How can the War Against World Poverty be Won? How can those currently working on this network better?

Question

The #1 problem in the world today is poverty. For more than 30 years now the UN has been working on a new international economic order without appreciable success. The sad event of september 11 2001 in the US has changed the US view of international development. The US now has a new national security strategy with 3 pillars, Defense, Diplomacy and Development. The UK suffered a similar fate july 7 2005, ironically while the UK government was busy urging the 2005 G8 summit to take Africa poverty more seriously. The UK is also working on a new international developmenbt white paper 2006, expected to be released this summer. Regretfully the UK is not doing enough to implement the UK Commission for Africa report march 2005, to identify, promote and protect African and Non African professionals who have ideas, innovation and entrepreneurship required to effectively tackle poverty. Momentum generated in the UK last year is lost, yet tackling poverty is in the common interest of the globe.

The 13 answers to date have been quite interesting. Will be extending the question, thereafter all answers obtained will be thrown open to respondents to pick the best. However, there is a need to ask follow up questions. 1. How do we in practical terms, given real problems on the ground in both developed and developing countries, get the bloks to work? 2. How can we care enough to actually wipe out poverty, given the fact that with available technologies the world has enough resources to wipe out poverty? 3. How do we get those who have tried to help in the past, but had their effort frustrated, to renew intrest in giving practical help and support within the umbrella of a repositioned global movement against poverty? 4. Do you agree that developed countries contribute significantly to poverty in developed countries? 5. Do you agree that should this continue, ultimately the consequencies will be catastrophic for the peoples in developed countries?

Answer 1

Just ask one question at a time please..

By just eliminating the transnational companies, be careful not international or multinational ones, poverty can be defeated for 128 years

Answer 2

There is absolutle no way to win the war on poverty for 2 reasons.
First) trying to fight the war on poverty is like shooting at a moving target while you're waving you're gun around wildly. Why do I say that? because the uncheck population growth in these countrys
means that even if you provided for lets say 10 million people today, by next year it's 13 million the next year it's 21 million,it's not possible.
Second ) There have been study's done where they take all the fresh water reserves /all the farmable land/ average rain falls/ and many other factors and ran them through a supercomputer
to see how many people this planet can " sustainably " support,
the key word being sustainably and they came up with a number around 2 Billion, and that was done with no thought given to any
particular country or race or ethnic group or religion, this was done strictly from a global perspective. So what that amounts to it we're all in deep s___!!! , all of us,not just this or that country.

Answer 3

Let's basically change this whole issue to getting rid of poverty in Africa, since this is pretty much what people mean when they say poverty. Poverty in other parts of the world are bad, but nowhere worse than in Africa.

Eliminating poverty in Africa is not a pipe dream, but it is going to be virtually impossible. To Wit:

Central and Sub-Saharan Africa has little to no physical infrastructure, and suffers from horrible outbreaks of Malaria, AIDS, civil wars and border wars. Efforts by the UN or other development agencies to provide roads, water treatment facilities, power stations, airports, basic sewerage sytems, etc, would be a painstakingly slow process and likely not improve the lives of those designed to benefit from it. They would likely be used by the despots or dictators in charge to further tighten control over their people (though this did change slightly in India and China in the last 20 years, but those were singular countries)

More importantly, it is almost impossible for a country fighting civil wars, border wars, and committing genocide to be able to develop a working economy. Few countries (Israel being the best example) are capable of doing this, but Israel had 3 things Africa does not: a great education system, a stable and fair democracy, and a strategic importance for business.

A common answer to the poverty question is to "Throw more money at it", as if we never spent money before. That dollar a day may give them 10 gallons of drinking water, but have you ever seen what a poor person does with a dollar? They buy impulses (not that normal people don't do this but let me continue). In Africa, and other impoverished societies, when they receive a hand out, they don't run to buy food (most of that is donated anyways). They go get a gun. Or drugs (both legal and not), or something else not a necessity. The education level of these people is astonishingly poor. Illiteracy is the norm, and the retention of educational issues on AIDS, STDs, and basic living practices are almost always either ignored or suppressed by cultural influences.

You want to eliminate poverty in the world? 3 things:

1. Get rid of all governmental forms that don't put an emphasis on building infrastructure and generating trade for its people.

2. Establish checks and balances to stave corruption

3. Work hard to change the cultures in these countries, to teach them the value of an education and reduce their dependency to resolve issues with violence

Answer 4

Unfortunately the war against world poverty is one war that cannot be won. Firstly it is only common sense that any country will attempt to help their own poor to begin with. As a result countries such as the USA and the UK will try and win the battles on their own court before attempting to deal with the issue worldwide. However in economical terms it is not in the interests of rich countries to help developing countries come out of poverty. The reason for that is that there would have to be a change in the distribution of wealth; i.e. the wealthy countries would have to give up part of there wealth in order for the developing countries to come out of poverty. An unlikely event in my view.

Answer 5

Yeah, it's a toughie alright, no doubt about it. We can do it if we keep pushing though. Networking-wise, try Indymedia, they have a great network. If you are in East London, England tonight, come down to the RampArt Social Centre and Squat Cafe, 15 Rampart Street London E1 for a chat to some Polish Dub Reggae dudes and enhance your understanding of Roots.

Answer 6

America has some of the greatest resources yet even in our own nation we have a great deal of poverty. Some of it is self inflicted. I was once told by a friend and later by a mother of one of my poor students that too much thinking would make me worldly and God didn't accept worldly people in heaven. Well, I believe that education is the great emancipator. Many choose to remain ignorant and in poverty. How do you eradicate poverty? Teach them to take care of themselves. Teach them to have better lives. Give them opportunity. That's in America. As for other countries. Their government must give them opportunity and not hold them hostage to their poverty.

Answer 7

Western countries to even up the playing field instead of it being tilted in their favour when it comes to trade and to stop dictating the terms, the world bank and IMF to stop putting terms on developing countries and for western countries not to give out farming subsidies would be a start. Alternatively, the eradication of capitalism...

Answer 8

There will always be poverty in the third world while they continue to butcher each other,while tribal animosity exists and they put up with despot dictators!

Answer 9

The answer to present world scenario lies in the simple teaching of Jesus Christ. Love your enemy. You cannot continue slavery and poverty without the wrath of God. The answer to all problems of this present and the past world's is establishing 'SOCIETY WITHOUT SELFISHNESS'. How?. If anybody is interested please e-mail [e-mail]. If you fail to esablish 'SOCIETY WITHOUT SELFISHNESS' by 21-3-2026 then the final blow to this world will be dealt with.

Answer 10

useless war in iraq costs allready a trillion $. Just to clear it: it is 1000 billions or 1000 000 000 000 DOLLARS!!!!!! With this money there would be no powerty on the world. But who cares about humans when there is oil.