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From Ablockinternationaldevelopmentwiki
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[edit] Welcome to A Block's International Development Wiki
Hello and welcome. Mr. Hawkins has already set much of this page up for A Block. Now, the difficult work of filling it in remains. Remember a large portion of everybody's mark will depend on the overall quality of this page, so if you see something missing/incomplete/wrong, take steps to see that it is corrected.
The Rest of the Page:
For those of you who have finished your portion of part 1 and are wondering what to do, do not forget the "Other Intersting International Development Stuff" section, and the "Community Portal" and "Current Events" sections on the sidebar. Also, remember to check out the help section for any problems you are experiencing.
[edit] Upcoming Events
Tuesday, April 14th Lunch Time: Bono "Join my call to action on Africa" video, lunch time in Schroeder's room.
Thursday, April 16th Lunch Time: Jeffery Sachs on Ending Poverty.
[edit] Millenium Development Goals
Follow any of the links below to find a brief summary of each of the Millenium Development Goals. In addition to explaining what the goal is and how it is measured, each page will provide a discussion of international progress on the goal, a brief overview of a casestudy on the goal, and a short list of links to Non-Governmental Organizations working to accomplish that goal, and links to current news articles about this issue dealt with by the goal.
[edit] Goal #1-Eradicate extreme Poverty and Hunger
[edit] Summary of Goal
To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger is one of the eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world's main development challenges. The Goal #1's targets include halving the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day and the people who suffer from hunger. Although the percentage of people living in extreme poverty in developing regions dropped to 19% from 31%, one in six people on the planet are still living on less than a dollar a day; people who liberated from poverty are mostly in Southern and Eastern Asia (including 
Case Study
Microfinance has been the a very successful way to help many of the poorest people in the world increase their income through self-employment. Microfincance provides access to a wide range of high quality financial services like credit, savings, fund transfers and insurance.
Clients, mostly women, can generate income through access to small loans and other financial services and the development of micro-enterprises. Microfinance helps to establish support networks that are used to improve health and education in communities. It also helps to provide money if their is an unexpected health emergency or death in a family.
One of the most successful microfincance banks is the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh. It started out with 10 members in 1976 but has grown to an amazing 7.5 million borrowers. Out of that 7.5 million, 65 percent of them have been able to release themselves from extreme poverty. Other major banks providing microfinance include ACCION Internation in Latin America and the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) Bank in India.
As of 2006, microfinance banks provided loans for 113 million people worldwide.
[edit] International Progress
This goal is reachable, and there are been a lot of progress made as a result of success in Asia, and mostly East Asia. But in sub-Sarah
According to estimates released from the World Bank in 2008, poverty rates have gone from 52 percent in 1981 to 42 percent in 1990 and then even lower to 26 percent in 2005. In Asia, poverty rates fell from 80 percent to 20 percent, but in sub-Saharan Africa, it has remained the same at about 50 percent.
Although the number of people living in poverty has gone down, the number of people who have access to basic food has risen. With the rise in food prices these days, it is said that 1 billion people with go hungry because they do not have enough money for food, and another 2 billion with be undernourished.
In East Asia, they managed to half the number of underweight children between 1990 and 2006. Dispite improvements, in South Asia, the number of underweight children is around 50 percent. This region accounts for around half the worlds underweight and malnourished children. Another region making the least progress in achieving this goal is in the sub-Saharan Africa.
Half the workers in sub-Saharan Africa still fall under the category of the "working poor" because they make under $1 a day.
[edit] Non-Governmental Organizations
"The Foundation's mission is to increase awareness of prevalent global issues, to inspire people to action, and to render humanitarian assistance through healthcare, education, and empowerment initiatives"
This NGO works to improve the quality of education for children in Haiti mainly. It works on training teachers and establishing Montessori preschools.
This NGO works on peacebuilding, income generation and education
This NGO works in Uganda providing more opportunities for people and help provide skills so that they can develope into a sustainable community.
[edit] Recent News
1. Emergency Support to the population affected by insecurity in the Haut-Uele District in Orientale Proveince of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Article Here
2. Lowering poverty rates in Latin America. Article Here
3. UNICEF's contribution to helping eradicate etreme poverty and hunger. Article Here
4. The 2008 Food report by the Food and Agriculture organisation of the UN which discusses the high food prices and their causes as well as what needs to be dchanged pilitically and finantially to eradicate hunger.
[edit] Goal #2- To achieve universal primary education
[edit] Summary of Goal
To achieve universal primary education.
This goal is aiming to ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.
