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Alana Smith -
submitted 18/03/2009
The UN recommends that countries contribute 0.7% of its Gross National Income (GNI) to foreign aid. In 2010, Australia will rank 18th place, giving just 0.35% of our wealth to aid. The Australian government has committed to 0.5% by 2010 but we still have a long way to go. We should and can do more. We must give our politicians permission to increase foreign aid.
Until recently, these figures were simply just numbers with little meaning. Over Summer I spent 3 months in Africa and saw firsthand the real faces, the real lives behind the Global Food Crisis. This food crisis is currently affecting 900million around the world.
The Global Food Crisis has its roots in many factors – climate change, drought, urbanisation, use of bio fuels, etc…while it may appear difficult to respond to the effects of the crisis if you live in Australia (unless you have the means to donate), working towards alleviating the impact of climate change is certainly something that can make a huge difference. From 7th-18th December, a number of UN member states will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark to forge the 'next Kyoto' - a binding global climate agreement seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
ACTION: If we are committed to alleviating global poverty and empowering developing communities, we not only need to increase Australia’s foreign aid - need to lobby the Australian government to commit more than a 5-15% emissions reduction target by 2020.
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Alana Smith -
submitted 18/03/2009
I know what some of you make be thinking. Aid alone is not enough. Aid creates a cycle of dependence on the western world. Isn't trade important too? Trade, particularly where it is conducted fairly has the ability to alleviate millions living in the developing world out of poverty.
ACTION: advocate for fair trade policies that give developing countries an opportunity to compete on a level playing field in the market.While the government has a role to play in co-ordinating fairer trade agreements and policies with other governments, we too can influence the development of a fairer trade policy by being aware of our purchasing power as consumers. By consuming ethically, we can have an incredible impact on the lives of those in the developed world Wherever you go, ask for fair trade coffee and chocolate. The Fair-trade movement is life and kicking – check out www.donttradelives.com.au to find out how you can fair trade your life and in doing so, empower communities in the developing world to be lifted out of poverty.
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Josie -
submitted 19/03/2009
I don’t know anyone who hasn’t, at least once, bought a lotto ticket hoping to win big. But what if it wasn’t a game? What if it the numbers you chose on that particular day determined how the rest of your life would pan out?
This might sound silly, that a lottery could ascertain how you lived your life. But not to me. It’s the ‘lottery by birth’ which has meant millions of kids our age live without any of the luxuries we take for granted, let alone their basic human rights. I was born in Australia and will most probably live until a ripe old age. But if I was born in Sierra Leone, I have a one in four chance of dying before my fifth birthday. I was born in Australia and got to go to a good school, followed by University, and to be healthy and cared for until I’m old. If I was born in Sierra Leone, only two in three girls start school at all, and many drop out along the way. University is an impossible dream.
We, in Australia, are so lucky and blessed with the opportunities we have inherited through out lottery of birth. And as global citizens, we should be using this to help our less fortunate global neighbors by fulfilling our responsibilities to uphold the Millennium Development Goals. It’s absolutely imperative that the Australian Government pays its fair share of the cost of achieving the Goals by increasing aid to the agreed figure (0.7% of GDP).
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Mark -
submitted 21/03/2009
Solving global issues, particularly poverty, relies on the actions of everyday Australians. As leaders of TODAY (not just tomorrow), young people need to advocate proactively for the world's poorest people who are simply victims of the circumstances in which they were born.The Global Financial Crisis is all we hear about nowadays. For all our talk, it is important to recognise that it is the world's poorest people that are being hit hardest by the world's current financial downfall.
The Global Financial Crisis is one of the things that is contributing to the other GFC - The Global Food Crisis. Its a Food crisis that threatens hundreds of millions of people, & is thought to be plunging countless more below the poverty line. I am shocked by the fact that food prices as soaring in the developing world. Add to this increasing population (which means there are more mouths to feed), urbanisation (with more people moving into the city, less people are working on farms), the effects of climate change (which is leaving land non-arable), the increased production of biofuels (which is resulting in the production of food products to be used for fuel purposes only) & other factors, & we have our current situation of a HIGH DEMAND for food, and a DECREASING supply.
We used to think that food issues were a matter of poor distribution, but its now an issue of low PRODUCTION. This is going to have dire consequences on the poor if Governments & individuals don't take major action.
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Matthew Darvas -
submitted 23/03/2009
As much as I love being a youth activist in campaigning for change, I really wish it didn't feel like the message of global poverty was a "new" one to so many young Australians. So if students are coming out of primary schools, let alone high schools, without a well developed appreciation of how different the lives of others are in the developing world, the question must be asked, why?
Why are students leaving high schools with maths equations they may never use again and postmodern critiques of Shakespeare, and missing out on learning about the real tragedies occurring in the developing world today and how they can do something about it? Obviously I'm pushing it to the extreme for the sake of raising a point and in no way advocating for the abolishment of our normal subject structures, but I want this question answered.
How does any student graduate from an Australian High School to then enter University or the workforce (in the process also becoming of voting age) and not know what the Millennium Development Goals are and why our world needs them?
