Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Bonsai Story
A human being is born into this world fully equipped not only to take care of him or herself, but also to contribute to enlarging the well being of the world as a whole. Some get the chance to explore their potential to some degree, but many others never get any opportunity, during their lifetime, to unwrap the wonderful gift they were born with. They die unexplored and the world remains deprived of their creativity, and their contribution.
Grameen has given me an unshakeable faith in the creativity of human beings. This has led me to believe that human beings are not born to suffer the misery of hunger and poverty.
To me poor people are like bonsai trees. When you plant the best seed of the tallest tree in a flower-pot, you get a replica of the tallest tree, only inches tall. There is nothing wrong with the seed you planted, only the soil-base that is too inadequate. Poor people are bonsai people. There is nothing wrong in their seeds. Simply, society never gave them the base to grow on. All it needs to get the poor people out of poverty for us to create an enabling environment for them. Once the poor can unleash their energy and creativity, poverty will disappear very quickly.
Let us join hands to give every human being a fair chance to unleash their energy and creativity.
Grameen has given me an unshakeable faith in the creativity of human beings. This has led me to believe that human beings are not born to suffer the misery of hunger and poverty.
To me poor people are like bonsai trees. When you plant the best seed of the tallest tree in a flower-pot, you get a replica of the tallest tree, only inches tall. There is nothing wrong with the seed you planted, only the soil-base that is too inadequate. Poor people are bonsai people. There is nothing wrong in their seeds. Simply, society never gave them the base to grow on. All it needs to get the poor people out of poverty for us to create an enabling environment for them. Once the poor can unleash their energy and creativity, poverty will disappear very quickly.
Let us join hands to give every human being a fair chance to unleash their energy and creativity.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Speech by HRH Aga Khan
This situation of conflict and instability poses a grave risk for the future relationship between the industrialized world and the developing world. The polarizing and paralyzing Cold War, which impacted millions of people in the developing world, has gone. The new issue that demands the attention of the international community is the need to create stable states with self-sustainable economies and stable, inclusive forms of governance.
Much of the world's attention is periodically focused on the phenomenon of so-called failed states. But of the global threats that face us today, apart from nuclear war or HIV/AIDS, the most preoccupying is not failed states. It is the failure of democracy. The global picture at the beginning of the 21st century is a story of failed democracies in the Muslim world, in Latin America, in Eastern Europe and in sub-Saharan Africa.
A startling fact today is that nearly forty percent of UN member nations are failed democracies. The greatest risk to the West itself, and to its values, is therefore the accumulation of failed democracies. That in turn will cause deep under-currents of stress, if not conflict, among societies. It is essential, in the West's own interest, to admit to itself that democracy is as fragile as any other form of human governance.
It is essential that the question be asked, in every national situation and within each society, "if democracy is failing, why is this the case?" Every effort needs to be made to help correct the situation, rather than referring dismissively to failed states. To my knowledge, democracy can fail anywhere, at any time, in any society—as it has in several well-known and well-documented situations in Europe, as recently as the last 50 years. For it is self-evident, in Europe and across the globe, that the existence of political parties and elections do not alone produce stable governments or competent leadership.
Three concepts seem to me to be essential in creating, stabilizing and strengthening democracy around the world, including among the people of Africa and Asia with whom I have worked in the past. These concepts are meritocracy, pluralism and civil society. In particular, I will ask, what role can Canada play, drawing upon her national genius, in creating or enhancing these great underpinnings of democracy in the developing world?
A recent UN audit of democracy covering 18 Latin American countries reemphasizes the virtues of democracy in advancing human development; but it also warns that stagnant per capita incomes and growing inequality, in access to civil rights as well as income, are producing doubt, impatience and civil unrest. Thus, the report underlines a key concept that you will all know instinctively, and which my experience working in the developing world has illustrated, decade after decade: the primary, daily concern of peoples everywhere is their quality of life, which is intimately connected to their value systems. When it turns toward solutions, the report recognizes a crucial fact: "An important relationship exists between citizenship and organizations of civil society, which are major actors in the strengthening of democracy, in the oversight of government stewardship and in the development of pluralism."...
Our long presence on the ground gives us an insight that confirms the UN's detailed assessment in Latin America, which is that a democracy cannot function reasonably without two preconditions.
The first is a healthy, civil society. It is an essential bulwark that provides citizens with multiple channels through which to exercise effectively both their rights and duties of citizenship. Even at a very basic level, only a strong civil society can assure isolated rural populations, and the marginalized urban poor of a reasonable prospect of humane treatment, personal security, equity, the absence of discrimination, and access to opportunity.
