World Development at a Glance

[Matt25]

zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=76701

The paragraphs begin about halfway down the page, under the heading ‘Daily toll’.

NEW YORK, SEPT. 17, 2005 (Zenit.org)…Sept. 7 saw the publishing of the Human Development Report 2005, by the U.N. Development Program. This report too noted that important progress has been made in the last few years, with poverty falling and far greater international attention being paid to improving the state of developing countries. Since 1990, life expectancy in developing countries has increased by two years. There are now 3 million fewer child deaths annually and 30 million fewer children out of school. As well, more than 130 million people have escaped extreme poverty.

Nevertheless, the report added: “Every hour more than 1,200 children die away from the glare of media attention.” The causes of death vary, “but the overwhelming majority can be traced to a single pathology: poverty.” Highlighting the contrasts between rich and poor, the report commented: “One-fifth of humanity live in countries where many people think nothing of spending $2 a day on a cappuccino. Another fifth of humanity survive on less than $1 a day and live in countries where children die for want of a simple anti-mosquito bed net.” …Even though the sums of money are large, the report argued that they are modest by the scale of wealth in rich countries. For example, the $7 billion needed annually over the next decade to provide 2.6 billion people with access to clean water is less than Europeans spend on perfume, and less than Americans spend on elective corrective surgery. This investment would save an estimated 4,000 lives each day.

The report argued that overcoming poverty needs a variety of actions, what it termed, “three pillars of cooperation,” each of which are in urgent need of fortifying. They are: 1. Development assistance. International aid is vital to reduce avoidable sickness and deaths, and to help create the conditions for economic growth. Improvements have been made, but both the quantity and the quality of aid need to be increased. 2. International trade. Too often, the report contended, the trade policies by developed nations “continue to deny poor countries and poor people a fair share of global prosperity.” Even more than aid, trade has the potential to improve the lot of the world’s poorest countries. 3. Security. Violent conflict and systematic violations of human rights “blights the lives of hundreds of millions of people,” the report charged. More effective international cooperation is needed in order to remove this impediment to growth.

 

[abcdefg]

Before the Iraq War, what do you think we should do help poor kids there? Sending $$$ to Saddam Hussein?

 

[Matt25]

abcdefg:

Before the Iraq War, what do you think we should do help poor kids there? Sending $$$ to Saddam Hussein?

No. There were other options. Catholic Relief Services for example have been working in Iraq since 1999.You may have heard of them but you can find out more at catholicrelief.org/about_us/who_we_are/index.cfm

Catholic Relief Services was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States. Our mission is to assist the poor and disadvantaged, leveraging the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to alleviate human suffering, promote development of all people and to foster charity and justice throughout the world.

Working through local offices and an extensive network of partners, CRS operates on 5 continents and in over 90 countries. We aid the poor by first providing direct assistance where needed, then encouraging these people to help with their own development. Together, this fosters secure, productive, just communities that enable people to realize their potential.

As the official international relief and development agency of the US Catholic community, CRS is also committed to educating the people of the United States to fulfill their moral responsibilities toward our global brothers and sisters by helping the poor, working to remove the causes of poverty, and promoting social justice.

 

[Matt25]

abcdefg:

Before the Iraq War, what do you think we should do help poor kids there? Sending $$$ to Saddam Hussein?

Prior to the war Caritas issued this report cafod.org.uk/archive/iraq/iraqreport20021101.shtml

…Caritas has first-hand experience of the suffering of the Iraqi people, with la Confrérie de la Charité working for more than ten years with the poorest and most vulnerable of the Iraqis. In its medical centers in Baghdad, in the North and in the South, Caritas Iraq provides help to babies, pregnant women and nursing mothers. It supplies food aid, and medical care, teaches people about nutrition and hygiene, and provides access to clean water. Last year more than 20,000 children benefited from the “well-baby” programme of Caritas Iraq.

