Somalia’s Agony Tests Limits of Aid – Although Somalia has struggled with droughts and conflict since gaining independence in the 1960s, the “current crisis in Somalia is on a different order of magnitude.” It is the anti-Western Shabab militant group that has exacerbated the current famine, as they have blocked many of the Western aid agencies from the famine areas. In an effort to circumvent al-Shabab, many aid agencies are partnering with Turkish and other Muslim groups and using imaginative techniques to deliver aid. (NYTimes, Jeffrey Gettleman)
Inequality dents U.S. rank in U.N. development index – The US remains the fourth best country in the world to live in, but adjustment for inequality drops it into 23rd place – a similar fate for other wealthier countries – according to an annual UN ranking of nations’ development released today. The ranking came in a human development index, a gauge of well-being published by the UNDP for the past 21 years that combines economic prosperity with education levels and life expectancy. (Reuters)
Bill Gates’s plan to assist the world’s poor – In an upcoming report to the G20, Bill Gates will share his ideas for the world to continue investments in development despite the current economic crisis. Aid contributes to advancements in innovation that can lead to breakthrough solutions contributes to the world economy. Gates will make recommendations for mobilizing tens of billions of dollars annually from private sources, and remind the U.S. that “we’re providing strategic investments that link up with many other investments to systematically make a better, more prosperous and safer world.” (The Washington Post, Bill Gates)
How to Feed the Hungry, Faster – The New York Times’ Tina Rosenberg follows up on her column last week about a shift by aid agencies from bags of food to vouchers to provide access to food on the ground in Somalia. Vouchers solves many of the traditional problems of food-aid: “food can get to the hungry quickly; there are no transport or storage costs; it works in dangerous situations . . . it increases the welcome for refugees and contributes to the local economy.” (NYTimes, Tina Rosenberg)
Thinking Big on Poverty – The recent launch of the Half in Ten campaign “starts the clock ticking on its aggressive goal to cut poverty in half in ten years nationally and in every state.” There are currently 46.2 million people living in poverty in the US, and Half in Ten urges the US government to take actions to change that number. The campaign calls for more good jobs, improvement of family economic security, strengthening of communities and a decrease in overall poverty.” (The Nation, Katrina vanden Heuvel)
