Tag Archives: UN

A Glass of Water, Please?

3

 

Definitely, the above-captioned subject with a big question mark does not emanate from some of us who have access to and can afford to pay for an adequate supply of potable drinking water and who have the luxury to splurge in the use of other related daily water requirements. Rather, the said plea comes from those who are facing water scarcity or even the lack of it in their homes, in their communities, or in other parts of the globe.

With the current high water tariffs, the water-borne related deaths and problems worldwide affecting our environment and personal health, we can't just sit down and ignore, but instead do something about it as water is such a very important commodity from the time it was linked to health issues. I said commodity because it's no longer free of charge, it's being traded for mankind's consumption. Gone are the days when our forefathers were privileged to have plenty of free water as long as they want. Once again, gone are the days when our forefathers can save water from the pouring rain, safely drink and use it for their day to day needs. Nowadays, we can't use anymore rain water as it may be acidic and could be harmful to us and the environment. In order to get safe water these days, we have to go out of our way, have our homes installed with legally authorized water meters monitored by public or private water distribution companies, only for us to receive a bill at the end of the day! While water, in itself, would be forever a natural resource, it would no longer be served on our tables for free anymore. We have to pay for it to have better health and for survival. We can't go on living without water, it's a very basic essential human need. We will all expire if we don't drink water, if we don't take a bath, if we don't have water to clean our surroundings and the like. But, not everyone of us could have access to water, which is a basic vital need and helps sustain life, much more if it's clean and inexpensive. It is for this reason that the said plea to spare a glass of water for those in dire need is something worth pushing for.

UN-MDG Goal 7.c. envisions that by 2015 the proportion of the population without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation would be reduced by half. UN fact sheet currently shows that there are 884 million people who lack access to clean water and nearly thrice of which (2.6 billion people comprising 39% of the world's total population), don't have appropriate lavatories and toilets. ADB (Asian Development Bank) data indicates that approximately 580 million people have no access to safe water supply in Asia, while AfDB (African Development Bank) data estimates that 300 million Africans have no access to safe drinking water. Assuming the UN figures are accurate, it can be deduced that almost all of the 884 million people who have no access to safe drinking water are accounted for by Asians and Africans. With the UN MDGs target by 2015, and with positive thinking and strategic action plans in tow, hopefully an additional 442 million people will be given the opportunity to avail of clean water to safely quench their thirst! Not bad, right?

The above statistics are no longer new to us. As mentioned in myusefultips earlier blog articles, the residents in developing and underdeveloped countries are those facing hard times coping up with the current water crisis. You are a little bit fortunate if you happen to live in urban areas of the said countries as improvements in water infrastructures have already been introduced. But what about those in far flung areas where simple water wells are not even erected? Yes, these could probably be the places where the water related deaths came from. As mentioned by the experts in water.org, one of the  non profit organizations advocating access to safe water and sanitation, more than 3.5 million people die each year from water-related diseases, of which 84% are children and that 98% happen in developing nations. Yes also, these are the very same people who live below the poverty line (having $1 or $2 daily income benchmark) who are much affected with the said discomforts in life.

The water crisis is felt not only in developing economies but also in advanced nations but only from a different angle. The United States, for instance is one of the best examples where water related infra and technology have been experimented and become successful. New York City is an example which has good quality in drinking water. As a matter of fact, it is one of the large cities in the US which is no longer required to filter its water, based on the US Environmental Protection Agency standards. However, there is a catch to this. The residents pay for the good quality. For 2011, a typical New York single family home will have to pay about $800 per year for water and sewer bills while an average multi-family unit pays for about $500/year/dwelling unit. Said water rates have been increasing time and again in all U.S. states and the reasons are varied: either due to operational expense, construction and maintenance of water utilities. But even with the state of the art technologies, some of its residents especially those in the lower bracket are likewise feeling the hit of the problem, so to speak. There are times that water supply are being cut off due to unpaid bills. Just as I said, water is no longer free for all, especially  for the poor!