The second precondition is pluralism. Pluralism means peoples of diverse backgrounds and interests, coming together in organizations of varying types and goals, for different kinds and forms of creative expression, which are valuable and deserving of support by government and society as a whole.
The rejection of pluralism is pervasive across the globe and plays a significant role in breeding destructive conflicts. Examples are scattered across the world's map: in Asia, in the Middle East, in Africa, in Europe, in the Americas. No continent has been spared from the tragedies of death, of misery and of the persecution of minorities. Are such high-risk situations predictable? If the answer is, "Yes", then what can be done about them, to pre-empt the risk that the rejection of pluralism will become the spark that sets human conflict aflame? Is the onus not on leadership, in all parts of the world, to build a knowledge base about such situations and consider strategies for preventing them? For, I deeply believe that our collective conscience must accept that pluralism is no less important than human rights for ensuring peace, successful democracy and a better quality of life.
I am optimistic that much constructive work can be done, and I would cite one example—only one from the perspective of forty years of experience of agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network—in which the careful, patient development of institutions of civil society helped to created the capacity to manage and legitimize pluralism.
In Northern Pakistan, once one of the poorest areas on earth, our Network has been working for over twenty years, with CIDA as our lead partner. Isolated and bypassed rural communities of different ethnic and religious backgrounds—Shia, Sunni and non-Muslim—struggled to eke out a meager living, farming small holdings in the harsh environment of this mountain desert ecosystem. Relations among the communities were often hostile. The challenge for the Network was to create sustainable, inclusive processes of development in which diverse communities could participate together and seek joint solutions to common problems.
To summarize two decades of work in Northern Pakistan: over 3,900 village based organizations, comprising a mix of broad-based representations and interest-specific groups in such fields as women's initiatives, water usage, and savings and credit were established. The quality of life of 1.3 million people living in a rural environment, representative of the majority of the population of Asia and Africa, has been dramatically improved. Per capita income has increased by 300%, savings have soared, and there have been marked improvements in male and female education, primary health, housing, sanitation and cultural awareness. Former antagonists have debated and worked together to create new programs and social structures in Northern Pakistan, and more recently in Tajikistan. Consensus around hope in the future has replaced conflict born of despair and memories of the past.
Much of the world's attention is periodically focused on the phenomenon of so-called failed states. But of the global threats that face us today, apart from nuclear war or HIV/AIDS, the most preoccupying is not failed states. It is the failure of democracy. The global picture at the beginning of the 21st century is a story of failed democracies in the Muslim world, in Latin America, in Eastern Europe and in sub-Saharan Africa.
A startling fact today is that nearly forty percent of UN member nations are failed democracies. The greatest risk to the West itself, and to its values, is therefore the accumulation of failed democracies. That in turn will cause deep under-currents of stress, if not conflict, among societies. It is essential, in the West's own interest, to admit to itself that democracy is as fragile as any other form of human governance.
It is essential that the question be asked, in every national situation and within each society, "if democracy is failing, why is this the case?" Every effort needs to be made to help correct the situation, rather than referring dismissively to failed states. To my knowledge, democracy can fail anywhere, at any time, in any society—as it has in several well-known and well-documented situations in Europe, as recently as the last 50 years. For it is self-evident, in Europe and across the globe, that the existence of political parties and elections do not alone produce stable governments or competent leadership.
Three concepts seem to me to be essential in creating, stabilizing and strengthening democracy around the world, including among the people of Africa and Asia with whom I have worked in the past. These concepts are meritocracy, pluralism and civil society. In particular, I will ask, what role can Canada play, drawing upon her national genius, in creating or enhancing these great underpinnings of democracy in the developing world?
A recent UN audit of democracy covering 18 Latin American countries reemphasizes the virtues of democracy in advancing human development; but it also warns that stagnant per capita incomes and growing inequality, in access to civil rights as well as income, are producing doubt, impatience and civil unrest. Thus, the report underlines a key concept that you will all know instinctively, and which my experience working in the developing world has illustrated, decade after decade: the primary, daily concern of peoples everywhere is their quality of life, which is intimately connected to their value systems. When it turns toward solutions, the report recognizes a crucial fact: "An important relationship exists between citizenship and organizations of civil society, which are major actors in the strengthening of democracy, in the oversight of government stewardship and in the development of pluralism."...
Our long presence on the ground gives us an insight that confirms the UN's detailed assessment in Latin America, which is that a democracy cannot function reasonably without two preconditions.