If this goal were achieved it would have a major impact on our world today. The intended affect of our goal would not only be to educate all primary
students but to also spread knowledge about many of the other problems faced in our world today. Most problems in today’s world have some sort of direct impact on education. Certain areas of the world where most
Within the overall statistics, a very important portion of this goal focuses on the gender demographic. In 2005, 72 million children globally were lacking an education. 57% were girls. In this global pattern girls are still routinely deprived of schooling, this is especially the case in Western and Southern Africa. The vast majority of these children are from the poorest sectors of society.
[edit] Case Study
Free the Children is an organization which, among other things, provides education to children in developing countries. The organization has built over 500 schools, which provides education to over 50,000 children who would not be able to get educated otherwise.
This organization helps put a dent in the amount of kids who are growing up without an education. All around the world, 1 in 5 children are growing up without a primary education. This is mainly a problem throughout Asia and Africa, since there are fewer opportunities for children to be educated there. Free the Children is able to grant education for children in these areas by building schools and giving the education for free, rather than charging. It would cost a mere $9 billion dollars to provide a primary education for every child around the globe, and organizations such as this one are helping to put a dent in that number.
[edit] International Progress
A lot of progress towards this goal needs to be achieved in developing countries. As a whole, developing countries, including those in Africa, Asia and South America have improved to 88 percent of eligible children having primary education in 2005, from the previous 80 percent in 1999. With this progress primary education is now accessed by 9 out of 10 children all around the world. However, one third of children are still missing primary education in Sub-Saharan Africa. This proves that major effort must be put into helping these certain regions, because at this current rate of evolution Sub-Saharan Africa could miss this goal of having 100% of its children educated, by a wide margin.
There are certain areas of the world where major international progress needs to occur. Nearly 50% more rural children, children that do not live in urban areas, miss school compared to city children. The MDG's need to focus their efforts and funds to children in rural areas. This would most likely eliminate the 10% of children that are still uneducated, on a global scale.
[edit] Non-Governmental Organizations
Education is a proven intervention for improving the lives of all people, including children. Educating young women yields spectacular benefits for the current and future generations, and specifically affects a range of UNICEF priorities including child survival, children in family, immunization, and child protection.
UNICEF’s aim is to get more girls and boys into school, ensure that they stay in school and that they are equipped with the basic tools they need to succeed in later life. As part of its on-going efforts to ensure every girl and boy their right to an education, UNICEF’s acceleration strategy is speeding progress in girls’ and boys' enrollment in 25 selected countries during the 2002–2005 period.
[edit] Recent News
In Haiti, an effective collaboration between the government, UN agencies and NGOs changed the lives of 4,300 of the country's poorest children, thanks to an education project that provided school materials and supplies to 33 schools. Most of the children lived in the populated slum, Cité Soleil, an area where overpopulation, violence and insecurity are a daily reality. This rapid-impact project also promoted the right to education, in particular by encouraging and supporting school attendance and teachers' training. It was funded by a donation of US$70,000 from soccer stars Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane, both UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors.
This is the most recent news since November 1, 2007
NICARAGUA: Universal Primary Education Still Far Off.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46354
Universal Primary Education
http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/38300/36533/upe/
[edit] Goal #3-To promote gender equality and empower women
[edit] Summary of Goal 
To eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005. To eliminate gender disparity in all levels of education no later than 2015 This is nessacary because half the worlds population is suffering. By increasing Primary and Elementary education this will solve many severe issues. It will decrease the age of motherhood;therefor, decreasing the global poulation. It will make secondary and post-secondary education easier to attend. By women being able to attend University it raises the respect they get in the world and hopefully will eventualy make women and men equal on a global level. Finaly it will increase the amount of women in the work place. Not only will this greatly increase the number of women working it will also add to the global economy. It is obviously apparent that this goal needs to be implemented.The global female political statistic is only 17% as of 2007. This statistic is a direct result of the lack of primary, seoncdary and post-secondary education. For women to take a global step forward it is essential to raise gender equality. The easiest way to measure gender equality is through the global statistics of gender politicly, industrially and educationally.
International Progress
The progress of gender equality increasing internationally is almost nothing. We are so far away from achieving our goal that it doesn't even seem with in our grasp. Since the Cairo Accord barely any global conference's have been based solely on gender equality. Politicly our goal is that 30% of Parliment is female and only nineteen countries world wide have met that.The major international progress is education and even that is sadly lacking. Rwanda is one of the only countries that shows a high increase in females in the government. Sweden and Costa Rica closely follow Rwanda's 49%. We also need to increase the global front on women industrially. In Northern Africa only one in five paid employees are female. There is not much international progress on gender equality and this must be changed.