In the recent drought being experienced in the horn of African country, one of which is Somalia, the United Nations through its Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, appealed from all concerned groups for funding to assist the famine stricken areas with about 12 million affected people. We have seen so many photos and videos of what's happening in said areas. I have seen myself via telecast a woman carrying her child, suffering from severe malnourishment, and feeding him with water placed in a cellophane. That photo shown thru a local tv network was too excruciating to see that I told myself to be more sensitive in the use of water. The picture below which I temporarily used is equally agonizing on their part , even if the mother utilized a glass or mug to feed her malnourished child.

Sometimes, we ask ourselves. How come all these things are happening in poorer areas? Some say, it's due to climate change, some say it's political and armed conflicts, while others say it's purely the economic situation in said regions. But regardless of the reasons behind it, our concern should be more on what help could we offer There are times, we ignore these calls for help as we seem to have been “immuned” to various forms of disasters everywhere. But not this time. So, how can we help them avail this right to drink water? How can we spare a glass of water to these children?

Oh, there are various ways and means to assist those in authority.  You know what I mean.  It's not easy but surely you can.  Please?

The Land Of The Rising Sun: Now In Crisis Due To “Triple Threats”- Tips and Thoughts*

2

Who would have ever thought that Japan, located in the Far East and tagged as the land of the rising Sun could be facing the opposite direction, the west side horizon, where the Sun normally sets? Who would have ever imagined that an industrialized and developed nation like Japan would experience a catastrophic incident which could have impact on its economy or even the global economy for that matter?

As mentioned, Japan is one of the wealthiest and the most technologically advanced nations in the world. It has all the high profile and state-of-the-art technology as far as electronics, hard wares, automobiles, and even robotics are concerned. The Japanese people have earned this accolade in view of their ingenuity, hard work and resiliency. After World War II, the Japanese focused on manufacturing high technology exports and since they are disciplined people particularly on work habits coupled with good corporate governance, they drove their country’s economy way up, rubbing elbows with those countries already in the upper echelons of the world’s economy.

Being an industrialized nation, Japan has always been an active and strong supporter and advocate of development efforts particularly in alleviating poverty in third world and developing countries. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his remarks of sympathy, stated that, “Japan is one of the most generous and strongest benefactors” in terms of development assistance throughout the world. This is indeed true, as some of development projects and former colleagues of mine were recipients of either technical assistance grants from the Government of Japan or from bilateral agencies such as JICA. It cannot likewise be argued that the major fund contributor and strong ally among the member countries of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is Japan.

With the “triple treat” or should I say “triple scary threats” : earthquake, tsunami and now the nuclear radiation leaks on the row, however, Japan’s economy could potentially be affected as a result of the said tragic incidents. I think what happened now to Japan in view of the deluge would not only affect itself but other countries as well specifically those economies whose development projects are financially and technically dependent from Japan Government’s assistance either thru loans or grants. Without the tsunami and radiation related problems, there is no doubt that Japan, being a rich country in tandem with its hard working citizens could easily rise up and build again what have been lost. But with the “triple threat”, so to speak, it may take a while for the Government to recover.

Just like in any kind of business, Japan however rich it may seem, is also heavily indebted. As reported by Reuters early this year, Standard and Poor’s (S&P) , one of the credit rating agencies, slashed the country’s credit rating as it failed to come up with a concrete solution for its public debt which is double the range of the country’s $5 trillion economy. Thus, any rehabilitation and new project investment efforts for those areas which have been totally wiped out would definitely further affect the financial picture of the Government particularly on its budget and expenditures.

Japan may be currently facing a crisis not only economically but also emotionally. Some of the citizens may be grieving for the loss of their loved ones and their personal properties as well. This is an expected aftermath scenario, which is common in any given similar situation. However, what happened to Japan is entirely different from what happened in other parts of the globe. Out of the terrible “triple threats”, the radiation leak is quite worrisome not only to the Japanese but to the entire mankind as well. We are all aware of the potential danger that nuclear radiation can cause to people. There are also costs and risks associated to this as we are not speaking of only one reactor that is affected, maybe there’s more than that. Probably that is the reason why some of the executives of multinationals and rich people living near the danger zone have left Japan so easily because of the radiation related crisis. But how about the other people who cant afford to pay for private chartered planes and jets? Oh, there we go again…..

