A WORLD VISION JOURNAL OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Second Quarter, 2005

MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY

Dr Jeffrey D Sachs . Mr Mark Malloch Brown . Dr Ruth Levine The Earth Institute/The Millennium Project Chief of Staff to the UN Secretary-General Centre for Global Development This is it

This year, 2005, has been labelled the year to make poverty history. The nexus of events this year – the G8, Second Quarter, 2005 the UN Millennium+5 Summit and the World Trade Organisation Ministerial – points to an MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY unprecedented window of The year of development opportunity for the international Jeffrey D Sachs ...... 1 community to tackle the “big three” that are critical to eradicating Within our grasp – decisive action on poverty poverty: aid, trade and debt. Mark Malloch Brown ...... 4 Seizing the day, civil society groups have united in the Global Call to From aid dependency to dependable aid Action Against Poverty to press Ruth Levine ...... 7 governments on these critical issues. MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY - the people's agenda Kel Currah ...... 9 This edition of Global Future asks: Will this year achieve the hitherto FEATURE: Global Call to Action against Poverty unachieved? Will we really render ...... 11 poverty a thing of the past? What do The tyranny of empty bellies governments need to do to achieve John Samuel ...... 12 that? Our contributors are unanimous and upbeat: it's do-able. The challenge of global poverty – can it ever end? It's starting to happen. Actions and Charles Badenoch ...... 14 mind-sets are equally critical.

Investing in women is smart Jeffrey Sachs steers us away from Ritu Sharma ...... 16 taking refuge in abstract notions of Aid for grassroots food security in Kenya poverty. Tackle it now, with some Sarah Gillam ...... 18 very practical interventions. It has a price tag.The MDGs are currently Economic recovery in tsunami-affected countries off-track, so just get on with it. Peter Acfield and Laurence Gray ...... 20 Sharing this spirit, Mark Malloch The battle against poverty is for all of us Brown highlights strong recent Cecil Laguardia ...... 23 progress. Just keep the promises we've already made. Be bold! Push Your personal response to 2005? for what the MDGs need. Ruth Andy Atkins ...... 25 Levine urges: keep aid consistent. Don't let the poor down when they need it most. Other contributors Global Future is published quarterly by World Correspondence/donations should specify the poverty needs of women, Vision to encourage debate and discussion on be addressed to: development issues. and of tsunami-devastated countries. Global Future Publisher Dean R. Hirsch World Vision International Editor Heather Elliott Poverty is killing; it's time for 800 W. Chestnut Ave. righteous anger and action, to Contributing correspondents: Kelly Currah, Monrovia, California 91016-3198 paraphrase John Samuel. "Who can Melanie Gow, Brett Parris, Matt Scott, Don Brandt, USA sleep well knowing that thousands, Joe Muwonge, Siobhan Calthrop, Ruth Kahurananga, Telephone (1) 626-303-8811 even millions, go to bed without Haidy Ear-Dupuy, Martin Thomas. Fax (1) 626-301-7786 food, sleep on pavements, and die All opinions expressed in Global Future are e-mail: [email protected] without the medical treatment they those of the authors and do not represent the OR: need?” asks Cecil Laguardia. Let the opinions of the World Vision organisation. Articles may be freely reproduced, with World Vision race to end poverty take acknowledgement, except where other copyright precedence. That race is now as is indicated. 6 Chemin de la Tourelle 1209 Geneva, Switzerland close to centre-stage as it has ever Global Future is distributed to many NGOs and been – and we are all responsible to non-profit organisations in developing countries. www.globalfutureonline.org keep it there, until we win it. Donations to support our production and mailing costs are very welcome (US$20 suggested). ISSN 0742-1524 _ Heather Elliott

COVER DESIGN BY : FRIEND CREATIVE (Melbourne, Australia) / Photo: Mother and child, Irian Jaya, Indonesia by Sanjay Sojwal The year of development

Jeffrey D Sachs

PHOTO - DAVID WARD / WORLD VISION course, the increased public invest- ments need to be accompanied by sound policies. Scaling up education systems, for example, requires significant investments in schools, teachers and supplies, but it also needs management systems that allow greater transparency to track budgets, policies that encourage parental involvement and oversight, and more decentralised school-based management. Similarly, investments for gender equality need to go hand- in-hand with legislation to guarantee property and inheritance rights for women and girls and to protect them from violence.

In some aspects of the MDGs, there are potentially huge Quick Wins in These villagers in Phulpur, like millions of others in Bangladesh, live in extreme which simple interventions can make poverty – they endure chronic malnutrition, a literacy rate of only 20% and a profound difference to survival and repeated destruction from floods and cyclones. quality of life, even before break- throughs in public management, major THIS YEAR MARKS A PIVOTAL achieving the MDGs is a scaling-up of expansions of professionals, or moment in international efforts to investments in targeted sectors and infrastructure. Increased coverage of fight extreme poverty. Following the regions. The key lesson from the UN immunisations, replenishment of soil United Nations Millennium Summit Millennium Project task forces is nutrients with chemical or organic in 2000, 189 countries adopted the that sound, proven, cost-effective fertilisers, the mass distribution of Millennium Development Goals to interventions indeed exist that can insecticide-treated bed nets to fight address extreme poverty in its many ameliorate, and often eliminate, the malaria, and expansion of locally- dimensions – income poverty, hunger, underlying causes of extreme poverty. produced school meals programmes disease, lack of adequate shelter, Some real breakthroughs are possible, to improve school attendance and and exclusion – while promoting if these proven technologies can be performance, all can be accomplished education, gender equality and implemented at scale in the poorest rapidly and on a very large scale. The environmental sustainability, with parts of the world. Good science and UN Millennium Project urges a rapid quantitative targets set for the year practical experience have identified scale-up and financing of such Quick 2015. We are now at the five-year core technologies that can deliver Wins in many sectors. In many juncture with a stark realisation: many increased food production, disease instances, non-governmental organisa- of the poorest regions of the world, control, and access to basic infra- tions will be best-placed to deliver most notably in sub-Saharan Africa, structure such as safe drinking water. rapid scale-up. are far off-track to achieve the Goals. The UN Millennium Project's core Yet the MDGs are still achievable.The Scale-up at country level lives of hundreds of millions of people operational recommendation is that could be dramatically improved and When these basic investments are in every developing country with millions could be saved every year, place, people's health, nutrition and extreme poverty should adopt and but only if the world takes bold steps skills improve and allow them to raise implement a national development in 2005. their productivity and income. By strategy that is ambitious enough to raising income levels above achieve the MDGs. The country's In impoverished countries where subsistence levels, households begin international development partners – governance is adequate, and there are to save for the future, and thereby bi-lateral donors, UN agencies, dozens of such countries, the key to further increase in their incomes. Of regional development banks, and the

Global Future — Second Quarter, 2005 1 Bretton Woods institutions – should ambitious enough to meet the MDGs, The increased aid required to meet give all the technical and financial especially in low-income countries, MDGs has been promised, though not support needed to implement the and have instead planned around yet delivered. In March 2002, country's strategy. In particular, official modest incremental expansions of governments world-wide adopted the development assistance should be social services and infrastructure on Monterrey Consensus at the adequate to pay for the financing the basis of existing budgets and International Conference on Financing needs – assuming that governance amounts of donor aid. Instead, MDG- for Development, which strengthened limitations are not the binding based poverty reduction strategies the global partnership needed to constraint and that the receiving should present a bold, 10-year achieve MDGs. The international countries are making their own framework aimed at achieving the community recognised the need for a reasonable efforts at domestic quantitative target set in the MDGs. new partnership of rich and poor resource mobilisation. They should spell out a financial plan countries based on good governance for making the necessary investments, and expanded trade, aid, and debt Most national then show what domestic resources relief. Donor countries re-affirmed strategies have not can afford and how much will be their pledge to reach 0.7% of their needed from the donors. Although income in official development been ambitious poverty reduction is mainly the assistance, compared with the current enough to meet responsibility of developing countries developed-world average of about the MDGs themselves, achievement of the MDGs 0.25% of gross national product in the poorest countries will require (GNP). With the combined donor- An existing successful instrument is substantial increases in official country GNP at roughly US$31 the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper development assistance. trillion, 0.7% of GNP would be about (PRSP), which has focused the $220 billion per year – compared with development efforts of governments The core challenge of the MDGs is in present aid flows at about $80 billion and is the main country-level the financing and implementation of per year. The UN Millennium Project's framework used by the international the interventions at scale – for two findings show that ramping up development agencies. However, as reasons. One is the sheer range of additional aid to an extra $130 billion the central strategy document at the interventions needed to reach the per year by 2015 would be more than country level, the PRSP must be Goals. The second is the need for enough to scale up the critical aligned with the MDGs. So far, most national scaling-up to bring essential interventions needed to achieve the national strategies have not been MDG-based investments to most of MDGs in well-governed developing the population by 2015. Scale-up countries. needs to be carefully planned and overseen; the planning is much more Since Monterrey, complex than for any one project and requires a working partnership the drama has been between government, the private whether the rich sector, non-governmental organisa- world would finally tions and civil society. Previously, meet the 0.7% target scaling-up has been immensely successful when governments are Since the Monterrey Consensus in committed, communities participate 2002, the great drama has been in the process, and long-term, predict- whether the rich world would finally able financing has been available. meet the long-standing 0.7% target, to enable the poorest countries to break The finance gap out of the poverty trap and thereby According to our estimates, the total achieve the MDGs. Until recently, only donor cost of supporting the MDG six countries had declared a timetable financing gap for every low-income to reach 0.7% of GNP by the year and middle-income country would be 2015: Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, US$73 billion in 2006, rising to $135 Spain and the United Kingdom. Adding billion in 2015. In addition to these these six to the five countries direct investments in the Goals, there (Denmark, Luxembourg, Netherlands, are added national and international Norway and Sweden) that have a long- costs: in emergency and humanitarian standing success in achieving 0.7% assistance, outlays for science and brought the total of committed technology, enhanced debt relief, countries to 11 – exactly half of the increased technical capacity of bi- 22 donor countries that are members lateral and multi-lateral agencies, of the rich world's “donor club” Jeffrey Sachs and other categories of official known as the Development Assist- development assistance. ance Committee.