[edit] Case Study
Strategies to improve situation of Iraqi women aim of UN Baghdad forum
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30236&Cr=iraq&Cr1=
According to information gather by various UN agencies, some of the greatest differences between women and men in Iraq are in the areas of literacy and labour force participation. Around 70 per cent of all uneducated Iraqi people are women and female illiteracy is serious in 39 out of the country’s 115 districts. In the area of work, women make up 82 per cent of all Iraqi people outside the labour force. In the personal sphere, 1 in 10 Iraqi households are headed by women with more than 80 per cent of them being widows. 1 in 5 married Iraqi women has been a victim of physical domestic violence and 1 in 3 has been subject to emotional violence .
What is it: 2 day conference
Organized by: Human Rights section of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI),
Goal: to set forth a series of recommendations to Iraq’s Government and Parliament on issues holding back women’s equality in the country. Aims to set a strategy to improve women’s political participation and to provide constitutional guarantees that address violence against women and the general impact of conflict.
[edit] Non-Governmental Organizations
1. Feminist International Radio Endeavor (FIRE)
FIRE promotes non stereotypical images of women in the media and strenghthens communication networks between women globally. FIRE announces women's voices in all their diversity, so that they can be heard by men and women alike all around the world, crossing barriers of nationality, culture, race georgraphy as well as language while continuing to bridge the gender gap.
2. Global Fund For Women (GFW)
The Global Fund For Women is a great making foundation that advances women's rights worldwide. The Global Fund For Women (GFW), is a group of men and women who believe that ensuring women's full equality and participation in society is one of the most effective ways to build a peaceful and sustainable world. The GFW raises its funds from many different sources and then make grants to women-led organizations that promote things such as security, health, education and the leadership of women and girls alike.
3. Association of Women In Development (AWID)
This international, feminist, creative, membership organization committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women's human rights. AWID members are researchers, academics, students, educators, activists, business people, development practitioners, funders and many more. AWID'S mission is to strengthen the voice, impact and influence of women's rights advocates, organizations and movements internationally to effectively advance the rights of women.
[edit] Recent News
1. ILO Vision on Gender Equality
2. UNESCO
4. Michigan Gender Equality Team
[edit] Goal #4-Reduce child mortality
[edit] Summary of Goal 
Our goal is to reduce child mortality by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015. Some signs for the global need of this goal are in countries like Africa where 166 children out of every thousand die before they reach five years old. Close to 11 million children die every year before reaching the age of five, or 20 per minute, 30,000 per day. Nearly 4 million of these die in the first 28 days of life. Making good-quality healthcare available free of charge to everyone is vital to meeting the main target of reducing the child mortality rate by two-thirds. Achieving this target will positively effect the H.D.I of developing countries by requiring the developing countries to spend more from their national budgets on health provision, and all rich countries (developed countries) to provide more long-term, predictable aid to help strengthen developing world systems.
[edit] Case Study
In Rwanda, Africa, over 30,000 children die each year before they turn one because of illnesses including diarrhea, acute respiratory disorder and malaria. The Rwandan Health Minister, Richard Sezibera, said that "fifty percent of these deaths could be prevented" but there are not enough well-equipped health facilities in Rwanda. Along with the help if UNICEF, Mr. Sezibera has decided to have "bi-annual Mother and Child Health Weeks". During these Mother and Child Health Weeks, all children across Rwanda will be given access to immunizations, de-worming and vitamin A supplements. To assist the Rwandan government in these weeks, UNICEF donated 300,000 USD to make sure one and a half million Rwandan children under the age of five get the right immunizations to secure their health. The Mother and Child Health Week commenced on March 24th, 2009. The results of
this action taken by UNICEF look very promising, but since the project has just begun, the results have not yet been recorded. This project has great potential to be implemented in many other countries with involved governments. If the country’s government is willing or able to help UNICEF then this project has the potential to be a success. However, if a country’s government is not fortunate enough or willing to donate their time and money into the project it wont work.
For a link of the full case study Click Here
[edit] International Progress
Some progress has been made in many countries, however, there are still several countries which need improvement. In 2006, for the first time since mortality data have been gathered, annual deaths among children under five dipped below 10 million. Ninety countries, if they maintain their current annual reduction rate should be able to meet the 2015 goal of reducing child mortality by two-thirds. Fifty of these countries are developing nations. However, ninety one countries are still falling short. About 27 countries have made no progress at all and many countries such as ones from Sub-Saharan Africa, and Iraq have seen child mortality rates rise since 1990.