We have learned our lessons respectively and for sure Japan likewise did. The abrupt movements of the Earth or should I say the wrath of nature can be so powerful that even ultramodern infrastructures and high tech safety measures couldn’t have them prevented. But with Japanese outstanding ability to withstand earthquake related crisis just like the past Kobe quake and their well coordinated teamwork of dealing things, there is always a possibility that everything will retrun to normalcy at the end of the day.

What the Japanese needs from us right now perhaps is to give them that encouragement through our good wishes and prayers that they be able to withstand the crisis and that the radiation problem most particularly be quickly resolved. The Government of Japan has been generous to some of our disadvantaged brothers and sisters all over the world and it is only but appropriate on our part to give back those good deeds and show our sympathy to them or even share something in any way we can. 

With the positive attitude of the Japanese people and with our humble help and  prayers, Japan would  be able to smile once again  like the sun rising in the East with its brilliant and colorful rays!

 

 

 

 

______________________

*Samira, the author of this blog is one of those who submitted to myusfultips.com in response to the blovesary contest..  A timely entry. More to come from her….

P3s: What Does It Mean To The Poor-A Quick Glimpse- Tips and Thoughts

6

Now the buzzword in the blogosphere for Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), P3s have re-emerged as a result of the global economic crisis and as one of the fiscal reforms adopted by certain Governments throughout the globe, primarily to expand needed infrastructures and generate revenues for priority expenditures, among other objectives.

I came to know P3s when I used to head an office on an ad-hoc basis which serves as a technical staff to the Chairman of a cabinet-level policy making body overseeing privatization related matters.  It was during this time when the non-performing assets under the first wave of privatization have been bailed out and almost been disposed of.   The Government, in consultation with multilateral agencies, was exploring other possible options on how to attract foreign investors to manage and operate its existing public utilities which were in dire need of fresh funds to expand and enhance its operations. Additionally, these corporations posed as major factors for the persistently large budget deficit purportedly due to mismanagement and bad policies, which turned out to be a major problem not only to the Government but to the entire economy as well.

P3s are simply one of the privatization strategies under the third wave of privatization. In the 90’s, P3s would normally involve large scale transactions and initiatives meant for big-ticket public utilities in the water, power, transport, airports and the like. It could be undertaken via joint venture arrangements, build-operate-transfer schemes and its variants, including financing through the private sector or individuals (e.g. bonds). It differs from privatization, in its strictest sense, as the latter primarily involves a full or partial transfer of ownership, management or operation of state-owned assets or shares of stocks to the private sector with the view that the latter can effectively and efficiently handle and operate said assets and companies. Just like in the fashion industry, privatization has latest trends and innovations and in this case, P3s are considered as the avant-garde and arty ways of allowing the private sector to build, manage and operate the needed infrastructures or to engage in social services (health and educations sectors) in collaboration with Governments for economic development, so to speak. Through the years, P3s have evolved and these days, they  are also being employed for other non-public utility, small and medium scale  transactions (i.e. providing cheaper medicines, encouraging people to plant more, etc. ) which could likewise assist developing economies in meeting their MDGs.

So, how would P3s be part of the cause of the UN under its MDG?  Briefly, MDG Goal No. 8, Target 8f, calls for global partnership for development in cooperation with the private sector, specifically in information and communications. This is especially true and imperative in least developed countries where information technology and telephone systems are lacking but are  essential to effectively address key humanitarian challenges such as health, education and other social services. The US Government and other more affluent nations like the European Union, in partnership with the UN and other private foundations have started and continued to encourage initiatives that supported the MDGs by reducing child mortality through immunization, improving maternal health, preventing malaria deaths, launching state-of-the-art information and communications technology, promoting opportunities for adolescent girls in the developing world, and helping the poorer nations to have access to clean energy. However, despite these aids from rich donor countries and private foundations and agencies, the developing countries are still struggling to overcome global challenges and meet the MDG targets. Hence, the need for developing economies and its Governments at all levels to strive to attain the MDG via P3s for the people’s well being.