2 Second Quarter, 2005 — Global Future In early April this year, Germany took a step of great international leadership by announcing a timetable for increasing its ODA to 0.7% by 2014. That brings the total number of countries on a timetable for 0.7% to 12, or more than half of the 22 donor countries. And of course, now that PHOTO - BRIAN JONSON / WORLD VISION Europe's biggest economy is on track to reach 0.7%, it is very likely that all 15 of the European Union donor countries will soon announce a timetable to achieve 0.7% of GNP. The 15 EU donor countries as a group, indeed, are likely to set a shared timetable to reach 0.5% of their combined GNP by around 2009 and 0.7% by 2014.

Germany deserves special congratul- ations for honouring its international commitments at a moment of tremendous fiscal strain. Germany still bears the heavy fiscal costs of unification, as well as the mounting pension costs of an ageing population. The government has been working hard to keep budget deficits under control.Yet Germany's leadership has recognised something of fundamental importance: increased aid is not merely a matter of convenience for the world's poor, but a matter of life and death. And by choosing to help the poorest of the poor, Germany has chosen to help ensure global stability The lives of hundred of millions of people can be improved through the successful implementation of the Millennium Development Goals. as well, since extreme poverty is one of the major risk factors in causing absorptive capacity of at least $25 Without a breakthrough in 2005, well- political upheavals and violence. The billion per year. governed poor countries will not be other countries around the world effectively supported in pursuing an that have not set a timetable to reach A successful G8 summit in Scotland MDG-oriented strategy, and the 0.7%, including Australia, would do in July will see developed countries already-dwindling faith in international well to follow Germany's example. commit to at least doubling official commitments to reduce poverty will development assistance in the next probably vanish. If we do not act now, Breakthrough now critical few years, reaching 0.5% of GNP by the world will live without This year, 2005, must bring a major 2010 and 0.7% by 2015. This would development goals, and it will be a increase in effort. Fortunately, two provide the backdrop for world very long way to the next Millennium world leaders, the UK's Tony Blair and leaders at the UN General Assembly Summit in the year 3000. I France's Jacques Chirac, building on a in September 2005 to commit to a far-thinking plan of Gordon Brown, series of specific actions to lay the the British Chancellor, have promised foundation for a decade of rapid Dr Jeffrey D Sachs is Director of the Earth Institute exactly that. They have pledged to growth and social improvements in at Columbia University and of the Millennium make 2005 a breakthrough year. To the most impoverished places on Project (see: www.unmillenniumproject.org), lay the groundwork, President Chirac the planet. and author of The End of Poverty, published by commissioned Jean-Pierre Landau to Penguin Press (see: report on innovative financing In 2005, the world needs desperately www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/endofpoverty/). mechanisms for development. Prime to follow through on its commit- Minister Blair similarly appointed a ments, taking practical steps at scale high-level Commission for Africa, before the Goals become impossible which issued its report in March and to achieve. The credibility of the identified an immediate African international system is at stake.

Global Future — Second Quarter, 2005 3 Within our grasp – decisive action on poverty

Mark Malloch Brown PHOTO - NIGEL MARSH / WORLD VISION

Africa's elderly bear much of the burden of caring for children orphaned by AIDS.These three women, with a total age above 200, provide for eight orphans.

2005 IS INCREASINGLY BEING Declaration and later crystallised in the question is: do we have the political recognised by the United Nations, eight time-bound, measurable targets, will and determination, and hence the governments and concerned citizens the MDGs. resources, to achieve the MDGs by alike, as the year when the world has 2015 and help build a more just, safe an unprecedented opportunity to put While the Goals – which include and prosperous world for all? in place the policies and resources targets to halve the proportion of needed to fight global poverty and people living in extreme poverty, achieve the Millennium Development remove hunger, put every boy and girl We now have the Goals (MDGs). In September, world in school, stem the spread of knowledge and leaders will meet at UN headquarters infectious disease such as HIV/AIDS, track record of in New York to review what progress malaria and tuberculosis and halt the halving poverty; has been made since all UN Member crisis in the environment by the year States agreed to “spare no effort to 2015 – are undoubtedly ambitious, we can do it again free our fellow men, women and they are nevertheless eminently children from the abject and achievable. For the first time in human This vision, as encapsulated in the dehumanising conditions of extreme history we have the knowledge and MDGs, is achievable only if we end poverty, to which more than a billion the track record – extreme global the business-as-usual approach and of them are currently subjected” – a poverty actually halved between 1980 dramatically accelerate action to commitment set out in the Millennium and 2000 – to halve poverty again.The achieve the Goals. For developing

4 Second Quarter, 2005 — Global Future countries, this means putting in place NGOs, civil society groups and newly- framework. Re-positioning the UN the domestic reforms to focus active coalitions such as the Global system to provide effective support to resources on poverty reduction, Call to Action against Poverty, have all national MDG-based PRSs is, tackle corruption and promote good played an important role in advancing therefore, a core challenge. And going governance and the rule of law. this agenda. But while we and our hand-in-hand with this is the need to Equally, developed countries need to partners can take some justifiable ensure that no country that is keep the commitments they made in pride in having helped frame so much meeting the Monterrey Consensus the Millennium Declaration, and of the agenda for 2005, putting it goals of good governance lacks the subsequently at the International there has been the easy bit. Delivering external resources necessary to meet Conference on Financing for will be much trickier and will require the MDGs. Development at Monterrey in 2002 decisive action by developed and and the World Summit on Sustainable developing countries – this year – to This vision requires that the full Development in Johannesburg, to address the challenges involved in knowledge and experience from increase levels of development achieving the MDGs within the next across the UN systems be accessible assistance, reform world trade so that decade. to support these processes. Nothing poor countries can earn their way out short of a full mobilisation of the of poverty,and also take the necessary No country meeting resources and expertise available action to lift the debt burden on throughout the UN development developing countries. its Monterrey “good system is acceptable. And at the heart When I became Administrator of the governance” goals of that vision lies both advocacy – United Nations Development should lack resources using our UN platform to speak out Programme (UNDP) in 1999, it was to meet the MDGs for the development agenda in an far from clear that we could combine articulate manner focused on the MDGs – and capacity development, the an ambitious call for a much-enhanced The UN, through its operational global development effort with a key to both scaling up and replicating country-based agencies, has an broad consensus of development successful development interventions. important role to play in delivering on actors.The Millennium Declaration, and the promise of the MDGs at national the MDGs that were derived from it, In some ways, this takes us back to and local levels. While our contribu- have helped change that. The MDGs our roots: for many decades, the have provided a clear focus and tion may not be that of a traditional United Nations Technical cooperation targets for the policy reforms donor, the UN is uniquely placed to system undertook pre-investment and developing countries are undertaking facilitate the convening of all stake- feasibility studies to lay the ground- to meet their side of the Monterrey holders; to help to manage negotiat- work for sustainable investments. bargain: prioritisation on the task of ions; to provide solid, evidence-based Particularly in a context where budget poverty reduction; democratic policy advice with a legitimacy based support and sector-wide approaches governance; the fight against on the UN's international experience, (SWAP) mechanisms increasingly corruption; transparency in policies; normative and human rights-based dominate donor efforts at reform at and the establishment of the rule of work, and access to best practice – country level, the UN's role must law. And, where just a few years ago these in addition to our role in helping increasingly be to support national development was viewed as a low to build the capacity of national actors capacity to lead and manage those political priority and an even lower in their vital ownership and manage- instruments. Tomorrow's capacity priority in terms of budgetary ment roles in achieving the MDGs. development programme is yester- allocation in too many donor day's pre-investment project, with the countries, today development – and Today, with the Poverty Reduction UN at its heart. the specific time-bound targets Strategy (PRS) the principal vehicle encapsulated in the MDG agenda – for translating national priorities into Resolving aid, trade, debt issues are at the centre of mainstream a coherent funded programme, we politics in much of the developed now have the challenge of ensuring As we approach the September world.This has been driven, in part, by that PRSs are bold enough to achieve Summit at the UN, it's clear that there new campaigning activities which the MDGs – that they are, in essence, are real opportunities, choices, and an have seen the MDGs move from being MDG-based poverty reduction strate- unprecedented momentum to make “just another declaration of another gies as advocated in the Millennium the necessary policy decisions and meeting of the UN” to being the Project Report. The United Nations reforms that can break the back of framework for development for the Development Group (UNDG), a extreme global poverty once and for next decade. committee consisting of the heads of all. The UN Secretary-General's all UN funds, programmes and report published in March 2005, In MDGs – what role for the UN? departments working on develop- larger freedom: Towards development, The UN, UNDP, the Millennium ment issues, has been leading the UN security and human rights for all, is an Campaign, the agenda-framing system in developing ways to help ambitious yet achievable agenda that activities of the Millennium Project, support national PRSs, and is will be put before heads of state and and crucially, the mobilising action of committed to strengthening this governments at the Summit with a set

Global Future — Second Quarter, 2005 5 PHOTO - ALEJANDRO VELEZ PAZ / WORLD VISION (DAC) are now moving towards a level of development assistance that would have seemed utterly unattainable a few years ago. Thus, in the same way that Monterrey provided a deadline which elicited big commitments on development assistance by both the EU and the United States, the pledges and commitments made at the G8 Summit in Gleneagles and other fora this year can be similarly geared towards securing a success at the UN Summit. Decisive action is within our grasp – an opportunity that we have not had for more than a generation.

