What Is Being Done About Global Poverty?

As I look back on some of my previous posts, I see that my main focus is analyzing situations around the world relating to poverty. Whether it be the Zimbabwe elections, the Millennium Development Goals, or women's relation to global poverty. I decided that the next step should be looking into what is being done to address these issues. Who are the players? What is their course of action? How is their voice being heard? (see right) I chose to explore the blogosphere this week to see what I could find. Fortunately, I came across two blogs that answered my questions from two distinctly different angles. The first, Poverty News Blog, is controlled by author Kale, who posts relevant headlines and articles related to poverty worldwide. The blog is regularly updated with new posts, but one of his earlier posts from this week entitled "A new focus for networking students: global poverty," caught my attention in its explanation of student activism for poverty. Manny Veiga, the author of the article from the Boston Globe, describes how students mostly from the Boston area, are networking, raising awareness, and holding events to promote the alleviation of poverty and reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. The next blog comes from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) website, which is a US government corporation that works with poor democratic countries around the world. The CEO Blog, run by Ambassador John Danilovich, is a reflection of the MCC programs and updates. Danilovich's most recent post, "Conversations on Global Poverty--From Boardrooms, to Classrooms, to Newsrooms," explains MCC's engagement with the private sector to form sustainable development in the MCC developing countries. Many are working to alleviate poverty, and through these posts, I was able to learn specifically about student organization contributions as well as business corporation contributions. I have provided my commentary on these articles below, or feel free to explore the two blogs with the links provided above.

A new focus for networking students: global poverty
Comment:

Thank you for your inspiring post on student activists in the Boston area. It is quite relieving to see that global poverty is on the forefront of main issues that students are addressing. The most interesting aspect of the Millennium Campus Network is the organization and commitment to addressing poverty. The division of categories and methods of approaching changes to poverty based on each person's specific interest is genius. Flexibility and individualism will only continue to inspire students who before may not have felt their field could contribute to this cause. Furthermore, the network and connection between universities will also inspire more universities to join the network. Independent and group network events allows wider audiences and more publicity. The workshops provided for the students are also a viable and important tool in teaching leadership. My only concern about the Millennium Campus Network is what happens after these students graduate and wish to pursue their careers in their field of interest? The Millennium Campus Network will continue to be run by newer students, but those who have gained the experience and the knowledge from workshops, fundraisers, and concerts may feel they have completed their contribution and move on to their lives. How can the network instill the social responsibility in these students that their actions and contributions should continue in their daily lives after they graduate? Also, it may be beneficial to expand the network to include private corporations, businesses, high schools, and community centers to promote that anyone can be involved and contribute regardless of age or educational experience. Expanding the network can raise more awareness, funds, and allow it to spread across the nation.

Conversations on Global Poverty--From Boardrooms, to Classrooms, to Newsrooms
Comment:

I greatly enjoyed your post on MCC's intent to engage the private sector in assisting the development of poor states. You address some important issues on how the private sector can contribute to sustainable development. I especially enjoyed your point that the private sector should be encouraged to "a strong sense of corporate social responsibility in developing countries where they do business." In a time when global poverty is on the rise, private businesses should take the extra step to forming alternative cheaper means of accessing resources in struggling countries. Although it may hurt their profit, as you stated, sustainable development is key to eradicating poverty. I only hope that the concept of social responsibility will spread beyond the private sector to governments, community centers, and other corporations. The MCC agreement with GE could do wonders in developing countries where wind energy (see left) is environmentally sustainable and affordable. Hopefully, the benefits of this will spread to developed countries so that wind energy can be one of the major steps in sustaining the environment. The MCC's integration of the private sector is highly commendable and socially just in tackling global poverty. One concern I have is how will MCC inspire private businesses to contribute besides the idea of social responsibility. While I find it to be a perfectly rational incentive, I fear that many, if not most private businesses are too concerned with making profit and will need more. Furthermore, how will MCC convince private businesses to contribute to democratic MCC countries rather than other countries MCC does not help but may be in more need? Some businesses may find MCC's guidelines of democratic states elitist and claim that the poor should not be forgotten because their governments are not democratic. If MCC is attempting to inspire the concept of social responsibility to help the poor and provide sustainable development only to its list of democratic countries, then it should promote a political incentive as well. Overall, I am looking forward to MCC's progress and deeply hope the private sector proves to be beneficial in sustainable development.

Beijing Olympics: Human Rights Abuses Addressed

The 2008 Beijing Olympics are approaching and many are torn between supporting historical athletic tradition and condemning human rights abuses worldwide. China's friendly economic relationship with the Sudanese government is concerning to several people who believe it is the moral responsibility of major powers to stop genocides. Furthermore, China has raised eyebrows in recent clashes with its declared Tibetan territory. A public response to China's actions in Darfur and Tibet is boycotting the Olympics this year. I mentioned in a previous post that China is the first nation to reach the UN Millennium Development Goals for eradicating poverty. However, does China deserve praise if it eradicates poverty in its own country but endorses poverty in another? If boycotting the Olympics can send China a strong message that it's human rights abuses are unacceptable, then it is the least the international community can do.