While socio-economic development is the primary responsibility of the Government, the private sector and likewise the citizenry can also make the first move to complement the efforts of the Government, specifically on areas of healthcare, education, pension funds and other socio-economic services. On the other hand, there were instances wherein even if the Government and the private partners are willing and able to institute and implement changes but if the majority or the affected people cry no, consequently the purpose is defeated. There will always be skeptics and oppositions along the way and as such, it is always best to gain public support and acceptance for such complicated and large scale financing arrangements especially in the provision of social services. Thus, I believe that all stakeholders should be involved in this undertaking coupled with appropriate policies, transparency and disclosures and right directions to make P3s-related activities successful.

Public-private partnerships in industrialized countries like the US have been proven to be advantageous and essential in helping the poorer nations. As a matter of fact, NYC area alone has thousands of large and small non-profit organizations and foundations which help or even initiate various socio-economic projects in least developed economies. The UN Foundation itself have had successful partnerships in the past embarking on P3s, making both the public and the private sectors work together through them. One of its recently launched project is the Girl Up Campaign which basically helps adolescent girls in developing nations in certain areas such as health care and life skills education to keep them from violence. The Girl Up Campaign has adopted a unique way of partnering with the private sector, not under the traditional “corporate partnership” but thru other means. Under its existing set up, American girls are given the opportunity to interact with their counterparts in the other side of the globe who are not as fortunate as they are. This is just one example of a PPP activity undertaken by a large organization, like the UN Foundation. However, it is also equally worth noting that there are small non government organizations here in NYC which have been actively helping families in poorer countries even before the formulation of the MDG. One case in point is the advocacy of Orphans International which, for the past years,  has partnered with corporate or individual donors to provide monthly stipends for the financial, health and educational support of certain poor families of the orphaned child in a developing country. Orphans International  has been able to send orphaned kids to school, including after school tutoring and has provided decent shelter to them. It also exposed the kids to information technology from around the globe via the internet. This is also one excellent way of achieving certain goals of the MDG.

While providing aid and delivering the needed social services to poor countries are laudable, it may be necessary to monitor the progress of said donations, particularly on how it helps the marginalized groups. Otherwise, the benefits of P3s may not be received and felt by the lowly and the disadvantaged, especially if “chunks” of foreign assistance are being wasted or diverted to few people’s pockets.

 In my involvement on privatization for the past decade, the private sector investment have had contributions to economic growth in a developing country, including, among others, deepening the capital market, generating revenues, broadening ownership base, attracting foreign investors, which leads to generation or increase in employment . In the same manner, private sector participation related activities especially in the water and the power sector have provided enhancements, although there were some hitches and perceived anomalous transactions found down the road ( I refrain to elaborate on this, in the next succeeding blogs perhaps). While water and electricity were serviced to the poorest sector of the urban community, the impact on their lifestyle was minimal as the provision of said services was limited. On the part of the Government, there were financial and related risks (e.g. market risks, foreign exchange risks, and other negative shocks) associated to said P3s, leaving the Government shouldering the bills and the public consumers paying more, especially if government guarantees have been provided!

The benefits of P3s could have fruitful impact on and could be meaningful to the lives of the poorer sector of the society if the proivision of social services is done propery, as earlier mentioned.   The payback of P3s are evident and clear to the poor if: a) they will have access to communications technology so they can easily be in touch with health services; b) they will have access to energy that will make them productive and that the poor children can study their lessons and do their assignments at night; c) they will have access to farm- to-market roads so farmers can deliver their produce on time  and sell the same fresh to consumers, thereby earning more; d) they will have access to clean water and sanitation so as to prevent them from acquiring diseases and so on and so forth.

