Online Spy at your doorstep! Act Now
AVAAZ: To Facebook, Microsoft and IBM:As concerned customers from around the world, we urge you to immediately drop your support for the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). Our democracy and civil liberties are under threat from the excessive and unnecessary Internet surveillance powers it grants to the US government. The Internet is a crucial tool for people around the world to exchange ideas and work collectively to build the world we all want. We urge you to show true global leadership and do all you can to protect our Internet freedom.
The US federal government and big companies want a limitless new power to spy on online users like you. And they plan to get them via legislation called CISPA — the “Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act” (HR 3523).
ADB breaks important ground on climate-induced migration
The global development community is just beginning to discover the extent to which climate change is a driver of displacement and migration across the world. According to the Internal Displacement and Monitoring Center, more than 42 million people were displaced in Asia and the Pacific since January 2010, and many of these individuals were forced to move by storms, floods, or other weather-related events or natural hazards. In the same report, IDMC reveals that the Asia-Pacific region accounted for 77 percent to 87 percent of the total number of people displaced worldwide from 2008-2010.
The 0.7 percent club
Bad news: The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said major donors’ official development assistance fell 3 percent in 2011.
Seventeen countries committed to spend 0.7 percent of their gross national income on aid by 2015. This positioning of aid targets stemmed from an idea by the World Council of Churches in 1958, when the first goal was set to 1 percent of donor countries’ GNI. Due to several technical issues, the target was scaled down to 0.75 percent — a goal several developed countries refused to accept.
Alternative of Micro-Credit
Savings is a traditional practice of rural people, particularly of women in Bangladesh. Youth folk formed club or associations in the rural areas for increasing their saving funds in a short time by giving credit to their neighbors. About all the clubs and associations could not be sustained due to absent of long time vision or a visionary leader. But a few people from these association or club formed an money lending organization as well as micro-credit institution in Bangladesh for doing financial business.
Youth Voice for Employment
A pre-budget consultation held with leading economists where minister or economists, there were no one to focus on employment generation while millions of unemployed youths are fighting for work. The economists suggested for introduction of a minimum level of income tax on holders of Taxpayers Identification Numbers (TIN), enforcement of an appropriate policy on subsidies, bringing about reforms in the provisions for wealth tax and putting in effective efforts to improve urban transportation and housing sector through budgetary intervention. But everyday millions of people are coming to urban areas particularly in the Dhaka city for searching employment which should be the major concern of discussion of pre-budget discussion, unfortunately minister and economists have forgotten it.
Hunger Politics
One in four of the world’s children have stunted growth – meaning their body and brain has failed to develop properly due to malnutrition. Eighty percent of stunted children live in just four countries, BBC wrote a news captioned 500m children’ at risk of effects of malnutrition on a survey conducted by Save the Children, UK which covered families in Bangladesh, Peru, Pakistan and Nigeria. One third of parents surveyed said, their children complained about not having enough food to eat while many families could not effort meat, milk and vegetables for their children caused for malnutrition. The survey suggests much more needs to be done to tackle malnutrition in the world’s poorest countries.
Don’t let them decide for you!
“99 percent poor is paying sin of 1 percent. Don’t let them decide for you! Let them to listen, we are poor because of you”. An invitation only gathering of world CEOs and political leaders named the world economic forum (WEF) is holding at heavily guarded Swiss Resort Town `Davos’. The crisis makers, the world riches are discussing about the fate of poor. They will made a global crisis in name of solution and we have to pay for it. The globe has identified neoliberal economy, the root of crisis! But they will impose it to us in new shape with a new strategy. The economically poor nations like Bangladesh would be pressured to open its market to these profit hunger. They will make billions of profits from us and open a charity to pay attention to the poor! Now this is the time to hear them, we are poor because of you!
FOOD SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA
Introduction
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), a contagious block of countries, started journey with seven countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka when it was established in 1985, but extended to include Afghanistan as eight members in 2006. The region contains cultural similarities including similar food habit exists in the region, e.g. rice is the common food grain around the South Asia.
Policy and Diplomacy Climate Entrepreneurs on Climate Finance
Climate Vulnerabilities
Climate change has the potential to undermine development of countries like Bangladesh and vulnerabilities could be increased. Please read the story of Hosne Ara, women of Kollatoli village situated at very adjacent of Cox’sbazar sea beach. She lost her own home 3 times due to seashore erosion. Losing everything, she has built a small room at other land and go to sleep in each night keeping a fear to submerge her last destination. As like Hosne Ara, millions of people of coastal districts of Bangladesh fear to lose home, land and properties hearing the forecast of submerging of coastal districts under sea due to global warming from the climate scientists. A shadow climate tribunal held at Dhaka before COP 16 where audiences wept hearing the story of testimonies and the juries blamed the riches for climate change and demanded compensation.
Solidarty Economy for Employment Generation and Equal Growth of the Naiton
The global leaders is facing crucial challenges and effects of widespread job losses, increased underemployment and unemployment, growing informal economy and increased vulnerable employment worldwide. Most of the policy leaders globally are seeking a sustainable solution within the free market economy, a very few are thinking about alternatives. ” Alternative Development Strategies for Job Creation” under this caption the second committee panel of of Economic and Social Department Affairs under United Nations has searched a solution of increasing unemployment situation and given importance on small and medium sized enterprises for job creation.