Progress has been made in several ways however. Deaths from measles has fallen from 750,000 in 2000 to 250,000 in 2006 because of the fact that about 80% of children in developing countries now recieve a measles vaccine.In Afganhistan, more than one million children under five recieved measles vaccinations. In the same year, Bangladesh condcuted the world's largest measles eradication campaign vaccinating 33.5 million children in 20 days. In Vietnam maternal and neonatal tetanus, a disease that kills tens of thousands of newborns each year has been combated. Since 1991, pregnant woman in Vietnam and 58 other countries, have been vaccinated through programs such as the Expanded Programme on Immunization against tetanus. Also, in south Asia, vast numbers of children have been reached and vaccinated against diphteria-tetanus-pertussis through community outreach, training and data collecting.
[edit] Non-Governmental Organizations
UNICEF is helping to reduce child mortality by
-Providing high impact heath and nutrition invterventions aimimg to scale up proven, high-impact, cost-effective health and nutrition interventions to reduce the number of neonatal and young child deaths from preventable and easily treatable causes. UNICEF procrurs more than 40% of all vaccines used in the developing world. Also, UNICEF advocates for and promotes programmes to increase rates of exclusive breastfeeding. The strongest foundation of baby health is nutrition, and the best food for newborns is breast milk.
- Improving family care practices by helping families learn essential skills and basic health knowledge, particularly in the care of newborns.
-Increasing access to improved water and sanitation - UNICEF helps develop systems to control water-borne diseases like Guinea worm and cholera that undermine child survival and development
-Responding rapidly to emergencies. - UNICEF is also one of the first aid organizations on the scene following the outbreak of a crisis, helping to establish monitoring systems, organize partnerships and provide vaccinations and vitamin A supplementation.
2. WHO - World Health Organization
WHO promotes three main strategies:
- integrated management of childhood illness
- expanded programme on immunization
- infant and young child feeding.
All countries which are Members of the United Nations may become members of WHO by accepting its Constitution. 193 member states are existent.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations:
It has been estimated that about five million child deaths each year can be traced to hunger and malnutrition. Programmes to improve household food security and nutrition information increase children’s chances of growing to adulthood. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations provides these programs.
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme works in several areas such as Africa, Asia, South America, Europe and the Middle East. The World Food Programme works with emergency respone, nutrtition and procurement. They have several programs such as a school meals program and a focus on women program. Programs like these can decrease the amount of child mortality by decreasing malnutrition and by helping pregnant mothers.
[edit] Recent News
1) What UNICEF is doing to try and lower child mortality
2) Reducing child mortality in emergencies
3) A variety of different articles about child mortality
4) 'No progress' made in curbing child mortality
[edit] Goal #5-Improve maternal health
[edit] Summary of Goal 
The Millennium Devopment Goal 5 is to imporve maternal health.
Maternal Health means the health of both the mother and child through out pregnacy and birth. There is a big risk in 3rd world countries while being pregnant and giving birth; 1 in 16 pregnacies sees the mother or child die as a result of pregnacy related illness or child birth. That means every minute of everyday a child or mother dies as a result of poor maternal health. The only target for this millenium goal is to reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality rate. One of the big problems of maternal health is the absence of proper healthcare before, during and after pregnancy. Another problem is the difference in skilled medical attendants at birth between rural and urban women and educated and uneducated women. One thing that would help acomplish this goal would be to prevent unplanned pregnancies. Another global need to help this goal is trained nurses, doctors and adequetaly equipped clinics. To progress this goal, adequate, global free healthcare is needed. Progessing this goal and eventualy accomplishing it would help not only help bringing adequate, global free health care but also by reducing the death rates of mothers and children throughout the world.
Case Study -Direct Relief
In line with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, Direct Relief places high priority on improving the health of these most vulnerable populations in Africa. One of there main focuses is maternal health, they run obstetric fistula programs that help mothers during pregnancy and during birth. The program improves essential medical services for women and children, including prenatal care, safe delivery, care for low-birthweight babies, and access to basic medicines, supplies, and nutritional support. It is often very cheap and simple things that is needed to save these peoples lives but in Africa it is very difficult for the people to pay or have access to these things, Direct Relief finds very efficient and effective ways to deliver the care and medicine to the people in Africa. Recently they have been focusing on more expensive things such as ultrasounds, fetal monitors, birthing beds, incubators, baby scales and upgrade the surgical environments in there existing facilities.These programs have shown to do more then just the individual it positively affects the social and economic stability of the community.