 

As previously indicated,  while the Government is accountable for delivering public services and infrastructure, the private industry has a crucial role to play in helping the Government steer the economy, much more in alleviating poverty thru designing and building the needed infrastructures and in the provision of social services sans guarantees from the Government.

With this, I say “kudos” to the private sector who has the genuine “heart and soul” to sincerely help the Government of poorer nations, ESPECIALLY to those with no hidden dubious agenda!

Please let me know your thoughts about this article. Thank you!

Unmasked Faces of Poverty – Tips and Thoughts to Ponder for Policy Makers and Everyone

 

Ever since my childhood, I have seen the sad reality of disparity and inequality between the rich and the poor*. This gap continues to widen through the years and is almost similar and happening in all parts of the globe, particularly in underdeveloped and developing countries where people are predominantly poor. As of 2008, about 80% of the world’s population lives in countries where income differentials are widening. This bleak scenario becomes even worse when victims, particularly the children, of the creeping disaster of poverty can no longer open their eyes and would have no other choice but to wait for their time to die of hunger, to die of lack or absence of health and medical care, and other facets of poverty.  As a matter of fact, UNICEF’s latest data show that about 20,000 to 25,000 children die each day due to poverty and these are mostly happening silently in the poorest villages on earth.  Indeed, this is a sad reality wherein even those in power cannot or may not be able to help contain or lessen the widening gap between the two social classes either because of selfishness and greed in the guise of corrupt and uncaring people who may not want to end poverty. 

When I briefly described the overview of UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) in my earlier blog,  I was a little bit skeptical of how the formulated  goals and the tasks to be undertaken can be achieved by 2015 in view of the many inherent factors and problems attached to it.   I don’t doubt the wisdom and the expertise of the world leaders and the superheroes appointed by the UN to facilitate the project when they committed to and accepted the said grand and bold targets, so to speak.  I just hope this is not like one of the studies that were undertaken by tapped consultants with hefty professional fees, and later only to find out in an archive, with no concrete solutions and tangible results.  In hindsight, poverty is something complicated characterized by a plethora of moving ways and styles, a fundamental and critical issue which deserves some serious consideration by all of us.   It’s like a serious illness that has been there for centuries and decades and could not be eradicated even if attended to by experts or the who’s who in economics or even with the recent discoveries of health and science and new state of the art technologies.     

Nevertheless,  as I am an advocate of quality of life and alleviating poverty is one,   I do firmly believe that this particular MDG goal (Goal #1) can be attained and a big change can happen only if the  respective Governments and big ticket corporations have political will which can provide political direction for this cause.   I further believe that we can get on with this and ultimately overcome poverty, only if each one of us, the luckier ones, will sincerely unite and provide our share for this worthy undertaking.  What is being required from all of us is a simple cooperation and willingness to make a paradigm shift, not only in terms of economic variables but also in ourselves, our attitude towards life, and our moral and social responsibility and concern for the impoverished. 

I don’t consider myself poor and I don’t consider myself rich either.  I certainly am no expert on this field but I am fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to have a decent education to make me relate and understand the people’s miserable state, people with no access to basic needs in life: food, shelter, clothing, education, health, livelihood and the like.   This is where all of us can unite and it is may be the right time for us to extend help to our neighbors with no or scarce resources.   I don’t want to delve on the history and the series of events why people become poor. I don’t want to blame anyone why these faces of poverty are happening.  What I would like to do now is how I can help and share in my most humble way, realize the dreams of our brothers and sisters who were not lucky enough to experience at least even a piece of the good things in life.  