While powerful states have done little but acknowledge the genocide in Darfur, China has strengthened economic ties with Khartoum, Sudan's capital. A BBC article explains that "China imports two-thirds of Sudanese oil--estimated at 500,000 barrels a day. Last year, it imported a total of $4.1bn ($2.0bn) worth of goods from Sudan, mostly oil." Furthermore, the genocide worsens because China is now known as Sudan's biggest arms supplier. With a flourishing economy and abundant advanced weaponry, it will become harder to halt Sudan's destructive forces. Although the death toll in Darfur is unknown because the Sudanese government tries to conceal it as much as possible, it is estimated to be around 400,000 people since 2003. Another controversial issue is China's long relationship with Tibet. Since 1950, China has claimed Tibet to be part of its territory and enforced communist Chinese ways on it (see image to the left). Since then, Tibet has been in the spotlight as an example of an unruly Chinese regime. "Free Tibet" is a slogan and campaign that has long been publicized in film, songs, and public activist voices. Recently, riots that began as protests have broken out in Tibet as Tibetans voice their concern over a neo-colonial China attempting to integrate Tibetan economy with China. Tibetans feel their identity is threatened as neighboring Han Chinese enter the region for work and China continues to control Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and religious practices.

The main question is: what does this have to do with the 2008 Olympics? The Olympics originated in 776 BCE in Greece as a competition of the best amateur athletes in the world and has been in practice since 1896, occurring every four years. The debate against the boycotts include arguments like an athletic gathering bringing the international community together has no need to be politicized. Rather than use the Olympics as a spectacle on the host country's practices, it is in the spirit to focus on international unity and sportsmanship. China's foreign minister, Yang Jiechi agrees with these arguments when he responds to the boycotts by claiming "campaign to boycott the Olympics is 'against the spirit of the games.'" While the United States has chosen not to boycott the Olympics, the US-China Security Review Commission claims China to be a "growing economic and military threat." It can easily be claimed that the US public and other allies are using the Olympics as an excuse to publicize China's wrongdoings in hopes of denouncing it internationally and eliminating the economic threat China poses on the United States. Furthermore, many of the nations threatening to boycott the Olympics, are ones that have their own human rights violations. France, for example, has a number of anti-semitic incidents as well as excessive force by law enforcement officers, according to the US State Department. Therefore, it is hypocritical and morally unacceptable to ask China to stop its illegal practices if other countries do not as well.

While these arguments against boycott are valid, they are not convincing. State officials, celebrities, and organizations have vowed to boycott the Olympic games to send China the message that their human rights abuses will not be overlooked. French president Nicholas Sarkozy has refused an invitation to the Olympics opening games unless China complies with three conditions - "China frees political prisoners, ends violence against Tibetans and opens dialogue with the Dalai Lama." Steven Spielberg, who was meant to be artistic adviser to the 2008 Olympics, pulled out claiming China must end its assistance to the Darfur crisis. Human Rights Watch, which has vowed not to participate in the boycotts, is one of the many organizations taking a stance to raise awareness to China's human rights abuses. In an open letter to China's Ethics Commission of International Olympic Committee, Human Rights Watch describes some of China's human rights violations and ways in which the committee can manage them to make the Olympic games less controversial and politicized. In it, the organization suggests, "Articulate the ethical obligations of the movement with respect to human rights in line with the values and principles enshrined in the Olympic Charter." Reporters Without Borders is another organization (photo to the right) publicizing China's brutality to freedom of press. Through the boycott by state officials, celebrities, and organizations, a clear message is being sent to China that their actions are inexcusable. Furthermore, Chinese political issues are being publicized to a much wider audience because of these high profile boycotts.

If China continues to ignore these threats and disregard them as irrelevant to the Olympics, their economy could take a strong hit. They have been preparing for the Olympic games by rebuilding infrastructure and preparing for economic gains from tourism. E, Long Inc. is an online travel service provider in China who earns $36 million in sales yearly and is projecting to profit from the $82.6 billion Chinese travel market pie during the Olympics. With enough boycotts, China can take the international community's message seriously after its economy has taken a blow and the Olympic games are not the cash outlet they expected. The benefit of this is that without an increase in China's economic power, there will be no increase in funds for importing Sudanese oil or managing a Tibetan colony. This spotlight on China has given the international community an opportunity to investigate its practices and publicly condemn them. A blogger dedicates her entire blog, Boycott 2008 Communist Olympics, to informing the world about China's abusive practices and the progress international groups have had in protests and public letters. The blogger provides a letter by an imprisoned human rights activist, Hu Jia, who warns, "please be aware that the Olympic Games will be held in a country where there are no elections, no freedom of religion, no independent courts, no independent trade unions." These are facts that should have been addressed long ago. Now that the Olympics are providing a spotlight on China, the international community should take advantage and address China's violations to improve the lives of over 1.3 billion Chinese people and millions of others in Darfur and Tibet.