Bob Geldof guest-edited Sunday’s edition of the Italian publication La Stampa. In the coming days we’ll be posting English language versions of the featured articles, including this one from Alhaji Ado Bayero:

As a religious leader in my country, the most populous in Africa, I have come to understand the strong relationship between social and economic welfare and the establishment of equality and fairness in relationships. I have seen peace eroded by insecurity, social injustice, economic inequality, political and religious radicalism. A hungry man they say is an angry man. So attention must be focused on building economic welfare that promotes economic and social justice and ensures peace.

It has been argued that Africa has in the last couple of years achieved some success in the fight against poverty. But with the recent world economic meltdown from which the continent is not immune, these successes seem set to be eroded unless some drastic measures are taken by African governments. In the case of my country, Nigeria, previous policies aimed at poverty alleviation seem to have had limited success due to poor implementation and limited partnerships. But there is a policy that holds the key to success in the fight against poverty and that is microfinance. Poverty is defined as the state of being poor i.e. the inability to earn income necessary to be able to afford the basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter.

Microfinance offers an incredible tool for helping the poor work their way to a life of sustainability, opportunity and ultimately economic self empowerment. Nigerian men and women are known throughout history to be industrious but the modern economy has made access to finance (no matter how little) extremely necessary for self reliance.

Self reliance is an important factor in the consideration of the relationship between poverty and peace. (more…)

Bob Geldof guest-edited Sunday’s edition of the Italian publication La Stampa. In the coming days we’ll be posting English language versions of the featured articles, including this one from Colin Firth:

Why do you have to hear it from an actor? I have a profound dislike of activism. I do not enjoy hearing dispatches from the crisis zone delivered by actors and rock stars. I get no joy from fund raising events, op-eds, posters, t-shirts, speeches, slogans, petitions and rock concerts. I’m tired of it. And I’m tired of the crisis.

If your profession somehow gives you a public voice, you quickly find that you have a new relationship with those who don’t have one. Your voice quickly becomes a cherished commodity. Not for its merits but for its sheer volume. You may have nothing to say, but those who do, the wise, the desperate and the better informed are all clamouring to make use of your easily earned media connection.

Imagine passing the scene of a car accident. Someone is dying. There is a doctor on the scene but he doesn’t have his equipment and he doesn’t have a phone. He asks if he can use your phone. Do you say “Sorry, not my job. Sorry I have no credibility …” or do you stop thinking and just do it? That is frequently the position of the guilt-ridden celebrity.

We are not in a position to choose whether or not we have a relationship with our own society or with world’s poorest people. We can choose the nature of those relationships, but, either way, they’re there. We’re business partners. If we choose to ignore them we are simply choosing to make that relationship a negligent and destructive one.

As voters and consumers we are directly complicit in the misery of the millions we do business with. If we let our governments and businesses think we are indifferent to their cynicism they will go on practicing it on license from us and every cup of coffee we drink and every piece of cotton we wear will continue to be an act of cruelty.

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Bob Geldof guest-edited Sunday’s edition of the Italian publication La Stampa. In the coming days we’ll be posting English language versions of the featured articles, including this one from Sophia Loren:

They say once you go to Africa, you will always want to go back. I know they also say that about Paris and Berlin. I keep saying it about Rome and Naples. And of course I always go back there because Roma and Napoli are in my blood and eternally part of me.

Africa is not part of me and yet has always been a magic place, so far away, so different, so exciting. And frightening – I never thought I would ever have a chance to go to Africa. But I did go there and yes, it was a life changing experience for me.

The world promises to help Africa and Africa waits. Every day wasted can be the end of a life. Every hour is the final breath. Each moment more lights go out. The longer they wait, the more will perish. Poverty is not blameful. It does not make people bad or less important. It is cruel way of life. And yet poor people have given the world the greatest riches of art, culture, passion and leadership.

The life of one child could change the world. And to promise to help that child and not do anything is worse than refusing to help.

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Bob Geldof guest-edited Sunday’s edition of the Italian publication La Stampa. In the coming days we’ll be posting English language versions of the featured articles, including this one from Diarmuid Martin:

One global crisis after the other reminds us just how “global” the world has become. We realise today that it is no longer just what happens in another part of the world which can have its effects where we live. We see today how the greed of individuals and the inefficiency of regulatory control can have direct effects on the stability of our banking or economic system or political system globally.

The global word needs rules; it needs trust; it needs stability. Few will disagree with that. We tend, however, to look on this as stability for us in the wealthier world. What about stability in Africa, for African countries, for African communities, for African families? On so many occasions world leaders have recognised that stability and growth in Africa depend on reforms, but that there is also need of focussed investment in human capacity and basic human infrastructures.