Similarly, it is vital to secure a deal on wider, deeper, faster debt relief which would also quickly increase the resources available to invest in MDG- focused areas such as health and education. Here it is imperative that debt sustainability be re-defined as the level of debt that allows a country to achieve the MDGs without an increase in debt ratios. And on trade, the Doha round of trade negotiations needs to fulfil its development A Mexican boy sits in a trash filled building. Poverty and unemployment affect promise and be completed by no later large numbers of Latin American young people. than 2006. As a first step, developed of proposals to tackle the inter- national finance facility, with other countries are being asked to provide related challenges of poverty, security innovative sources of financing to duty-free and quota-free market and human rights, as well as to reform supplement this considered in the access for all exports from Least the UN system itself. In his report, in longer term. Developed Countries. addition to the call for every Across all these issues, and in a world developing country to adopt and start To achieve the where every day HIV/AIDS kills some to implement a national development 6,000 people and the deadly virus strategy by 2006 that is bold enough Goals does not infects another 8,200 people; where to meet the MDG targets by 2015, the require new pledges every 30 seconds a child in Africa dies Secretary-General has also called for but meeting those of malaria – more than one million developed countries to move on already made child deaths a year; where more than three issues critical to achieving the 800 million people go to bed hungry MDGs: aid, trade and debt. Several years ago, if I had suggested it every night, 300 million of whom are possible that donor countries children; achieving the Millennium If we are to achieve the Goals, representing between them a large Development Goals is literally a international development assistance proportion of ODA would be on the matter of life and death. Working must be more than doubled over the verge of committing to a timeline for together to achieve them is the next few years.The good news is that achieving the 0.7% target by 2015, challenge and opportunity of our gen- this does not require new pledges (and getting steadily closer to a eration. In this critical year,it is a chall- from donor countries, but meeting doubling on current levels by 2010), I enge we cannot afford to miss. I the pledges that have already been would have been deemed guilty of made. Each developed country that wishful thinking by the UN. Now we has not done so already should set a have a realistic chance of achieving it. Mr Mark Malloch Brown is Chief of Staff to the timetable for achieving the 0.7% With 10 of the 25 European Union UN Secretary-General, and was Administrator of target of gross national income for (EU) states having already achieved the United Nations Development Programme from official development assistance by no the 0.7% target or having set a 1999 to 2005. later than 2006, and reach at least deadline to do so before 2015, half of 0.5% by 2009.This increase should be the members of the OECD's “front-loaded” through an inter- Development Assistance Committee

6 Second Quarter, 2005 — Global Future From aid dependency to dependable aid

Ruth Levine

IF THE LEADERS OF THE successes in global health, identified Hamann, aid is 20 times as volatile as world's richest nations can do one “predictable funding” as a key element government revenue as a percentage thing to promote achievement of the contributing to the achievement of of GDP, and 40 times as volatile as Millennium Development Goals tremendous health gains, particularly government revenue in constant US through development assistance poli- in the poorest countries. In the dollars per capita. cies, it is this: make aid dependable. programme to reduce the impact of Advocates, citizens, policy wonks and river blindness in Africa, for example, This means that those who count on technical experts can come up with a donors made and lived up to 15-year development assistance do not know vast list of programmes, projects, funding commitments, permitting whether next year's (or next month's) indicators and initiatives – all of which, programme managers to plan strateg- deliveries of essential drugs will if funded and implemented as planned, ically, recruit and retain highly-skilled arrive, or whether the funding will be might go a good distance toward staff, and build the programme in place to build schools, health achieving the MDGs. But without carefully toward success. centres and rural roads – or even to external funding that is far more finish the investments already started. reliable than is now the case, the list is Volatile aid flows Moreover, it means that governments but wishful thinking. But long-term, reliable aid funding is cannot be efficient in procuring drugs, the exception rather than the rule. vaccines and other commodities A review by the Center for Global Development assistance is a because they cannot commit to long- Development of 17 national, regional notoriously undependable source of term contracts. And they may be and global successes in international public finance in poor countries. unable to implement reforms that public health, documented in our According to International Monetary have short-term costs but long-term 2004 publication Millions saved: Proven Fund analysts Ales Bulir and A Javier gains, such as privatisation and PHOTO - ALISON PRESTON / WORLD VISION

In southern Sudan, where wild larrob fruit became the staple diet for displaced families, World Vision, with European Community funding, distributed family survival kits.

Global Future — Second Quarter, 2005 7 restructuring of state assets, tariff reform, trade liberalisation and civil service reform.These reforms cannot be undertaken unless aid flows are more certain over a number of years.

Aid fluctuates in a particularly PHOTO - JOHN KISIMIR / WORLD VISION unfortunate pattern. Aid flows follow what economists call a “pro-cyclical” trend, meaning that on average aid is higher when the economy is on the upswing, and falls in times of economic down-turn – precisely the opposite of what would protect the poor against economic shocks.This is because of the conditions that donors place on their funds, including that recipient countries maintain IMF- Somali communities have received funding from the Netherlands government for prescribed macro-economic policies health projects run by World Vision in Somalia. that are designed to keep inflation relatively low and trade relationships for the most basic government real-world details of proposals such as open. When those policies are not in services. Donors happily take on the the UK's International Finance Facility, place or are not implemented – or funding for those very essential and France and Germany's aviation when donors and private investors services – primary education, and other taxes. lose confidence in the face of immunisation and other essential child allegations of corruption – countries health services, and the provision of Hard to do, yes. But surely not as simultaneously confront economic safe water to poor communities – difficult as many of the conditions we down-turn and less external aid. because they are targeted at the put on the grants and loans to low- poorest citizens. So, for example, in income countries: “reform your many sub-Saharan African countries, judiciary”, “privatise your utilities”, Even when aid is promised, it often half or more of all basic health sector “introduce completely new budget isn't delivered. On average, less than funding comes from development processes”, and so on. If wealthy 60% of the aid promised, or assistance, and donors buy all the countries cannot sort out how to “committed”, actually makes it to vaccines for many poor countries. make multi-year aid commitments and programmes.That does not even take stick to them – particularly given the into account the share of aid that fails reality that aid represents, in most to make it to developing countries Aid flows fall during cases, less than 1% of GNP – it's hard because of the expense associated economic down-turn to imagine how countries with far less with government contractors and experienced and more vulnerable other “middle-men”. – precisely when the poor need public administrations can undertake difficult reforms. There is evidence that donors' track most protection record of living up to commitments “Minimise aid volatility” is an unlikely has actually become worse in the past But these are the types of services candidate for the next banner or arm- five to 10 years, despite efforts like that require the most reliable sort of band. But without actions to improve “donor harmonisation” and Poverty funding, yet they are disrupted when the reliability and predictability of aid, Strategy Reduction Papers. This funding is suddenly reduced or larger commitments of development unpredictability greatly limits the terminated. The consequences of assistance are unlikely to benefit ability of developing-country govern- losing funding for classroom teachers people in poor countries as much as sments to plan sensibly, and makes a and textbooks, or the purchase and supporters might hope. New financing mockery of donor calls for greater distribution of vaccines, are mechanisms that could increase “accountability” by poor countries. immediately and directly devastating predictable flows merit close to those in the greatest need. attention and support. And advocates The poorest hit worst should pay a little less attention to Worse, aid is the least predictable in Making aid more dependable would getting large commitments, and a little the poorest countries, which have the require some aggressive and creative more attention to getting long-term, fewest other sources of public leadership on the part of wealthy binding commitments. I finance. These countries, which have countries. For example, it might per capita GDPs of less than US$1000 require removing a portion of the aid Dr Ruth Levine is Senior Fellow and Director of per year, are so strapped for domestic budget from the annual approp- Programs with the Center for Global Development, funding that they use external funds riations process; or sorting out the Washington, DC. See: www.cgdev.org

8 Second Quarter, 2005 — Global Future MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY – the people's agenda

Kel Currah

“WHERE SOME PEOPLE ARE very wealthy and others have nothing, the result will either be extreme democracy or absolute oligarchy…” Aristotle was referring to ancient Athens, but his words accurately

reflect the state of affairs in today's PHOTO - JON WARREN / WORLD VISION global system of nation-states.

There are many wealthy people in the world, but many, many more who live in poverty, with some two billion living on less than a dollar a day. This inequality of wealth is matched by the inequality of power.While most of the wealthiest nations themselves have strong and vibrant democracies, power at the global level is an oligarchy of rich countries, which control the global political agenda – through the G8, through the World Bank and IMF, or through the UN Security Council and other key global institutions.

My father, an experienced businessman, says – a little less eloquently than Aristotle – “he who counts first, counts best” and this relates to the global agenda as much as to business transactions. As this small group of rich nations decides which issues are debated, prioritised and resourced at the international level, the key question of tackling poverty – a pressing concern for the majority of the world's population – is not often high on the agenda, set aside for concerns more pressing to richer nations, like interest rates and currency transactions.

Campaign to end poverty The Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), known as MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY in num- erous countries, aims to change this in 2005. GCAP is a significant global movement, bringing in over 60 Boys scavenge around the streets of Phnom Penh in a daily struggle to survive. national platforms working for the same development policy changes:

Global Future — Second Quarter, 2005 9 substantial increases in aid; 100% debt national and institutional agendas have Standing firm cancellation for the poorest blocked a substantial agreement on When the G8 meet and sit down at countries; equitable trade rules for the development policy triangle. The the table in Gleneagles in July, the poorest countries; and finally, World Bank does not support multi- however, they will be sitting with policy change by Southern govern- lateral debt forgiveness unless it will billions of people watching. The ments that promote ending poverty receive new funds, as it is concerned Global Call to Action and the and reaching the MDGs, transparency, about its own long-term viability as an MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY camp- anti-corruption and citizen partic- institution. Individual G7 governments aign will ensure that as much of the ipation in decision-making. are showing reluctance on various global public as possible is aware of fronts: either they will not agree to the actions these leaders need to This coalition of thousands of civil innovations such as the International take: writing the cheques necessary society organisations is building on Finance Facility for fear of locking in for debt cancellation and increased the legacy of the Jubilee movement of future budgetary commitments; or ODA to meet the MDGs. This is the the late 1990s that first put debt relief they have increased aid but not agreed force of civil society to converge on a onto the global agenda. Jubilee was to debt relief; or they have not set of definite and targeted policy successful in ensuring that debt relief committed to a timetable to reach changes; the pressure for was constantly on the agenda as an 0.7% despite having a budget surplus. advancement is high. issue that had to be tackled. GCAP,its successor, looks at the totality of National and Civil society, for its part, must stand development issues, the development institutional agendas firm and remain united around the policy “triangle” – aid, trade and debt three key development issues. – and aims to make sure that these have blocked Without trade justice, for example, items are not only on the global solid agreement on any advances in debt cancellation and agenda, but are actually decided and development policy aid increases will be for nought. implemented. Equitable pro-poor country trade policies will allow developing In each case there are viable national By combining thousands of civil countries to help themselves to justifications for not making an society organisations, mobilising create sustainable economies. millions of people throughout the agreement on the development policy triangle. This is why the work of civil world, and focusing the wide array of The momentum generated for the G8 society must continue to give these civil society voices into four clear meeting in Gleneagles must be politicians the mandate from voters to policy demands – aid, debt, trade and maintained for the UN Millennium prioritise these decisions. Unfortun- national strategies to reduce poverty Summit and the World Trade ately, politicians today will not take – GCAP has ensured that these issues Ministerial. So the pressure is on both political risks without strong lobbying are on the global negotiating table. the rich countries and on civil society or unless the issues are linked to to keep focused throughout the national concerns – hence the link The global agenda whole of 2005 in order to keep the between security and poverty that pro-poor agenda on the global To date, it has proven successful. The many development professionals negotiating table. I issue of development has become a consider a critical one to make. political issue in a number of rich countries. Three G8 countries have At the global level, the security agenda Mr Kel Currah is Head of Poverty Reduction Policy agreed a timetable to meet the 0.7% looks to dominate the UN Summit, for World Vision International. See: www.global- target by 2015 at the latest, while the with the proposed changes to the poverty.org European Union's older member Security Council trumping the critical states now have a target of 0.51% by decisions on the actions necessary to 2010. Debt cancellation was high on meet the Millennium Development the agenda at the last two G7 Goals. The trade debate remains meetings of finance ministers, and one deadlocked due to the inability of individual finance minister's efforts Northern governments to tackle the have led to new proposals for political issue of subsidising their own innovative financing, such as the farmers at the expense of those in International Finance Facility. Clearly, poor countries.The G8 in Gleneagles change will happen when more may be more about currency individual ministers and governments revaluation and trade imbalances of take the issues seriously and begin to the most powerful countries than champion them. about debt relief. While the US$50 billion needed in debt relief may be But the global agenda is still small change compared to the trillions dominated by the needs and wants of in daily currency trading, it is key to the big seven countries, and so far, development.

10 Second Quarter, 2005 — Global Future PHOTO - MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY UK

Want to MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY? Join forces with the Global Call to Action against Poverty!

Every three seconds a child dies from poverty-related causes. Even while you are skim-reading this page, a child will die…and another…and another… The Global Call to Action Against Poverty is a high- profile campaign of over 60 national coalitions working 30,000 children still die each day from disease, hunger, to keep aid, trade and debt on the agenda in this key in Australia, Canada, unclean water and other poverty-related causes. development year ofHISTORY 2005. GCAP (known as MAKEPOVERTY Ireland, New Zealand and the UK; the ONE Campaign in the USA; and other names elsewhere) is - EVERY DAY, 24,000 people die from hunger. campaigning to pressure Northern governments to end poverty by making and implementing key decisions on EVERY DAY debt – the “development triangle”. - , more than 100 million children miss out on school. aid, trade and - EVERY DAY, 1.1 billion people have to drink polluted water. Supported by celebrities including Bono, Brad Pitt, Kylie Minogue and Nelson Mandela, GCAP is actively - EVERY DAY, 8,200 people die due to HIV/AIDS. campaigning through the media, concerts, films, texting,to and e-mail and postcard petitions.Thewhite wrist campaign bands urges people everywhere to wear It doesn't have to be this way. symbolise ending poverty. This is preventable. If we choose to act… - we can INCREASE AID - we can CANCEL DEBT - we can HAVE FAIR TRADE - we can MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY!

It's time for all of us to SPEAK OUT TOGETHER. PHOTO - MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY UK Wear a white band, the symbol of the campaign. Urge your President/Prime Minister/Head of State to act in 2005 to end poverty. Get involved in your country's coalition - go to: www.whiteband.org or www.whiteband.org/national, or e-mail [email protected]

AND CHECK OUT… these World Vision websites for info, action tips, and World Vision white bands! ** Canada: www.worldvision.ca/home/get-involved/make-poverty-history/ UK: www.worldvision.org.uk/getinvolved/makepovertyhistory/default.asp USA: www.worldvision.org/worldvision/guest.nsf/onecampaign_wv?OpenForm&lid=onecampaign_photo&lpos=subf3 ** These wrist bands were made in Europe

Global Future — Second Quarter, 2005 11 The tyranny of empty bellies

John Samuel

I STAND HERE WITH A DEEP the kind of world we want to pass on do? Watch CNN and have our dinner sense of agony and anger. Because I to our children and grandchildren? and go to sleep? bear bad news; news that will make you angry. Imagine someone very At the same time, the world spends A wake-up call close to you is dead; it could have $1 trillion a year to make bombs and As Martin Luther King said, injustice been your little child who was playing guns and to prepare for war. This is anywhere is a threat to justice in the field, it could have been your obscene. This is criminal, and this is everywhere.The biggest terror in the beloved partner, mother or father. sin. Is this the kind of world we want world is the tyranny of an empty Imagine that I had to convey the to live in? stomach. How can we be preoccupied news of his or her death and also with the security of the few when 800 tell you that he/she actually died of I come from India. I came here from million people live with the tyranny of unnatural causes. the midst of the tsunami. I do not have empty stomachs? words to describe it. I can still feel the stench of death and destruction that I Even before I finish the next sentence, The Global Call to Action Against hundreds of people, who could have have seen in different countries of Asia. People across the world showed Poverty (GCAP) is a wake-up call. A been your brothers or sisters or girl- wake-up call to people like you and friend or children, are dead. They are solidarity by extending all the support they could. Can we show such solid- me, to awake from our slumber and forced to die. Right now 50,000 such act: act for justice, peace and rights. It funerals are happening across the arity to the millions dying in Africa, Asia and Latin America? is also a wake-up call to the presidents world. One million people must be and prime ministers to tell them they standing in graveyards attending the are sleeping on their jobs. funerals of their loved ones as I Nature has an ironic way of dealing speak.All of them will share my agony with people. In this tsunami, both the and anger. rich holidaying in the five-star resorts GCAP is one of the largest coalitions of of Thailand and the fisherfolk of Sri organisations working across the world; from the grassroots and comm- Yes,50,000 people die every single day Lanka died. Nature did not discriminate on the basis of caste or unity-based organisations to inter- due to poverty or poverty-related national trade unions, hundreds of causes in this world of plenty. The class or gender.But a man-made – and I mean man-made, not woman-made – human rights and development organ- blood of our brothers and sisters is isations and global networks. GCAP screaming from the earth – screaming tsunami is happening every single day in this world: women are raped, has emerged through various campaigns for justice, peace and rights in this like the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY world.Their bones in the dirty grave- children are killed, and 6,000 people are allowed to die every day of campaign, the Global Campaign on yards tell thousands of tales of depri- Education, the Trade Justice Move- vation and deceit; stories of broken HIV/AIDS. Poverty has colour, gender and smell: the smell of tears and ment, and from the experience of the promises, stories of charred dreams, Jubilee campaign against unjust debt. and stories of empty stomachs. blood. They are broken people: dalits, women, Africans… Around 100 people involved in these campaigns met in Johannesburg in What kind of world? How can we afford to keep quiet? The September 2004 to build a global Let's face it! There are at least 1 billion media is too busy to notice such platform for joint action. Hundreds of people who have such stories to tell tsunamis in the Democratic Republic participating organisations and key you and me. They are in our own of the Congo (where violent conflict campaigns across the world have agre- neighbourhoods. Do you care? Even has claimed over four million lives ed to work together on four key issues: by conservative estimates, 800 million since 1998), or Rwanda, or other sub- people go to bed hungry. Would you Saharan countries. The world's most G Trade justice. Rich nations allow this to happen if they were your powerful countries are in the business must stop dumping and stop the own children? Yes, 30,000 children die of making, selling and dropping bombs unjust agricultural subsidies that every single day before they reach the and parachuting “freedom” – whole- deprive millions of people in poor age of five – just because they do not sale and retail. When poverty is countries of their lives and live- have enough food or medicine. Every exported wholesale from the ports of lihoods.The unjust trade regime 3.6 seconds another person dies of rich countries to Africa,Asia and Latin of the WTO and unequal trade starvation.They are born to die. Is this America, what are we supposed to rules pushed onto countries in

12 Second Quarter, 2005 — Global Future Africa, Latin America and Asia must be stopped.

G Debt cancellation. Every day poor countries are paying rich countries and their cronies like the IMF and World Bank more

than US$100 million.This must PHOTO - B. GEZU, G. DINKU / WORLD VISION be stopped; cancel the unjust debt immediately.

G More and better aid. A major increase in the quality and quantity of aid, without unjust conditional ties: the agreed-upon 0.7% of GNP for development by the rich countries.

G National and international efforts to eliminate poverty from the face of the earth and to achieve the Millennium Declaration and Development Goals in a democratic and accountable way, and stop the enforced liberalisation and privatisation of public services like water, health and education.