          The suffering imposed upon the people of Iraq has been described                in the Caritas Europa report, "*A People Sacrificed: Sanctions                Against Iraq*", published in February 2001. Under the United Nations/Security Council trade embargo Iraq cannot do business with the rest of the world. Its imports of goods and products as well as its exports of oil have to go through an exceedingly complicated process controlled by the UN Office of the Iraq Programme and the Security Council. It is a process that has been marked by inflexibility, delays, and profound injustice. 

           The result has been disastrous for the economy and for the people. Since 1990 the country has experienced a shift from relative affluence to massive poverty. The shortage of food at affordable prices has put the population at risk. Malnutrition is widespread and chronic among children and infants. According to UNDP, 49% of families do not earn enough money to meet their basic needs. 

           Iraq's ranking in UNDP's Human Development Index fell from 96 in 1990 to 126 in 2000. Shops are glittering and bustling today in Baghdad, and those with money can buy anything they want. Yet the results of sanctions are visible everywhere, especially in the poorer areas of Baghdad, in the hospitals and in the nutrition centers...

 

[abcdefg]

Don’t blame sanctions on Iraq. If there were no sanction. people would still be as poor as it was except Saddam was richer. all money in oil trade went to Saddam. Furthermore Saddam deliberately starved his people to fake the impact of sanction. With Saddam ruling, no monetary aid is enough.

 

[Matt25]

abcdefg:

Don’t blame sanctions on Iraq. If there were no sanction. people would still be as poor as it was except Saddam was richer. all money in oil trade went to Saddam. Furthermore Saddam deliberately starved his people to fake the impact of sanction. With Saddam ruling, no monetary aid is enough.

No I blame sanctions on the world community. Before the sanctions regime the average Iraqi was materially better off, in terms of goods and services, than they were after 12 years of sanctions. Of course Saddam made the poor suffer while he was OK, thats exactly what you would expect. So what was the point of the sanctions regime then?

You say monetary aid was not enough no which is perhaps why - “Caritas Iraq provides help to babies, pregnant women and nursing mothers. It supplies food aid, and medical care, teaches people about nutrition and hygiene, and provides access to clean water. Last year more than 20,000 children benefited from the “well-baby” programme of Caritas Iraq.” ie Catholic and other relief agencies helped Iraqi’s directly- babies, pregnant women and nursing mothers. Would you have left them to rot?

 

[Matt25]

The report at zenit.org/english/show_3.php also points out

The good news was that the world economy grew by almost 4% in 2004, the best performance since 2000. Growth was even higher among developing countries, 6.5%. UNCTAD noted that the main growth engines are China and India, where rapid economic development has reduced poverty. In 2005, developing countries are expected to grow between 5% and 5.5%.

The report commented that the progress made in China and India means that there is important progress toward achieving the Millennium Development Goal of halving global poverty by 2015.

Challenges remain

Even China and India, however, still have a long way to go. The report observed that China’s per capita purchasing power in 2003 was around 10% that of the United States, and the figure for India was even lower.

There was positive news on Latin America, where the report noted there has been “a rebound from its deep economic crisis, and a return to faster growth, fueled by export expansion.”

Africa, beset by economic problems for many years, posted a 4.5% growth rate, and is expected to approach 5% this year. But despite recent positive developments, the report judged that growth in sub-Saharan Africa “is still too low to make decisive progress.”

The report also expressed concern over the lack of growth in euro-area European countries as well as in Japan, where domestic economic demand remains weak. And the report expressed concern that the main engine of growth in the developed world, the U.S. economy, may run out of steam before other countries or regions are able to take over that role.

Another concern is the increase in oil prices, which by mid-July reached $58 per barrel, double the mid-2002 level. Developing countries in particular are expected to suffer from the higher prices given that their industries require higher levels of oil to produce the same amount of goods than the more advanced economies.