The topic on poverty is absolutely heart wrenching, especially from my vantage point.  This is not merely based on recounts from people throughout the globe but exact graphic recollections of my actual experiences and observations on how rural and urban poor in the country where I was born and raised cope with their sad condition.     I have come face to face with the realities of poverty in both urban and in far flung areas.   In the rural areas for example,  I have seen boys and girls walking on barefoot under the scorching heat of the sun with big rattan baskets or a sackcloth on their back filled with local produce, apparently helping their parents who till the soil of a landlord, to liquefy the said produce into cash.   It really pained me to see those small kids forced to help their parents to earn for a living and being denied the right to go to school and being exposed to health hazards because of economic deprivation.    Another story is that of a man and his neighbor carrying on foot the former’s sick pregnant wife in a hammock–like carrier to the nearest health center which is located lakes and plains away from their place and only to find out after reaching the place that his wife has already expired due to absence of immediate medical attention.   This is just one of the genuine tragic stories and misery plights that do happen and being experienced by some of our less fortunate brothers primarily due to faulty economic policies, i.e., lack of government support on health and maternal care and inefficiency of support services, particularly in the remotest towns and villages.

 On the other hand,  the face of poverty in urban and metropolitan areas are sometimes depicted by so-called impoverished informal city dwellers and their condition may even be worse than those in the rural areas.  As all of us may know,  the urban poor are mostly composed of migrants from the rural areas who have moved in to try their luck in cities.  These are homeless people proliferating citywide with no permanent addresses and were left with no choice but to live under bridges, along railroad tracks and most of the times in so-called “smoky mountains” or smoking garbage dump site, so to speak.  I had the chance to observe how these people try to cope with this kind of a desolate lifestyle and try to make do the little that they have in order to get by.  There was one time I visited a family living under the bridge located probably just few miles from the Presidential Palace.   This family of five lives with the other squatters who seem to have formed a community under the bridge.  They live in a shack made of scrap cardboard/carton boxes and rusty tin roof, erected on a more or less 5 sq.m. area.  However, above where they stayed was a newly repaired concrete bridge and decorated by local officials with glittering lights for the upcoming Christmas celebration, exactly the opposite of what was actually happening under it.  This situation was a classic example of irony at its fullest.  I recall the mother told me that everything is being done in the very small area.  His husband and their three children eat, sleep,   and do their personal needs there.  Their focus everyday was on how they can feed their small children and how to survive and it was impossible to think of other needs like the health and education of their children.   In fact, the older kids, about 7 to 10 yrs old helped their father look for food, scavenging or sifting through the garbage of nearby restaurants and food chains for leftovers to eat and recyclables which can be sold for a song, so to speak,  to a scrap dealer.    I had goose bumps while listening to her story and I knew from that moment that there are many other families suffering the same plight, families who got used to a slum lifestyle scavenging  food for survival.

In the Philippines,  for instance, ADB data, shows that there are over 3 million people who live in slums around Metro Manila and guess what,  this is about the same number of people living in Chicago.   Based on UN’s figures,  Metro Manila is considered as one of the largest cities (ranked as 15th) and populous cities (ranked as 11th) in the world with a total population of about 12 million people, although some accounts show a higher number at over 16 million.  On the other hand, New York City, an industrialized and well developed city has a population of only about 8 million people, the bulk  (2.7 million people) of which come from the Brooklyn area, based on a 2008 survey.   The Metro Manila situation probably could be similar as in other countries having the same socio-economic hardships.  

For many of us who are fortunate to have an affluent lifestyle, who have the luxury of buying nonessential things,  who have been  given the chance to have steady decent jobs and sufficient income,   would it be hard for us to spare a piece of bread, so to speak,  to these people who live on less than $2 or even $1 a day?  Can we afford to be blind not to see the unmasked faces of poverty in poor countries in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa?  How can we help?  How can some of us receiving huge bonuses or decent salaries from our respective work and realizing substantial gains from our businesses, help alleviate poverty in the poorest of the poor nations?  Our extra money spent on luxuries could help feed so many starving children throughout the globe.   So, instead of attending gambling sessions,  frequenting saloons and bars for drinking spree or beauty salons for facial and aesthetics purposes, or shopping all the time for unnecessary things, would you not feel happy if you share something for the poor or form a group among your family and friends, which I am doing now by the way, for something more valuable, not only in the eyes of man but also in the eyes of God?  There’s happiness in helping the poor, by the way, and that’s the best gift that you’ll receive after helping.

