop with relative independence in Yemen, Somalia, Indonesia and the Netherlands. The most active branch is al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which is believed to have influenced Umar Abdulmutallab, the man who attempted to blow up a passenger plane on Christmas, 2009.  Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which operates in North Africa, is another example of a terrorist organization that follows independent management while preserving an ideological connection to bin Laden and al-Zawahiri.

This is all to suggest that bin Laden’s influence after the 9/11 attacks was critical to al-Qaeda as we now know it. The decade plus spent trying to capture bin Laden helped al-Qaeda develop into a far more dangerous adversary, one that recognized the dangers of putting all its eggs into one elusive, bearded basket. This indirect influence is more than symbolic, as some have argued. It demonstrates that his death does indeed mean something. Members of these branches now understand that with enough time, even the most cautious of operatives can be killed.

Commentators are right to point out that, to many people not affected by 9/11 nor aligned with bin Laden, his death has little chance of creating lasting impact. Yet for many Americans, May 1st 2011 will go down in the history books as a day to be remembered, a day where the US triumphed over terrorism. Unkempt celebration is not without its perils, especially when dealing with an enemy that requires no excuse to unleash follow-up attacks. We need to work to prevent a backlash from supporters of bin Laden, which could potentially destroy any chance of using this event for stabilization. Now, more than ever, Americans need to understand the facts relating to bin Laden and al-Qaeda. An informed public could go a long way in keeping the celebrations in check and developing reasonable expectations for what is to come.

Ryan Pavel is a Program and Research Intern with the SISGI Group focusing on foreign military involvement, policy and strategy into conflicts and motivations behind and impact of foreign aid. To learn more about the SISGI Group visit www.sisgigroup.org
Share

Apr 29

Penny Harvest Run for Change

When the earthquake struck Japan, the world was saddened by its catastrophic effects and many organizations, countries and even international bodies all rallied together to contribute to relief efforts.

In two of my earlier posts, Help or not Series 1 and Philips Livable Cities Award, I stressed the fact that corporations need to be more careful in selecting initiatives for corporate giving. I also highlighted a number of wonderful projects designed to encourage individuals, community groups and businesses to develop practical, achievable ideas to improve the health and well-being of people. But I left out one group, kids!

Today, I would like to talk about the Penny Harvest Run for Change and also the Global Relief Fund. Both events are scheduled to take place on April 30, 2011. The Penny Harvest Run for Change is an annual event in New York City in which students from across various schools participate in a 5k run/walk/rally. This year, the students intend to donate a percentage of all proceeds towards a special fund for Japan.

You might be wondering what is Penny Harvest? It is an initiative created by Common Cents, an educational organization that specializes in hands-on learning.Every Fall, student leaders rally their entire school to collect pennies from neighbors. In the Winter, these students research community needs, debate causes, interview organizations, and work together to make grant decisions based on the pennies which they have collected. It is entirely up to the students to decide which organizations get the money and why.

According to the Founder and Executive Director, Teddy Gross, the basic idea is to show young people at a very early stage in life that they can make a difference and that they can achieve amazing things despite other challenges that they might encounter.

In order to aid the recovery in Japan, Common Cents established a Global Relief Fund to provide a platform for students to help, and invited students to dedicate 5% of the pennies they had raised towards Japan’s Recovery. The Conference on Japan recovery will be held at Stuyvesant High School at 11AM, directly after the Penny Harvest Run for Change.

I believe this kind of initiative is commendable.  It provides early orientation for kids on the importance of giving and the fact that even a penny can make a difference. It also provides an avenue for humanitarian relief for disaster affected countries.

Do you know of similar initiative or programs?

Ufuoma Barbara Akpotaire is a Program and Research intern with the SISGI Group’s Research Division. To learn more about the SISGI Group please visit www.sisgigroup.org

Share

Apr 29

Tourism=Economic Development?

How Tourism is Helping Economic Development

Traveling to quaint and unique places has always been my passion. As an avid traveler myself, I enjoy experiencing different cultures and places. Now, while I love thinking of myself as the only person who actually indulges in some adventure travel, the reality of the situation is that there are millions of people in this world who love traveling. But what is more interesting is that they love traveling to the same places I do. Ranging from the slums of Delhi to the outskirts of Peru, people love traveling to developing nations because each is so different than the other. The tourism industry is booming in these nations, and their governments are looking to reap these benefits for the betterment of their country.