I pick the MDG as the standard because they are well defined, measurable and time bound.
ACTION: Ensuring that the MDG's are integrated into the syllabus of all Australian schools. That this knowledge is tested and the results annually compiled and monitored by the State Governments to ensure the goal is met. I see no obvious boundaries to achieving this and look forward to a response from government!
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Claire -
submitted 23/03/2009
The problem with making most Australians understand the reality of global poverty is that there is so much space between our everyday lives and the lives of those living in poverty. For most Australians poverty remains an 'out there' concept, something they have no tangible way of comprehending. I think an important part of understanding what poverty truly is involves allowing people to understand the historical, social and economic causes of the poverty cycle. For so many Australians poverty seems so overwhelmingly BIG and hard to tackle, that it is easier to simply dismiss it and find blame amongst those who are trapped by poverty. There needs to be a better way to invite Australians to understand what poverty is so that from this there can be agreement that it is something we are socially and ethically responsible to help alleviate. While individuals have an important role to play in contributing to fighting poverty, our government should lead by example. More money should go towards making a fairer, more equal world. In addition to this, the rhetoric of responsibility should be something that is part of our everyday dialogue so as to make this an issue that is talked about in the public sphere.
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Samantha -
submitted 25/03/2009
Aid is an important part of helping countries though, if it is not used in the right manor then it can be detrimental in the end as countries become dependent and when the aid is stop countries fall into ruins. I think helping countries out of poverty relies on the old saying you can feed a man for a month but if you teach the man how to fish he can feed himself for eternity. I think it’s important to help countries set up infrastructure to support their local industries and creating means for the countries to help themselves. Though it is also necessary to note that we cannot have a one size fits all policy. As different countries have different climates, produce and cultures. For example in the former soviet union now Uzbekistan they tried to grow cotton in one of the driest areas in that region. This caused catastrophic effect on the local environment and the Aural Sea. Now the country can no longer support its self with cotton as the cotton has destroyed their local water supply, soils and traditions as many local and normal farming practises have been lost due to the mistake of trying to force the use of a product that that is not suited to the environment.
The solution to poverty is complex though if every MEDC forgot about their own agenda's and mentored an LEDC then it would help them to find their own means and ways of solving problems, which would also enable them to resolve any later problems
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Coxy -
submitted 25/03/2009
Samantha is correct, aid is really important in the development process. You can argue that fair trade and debt relief are just as important (and they are!), but this doesn't diminish the importance of aid programs. They are as critical now as they ever have been.
Opinions that aid is ineffective or not important in solving poverty are completely incorrect, and I see them as 'cop outs' for not giving at both an individual and political level. We know that aid works when 'spent' properly. 'Spending it properly' does not mean one government giving straight to another... such bilateral government-government giving should be avoided in favor of grassroots and community based development aid spent on basic needs and sustainable practices.
Many NGOs have been engaging in quality development initiatives for years. 'Best practice' development programs and approaches are constantly being developed by these organisations, and it is widely agreed that community-based decision making is the most effective way of achieving human and community development.
Should the government look at ways to better the QUALITY as well as QUANTITY of its aid program? I think so. I also feel that Australian aid organisations should be utilised more in the development process at a political level.
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Gina Olivieri -
submitted 2/04/2009
The Millennium Declaration and subsequently the MDGs told us what we have to do. Australia must commit 0.7% GNI to sustainable and effective aid.
In addition, we can make daily choices that have a fairer impact on the developing world, such as choosing fair trade coffee, chocolate, tea and clothing. We can also make better environmental choices (and we all know what they are!) since those living in poverty are often the worst affected by environmental disasters and will continue to be affected by global warming.
One of the most important things we can do is make poverty mainstream. All young people should leave school with a thorough knowledge of poverty and its causes, as well as the MDGs and an understanding of the role they play as individuals in overcoming this problem. I agree wholeheartedly with other suggestions that point out the big problem is that emiminating poverty is considered a radical idea - the kind of idea discussed by dreadlocked hippies and steel-capped revolutionaries in our university cafes rather than by our pinstriped politicians and corporates. When politicians talk about aid it shouldn't sound like we are doing favours, but rather that it is a solid investment for Australia AND the rest of the world.
Young people are in a privileged position where we can create a culture of possibility among our peers, turning the overwhelming attitude of 'no we can't' into 'yes we can' and more importantly, 'yes we will'.
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Todd -
submitted 3/04/2009
I believe we are placing too much responsibility on the government to solve this issue. I believe the government should be putting adequate money into awareness programs so the Australian community can pick up the bill. The government needs money during the GFC to put into infrastructure and new environmentally friendly power sources and utilities. These in turn keep Australians employed and keep our economy from crashing. If we as individuals contribute to poverty we may have to sacrafice an extra coffee at the end of the week, where as the government may have to give up developing a new highway or train network. Which would benefit us more?
If each Australian gave just one dollar a week to various aid organisations for a year we would contribute over $1,000,000,000. I know the government must take leadership in this cause but as individuals we must stop being ignorant to the world around us and lend a helping hand.