There will be peoples' action from New Delhi to New York, Lanka to This 12-year-old boy in Ethiopia is so weak from hunger that he cannot even London, Brazil to Belgium and walk properly.This photo was taken 20 hours after his last meal, a handful of Mombasa to Melbourne, in hundreds roasted dry maize. of thousands of villages and cities across the world. Every single person Together we can move mountains: We still dare to dream: of a world anywhere in the world can join this mountains of poverty and deprivation, without poverty where every person movement by a single act: wearing a mountains of debt, mountains of can live with freedom and dignity. But white band. By wearing a white band dumped materials in our ports. we have to make the world move in you are in solidarity with a global Mountains of injustice and inequity that direction. Because policy-makers movement to fight poverty; by that stand in the way of freedom: cannot sit in an ivory tower forever; wearing a white band you are freedom from fear and freedom from they will have to come to the street; committed to questioning injustice; by want! they have to listen to the millions. wearing a white band you are saying Wake up, friends! On behalf of this that you would like to make a Poverty is not emerging global movement, I call upon difference and that you support this an accident – it each and every one of you and all global movement.The white band is a organisations to join the movement symbol of solidarity, justice and peace. is created every to end poverty now. Let us make day by unjust change happen. I Three milestones in 2005 will impact relationships the issue of poverty in the world: the G8 meeting on 5 July in the UK, the Poverty is not a historical accident. Mr John Samuel is International Director of Millennium+5 Summit of the UN in Poverty is created every day by ActionAid International, and is one of the founding September, and the WTO Ministerial unequal and unjust power relations members of the Global Call to Action Against on 13–18 December in Hong Kong. between and within countries and Poverty. This article is an adaptation of his keynote Millions of people across the world societies. Poverty is created by the address at the January 2005 launch of the Global will be wearing white bands to cynical few or the rich and powerful Call to Action Against Poverty during the World express solidarity and join the countries which are in the business of Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil. movement for justice in July, Septem- extracting resources and exploiting ber and December. There will be natural resources in the poorer concerted efforts world-wide in 2005. countries of the world.

Global Future — Second Quarter, 2005 13 The challenge of global poverty – can it ever end?

Charles Badenoch

WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE in the world control more wealth during their attempts to deal with poorest people who are hardest-hit than 600 million people who live in poverty. But it is only through more- when things go wrong in the world? the world's poorest countries. The equal partnerships between develop- That was the question that hit me day world can afford to end this poverty – ing countries and donor nations that after day, in January 2005, as I toured and this year, public opinion is rising real headway can be made. devastated areas of southern India in up like never before to demand that the wake of the tsunami. it does. Trade, debt, aid – intertwined The MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY Despite the resilience of the people Understanding and trust campaign describes three primary and the truly amazing efforts of aid Money is not the real story here. It's measures to eradicate poverty: trade workers from World Vision and many more about a greater understanding justice, debt cancellation, and more other organisations; despite the speed of the complex reasons behind the and better aid. These three steps, and generosity of the response by poverty crisis. It's about justice as well intertwined, can make a real people the world over; despite moves as cash. And it's about a willingness difference to the lives of millions of by governments of the rich nations to to let poor countries have more of a people. But to be successful, any freeze debt payments from tsunami- say in how they get themselves out efforts must involve genuine partner- hit countries – despite all these very of poverty. ship and real trust. positive steps, it's not enough. Fairer trade laws, for example, would The vulnerability of the people living A tsunami of sorts mean that rich countries have to stop in absolute poverty will not be fully happens every week pushing poor farmers out of business eliminated until the world takes firm, – 210,000 children and allow them to become partners in positive, long-term action that needlessly die in the the global marketplace, cutting out the involves so much more than money. unfair trade barriers that keep them poorest countries out of the running and swamp their A tall order? An impossible task? I markets with subsidised produce from don't think so. Nor do the 300-plus The British Prime Minister's Commis- richer nations. organisations, including World Vision, sion for Africa – part of his agenda- that have joined together under the setting for the G8 summit in July – has Dropping unpayable debt means banner to make poverty history, to published its report and found the releasing essential funds to pay for fight for a better deal for the world's condition of Africa to be an affront to basics like education and health care, poor. the dignity of all mankind.1 instead of using scarce money to meet interest payments. But this is a two- At MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY‘s As part of its original remit, the way street. In return for debt relief, heart is the knowledge that a tsunami Commission said it would “listen to recipient countries must undertake to of sorts happens every week around Africa”. World Vision is urging ensure that the extra resources are the world: every single day, 30,000 decision-makers not only to listen, but channelled legitimately to those most children die needlessly in the world's to trust Africa with its own in need. The G7 Finance Ministers poorest countries – that's 210,000 development, allowing the nations took some small steps at their last every week. Millions perish from who know best what they need to meeting, promising to review debt starvation; thousands succumb every deduce the best solutions for relief on a case-by-case basis. It's not day to malnutrition and diseases overcoming poverty within their enough.There's still a long way to go. which are at best preventable and, at own countries. the very least, treatable; millions of And while more money is needed, the people are uprooted from their The report made a number of aid also needs to be better quality.The homes because of civil conflict or recommendations for changing the gap between the promise of aid and natural disasters. situation, including calling for a new the reality of its implementation has kind of partnership between Africa already, in effect, cost Africa billions. But something can be done – and and the developed nations. The word Improving the mechanisms for something must be done. And it “partnership” has eluded many channelling aid and persuading donor doesn't seem so impossible, when you previous discussions amongst rich governments to work alongside consider that the three richest people governments and world leaders developing countries in partnership

14 Second Quarter, 2005 — Global Future PHOTO - DAVID MUNOZ AMBRIZ / WORLD VISION

Sixty indigenous apiculturists supported by a World Vision Mexico programme have had their honey sold in Mexico City and exported to Europe through a Fair Trade initiative. will enable these countries to plan British Government has shown it has poverty eradication is on the agenda; their future development on a long- the will to take some vital first steps. world leaders must agree that putting term basis. To prove that it is serious, it must now an end to the “silent tsunami” is a deliver on its commitment of US$2 cause worth fighting for. That's the Far too often, aid is given with one billion towards the gap in funds to challenge in 2005. I hand and taken away with the other. meet the Millennium Development Financial institutions such as the Goals, and should upgrade its World Bank and the International promise to meet the target of 0.7% of Mr Charles Badenoch is Chief Executive of World Monetary Fund attach conditions to GNP spent on aid by 2013, and strive Vision UK. See: www.worldvision.org.uk, or for more aid that in many cases are detrimental to meet it by 2010. It must also make information about MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY go to economic development. Condit- sure that its policies across the board to: www.makepovertyhistory.org ions should simply guarantee that the do not undermine progress in aid gets to the people who need it. eradicating poverty. 1Our common interest: Report of the Commission for Africa, www.commissionforafrica.org There can be no doubt that the world Now is the time for the rich world to can afford to eradicate poverty. The take a giant leap forward. Global

Global Future — Second Quarter, 2005 15 Investing in women is smart

Ritu Sharma

ENDING POVERTY AROUND Moreover, while education is a critical schooling a girl receives, her own the world is entirely possible; we just factor in overcoming poverty, millions children are 5–10% less likely to die need our world leaders to step up to of girls are routinely kept out of as infants. the plate to help make it happen. school and forced to work in the house, on the farm, and in the factory, That's why we, at the Women's Edge And this year, leaders of the world's while boys are sent to school. Many Coalition, are pro-actively advocating wealthiest nations have a tremendous poor parents reason that sending to the United States Congress and the opportunity to make a real difference their boys to school incurs less direct White House on economic policies in the lives of the poor by tackling cost than would losing girls' labour and human rights that support poor head-on some of the pressing global and income. Today, of the more than women in their actions to end issues of our time: aid, trade and debt. 120 million of children out of school, poverty in their lives, communities With the year 2005 labelled over 65 million are girls. and nations.We take their issues, their MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY, and a voices and their needs and present series of upcoming high-level inter- Financing women's development them to the decision-makers in national events with global poverty as These reasons alone should be Washington who hold the purse their main focus – beginning with the enough to push wealthy nations to strings on the almost US$20 billion July G8 Summit in Scotland – world make vital investments in women to spent annually on humanitarian and leaders can do just that. encourage freedom, self-sufficiency development assistance. Simply put, if the world wants to and lasting change. But if the statistics above don't convince leaders, this Women's Edge is working with key eradicate poverty, we need to start by US law-makers to co-sponsor the first investing in women, who consti- should: investing in women brings enormous pay-offs for whole families, Global Opportunity for Women Act tute the vast majority – more than (GO4Women Act). This proposed 70% – of the world's poorest people. communities and nations. Women tend to put any money they have back legislation would channel US Start at the bottom rung into their family's education, health, development assistance into projects and welfare – helping to break the designed to help poor women around Why do women make up the majority cycle of poverty. the world become economically of the poor? One simple reason: viable. discrimination. Discrimination keeps the world's women on the bottom Investing in women Fairer trade rules rung of the social ladder – often with brings enormous little help to move up.Women are the Yet international assistance alone is poorest of the poor because men pay-offs for families, not enough to end poverty. Effective clearly have a distinct advantage: in communities international assistance will help poor many countries, women cannot own and nations countries to enter and benefit from their own land, so they have no assets. the global economy, but once they are With no assets, women cannot engaged in the global economy, trade Women's freedom and economic rules must be fair to allow poor borrow money to start income- viability are key to our collective generating businesses or grow their countries to compete on a level global well-being. By offering poor playing field. farms. And more often than not, women around the globe the basic women around the world have less tools and skills for success, they can Globalisation, trade, investment, control over money when they do be empowered to better their lives economic growth, technology and earn it. and their children's, as well as to innovation certainly have the potential invest in their countries' future. Because of women's family role in to close the gap between rich and taking care of their children and poor, but only if we consciously households, most do not have as We know that smart and targeted examine them and make sure that much time to work in the economy investments in critical areas such as they close the gap; it doesn't happen and when they do, are forced to take health and education will pay off many on its own. That's why it is so less secure or lower-paying jobs. All times over and will empower millions important to make sure that women over the world, women earn 20–50% of people to lift themselves out of and their specific issues are at the less than men. poverty. For example, for each year of table from the beginning.

16 Second Quarter, 2005 — Global Future Thus, the Women's Edge Coalition developed a tool called the Trade Impact Review (TIR) to uncover how trade agreements may affect the poor – especially women, who make up the majority of the world's poor – and forecast their potential impact on

development, prior to high-level trade PHOTO - PATRICIO CUEVAS / WORLD VISION negotiations. The TIR uses readily- available data and academic research to provide policy makers and advocates with information about the potential consequences that new trade rules may have for the poor. Armed with this data, we can change trade commitments that may harm the poor, before the agreements are completed.