Promises have been made and promises have been consistently watered down or forgotten about. The investment of solidarity which will bring stability to Africa has been quantified and measured and set out in time-bound commitments such as the Millennium Development Goals. These are promises made to the poor; but it seems that promises made to the poor are of less moral weight than the promises made to “the system”.

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Bob Geldof guest-edited Sunday’s edition of the Italian publication La Stampa. In the coming days we’ll be posting English language versions of the featured articles, including this one from Naomi Campbell:

It has been another extraordinary year for me not to mention my many trips to Italy for both work and pleasure. Bella Italia! I am honoured to share with you a project, which I have recently been dedicated to, and something I am deeply passionate about.

A year ago I visited Downing Street in London to meet with Sarah Brown, the prime minister’s wife. At the meeting Sarah spoke at length about The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA), which she is a patron of, and their grassroots network which campaigns to stop women dying in childbirth around the world. That was the start of my work with the WRA right then and there. As Sarah spoke eloquently about her work with the charity, I was shocked at the extent of the problem, a problem I was completely unaware of at that point.

Millions of women are dying needlessly around the world. In the developing world a woman dies every minute giving birth, and almost always her baby will die too. In these places, women are often the breadwinners and leaders in the family. So, when a mother dies it affects not only her children but also her entire family, their livelihood and future.

There are solutions to this problem and they are immediately attainable. However, we must act quickly in support of this cause. By acting, we will help save half a million young women’s lives a year. It’s important for our global future; healthy families are vital to peace, stability and prosperity everywhere.

Last September I hosted with Sarah a catwalk show in aid of the WRA at London Fashion Week to raise funds and awareness of the cause. (more…)

Bob Geldof guest-edited Sunday’s edition of the Italian publication La Stampa. In the coming days we’ll be posting English language versions of the featured articles, including this one from Nicholas Stern:

Poverty and climate change are the two great challenges of the 21st century. Our responses to them will define our generation, and because they are linked to each other, if we fail on one, we will fail on the other. Unmitigated climate change poses huge risks for the planet. If we carry on emitting carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, global average temperature could eventually rise by more than five centigrade degrees, to levels not seen on Earth for more than 30 million years.

However, we understand the scale of the action that is necessary to reduce emissions and the areas on which we must focus: greater energy efficiency, more low-carbon technologies, and a halt to deforestation.

We also know which policies and economic instruments will make these ambitions happen, and we can see a path for investment and economic growth that is attractive for all parts of the world. All we need now is the political will.

The United Nations conference on climate change, due to be held in Copenhagen in December, will be the most important international meeting since the Second World War. It must result in an agreement to halt and reverse the growth in annual global emissions, leading to a reduction of at least 50 per cent by 2050.

Developed countries should lead the way by cutting their annual emissions by at least 80 per cent. The people of developing countries are least responsible for the current levels of greenhouse gases, but they are the most numerous.

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Bob Geldof guest-edited Sunday’s edition of the Italian publication La Stampa. In the coming days we’ll be posting English language versions of the featured articles, including this one from Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf:

For more than a decade, much of Africa has been moving forward. Economic growth is rising, poverty is falling and democratic governance is spreading. But the global financial crisis threatens to undo this progress by reducing investment, exports and aid just as they should be expanding to build on these successes.

While international attention has been understandably focused on events in Darfur, Somalia and Zimbabwe, countries across the continent including Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique and Liberia have been quietly turning around. Economic growth rates regularly exceed five percent in many nations.

The key to this progress is stronger African leadership and more accountable governance. Today, more than 20 African countries are democracies, up from just three in the 1980s. They have competitive elections and improved human rights, and a much freer media. These efforts have been supported by increasingly effective development assistance.

Consider what has happened in my country, Liberia. (more…)

Bob Geldof guest-edited Sunday’s edition of the Italian publication La Stampa. In the coming days we’ll be posting English language versions of the featured articles, including this one from Mo Ibrahim:

Africa has had a painful history. Even if we do not consider the evils of slavery and colonialism, independence, some 50 years ago for most African countries, coincided with the start of the Cold War. That period was devastating for the newly independent states of Africa.

While the super powers were locked in a deadly game of chess, African nations were no more than pawns – suppliers of essential raw materials and sites for military bases – but most importantly strategic ideological buffers against the advance of communism or capitalism (depending on which side you were on!).Corrupt and dictatorial regimes were propped up as dependable allies. Dictators were either “our bastards” or “their bastards”.