Jaisalmer. This is a small desert town in the north west of India on the border of the Thar Desert. Yellow sandstone huts are sprawled all over the town, surrounding anancient Indian fort that takes up the entire centre of the town. With a population of only about 78,000 Jaisalmer is considered one of the smaller towns in India. But the sandstone huts and yellow wave of roofs is what attracts this rudimentary town to tourists. Because of the large number of tourists that flock to Jaisalmer each year, you now have leather shops, hotels, camel tours and a host of other occupations and businesses. This is how tourism is one method to assist in economic development. Jaisalmer – a town that practically had no industries – now attracts foreigners from all over the globe and generates a good amount of revenue to improve the standard of living amongst the people. For areas that can attract foreign tourism revenue it can be a high economic driver, especially if other industries are unable to support the local economy.

The World Tourism Organization – the UN agency for tourism – argues that tourism can play a major role in eradicating poverty and meeting the millennium development goals. People love experiencing different cultures, that’s why so many people from the West flock to the developing nations where the culture is so different. They spend their strong currencies and in turn the local areas receive a higher economic return.

Take Rio de Janeiro for example. Every year when it hosts its annual carnival, there is a huge rise in tourism. The sharp spike in tourism plays a huge part in the country’s overall economic strategy. By providing jobs for the local people, it reduces unemployment, contributes to the GDP and helps in eradicate poverty. The governments of these developing nations are spending more and more money on marketing their countries to tourists after realizing the economic benefits of one of the world’s largest industries.

Udit Hinduja is a student at New York University double majoring in Economics and Political Science. As a Program and Research intern with the SISGI Group his focus areas are education, poverty and economic development in Asia and South America.
Share

Apr 28

Tackling Education on the African Continent

Over the past decade, public spending on education in sub-Saharan Africa has increased by more than 6 % each year, according to the latest report released by UNESCO. Thereal question however, is not how much money is being spent, rather how exactly it is being distributed.

The report showed some promising results. The increase in investments between 2000 and 2008 brought about a 48 % increase in the number of children attending primary school, while a 60 % increase in enrollment for secondary and tertiary education. The report gives a detailed breakdown of the government spending on education in each of the sub-Saharan African countries. Through a careful analysis of the report, it can be noted that the only country that reduced education spending since 2000 was the Central African Republic. Time and again I have stated in my previous blog posts about how education is a long-term and sustainable solution to eradicate poverty and it is good to know that governments continue to realize the importance of putting a child in school.

Some of the key findings of the report included:

  1. 12% increase in education spending in Burundi and Mozambique.
  2. Overall, sub-Saharan Africa spends around 5 % of its GDP on education, which is behind only North America and Europe.
  3. Nevertheless, in a third of the region’s countries, half of all children still do not complete primary education.
  4. A total of 32 million children still remain out of school

Right in the middle of the economic crisis and population growth, African governments face a huge obstacle ahead. They need to have a strategy on how to budget for education, while at the same time increase the enrollment in schools. The population of sub-Saharan Africa’s 5 to 14 year olds is expected to increase by over 30 % over the next twenty years, and as donor funding and domestic resources are not likely to increase over the next twenty years, these governments have a serious problem. If you had a certain amount of resources, where would you allocate them? Teacher salaries or textbooks? Primary or secondary schools? Would you increase the amount of money spent on education and how should that increase be allocated?

Udit Hinduja is a student at New York University double majoring in Economics and Political Science. As a Program and Research intern with the SISGI Group his focus areas are education, poverty and economic development in Asia and South America.
Share

Apr 27

Can we PLEASE focus on a real education issue?

Donald Trump has asked for the President to provide his birth certificate several times and has made a new statement that the President wasn’t “Qualified for the Ivy League.” I am not sure how the President performed at Harvard, and honestly I think it is a question that the American public should not really care about. Even if he was a straight A student, it means nothing for how he will and has run this country. As many of the top business minds in the world will attest, academic performance is not always an indicator of your intellectual ability or overall potential success. Michael Dell, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are college dropouts and George Bush, Yale alum, was not, by any means, a star pupil. Not to mention that Trump, with his Wharton Business School (Ivy League) degree, has made several mistakes in business ultimately leading to his filing for multiple bankruptcies. Does this mean that we should also assume that this history indicates he is not qualified as a business or political leader? It is not as though he can file bankruptcy to get the US out of its financial nightmares.

The larger point is, WHO CARES!

Everyday in this country many children participate in an education system that is not preparing them to enter any college, forget the Ivy League. They are not prepared to enter the workforce. They are not prepared to compete in a global marketplace. They are receiving a subpar education because of lack of resources, lack of funding, and overall issues with equity and access. Isn’t this the issue that our future leaders should be raising whenever they talk about education and qualification? Isn’t this the problem that we, the voting public, actually should pay attention to? Regardless of what type of college student Obama or Trump were throughout their education, they have a college degree from some of the finest institutions in our country and they are leaders in their field.