The TIR framework does not presume that all those living in poverty will be losers; instead, it assesses both the positive and negative potential effects of a change in trade or investment policy. The review tool also identifies local laws – including those that benefit the poor or women – that may be lost in a country's compliance with the new trade agreement.

We must do more to ensure that trade agreements benefit men and women living in poverty. An extra dollar a day for many women would change the futures of millions of families.

Cancelling debt

The massive debt in impoverished This Chilean woman, the head of her household, owns a fish and seafood store. countries also continues to hit With hard work and a little training, she has managed to "make poverty history" women, the majority poor, the for herself and her family. hardest. Because poor countries must spend more money in debt service payments to rich creditors, they are the world's poorest countries, we can self-sufficiency, we will be working to not able to make desperately-needed make a difference in the lives of end global poverty, while making real investments in health and education current and future generations. In a and lasting changes in their lives, for their own people. Cancelling loans world where a mother dies every communities and nations. I for countries committed to good single minute of every single day, due governance is not only the right thing to fully-preventable reasons, debt to do, it's smart. And a little debt relief would allow impoverished Ms Ritu Sharma is Co-Founder and President of cancellation can go a long way: in countries to make critical investments the Women's Edge Coalition, a Washington DC- Tanzania, for example, $3 billion in in maternal and reproductive health based coalition of more than 40 organisations and debt relief is helping to send 1.6 care to save women's lives. 15,000 individuals. See: www.womensedge.org million children to school, while debt cancellation enabled Uganda to Wealthy nations can start by showing make primary education free for their commitment to investing in every child, helping more girls get women.The best investment that you into classrooms. can make, the highest return that you will get for your money, is to invest in When the international community women and girls. If we offer women comes together to cancel the debts of an opportunity to gain freedom and

Global Future — Second Quarter, 2005 17 Aid for grassroots food security in Kenya

Sarah Gillam

NASALINA KAARI GREETS US does, which are crossed with the male registering all the pure Toggenburg with enthusiasm as we arrive at her Toggenburg. Once a female kid has animals with the Kenya Stud Book, shamba and rushes away to find chairs matured, it is crossed with another coordinating buck rotation (to avoid before settling us in the shade. Toggenburg, producing a 75 to 25 in-breeding) and marketing the cross- ratio of Toggenburg to local goat – the bred dairy goats. It is also taking a It's the first time she has sat down ideal mix for a hardy dairy goat, growing role in training activities. today after a round of collecting producing up to four litres of milk a Another local institution, the Meru water, weeding, cooking and cleaning. day. So that more and more people Animal Health Workers' Group Five years ago, Nasalina's husband benefit, farmers are required to pass (MAHWG), allows community-based died; now she's looking after her on the first two female kids to animal health workers, animal health children alone, growing her own food. another poor family. assistants and veterinarians to discuss She's thin and looks older than her emerging issues and obtain loans to forty years but is pleased to talk about Investment at the grassroots is now expand their businesses. Both the improvements she is making. paying off. Nasalina says her life is associations are contributing to the finally improving: “When I sold three development of livestock and animal Nasalina has three acres (1.2 goats, I was able to build a house with health policies in Kenya. hectares) of land planted with maize, a corrugated iron roof. I'm getting a beans and sorghum, which keeps the lot of milk for my family and I'm As a result of the success in Meru, family fed for six months of the year. selling some too.” One of her FARM-Africa is now expanding its She also has bananas, mangoes and children broke his arm and she sold work to south-eastern Kenya where it avocados.To produce all this requires one of the goats to pay the 3000- aims to help 3,500 group members, a huge amount of effort. All her shilling (US$32) hospital bill:“At least with a further 6,000 households children go to primary school, though I had a goat to sell, otherwise it would benefiting from access to improved she doubts she'll be able to afford the have been very difficult.” But one of goats and private livestock services. fees for secondary education. She the main problems, she said, is the The aim is to create sustainable struggles to buy new uniforms, shoes shortage of fodder for goats in the improvements in people's livelihoods and exercise books as it is. dry season. “We have to go to the and to develop community-based river banks and cut and carry the organisations that will, along with Goats for self-sufficiency fodder for the goats.” government extension staff, be able to After her husband's death, Nasalina manage the breeding system and found it hard to keep the family alive, Aid must prioritise veterinary work long after FARM- so she joined a village group that was Africa's intervention concludes. investing in goats, courtesy of the grassroots farmers, international non-governmental org- not inefficient Priorities for aid anisation FARM-Africa. Because of her government FARM-Africa, as a member of the situation, the group selected her to MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY camp- look after the breeding station. FARM- bureaucracies aign, is lobbying hard for more and Africa built her a goat house, supplying better aid. This means aid supporting a Toggenburg buck and four does, and Altogether the Meru Dairy Goat the poor wherever they are and seedlings of protein-rich plants for project has benefited 2,500 families, whatever they are doing. With 80% of fodder. When her goats kidded, she with a further 55,000 families using Africans reliant on agriculture, priority gave the first four kids to other services resulting from it. It benefits needs to be given to men and women people in the community, as a way of the poorest in the community, farmers and their organisations, as repaying her “loan”. After that, particularly households headed by well as civil society groups, working so Nasalina was free to sell subsequent women and smallholder farmers with hard at the grassroots – as opposed goats. Since pure Toggenburgs (an very few resources to produce food to aid exclusively channelled through exotic goat) fetch up to three times or generate income to improve inefficient government bureaucracies the price of local goats, she's reaping family welfare. via Direct Budget Support. the benefits of all her hard work. Farmer representatives have formed Access to land and water resources Other group members are benefiting the Meru Goat Breeders' Association are also a priority if farmers are to too. Each has been given two local (MGBA), which is responsible for respond to new market opport-

18 Second Quarter, 2005 — Global Future unities. At the moment, Africa's agriculture ministries and imple- irrigation potential is grossly under- mentation of coherent rural devel- developed. Even modest techniques, opment strategies are pre-conditions such as rainwater harvesting, can help. for large additional investments in the PHOTO - FARM-AFRICA agricultural sector in most African In some countries, inequalities in land countries. distribution have to be addressed. Where land is scarce, agricultural Strategies must involve all stake- development efforts should target holders, including the private sector. middling and better-off smallholder This would encourage investment and households – nearly all of whom are give donors the opportunity to invest still poor by most criteria – and look in African agriculture without for ways to assist the semi-landless necessarily having to work through through the rural non-farm economy. national ministries of agriculture or other government agencies. Years of decline in agricultural extension services must be reversed; “Agriculture is the backbone of the support services such as information, economy” is a mantra for many inputs, credit and market access must African governments. Unfortunately, it be better delivered. These services usually gets only a small share of will need the coordination of government expenditure and farmers government ministries, the private often have little say in deciding how sector and NGOs. money is spent or services delivered.

Improved rural infrastructure is FARM-Africa's call. FARM-Africa is critical for expanding market calling on donor governments and opportunities for producers, organisations, African governments, improving linkages with traders and Nasalina Kaari with one of the goats the United Nations and the New that has brought immediate financial reducing the cost of inputs and Partnership for Africa's Development relief to her family, and increased service delivery. Roads, commun- (NEPAD) to: community wealth. ications, water management and markets all need improvement. G increase the aid budget spent on The sun is going down as we bid agriculture, ensuring a balance of Nasalina and her children goodbye. Trade, agriculture reforms support between national govern- There are still many things that her But bigger-picture change is needed ments, civil society and NGOs; family need and they won't come too. Reform of Northern agricultural quickly. But with a small amount of and trade policies is essential. G to ensure that concern for investment and training and a lot of Industrialised countries must be international trade issues does hard work on her part, she has been pressed to reform protectionist not distract attention from local able to keep them in food and shelter, policies and to accept that special and regional markets; pay for medical bills and school treatment – in trade negotiations, materials – in other words, to keep G to explore new approaches to for example – must be given to agri- her family afloat. supporting rural livelihood by cultural development in developing funding experimental prog- countries. Smallholder producers FARM-Africa has withdrawn from the rammes for evidence-based need investment so they can respond Meru project now after eight years policy and practice; to opportunities created by higher and the community is running it successfully – proof that investment at prices. G to make the case for investment the grassroots really does bring in the smallholder agricultural progress. I Assured and reasonable return on sector; agricultural innovation and investment is another urgent need. There is a G to encourage innovative, farmer- strong case for measures that stabilise led initiatives, empowering Ms Sarah Gillam is Press Manager with FARM- and, in some cases support, domestic smallholder farmers and herders, Africa, a UK- and Africa-based NGO that works prices. and with small-scale farmers and herders, prioritising pastoral development, community forest All such actions need to be G to encourage other donors to management, smallholder development and land coordinated by ministries of re-engage in natural resource reform in East and South Africa. See: agriculture, but these are generally development with appropriate, www.farmafrica.org.uk under-resourced, ineffective and coordinated and long-term unaccountable to farmers. Reform of commitment.

Global Future — Second Quarter, 2005 19 Economic recovery in tsunami-affected countries

Peter Acfield and Laurence Gray 1 PHOTO - KEVIN COOK / WORLD VISION

In Banda Aceh, Indonesia, many people like this old woman and boy have roamed the streets in search of anything of value still to be found in the ruins of the tsunami.