 

[abcdefg]

Matt25:

No I blame sanctions on the world community. Before the sanctions regime the average Iraqi was materially better off, in terms of goods and services, than they were after 12 years of sanctions. Of course Saddam made the poor suffer while he was OK, thats exactly what you would expect. So what was the point of the sanctions regime then?

this doesn’t help your point. Saddam starved his people to fake the effect of sanction. that’s my point. try go for it

 

[abcdefg]

Matt25:

You say monetary aid was not enough no which is perhaps why - “Caritas Iraq provides help to babies, pregnant women and nursing mothers. It supplies food aid, and medical care, teaches people about nutrition and hygiene, and provides access to clean water. Last year more than 20,000 children benefited from the “well-baby” programme of Caritas Iraq.” ie Catholic and other relief agencies helped Iraqi’s directly- babies, pregnant women and nursing mothers. Would you have left them to rot?

Last year? Saddam had already been removed last year. this only further proved my point Saddam needs to be removed for these program to be effective

 

[Matt25]

abcdefg:

this doesn’t help your point. Saddam starved his people to fake the effect of sanction. that’s my point. try go for it

And your evidence for that would be what precisely?

 

[Matt25]

abcdefg:

Last year? Saddam had already been removed last year. this only further proved my point Saddam needs to be removed for these program to be effective

I was quoting for a second time a report which I have already said was issued prior to the war. As I pointed out above you can see it at cafod.org.uk/archive/ira…t20021101.shtml . Do try to pay attention. The programmes who’s success you have rightly noticed were run by Catholic Aid agencies during the odious sanctions regime.

 

[abcdefg]

Did children stop rotting just because of those pre Iraq war aid? Can you see mass burial of children staged by Saddam on TV?

 

[KathleenElsie]

zenit.org/english/show_3.php

NEW YORK, SEPT. 17, 2005 (Zenit.org)…Sept. 7 …

I went to the site above and it reads as follows:

**ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome **

**Code: ZE05091926

**
**Date: 2005-09-19

**
**Islamic Violence Spurs Warning in Bangladesh

**
**

**
DHAKA, Bangladesh, SEPT. 19, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The bishop of the Dinajpur Diocese fears that a series of 434 bomb blasts in August is a sign that Islamic fundamentalist terrorist groups are on the upswing.

Episodes of physical violence against Christians in this predominantly Muslim country have been sporadic in recent years.

But Bishop Moses Costa said Islamic extremists have launched an anti-Western campaign that could affect Christians, who already face discrimination in daily life. The 54-year-old prelate urged laity and clergy to avoid all provocation, according to the Fides news agency.

Recently eight Christian leaders sent an open letter to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia calling on the government to guarantee protection for the people, especially religious minorities.

Auxiliary Bishop Theotonius Gomes of Dhaka, the secretary-general of the Catholic bishops’ conference, was among the authors of the letter.

Last month’s 434 bombings occurred in 63 districts. After the arrest of 160 suspects, the government said that two Muslim leaders – Abdur Rahman, of the group Jamayetul Mujaheddin; and Banghla Bai, of Jagrata Muslim Janata – are being sought in connection with the explosions.

About 10% of Bangladesh’s 140 million people are Christian, including 280,000 Catholics.

Did you give the wrong address?

 

[Robert_Bay]

Corrected the link (thanks Guar Fan)!

I reopened the thread. Please:

1. Stay on the topic of the thread
2. Don’t bring over an arguement from a different thread.

 

[Guar_Fan]

The report argued that overcoming poverty needs a variety of actions, what it termed, “three pillars of cooperation,” each of which are in urgent need of fortifying. They are:

1. Development assistance.
2. International trade.
3. Security.

Certainly those are three important issues. But figuring out exactly what is needed and by whom is the real problem.

I am glad that the UN has drawn attention to the fact that life expectancy has increased in developing countries by two years. Its something quite remarkable considering that the average life expectancy in much of sub-Saharan Africa has plummeted by as much as 30-40 years due to HIV.

The report mentions that economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa “is still too low to make decisive progress.” What the report doesn’t say is that HIV is a major reason for the economic stagnation (if not loss) of sub-Saharan countries.