But what about the next generation currently coming through the US education system?

This is the problem of being qualified that any candidate or public official should be raising with the media. As we enter another election cycle and candidates once again throw their hat into the race, can we finally have a focus on the issues and problems that really matter?

Questions for any candidate that wants to be President should focus on issues such as, Continue reading

Share

Apr 26

Female Genital Mutilation

Female genital mutilation (FGM), also know as female circumcision or genital cutting, is a procedure performed for non-medical reasons that is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) in four different types:

Type I – Partial or complete removal of the clitoris and the clitoral hood.

Type II – Partial or complete removal of the clitoris, with complete removal of the labia majora.

Type III – The narrowing of the vaginal orifice by repositioning/cutting the labia majora and/or labia minora, with partial or complete removal of the clitoris also being possible.

Type IV – An “other” category that includes any damage done to female genitalia for non-medical purposes, such as pricking, piercing or cauterization.

FGM, according to WHO, is mostly centralized in Northern Africa, and to a lesser extent in the Middle East and Asia, although it has also been practiced in immigrant communities in the Americas and Europe. A recent article in the New York Times talks about combatting FGM in the United States. The US actually passed a law in 1996 at the federal level prohibiting the practice of FGM, with many states following suit at the state level. But, as the article in the Times details, there has been a consistent problem with girls being sent abroad to places within the African continent in order to have FGM operations performed. Legislation was introduced last year to prevent these “FGM holidays,” but no concrete action has been taken yet.

It is important to note (and the Times article does point this out, which I applaud it for) that FGM is rarely, if ever performed with malicious intentions. It is seen by many communities as an inherent part of traditional coming-of-age rituals, much the same as male circumcision. Unfortunately, as WHO and other international groups repeatedly report, FGM has several extreme health defects that can range anywhere from extra-painful menstruation to stillbirth and the death of the mother during labor. Not to mention, of course, the obvious discrimination against women by removing an important organ for sexual pleasure.

With an estimated 2 million girls becoming victims of FGM a year, a greater awareness is necessary in order to curtail this extremely dangerous practice. Education is a necessity in this campaign, as organizations like the Senegal-based Tostan have shown. By educating communities about the dangerous health repercussions of FGM, Tostan was able to significantly reduce the number of women and girls undergoing the procedure. Awareness and education are the tools needed, and the United States needs to become a more active participant in preventing the perpetuation of this practice both for its own citizens, and abroad.

Stephen Thompson is a Program and Research Intern with the SISGI Group’s Research Division working on issues of Peacekeeping, women’s and gender equality, and domestic human rights program implementation. To learn more about the SISGI Group visit www.sisgigroup.org

Share

Apr 25

Let’s Talk About Malaria

We’ve all heard the phrase: Every 45 seconds, a child dies from malaria.  Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites transmitted by mosquitos. Statistics also show that the number of deaths resulting from this disease has been reduced over the last couple of years. Unfortunately, these statistics serve to remind us that people are still dying from malaria, a disease which we can eradicate.

I have often found commendable the world wide efforts that have been, and continue to be, put into fighting malaria. Especially, since Malaria is a disease that often only affects specific countries. Today is World Malaria Day and in that spirit I decided to look up a few programs and some great initiatives that are helping to save lives by preventing the spread of malaria worldwide.

One such program is the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign. Nothing But Nets provides life-saving bed nets to families in Liberia. It was created in 2006, raising more than $35 million to send bed nets and save children’s lives.

Another great initiative is the Roll Back Malaria partnership (RBM). RBM is a global framework to implement coordinated action against malaria. Essentially, what RBM does is to harmonize action and mobilize resources to fight malaria in affected countries.

Arguably one of the most popular campaigns against malaria in Africa, is the United Against Malaria campaign. It was launched in 2009 and is famous because it leveraged the popularity of soccer and the public’s anticipation of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

It’s not just about organizations and huge campaigns, individuals such as Dikembe Mutombo (NBA and Congolese Basketball star), celebrities such as Mandy Moore, corporations such as Pfizer, Novartis, and Exxon Mobil, have all shown great commitment to providing malaria prevention and treatment to those in various countries.

There is a compelling need for concerted efforts by all to eradicate or drastically reduce the menaces of malaria around the world. The efforts of these organizations are commendable and what better day to applaud them than on the World Malaria Day.

Do you know other organizations that are helping to fight against malaria?

Ufuoma Barbara Akpotaire is a Program and Research intern with the SISGI Group’s Research Division. To learn more about the SISGI Group please visit www.sisgigroup.org

Share