GLOBAL MOMENTUM TO fishing the worst-affected areas, and people were dead, 43 injured, one “make poverty history” is growing. damages and losses in Aceh province missing and 3,205 displaced; and an But what does that mean in the face wiping out 97% of local gross estimated 592 houses in 17 villages of cataclysmic events like the domestic product (GDP). were destroyed. December 2004 tsunami? It took not just lives, homes and landscapes, but Sri Lanka's damage and losses over Initial Asian Development Bank left people and economies even more the next two years will be up to $1.3 assessments put increased poverty as vulnerable to poverty. billion, according to a preliminary potentially the most serious assessment by the Asian Development consequence of the disaster. The As at early March 2005, the estimated Bank, the Japan Bank for International implications are two-fold: absolute total cost of aid and recovery from Cooperation and the World Bank. poverty will increase as people the tsunami was just under US$14 affected by the tsunami fall below the billion, with most of the damage and The Indian Government estimated poverty line, and the level of misery losses suffered by Indonesia and Sri reconstruction costs at $1.5 billion, will increase if those already below Lanka. not counting the Andaman and the poverty line lose what earnings Nicobar Islands. In Thailand, the they had before the tsunami and slide In Indonesia, the National Devel- biggest impact is expected to be on even deeper into poverty. The opment Planning Agency and donors the tourism industry, which generates number of newly impoverished across led by the World Bank assessed total 5.1% of the country's GDP. And in the tsunami region is expected to rise damages and losses at almost $4.5 Myanmar, in early January 2005, by up to two million people. More billion, with housing, agriculture and Government figures were that 61 than half of the two million “new

20 Second Quarter, 2005 — Global Future poor” will be in Indonesia, the regeneration plan. animal deaths from stress. The FAO remainder mostly in Sri Lanka. has said that before re-stocking, Reclaiming farmland. Farmland veterinary services must be restored Towards recovery must be rehabilitated quickly to to provide early warning and The extent to which the tsunami- restore the production capacity of treatment of the main diseases. Care affected countries can recover, and farmers and to ensure food security in must also be taken to ensure proper continue fighting poverty, depends rural areas. To that end, the FAO has precautions such as animal largely on the responses of the proposed a Framework for Reclam- vaccinations are taken. international community. There are ation Action Plan for damaged several big challenges ahead. farmland. The strategy is aimed at Reviving tourism. In February 2005, classifying inundated fields into three the World Tourism Association's Rehabilitating fisheries and damage levels, quantifying the ability of executive council met in Phuket to aquaculture. The UN Food and individual farmers to progressively adopt the so-called Phuket Action Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has restore production capacity, and Plan, which focuses on saving jobs, estimated direct losses in the fisheries planning of short- and long-term re-launching small businesses and sector in the nine affected countries measures needed to aid reclamation. encouraging tourists to return to the to be nearly half a billion dollars. The region. Aimed at Thailand, Sri Lanka, estimated cost includes replacement Two million people Indonesia and the Maldives, the or repair of 110,000 fishing vessels, plan deals with re-building the replacement of 1.7 million units of are likely to fall livelihoods of survivors in tourism fishing gear, and repair or replacement below the poverty line, destinations of affected countries and of 36,000 marine engines. The and countless people re-building visitor numbers. It additional cost of repairs to harbours below it to fall further encompasses marketing, community and aquaculture projects is expected relief, professional training, sustainable to be around $100 million. development and risk management. It has been estimated that the Re-building of infrastructure, including The FAO has warned of the folly of tsunami, which in some places swept hotels and resorts, is being handled by concentrating on the re-building of inland as much as five kilometres, insurance companies and other aid the tourism industry at the expense damaged around 30,000 hectares of agencies. Secondary goals include of fishery reconstruction. Fisheries farmland in Indonesia and about 5,500 setting up systems to strengthen the and agriculture supply villagers with in Sri Lanka. Damage to fields includes sustainability of the affected destin- food and income, but are also essen- erosion, the depositing of debris, ations and to work with the United tial to contribute to the supply of sedimentation, residual flooding and Nations on a disaster reduction food to tourists. Therefore, tourism salinisation. strategy. and food production must be revived simultaneously in order to In Indonesia, 40% of the inundated A vital complement to the strategy complement each other and remain land is classified as “highly damaged”, will be a campaign to lobby govern- sustainable. which means that farming will be ments of tourist source countries to disrupted for at least this year and exercise restraint in issuing travel The FAO's Asia–Pacific regional will have to be diversified or aband- advisories. Several of the tsunami- headquarters in Bangkok has set up a oned. A further 30% is “medium damaged countries were further consortium to restore shattered damaged”, requiring the cultivation of handicapped by advisories warning of livelihoods in tsunami-devastated salt-tolerant varieties of rice until the dangers that did not eventuate. nations. The key partners are the land returns to normal. In Sri Lanka, Bay of Bengal Programme Inter- there is no highly damaged land, but The International Finance Corp- Governmental Organisation, the the FAO has estimated that 70% of oration (IFC), the private-sector arm Network of Aquaculture Centres in the affected land has suffered of the World Bank, pledged $2.5 the Asia–Pacific, the South-East Asia “medium damage”. million in aid to the tourism sector, Fisheries Development Centre and South Korea pledged $500,000 for the World Fish Centre. It is estimated that almost all of the rehabilitation of the sector (over and farm animals near the coast in above its budgeted $200,000 for The FAO has also called for the tsunami-hit areas have been lost. This training and infrastructure), and other rehabilitation of severely affected leaves people in those regions without commitments are expected. Aid is mangroves, which provide fuel for any food stock, breeding stock or forthcoming in response both to need cooking and heating, timber and draught animals to assist with heavy and to the perceived strength of the thatch for houses as well as nutrients farm labour. formal economy. Confidence in and spawning grounds for fish and tourism-related businesses in Sri shellfish. However, the FAO has Re-stocking with animals from other Lanka, Thailand and the Maldives has warned that such rehabilitation should villages or regions would provide the eased access to assistance, whereas not be attempted ad hoc but should perfect breeding ground for other sectors are still grappling with be part of a comprehensive coastal outbreaks of animal diseases and issues of legitimacy and control.

Global Future — Second Quarter, 2005 21 Other key issues need addressing: G International coordination of relief from six countries – including and reconstruction efforts ensure Thailand and India, whose shrimp G Transparent and equitable efficient and effective use of donor farms are badly damaged by the measures must be employed funds. tsunami. At the same time, the US is to resolve issues of land control providing recovery support for and ownership, a critical issue in The Consultative Group to Assist the tsunami-affected countries. promoting economic recovery. Poor (CGAP), representing govern- Failure to address these could ments, multi-lateral agencies and The tsunami was truly colossal – in result in unrest and stagnated private organisations from 28 terms of the energy released, lives lost economic growth. countries, has stressed the need for and areas affected. It also released a relief operations and sustainable tide of compassion and generosity, G Social and livelihood consider- development to be kept separate, but where public fund-raising motivated ations are considered “colossal” to be designed to complement each (or embarrassed) governments to dig in affected areas and local other. CGAP, which includes the deeper. This generosity has been a communities, while they are World Bank, the Asian Development source of national pride, not a burden. “moderate” to “slight” for the Bank, the International Fund for nation as a whole; this disparity Agricultural Development, the Japan Before, on and since 26 December needs to be recognised. Bank for International Cooperation 2004, other humanitarian crises have and the US Agency for International been consuming people. Fatalities and G Families and communities should Development, has also said that suffering, whether caused by a massive be informed of their options, micro-finance agencies should wave, armed insurgents, or chronic with reconstruction taking the maintain a commitment to sustainable poverty, are still fatalities and lead from them. operations and customise solutions to suffering. client needs. G To revive trade, industry and Can the public out-pouring of finance in the recovery strategy, Global economic policy response compassion and generosity prompted Indonesia's National Develop- Clearly, poverty reduction in the by the tsunami extend to compassion ment Planning Agency tsunami-affected countries has suff- and generosity for all human suffering? BAPPENAS 2 and the World Bank ered a severe set-back. What could Will governments again be upstaged are calling for employment- the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY and moved to act by a generous intensive investment in infra- campaign platform promise for these motivated public, to make poverty structure and labour-intensive countries? history? I public works. Debt relief. Debt relief would be G A pressing challenge for the welcome for tsunami-affected Mr Peter Acfield is a journalist with World Vision Indonesian Government is to countries that owe to multi-lateral Australia. Mr Laurence Gray is Director for meet the country's massive institutions ($70 billion to the IMF, Advocacy and Child Protection,World Vision's Asia- investment needs.There is a World Bank and Asian Development Pacific Region. need for “greater predictability Bank). Each country spends millions a 1 and clarity” towards different year to repay these institutions. A This article includes a summary by Peter Acfield of administrative responsibilities Economic recovery needs in tsunami-affected countries, a debt moratorium is one proposed consultant's report commissioned in 2005 by Laurence and a “consistency in implement- solution, but this may mean more debt Gray, World Vision's Asia-Pacific Director for Advocacy ation” of the legal and regulatory in the long term. and Child Protection. Statistics in that report draw on framework. sources including the World Bank, Asian Development Fair trade. Trade negotiations are of Bank, United Nations Development Programme and the US International Trade Commission. Economic recovery is key for quality 2 increased importance to help Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Nasional of life in affected communities, and countries affected by the tsunami.The many have a part to play. But good European Trade Commissioner has coordination between the players is stated that trade policy can be used to critical. The World Bank has outlined assist countries in their relief and its three principles of tsunami recovery efforts, improving access to recovery: markets, reducing protectionism and removing trade barriers. G Governments of affected countries/regions play a central More and better aid. Consistency is role and have ownership of needed between a donor country's reconstruction projects. aid and trade approaches. For example, the United States Inter- G Reconstruction is planned and national Trade Commission voted executed by locals in such a way as unanimously on 6 January to impose to break local poverty cycles. punitive tariffs on imports of shrimp

22 Second Quarter, 2005 — Global Future The battle against poverty is for all of us

Cecil Laguardia

IN THE PHILIPPINES, AS IN most of the developing world, for a majority of people poverty has gone from bad to worse. What's more, it seems that most Filipinos accept that poverty is part of life.

In the outskirts of Maguindanao, one PHOTO - CECIL LAGUARDIA / WORLD VISION of the country's poorest provinces whose poverty has been aggravated by a decades-old insurgency (or the other way around), many children like eight-year-old Mohammed Hashim dream of finishing school not just to pursue their dreams but “to earn salary” and help put food on their tables. “I want to help improve the living condition of my family.” Although so young, he has learned to shoulder the burden of his family, which he has seen since he first opened his eyes in this world.