The first is a healthy, civil society. It is an essential bulwark that provides citizens with multiple channels through which to exercise effectively both their rights and duties of citizenship. Even at a very basic level, only a strong civil society can assure isolated rural populations, and the marginalized urban poor of a reasonable prospect of humane treatment, personal security, equity, the absence of discrimination, and access to opportunity.
The second precondition is pluralism. Pluralism means peoples of diverse backgrounds and interests, coming together in organizations of varying types and goals, for different kinds and forms of creative expression, which are valuable and deserving of support by government and society as a whole.
The rejection of pluralism is pervasive across the globe and plays a significant role in breeding destructive conflicts. Examples are scattered across the world's map: in Asia, in the Middle East, in Africa, in Europe, in the Americas. No continent has been spared from the tragedies of death, of misery and of the persecution of minorities. Are such high-risk situations predictable? If the answer is, "Yes", then what can be done about them, to pre-empt the risk that the rejection of pluralism will become the spark that sets human conflict aflame? Is the onus not on leadership, in all parts of the world, to build a knowledge base about such situations and consider strategies for preventing them? For, I deeply believe that our collective conscience must accept that pluralism is no less important than human rights for ensuring peace, successful democracy and a better quality of life.
I am optimistic that much constructive work can be done, and I would cite one example—only one from the perspective of forty years of experience of agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network—in which the careful, patient development of institutions of civil society helped to created the capacity to manage and legitimize pluralism.
In Northern Pakistan, once one of the poorest areas on earth, our Network has been working for over twenty years, with CIDA as our lead partner. Isolated and bypassed rural communities of different ethnic and religious backgrounds—Shia, Sunni and non-Muslim—struggled to eke out a meager living, farming small holdings in the harsh environment of this mountain desert ecosystem. Relations among the communities were often hostile. The challenge for the Network was to create sustainable, inclusive processes of development in which diverse communities could participate together and seek joint solutions to common problems.
To summarize two decades of work in Northern Pakistan: over 3,900 village based organizations, comprising a mix of broad-based representations and interest-specific groups in such fields as women's initiatives, water usage, and savings and credit were established. The quality of life of 1.3 million people living in a rural environment, representative of the majority of the population of Asia and Africa, has been dramatically improved. Per capita income has increased by 300%, savings have soared, and there have been marked improvements in male and female education, primary health, housing, sanitation and cultural awareness. Former antagonists have debated and worked together to create new programs and social structures in Northern Pakistan, and more recently in Tajikistan. Consensus around hope in the future has replaced conflict born of despair and memories of the past.
Ensuring World Bank Microfinance Funds Reach the Very Poor
Summary
Globally, one in five people must survive on less than $1 per day. Yet, according to the UN Development Program we have the resources to end poverty. One of the very best ways to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of cutting absolute poverty in half by 2015 is to reach the Microcredit Summit Campaign's new goal: ensuring 100 million of the world's poorest families rise above the $1 a day threshold. Meeting this goal would lift half a billion people out of extreme poverty and build a safer and more equitable world. Thanks to congressional leadership supported by the work of RESULTS and allies, landmark microenterprise legislation was signed into law in June 2003. The law will help ensure that at least half of U.S. microenterprise funds targeted to benefit the very poor actually reach them. If we are to halve severe poverty by 2015, other key financial and development institutions, especially the World Bank, must do more to reach the very poor.
Strategy
We will ask our Representatives to participate in the meeting with new World Bank Robert Zoellick and insist that he agrees to progress toward these four action items: 1) expanding resources for microfinance, 2) committing half of all microfinance resources to families living on less than $1 a day, 3) requiring the use of cost-effective poverty measurement tools to ensure compliance, and 4) reporting annually on results.
Why Microfinance
Microenterprise works. A long-term World Bank study found that microcredit was responsible for 40 percent of the moderate poverty reduction in Bangladesh. For individual borrowers, microloans can mean a powerful transformation from hopelessness to a bright future. M. Motuke lived in a wrecked car in the Democratic Republic of Congo with her four children. If she could find something to eat, she would feed two of her children; the next time she found something to eat, her other two children would eat. She got her first loan of $100 and bought production materials to make chikwangue (manioc paste). Today, Motuke and her family no longer live in a broken down car; they rent a house with two bedrooms and a living room. Her four children go to school on a regular basis; they eat regularly and dress well. She currently is saving to buy some land in a suburb farther outside of the city and hopes to build a house.