 For policy makers out there and government authorities in power, I hope you will do your very best to do more for your country and constituents.  You have been bombarded with so many complaints from your critics but nothing much has changed.   Some of you out there may have stolen from coffers or squandered resources of an impoverished economy either thru mismanagement or “kickbacks” from implemented projects without oversight and auditing, this is your opportune time to renew, give back and show that you deserve to be the leader of your country.  Majority of the people have still high regard in your sincerity, dedication and commitment to public service, particularly in improving people’s lives.  

Finally, the beauty of the world where we live is that,  it has vast and rich natural resources to provide food for everyone, to provide clean water, shelther, education and the like.   With appropriate government policies coupled  with the right attitude and contributions from all of us,  I firmly believe that we would  be able to help alleviate poverty and eventually save our less fortunate brothers and sisters from the shackles of poverty and build a better world for all of us.

 I have so many things in mind to write about the subject, its causes and impact on economy and the community as well, but the topic on poverty is just so enormous.   I know I have not covered all of it but my blog is quite lengthy already.  I would therefore invite you to give your comments and feedback and it will be greatly appreciated.   Thank you!

 

 

Noteyou!!! 

 

 

Making Noise for UN’s Millennium Development Goals – Series of Tips and Thoughts

11

 

While this is not my first involvement as one of the bloggers of Bloggers Unite (BsU), a month ago, I was invited via email by one of the organizers to participate in the campaign to make some noise for the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Briefly, UN MDGs cover a broad spectrum of policy framework adopted by the world leaders in 2000 and is spearheaded by the UN with certain “ambitious” end goals and indicators to achieve. Said development goals include, among other things, 1) eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; 2) achieve universal primary education; 3) promote gender equality and empower women ; 4) reduce child mortality; 5) improve maternal health; 6) combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases ; 7) ensure environmental sustainability; and 8 ) global partnership for development.

I mentioned earlier the word “ambitious” since the said 8 development goals are time bound and with quantifiable targets to accomplish by 2015. It is envisioned that should targets be met, the “world poverty will be cut by half, tens of millions of lives will be saved, and billions more people will have the opportunity to benefit from the global economy. “ Wow, this is great!

I was awed to read the invitation but I was more awed to read the “beauty” of the mission and vision of the said goals. Nonetheless, I am delighted to be part of this mission as from my vantage point, as a mere small time blogger and originating from a developing country, I would be able to shout out to the whole world, not in the streets but through written words, my outlook on the said goals which incidentally are in fact my blog’s advocacies. While my academic background is neither economics (specifically development economics) nor political science, I consider myself an economist/political scientist by heart! My several years in public administration, to which few of my younger professional years, I accidentally held positions of Economist to Senior Financial Economist, drew me more to actively participate in this meaningful and prestigious endeavor. To say the least, my active involvement in policy formulation on fiscal and financial reforms would help in assessing and monitoring the progress of how certain Governments undertake and implement said MDGs in both local and international level.

Bloggers Unite’s (BsU) role, by the way, is to unite bloggers in the blogosphere and harness its power to make our world a better place. For this particular effort, BsU tries to encourage bloggers throughout the world to promote the said activities and submit ideas and suggestions, provide possible strategies and solutions, which could have impact to any of the said goals, to their respective leaders and delegations to the forthcoming UN Review summit to be held in September 2010 at the UN General Assembly in NY.

So, to my legitimate readers, I may set aside from time to time the more manageable and glamorous topics to pave the way for a more significant and big ticket issues that will provide hopefully, a big change in our day-to-day lives. I don’t want to be pessimistic and entertain negativities on the proposed targets but all I can say for now, I believe in this, this is it what I wish for the world I live, and I ask, if you will,  for your help, to make it happen! As the UN MDG by line says: “This is our year, let’s make it happen”.

My next MDG blog is on poverty, the first goal. Just like football/soccer game, it has certain  goals and these goals are meant to be accomplished, not just written down!  :)

On a lighter note, congratulations to whoever would be the world cup champion for 2010.