More at there site, Direct Relief
International Progress
Maternal health problems do occur in countries like Canada and the USA but not even close to the amount found in countries like Yemen, Sudan and Sierra Leone. In Yemen, only forty percent of women receive care during pregnancy while only 27 percent have skilled care health professionals at birth. A baby with a mother who died at birth is 3-10 times more likely to die within two years without their mother making it vital that the whole world helps provide solutions to maternal health problems, not only in their own country, but for the countries around them fighting the same battles. There have been decreases in maternal deaths from 1990-2005. Sub-Saharan Africa there has been a 1.8% decrease in maternal deaths while North Africa had a 36.3% drop in maternal related deaths. Asia has seen a 19.7% drop, Latin America has had a 26.3% decreases and the world overall has dropped 5.4%. However to reach the goal of a 75% decrease, the world would have to see a 5.5% decrease each year, but has only managed to drop about 1%. To help increase chances of reaching this goal countries need to train people to become skilled in areas to do with births and diseases. Also women need a safe, clean area to decrease chances of infections. Lowering maternal health will be a very hard goal to achieve but with a few adjustments and more skilled professionals, the goal of 75% decrease will become a lot easier.
[edit] Non-Governmental Organizations
UNICEF responds to maternal health problems by: helping to improve emergency obstetric care, laying the foundation for good parental care, helping prevent mother to child transfer of HIV and providing girls with at least a primary education.
USAID has funded many interventions including ORTs and zinc supplements to treat diarrhea, basic immunizations, micronutrient supplements to treat malnutriotion amd many more. They help save about 6 million kids 5 and under each year. They also help in preventing HIV/AIDS and other diseases.
WHO (World Health Organization)
WHO focuses on 75 priority countries that account for 97% of all maternal deaths worldwide. Their main goals are to promote skilled care at child birth, promote and provide education for midwifery and many more. They also promote individuals, families and communities to increase access to quality care.
Recent News
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=160179
To help reduce infant mortality by one third.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/143890.php
Providing women fistula surgery .
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=45387
Leagalizing abortions would lead to a deacrease pregnacy related deaths.
[edit] Goal #6-Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria & other diseases
[edit] Summary of Goal 
Millenium Development Goal 6 deals with HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. The main goal is to have halted and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other major diseases by 2015. Globally, an estimated 33 million people were living with HIV in 2007. In fact, nearly 7,000 people are infected with HIV/AIDS daily. With the help of many non-governmental organizations millions of people are receving aid dealing with these terrible diseases, however much more help is needed.
[edit] Case Study
The Republic of Botswana is a country located in Southern Africa. This country has a generally stable government, and the economy is growing rapidly due to tourism, and manufacturing. However, socially the country is not doing so well. In 2007, Botswana’s population of 1.7 million, 300,000 had AIDS. In response to this epidemic, Botswana became the first African country to have a goal of providing anti-HIV drugs to requiring citizens. Botswana’s government is providing 78.9% of funding for AIDS prevention, along with AVERT and other local organizations. They have been implementing new ways to promote protection, and education. The also have begun routine testing during doctors appointments.
For more information about AIDS in Botswana.
[edit] International Progress
Globally, the HIV infection rate has continued to rise alongside the annual death rate since 2001. Access to anti-retroviral treatment remains sparse with less than 1/4 of those who would benefit recieving. Some regions such as Latin America are managing quite well compared to others such as Southern Asia. In Latin America, 72% of people with HIV recieve these life saving drugs, while in Southern Asia, only 9% do. More insecticide-treated bed nets are used now than were in 1990, which is one of the major strageties for preventing malaria. However the 2005 target for 60% of children sleeping under bed nets was far from reached. Between 2000 and 2006 studies showed that only 5% of children under 5 years old had access a bed net. Over all, much more funding is needed for the treatment of malaria.
[edit] Non-Governmental Organizations
The Global Fund, based in Sierra Leone is a non-governmental organization with aim to combat AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. To date, it has committed $14.9 billion to 140 countries to support large scale prevention, treatment and care programs against the three diseases. As of December 1, 2008, with the help of the Global Fund, 2 million people are reveiving anti-retroviral treatment, 62 million HIV counseling and testing sessions were conducted and 3.2 million orphans were provided with medical services, education and community care.
The Three Diseases Fund (3DF) was founded on October 12, 2006. It aims to reduce the amount of HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis (TB), in Burma/Myanmar. Over 5 years 3DF has donated $100 million, with 60% for HIV/AIDS, 20% for TB and 20% for Malaria. 3DF works with local community-based and non-government organizations as well as professional associations to deliver health services addressing the 3 diseases.
Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)
Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) is a non-profit organization founded in Switzerland in 1999. It is dedicated to malaria in disease-endemic countries by discovering, creating, and delivering effective and affordable antimalarial drugs. The vision of MMV is to see a world where people in need can obtain these innovative medicines easily and to untimately erradicate this terrible disease. The mission of this organization is to bring public and private sector partners together to fund the discovery, development and delivery of new medicines to these countries in need.
World Vision is a Christian Humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to deal with many issues. World Vision deals with malaria as well as AIDS. It is a very broad agency which relies on the contribution of many citizens world wide.
[edit] Recent News
What's the latest HIV/AIDS research news?
http://www.handsonhealth-sc.org/page.php?id=1138
Obama Administration Launches Nationwide AIDS Awareness Campaign
AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria
http://www.apin.harvard.edu/news.html
Hopeful Progress in Malaria Prevention
http://earthtrends.wri.org/updates/node/254
[edit] Goal #7-To ensure environmental sustainability
[edit] Summary of Goal 
The 7th goal of the millenium development plan is to ensure environmental stability throughout developing nations. The goal concerns the problems of greenhouse gas emissions, sustaining fisheries, climate change, and deforestation. There are two targets within this goal, including the target to integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources. By 2020, it is hoped we'll acheive a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers, and by 2015, cut the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation in half.
[edit] Case Study
- One of the main targets to help insure environmental sustainability; is to by 2015, have reduced half the proportion of people without access to safe and sanitary drinking water. Global Water is an international non-profit organization geared towards providing developing nations and villages with clean, sanitary drinking water, thus working to overcome poverty, disease and hunger.
- The current need for clean drinking water is huge, waterborne illnesses are responsible for over 4900 deaths every single day 90% of which are children under the age of 5. Baby’s in undeveloped areas without clean drinking water are 500 times more likely to die from diarrhea, than those in developed nations.
- Global Water has existed for the past 25 years and has worked on a countless number of projects in South/Central America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Global Water’s approach is to work with local water-advocacy NGO’s in the area that need help. They provide technical expertise, needed project equipment, inspections, and full to partial funding.
- Recent Completed projects include, aiding with the locating and purchase of a drilling rig for drilling water wells in Laos. In Sudan they provided recommendations for water equipment, and sent a Team operate and train future operators how to use and handle and maintain the equipment. Global Water’s projects have been implemented all around the world and continue to be viable for implementation in additional developing nations. For more info on this study and other copleted projects please visit, http://www.globalwater.org.
[edit] International Progress
The targets of this goal are being reached slower than expected in some areas, and as planned in others. As it stands, immediate action is required to suppress rising greenhouse gas emissions. There was success in limiting ozone-depleting substances which is also helping to lessen climate change. Marine areas and land conservation efforts need greater attention; the actions taken are not keeping up with the target. Deforestation has slowed and more forests are being designated for biodiversity conservation. The total number of species threatened with extinction is rising rapidly which is not expected; at this time the goal was to make significant changes throughout the world to subdue these threats. The fish stocks require improved management to reduce increasing depletion. Almost half of the world’s population faces a scarcity of water, which is an improvement from 1989. More people are using improved sanitation facilities, but meeting the target will require a redoubling of efforts. In developing regions, nearly one in four people doesn’t use any form of sanitation. Though access has improved, nearly one billion people do without clean drinking water. Women still shoulder the largest burden in collecting water. Over all we still need a lot of work to do before 2015 and 2020.
[edit] Non-Governmental Organizations
SAWA global is a non-profit organization that allows people across 50 of the poorest countries of the world who are trying to make a difference, to have a chance to be heard and noticed by others. These people are known as “SAWA Heroes” for their inspiring attitudes and their inspirational solutions to the worlds environmental issues and poverty. SAWA exhibits these heroes over the internet by video. People can then connect to SAWA and connect to these people and exchange ideas and help them achieve a greater success.
WWF (World Wildlife Foundation) is a non-profit worldwide organization that works to insure environmental sustainability, by striving towards halting deforestation and maintaining bio-diversity. They are currently working in Brazil and the Amazon rainforest, and taking action by working with government on legislation to protect the Amazon, and it’s wildlife, as-well as educating the people and public about the Amazon and the importance of putting an end to deforestation.
[edit] Recent News
Discussion on the possible harms for developing countries by putting the carbon footprint on product labels. Article Here
[edit] Goal #8 -To build a global partnership for development
[edit] Summary of Goal 
- Develop further an open trading and financial system that is rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory. Includes a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction—nationally and internationally.
- Address the least developed countries’ special needs. This includes tariff- and quota-free access for their exports; enhanced debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries; cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous official development assistance for countries committed to poverty reduction.