Expanding Access for the Poor Public Law 108-484, requires that half of all U.S. international microenterprise funding benefit people living on less than $1 per day and that new tools be developed and used to ensure this happens. It has already begun to fundamentally change the microenterprise work of our foreign aid agency, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The mission of the World Bank is to reduce global poverty and it exerts much sway on other countries and institutions through the policies it supports. In order to achieve the MDGs, it is critical that its resources and policies directly benefit very poor people and reduce rather than exacerbate poverty.
A letter to new World Bank President Robert Zoellick was signed by 72 members of the House of Representatives and delivered on Friday, July 13 th, 2007. The letter asked Mr. Zoellick to meet with members of Congress and take several critical steps to help further the world's progress toward the Millennium Development Goal of halving severe poverty by 2015.
The key requests are:
Globally, one in five people must survive on less than $1 per day. Yet, according to the UN Development Program we have the resources to end poverty. One of the very best ways to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of cutting absolute poverty in half by 2015 is to reach the Microcredit Summit Campaign's new goal: ensuring 100 million of the world's poorest families rise above the $1 a day threshold. Meeting this goal would lift half a billion people out of extreme poverty and build a safer and more equitable world. Thanks to congressional leadership supported by the work of RESULTS and allies, landmark microenterprise legislation was signed into law in June 2003. The law will help ensure that at least half of U.S. microenterprise funds targeted to benefit the very poor actually reach them. If we are to halve severe poverty by 2015, other key financial and development institutions, especially the World Bank, must do more to reach the very poor.
Strategy
We will ask our Representatives to participate in the meeting with new World Bank Robert Zoellick and insist that he agrees to progress toward these four action items: 1) expanding resources for microfinance, 2) committing half of all microfinance resources to families living on less than $1 a day, 3) requiring the use of cost-effective poverty measurement tools to ensure compliance, and 4) reporting annually on results.
Why Microfinance
Microenterprise works. A long-term World Bank study found that microcredit was responsible for 40 percent of the moderate poverty reduction in Bangladesh. For individual borrowers, microloans can mean a powerful transformation from hopelessness to a bright future. M. Motuke lived in a wrecked car in the Democratic Republic of Congo with her four children. If she could find something to eat, she would feed two of her children; the next time she found something to eat, her other two children would eat. She got her first loan of $100 and bought production materials to make chikwangue (manioc paste). Today, Motuke and her family no longer live in a broken down car; they rent a house with two bedrooms and a living room. Her four children go to school on a regular basis; they eat regularly and dress well. She currently is saving to buy some land in a suburb farther outside of the city and hopes to build a house.
Expanding Access for the Poor Public Law 108-484, requires that half of all U.S. international microenterprise funding benefit people living on less than $1 per day and that new tools be developed and used to ensure this happens. It has already begun to fundamentally change the microenterprise work of our foreign aid agency, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The mission of the World Bank is to reduce global poverty and it exerts much sway on other countries and institutions through the policies it supports. In order to achieve the MDGs, it is critical that its resources and policies directly benefit very poor people and reduce rather than exacerbate poverty.
A letter to new World Bank President Robert Zoellick was signed by 72 members of the House of Representatives and delivered on Friday, July 13 th, 2007. The letter asked Mr. Zoellick to meet with members of Congress and take several critical steps to help further the world's progress toward the Millennium Development Goal of halving severe poverty by 2015.
The key requests are:
- Increase funding for microfinance
- Commit at least 50 percent of funds to families living on less than $1 a day
- Require the use of cost-effective poverty measurement tools to ensure compliance
- Report annually on results
By writing the following letter you can help reach millions more very poor people with credit and other financial services.
Write a letter to your Representative or Senator.
Introduce yourself and explain that you are a constituent.
Share your concern that over a billion people are forced to survive on less than $1 per day.
Explain that the U.S. must lead in a concerted global effort to ensure that the goal of cutting severe poverty in half by 2015 is reached. Tell him/her that Microcredit, often starting at $50 or less, has transformed the lives of tens of millions of very poor families around the world.
Ask your Representative to participate in the meeting with new World Bank President Robert Zoellick and push for acceptance on the four bullet points above requesting that the Bank expand resources for microenterprise and take specific steps to ensure that at least half of those resources reach very poor people. Mention that the meeting is being organized by Reps. Rush Holt (D-NJ) and John Carter (R-TX).
Ask for a reply.
Note: letters must be faxed or e-mailed, as regular mail delivery to Congress is delayed by several months. Rep. __________; U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 .
Ensuring World Bank Microfinance Funds Reach the Very Poor
Given that the World Bank's mission is to alleviate poverty, the Bank should provide increased funds for microfinance and make sure that at least half of those funds go to families living below $1 a day. If the World Bank doesn't do it, who else will? It's the right thing to do.
Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
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