These policies brought disastrous consequences – we witnessed the rise of dictatorships, the culture of the “big man” and associated corruption. The end of the Cold War was probably the best thing which ever happened to Africa. At last African people were able to address their needs for state and institution building; for the democratic transformation of their societies; and above all for tackling poverty. However negative external perceptions of Africa persisted and, in many cases, continue to this day.

To take a personal example, when we decided to invest in a mobile network in Africa, all of my friends thought we were mad! Then as now, the perception of Africa as a risky investment destination prevailed. Africa seemed to lack infrastructure and a skilled workforce, disposable incomes and above all, the rule of law. This was broad-brush. It picked the failings of some corrupt regimes, and civil wars or genocide in other countries, and created a toxic mix which tarnished all 53 countries in Africa. This is like claiming that all Europeans are guilty of genocide on the evidence of what happened in the former Yugoslavia!

Yes, some African countries are failed states but let us always remember that Africa is 53 countries and most of them are peaceful and pleasant places to live and visit. (more…)

Bob Geldof guest-edited Sunday’s edition of the Italian publication La Stampa. In the coming days we’ll be posting English language versions of the featured articles, including this one from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair:

We need aid commitments to be delivered. They can save lives and help poor countries. But ultimately the salvation of Africa will come from within. Good governance, the capacity, to take decisions, implement them and see them through, is the only long term sustainable solution. That is the lesson of the past few decades. The image of Africa as a war-torn continent, plagued by conflict is commonly-held, but in truth this is an unfair simplification.

Nevertheless, conflict has been and remains a pitfall for many African countries seeking to grow their way out of poverty. It not only causes immense suffering, but undermines progress and sets nations on a downward spiral from which it can be hard to escape.

Such conflict is also difficult to contain – take Somalia, where conflict creates a breeding-ground for piracy and extremism that threatens not only its neighbours, but the rest of the world. Given the moral and security imperative, in some cases it may be possible and desirable for international forces to intervene with direct military action to end conflict and restore peace. This is what the world should have done to stop the genocide in Rwanda and it is what I did as Prime Minister in sending troops to end violence in Sierra Leone. In other cases however, peace will be best brought about through other interventions.

But ending conflict is only the beginning of the story. It is essential that enormous effort is focused on helping these countries recover and develop long-lasting stability. The good news is that, difficult as it can be, such recovery is possible. I have recently returned from Rwanda, which for most people conjures up an image of genocide and violence but which under the visionary leadership of President Kagame, has been transformed. The country is stable, health and education indicators are rapidly improving and the economy is booming – GDP growth last year was an extraordinary 10%.

What the case of Rwanda shows is not only that recovery is possible, but that central to that recovery is the role of political leadership – President Kagame has shown single-minded determination and must take much of the credit for that country’s recovery.

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Bob Geldof guest-edited Sunday’s edition of the Italian publication La Stampa. In the coming days we’ll be posting English language versions of the featured articles, including this one from Kofi Annan:

The financial meltdown has translated into a development crisis for Africa. This is revealing its vulnerability not only to economic contraction but also to climate change. Changing weather patterns are already affecting the lives of millions of Africans by reducing food security, facilitating the spread of diseases like malaria, and prompting mass migration. The livelihoods and lives of millions of people are at risk.

Ironically, this crisis also presents a unique opportunity for Africa. The urgency of efforts to address climate change is revealing interesting prospects on the mitigation side, particularly in the areas of renewable energy and low carbon growth.

There is a real possibility to steer countries toward a new development model that will not only benefit Africa but the world. In the meantime, adaptation to climate change is critical. For Africa this means ‘weather proofing’ development by increasing food yields, investing in climate-resilient crops and infrastructure, promoting rainwater harvesting, and expanding medical control measures in anticipation increased vector-borne diseases.

Africa needs additional resources, over and above existing ODA commitments, to adapt to climate change. Financing adaptation to climate will be a formidable challenge, particularly as it involves additional costs above traditional development assistance – when ODA budgets are under pressure. Estimates of the amounts needed by developing countries to help them adapt to these challenges vary between 50 and 100 billion USD per year.

This is why Prime Minister Brown’s proposal last week on creating a fund for climate change is so welcome.

Failing to act now will not increase costs in the future – both financial and humanitarian. We all stand to lose from a reversal of the economic and social progress made across Africa in the past decade. Burgeoning markets might disappear and investment opportunities evaporate, while the risk of political instability will increase. Every percentage fall in growth has direct social consequences whether on nutrition levels, infant mortality or school attendance. Every person pushed back into poverty is another step away from achieving the Millennium Development Goals. For all of these reasons, the continued engagement and support of all of Africa’s partners including the G8 counties is vital.

As this year’s DATA Report from the Africa advocacy group ONE underscores, (more…)