- Address the special needs of landlocked and small island developing States.
- Deal comprehensively with developing countries’ debt problems through national and international measures to make debt sustainable in the long term
- In cooperation with the developing countries, develop decent and productive work for youth.
- In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries.
- In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies—especially information and communications technologies.
[edit] Case Study
Mali, officially Republic of Mali, is a landlocked nation in Western Africa. Mali is the seventh largest country in Africa and one of the main producers of mangoes. Recent reports show African producers of mangoes were victims from pest, such as red ants and fruit flies. However, Mali has allowed the phytosanitay treatment of 2000 hectres of orchards in 2006, from an inter-agency UN programme called Integrated Framework for Trade-related Technical Assistance, and facilitated obtaining the European certification standard EurepGAP. This led to a 50 percent increase of exports of mangoes from 2005 to 2006, generating a windfall $12 million for the Marlian economy.
International Progress
3/30/09 - A Wholly Different Perspective on the G-20 Meeting (read more)
3/11/09 - A Trade Agenda for G-20: The MDGs and Deficits in Global Goverance (read more)
2/21/09 - UN Millennium Campaign and GCAP Launch Policy Proposals for G-8 and ask Italian Finance Minister not to Break their Hearts (read more)
2/14/09 - Financial Times: Anti-poverty campaigners appeal to G7 (read more)
2/13/09 - Salil Shetty Speaks to “World Update” on BBC World Service Radio About G-7 Finance Ministers Meeting (listen here)
See these articles and more here
[edit] Non-Governmental Organizations
-The Jubilee Debt Campaign is a non government organization that wants developed countries too relive the debt African countries have to them. For more information on on the Jubilee Debt Campaign and African Debt Crisis, click here.
-Heavily Indebt Poor Countries (HIPC) is a not for profit organization which helps 37 developing countries with handling their debt they ow developed countries. HIPC works with the world bank for assistance with money and the best ways to pay off their countries debt. For more information, click here.
-Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative is a non governemnt organization that works with G-8 and the HIPC to relive African countries debt to developed countries. For an article about this organization, click here.
Recent News
Pages containing up-to-date information on the Milenium goals.
-http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/global.shtml
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/2008highlevel/pdf/newsroom/Goal%208%20FINAL.pdf
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9503E5DC123AF93AA2575AC0A96E9C8B63&scp=1&sq=Live%20earth%20concert&st=cse
Live Earth Concert Planned for Mumbai in 2008
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/environment/shoppingbags.html
Many countries workng on banning polyethylene bags.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/09/international/europe/09summit.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=Environment%20africa&st=cse
8 leaders work on african poverty and environmental issues.
[edit] Other Interesting International Development Stuff
[edit] NGOs Master Link List
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
[edit] International Development in the Media
The last king of Scotland is about the ruling of President Idi Amin in Uganda. Amin's increasingly erratic behavior grows beyond a legitimate fear of assassination into a murderous insanity that is driving Uganda into bloody ruin in the 1970’s. This shows how politics can influence a nation and cause massive war and casualties. This Oscar winning movie is definitely worth checking out because it inspires people to help these countries which are diminishing because of war and politics, and it is a wonderful story.
Ten years ago, in only three months, one million people were brutally murdered. In the face of these unspeakable actions, inspired by his love for his family, an ordinary man summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages. This movie is inspiring and shows how something so small can help a struggling nation and anyone can help.
The Kite Runner is both a book and a movie that tells the story of Amir, a young boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, who betrayed his best friend Hassan, the son of his father's Hazara servant, and lives in regret. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of the monarchy in Afghanistan through the Soviet invasion, the mass exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the rise of the Taliban regime. It is a wonderful book to read to relate to international development because it shows the conflict and discrimination held between different religions and how it can ruin lives.
Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of a kid who has to explain his life story to the “police” of the popular game show of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. They think its is impossible for anyone from the slums to know all the answers without cheating, but Jammal explains his life story and how he came across each answer to the questions. Being from the slums, Jammal and Salim lose their mother at an early age due to a vioelnt religiuos attack on their slum. Now the two young kids are left to fend for themselves in an overcrowded city of Mumbai, India. Throught the movie the audience is overwhelmed with sights of the ditry, crowded, dangerous streets and the struggle to survive in the “slums” of the city. This movie relates to international development because from the time they are little boys to the time they have jobs, the slums that they used to live in have become littered with huge buildings and new infrastucture.