As 12 million Filipinos once more tighten their belts to get by on a US$1 In the Philippines, it is not unusual for children to go to school without a day income, the gulf between breakfast, and to continue the day with little more in their stomachs. Mohammed and his dream has widened by leaps and bounds. sodium-laden instant noodles – could The burning question now is: how can lead to more serious health problems. we end poverty? From a Christian The child labourers of Leyte province As medical anthropologist Michael perspective, God promising us the see work as their duty.Eleven-year-old Tan 1 has lamented, malnourished riches of His kingdom surely means Maricris works on the sugar-cane children are “slowly being wasted that poverty can be conquered – even plantation in the morning and goes to away by hunger”. though it has been with us for ages. school in the afternoon. Daily food for There must be a way. There is a way. her is a “lump of rice and dried Figures from the National Statistics fish…our parents cannot afford Office are jarring: five million Filipinos Hope in partnerships better.” She said many of them accept are unemployed with another six This country that has toppled two their fate. “We are used to it. It is a million under-employed – earning this presidents through “people power” way of life for us.” country the unfortunate distinction seems not to have found the right of one of the highest unemployment formula for doing that to poverty…yet. Facing the bleak scenario rates in Asia and the world. This Deeply rooted in the heart of every The Food and Nutrition Research bleak scenario is visible from the cities community, poverty seems to have Institute reports that eight out of 10 to the countryside. stuck like glue; even those who have Filipinos are hungry. It is not unusual succeeded in wiping it out of their lives for children to go to school without In a 2000 survey by the Social are scarred forever. Yet there are having breakfast, have only a few Weather Station, a non-profit social voices of hope. Like that of one local spoonfuls of rice for lunch (made research institution, 54% of Filipinos government employee, in a newspaper bearable by a pinch of salt), and go rated themselves as poor.In 2001, that opinion page: “We alone have allowed through the night with the same perception increased to 59%. And this adverse condition we live in. How menu. Experts are worried that the with three babies born every minute, much we want of tomorrow depends base diet for many poor Filipinos – the Philippines' near-80 million on what we do now.” He will need all rice with fish sauce, coffee, pork oil or population could double in 29 years. the help he can get.

Global Future — Second Quarter, 2005 23 President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Bolt of lightning needed? GCAP – a new convergence on starting her six-year term in 2004 The next-hardest thing about tackling The convergence of social movements and presenting her 10-point poverty is getting everyone's acts and civil society in GCAP Philippines programme to fight poverty and bring together. This is difficult but surely is is counting on seeing that reversal peace, underscored the acute need possible. Describing the Philippines' happen. Launched officially in April for unity to make things happen. She two “people power” revolutions, 2005, the coalition is campaigning “in a appealed to all Filipinos: “If we could writer José María Montelibano bid to compel policy-makers, both in only now fight together with the same commented: “Both were induced by the national government and multi- energy and conviction to preserve popular movements orchestrated by lateral institutions…to realise that it our freedom and advance our nation's man, but both were triggered to erupt can no longer be 'business as usual', progress.” by force majeure, by an act of God.” and to vigorously protest against policies that have led to the steady People power has While those uprisings had a “bolt deterioration of the quality of life of toppled presidents, of lightning from heaven”, in the average Filipino…”. 7 Montelibano's words, human initiative but hasn't yet was critical. People from all walks of As an active member of GCAP found the way to life, various organisations and Philippines and its Coordinating do that to poverty institutions, simply saw what needed Council, World Vision is mobilising to end and did something. How could alongside other stake-holders in events such as the Global Campaign As Richard Ondrik, country director this not conquer poverty? History is for Education and a Children's of the Asian Development Bank for replete with examples of people Congress focused on education, with the Philippines, noted,2 poverty is “an joining hands and achieving goals that many more in the pipeline. extremely complex problem with once looked impossible. many causes and many outcomes”. He As a GCAP Philippines proposal added that fighting it is not just the job Making poverty history means extric- notes, “the demands for a better life of one entity or sector of society but ating ourselves from a mind-set that for the poor and socially-excluded in needs the combined forces of all keeps us going around in circles. Jesus' terms of health, education and other stake-holders – the poor themselves, assertion that the truth shall set us 4 indicators, flow from an understanding governments, the private sector and free is useful here: the truth of what that these are entitlements enshrined organised civil society, including non- we can do, of what others can contri- in the Universal Declaration of governmental organisations (NGOs), bute, the truth in statistics, and the 8 Human Rights.” On that foundation and labour unions and networks. truth of seeing poverty in the raw, can free us to believe that poverty will end. stone, and on the Biblical one of God's promised kingdom riches, there is Indeed, it takes partnership to no looking back. But the immense relentlessly pursue solutions to the Members of the Global Call to Action work will be done only if we start problem that – alongside terrorism – Against Poverty (GCAP) Philippines doing it. I sends shivers of dread across the have lamented that “current globe. (Who can sleep well knowing allocations for education in the that thousands, even millions, go to country dropped to 15% while health Ms Maria Cecil Laguardia is a Communications bed without food, sleep on pavements allocation, as in the past two years, Specialist with World Vision Philippines. See: and die without getting the medical continues to hover at 1% from an www.worldvision.org.ph treatment they need?) Poverty cuts already low 3% of previous years. An sweepingly from education, health and ironic contrast to the 33.24% 1Director of the NGO Health Action Information nutrition, environment, economy, allocated to debt servicing, which Network; associate professor at the University of the peace and order, culture, and underscores the reality that the Philippines 2 practically everything under the sun. government has prioritised debt “It takes partnership to fight poverty”, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 16 July 2003 This giant cannot be tackled single- servicing at the expense of social 3“Earth feeling the strain of population”, Ibid., 7 Dec 5 handedly.The battle will be fought and spending”. Another member notes 2002 won if we all work together. that according to a study 4 John 8:32, The New Testament commissioned by the United Nations 5 Social Watch-Philippines, Making Good in MDG Journalist Charles Buban 3 notes a Development Programme, the Commitments? (2004), cited in GCAP Philippines Project Proposal, e-mail, 17 February 2005 global consensus on key elements for country will need at least “P229 billion 6 Prof L Briones; this figure is for public corporations; progress that include: encouraging [US$4.2 billion] to meet the targets the total public sector debt figure is not available at local participation in decision-making, for education, health, water supply and time of writing. 7 Social Watch-Philippines, op. cit. addressing equity concerns including sanitation. Given the trend in 8 gender equity and income differ- budgeting for social spending, many Paper by R E Ofreneo, cited in GCAP proposal, op. cit. entials, and creating partnerships that civil society groups believe that the include the private and the public Philippines will most likely fail in its sectors. Everyone involved and MDG commitment unless this accountable could break poverty. situation is reversed.” 6

24 Second Quarter, 2005 — Global Future Your personal response to 2005?

Andy Atkins

I believe the Global Call to Action Against Poverty will You can encourage anyone to support your national make history in 2005. Either we will win policy changes that platform of the Global Call, to wear the white band, to reduce extreme poverty dramatically in the decade to write to their government representative, and so on. come, or become the biggest campaign ever to fail so dramatically. The outcome depends on the response of If you are a person of faith, seek guidance, through prayer, millions of people. What's yours? on which avenues God wants you to explore.The heroes of the Bible are those who listened to God and dared to It's a year that calls for extraordinary action and reflection. follow his lead. If you believe, as I do, that 2005 offers unprecedented opportunities to demolish major Finally, ask yourself:

blockages to poverty eradication, it M What are my motives? follows that you will make There are many good ones. unprecedented efforts to But only one motive is help seize those guaranteed not to leave opportunities. you disappointed. That is the biblical Or does it? How imperative for easy it is for us to followers of God get stuck in our to speak out for individual or our justice for the institutional rut. poor and vuln- Whether you erable, because are a foot soldier it is the right or a general in thing to do – the war against whatever the poverty, try asking chances of success. yourself:

M What priority Let this motive be am I giving to seizing our driver and compass this moment? as we experience setbacks as well as celebrations along Then ask yourself: the road.And if enough people do

M How can I do more? the right thing this year, we will make Our options go far beyond what we can do in our the right kind of history. I professional capacity as workers in the development sector, because our relationships go far beyond our professional sphere. We have family and relatives. We have friends and Mr Andy Atkins is Advocacy Director with Tearfund UK and on the contacts through our community, our church, our Coordination Team of MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY, the UK platform for “hobbies”, professional associations and other networks. the Global Call to Action on Poverty

WORLD VISION works with each partner community World Vision recognises that poverty is a Christian relief and development to ensure that children are able to is not inevitable. Our Mission partnership that serves more than 85 enjoy improved nutrition, health and Statement calls us to challenge those million people in nearly 100 countries. education. Where children live in unjust structures that constrain the World Vision seeks to follow Christ’s especially difficult circumstances, poor in a world of false priorities, example by working with the poor surviving on the streets, suffering in gross inequalities and distorted values. and oppressed in the pursuit of justice exploitative labour, or exposed to the World Vision desires that all people and human transformation. abuse and trauma of conflict,World be able to reach their God-given Children are often most vulnerable to Vision works to restore hope and to potential, and thus works for a world the effects of poverty. World Vision bring justice. that no longer tolerates poverty. I

BACK COVER : Global Call to Action against Poverty banner on university building in Porto Alegre, Brazil Photo courtesy of NOVIB (Oxfam Netherlands) O Africa Regional Office PO Box 50816 Nairobi Kenya O Asia Pacific Regional Office SSP Tower, 19th Floor 555 Sukhumvit 63 (Soi Ekamai) Bangkok 10110 Thailand O Communications & Public Affairs 1 Vision Drive Burwood East,Victoria 3151 Australia O EU Liaison Office 22 Rue de Toulouse B-1040 Brussels Belgium O International Liaison Office 6 Chemin de la Tourelle 1209 Geneva Switzerland O Latin America & Caribbean Regional Office Apartado 133, 2300 Curridabat San José Costa Rica, Central America O Middle East/Eastern Europe Regional Office PO Box 28979 2084 Nicosia Cyprus O Partnership Offices 800 West Chestnut Avenue Monrovia, CA 91016-3198 USA O World Vision UN Office 222 East 48th Street New York, NY 10017 USA

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