The Swallows of Kabul, a novel written by Yasmina Khadra, is a compelling novel which describes the brutality by the Taliban towards Afghani citizens. It shows how serious the problem of sexism is in Afghanistan. The Taliban treat women with less respect, not allowing them to go out of their houses with out both their husband’s permission and a veil covering their faces. Also women are given less education opportunities. With respect to Goal #3, gender inequality in the world is a serious problem that must be dealt with. The Swallows of Kabul will force people to open their eye's and realize something must be done.
This amazing novel written by Rohinton Mistry is the unfolding story of four seemingly different people who find their lives intertwining. The main characters are a man and his nephew, they are tailors who escaped from a cruel village. A young student from a small village and a widow who is trying to hold on to her little-bit of independence. This riveting novel show clearly just how corrupt the caste system in India is and the millions of people that are suffering every day from it's cruelty. The book clearly illustrates the difference class has and how many Indians are being subjected to extreme trials because of where they were born.
A look at the state of the global environment including visionary and practical solutions for restoring the planet's ecosystems. Written and produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, it is a good movie to provide solutions and what we can to to create and promote enviromental stability.
Is the intense and amazing novel that is set during Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire's time with the United Forces in Rwanda. He was in Rwanda during the Genocide and it is his story of the horrific things that took place. Dallaire flew to Africa with the belief that a straight-forward if somewhat tedious mission lay in front of him. He returned home 13 months later suicidal and horrified because of the abominableness that he witnessed. This book is the real thing. It shows Africa at it's worst but also at an important view. It show's what is a reality to hundreds of thousands of people everyday. This book is vital to OXFAM's goals because it shows what will and has happened if the goals aren't at least somewhat met. It also is so acclaimed because it picks up on the fact that this genocide could have been prevented- but it wasn't and the cost of that was a nations people.
Ways that you can help
AIDS Vancouver offers volunteers diverse opportunities to learn, gain new skills and experiences, meet new people and get involved in community. AIDS Vancouver puts on workshops with aim to preventing HIV/AIDS transmission, STD’s and other sexual health related issues. Also recovery houses and treatment centres, transitions homes (womens shelters), and residential mental health services are also subjects that AIDS Vancouver help with.
Hunger Notes is a website detailing many ways citizens around the world can contribute to hunger issues globally. Information about hunger, certain countries issues, and how to contribute food are some things talked about on this website.
This is a safe place to donate money to donate money. 25 cents to fill one of the Red Cups that WFP uses to give hungry kids regular school meals.
You can sponsor a child today for only $35 a month. This small amount of money will help one child across the world have access to clean water, food, shelter, education and basic health care. World vision is a reputable organization that helps children all over the world.
This is another reputable organization that gives you the opportunity to sponsor a child for almost a dollar a day.
HOPE International Development Agency
This website outlines an assortment of different opportunities on ways you can help out the people in our world.
The RBM Partnership is the global framework to implement coordinated action against malaria. It mobilizes for action and resources and forges consensus among partners. RBM's vision is of a world free from the burden of malaria.
[edit] Videos, Songs and Online Content
- Imagine - John Lennon It is amazing how this famous song has been around for many years and how it STILL relates to the lives we live today. The words are inspirational and remind us all to give peace a chance and to think about how our world would be better if we all lived as one.
- Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire - The most recent oscar winning song. This song is played at the end of the global knockout movie slumdog millionaire. It talks about how life may not be good but be thankful for others things and that good will come
- The Power to Change- Millenium Development Goals- This song outlines all 8 development goals and gives you a better understanding of what needs to be accomplished.
- I Need to Wake Up - A song written by Mellisa Ethridge for the movie An Inconvienient Truth, which speaks of the problems of global warming. Video.
-These are lyrics to a song by Genisis, outlining the injustices between the rich and the poor, relating specifically to housing in the 70's. This relates more to development in the UK.
-UNICEF is working to prevent AIDS in Lesotho through a road show, which educated the youth about the disease: Video Here
-BUY-A-NET Malaria is a Canadian charity, who purchases mosquito bed nets, and netted hats to prevent the spread of malaria. Video Here
-This is a video about AIDS in Vancouver. It was made by a film student, and shows information about our local AIDS problems: Video Here
-These are some opposing perspectives of the Millennium Development Goals. Quite interesting. Video Here
-A brief video that outlines the UN's Millenuim Developememt Goals (MDG). Video Here
-13 year old girl from Vancouver talks about the problems in the world at a UN conferenece - Silences the world for 5 minutes with her power speech. Video Here
- This video is very short but powerful, it shows a number of different images of children around the world who are suffering from poverty every day. Video Here
-"Voices" ad for the ONE campaign feat. Matt Damon with other voices talking about the progress of the fight against poverty.