Rice Brand is at your doorstep! What’s your response?
The profit hunger, the Corporate controls the daily lives of consumers through branding its commodities and changes the lifestyle and behaviors of millions of people of the globe as per their choice. People, worldwide is protesting unethical business practices of global corporates and fighting to bind them under ethical code of conducts. Violation of these agreed code of conducts is a normal practices of global brands, you will find if you follow the world-famous brand like Nike, Mark & Spenser’s, Levi’s, Sony etc! Lower prices for suppliers and higher prices for consumers – this is the motto of the brands. Hungry for profit, the corporate mafia’s invests millions of dollar for advertisements, but very skeptical in paying fair wages of the millions of labor of the globe. We are now in the dilemma of struggle in policy change and counter-struggle of corporate to make a loophole of the policies for making more profit. This is the common scenario of global trade, the campaigners faces this challenges in their daily lives. Beneath the dilemma, it is created a survival threats to millions of labour particularly and low income group like consumers as a whole.
National Agricultural Policy 2011: Dilemma with Context and Text
Recently the Ministry of Agriculture of Bangladesh has published a draft policy on agriculture, “National Agricultural Policy 2011″ for discussion which has created dilemma with context and text of the policy. At the very beginning under the context, the draft policy has recognized the importance of agriculture to reduce poverty and to increase employment. It has also recognized the importance of small farms in agricultural development.
But the text of the policy has undermined the above context described as principles. As principle, the draft policy has intended to introduce the commercial and competitive agricultural system in the near future. But the urgency of competitive commercialization of agriculture is not described at the context or the draft has hidden the context.
Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding for Development
The Facebook generation is showing a growing resolve to change our world and a capacity to make things happen. They are bringing their energy and courage to some of the most difficult issues we face.
- Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of United Nations.
“Failing to invest in our youth is a false economy; Conversely, investing in young people will pay great dividents for all”, Ban Ki Moon stated and asked, “International community must work to expand the horizons of opportunity for young women and men and answer their legitimate demand for dignity and decent work, nothing that global economic crisis and austerity measures in many countries are contraining these opportunities”.
Citizen Statement against Report of Daily Household Essentials
Observing the market situation of daily household essentials in different markets of Dhaka City, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce Ministry has expressed their satisfaction in a press conference at Media Centre of National Parliament Building, held on 26 June 2011. A B M Abul Kashem MP, the Chairman of the standing committee said at the press conference that they have prepared a report on daily household essentials through visiting the Mohammadpur Townhall Market, Mohammadpur Krishi Market and Karwan Bazar Market and got a satisfactory results on market situation.
Put People before Profit in UN LDC-IV Conference
Representing 880 million people, more than forty heads of governments and high officials of 48 least developed countries (LDCs) gathered in a weeklong (9-13 May 2011) conference, UN LDC – IV at Istanbul, Turkey for adopting news measures and strategies for sustainable development of LDCs into the next decade through assessing the Brussels Plan of Action. Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina also with hundreds of delegates participated in this conference where she called upon the development partners to intensify their efforts in lifting the LDCs out of poverty. The development partners have a clear responsibility towards the LDCs development. Much could have been achieved if most of them had kept their commitments made most recently in the Brussels Plan of Action for LDCs, she argued.
Solar Home System
Modern energy technology can help combat poverty, I read this article today and tried to visualise Bangladesh in the context of the article. Yes, really it is a great idea!
Climate Change impacts: Knocking your door
Hosne Ara lives at Kolatoli, just adjacent village of Cox’sbazar Sea Beach. She lived here for last 20 years with his family. Sea is coming near to the village day by day, she said. She has to change her home 3 times during last few years due to erosion of seashore. All the land of her family has been submerged to sea. Now she is living at others land at Kolatoli, but she assumes that it will submerge to the sea very soon. Many of families left the village due to continous erosion of seashore. She don’t know, what should she do?
Agricultural Science and Technology for Development: An Assesment
[i]Agriculture and Development: A summary of the International Assessment on Agricultural Science and Technology for Development
What challenge does agriculture face today?
For decades, agricultural science has focused on boosting production through the development of new technologies. It has achieved enormous yield gains as well as lower costs for large-scale farming. But this success has come at a high environmental cost. Furthermore, it has not solved the social and economic problems of the poor in developing countries, which have generally benefited the least from this boost in production.
Right to development and fulfillment of potentialities!
By virtue of being born to humanity, every human being has a right to the development and fulfillment of his potentialities as a human being.
- Ashley Montagu
The student of junior school certificate examination (Grade-V) were asked to write an essay on common bird this year, said of the guardian of an examinee while I read news on expelling the students for giving proxy of the examination. Dangerous news is, most of the proxy students have come from Ananda Schools facilitated by NGOs under ROSK project. When I heard about the question on essay writing on common bird, I tried to remember my childhood and tried to get an answer, if me or my friends were asked to write an essay on bird in Grade V examination, could we able to write it? I got answer, No! Then I tried to remember about the students of rural examinee of Secondary School Certificate! I got answer, yes, they should able to write it. But if they were asked to write on Common Bird, then I became confused and I got answer, most of the examinee hardly able to make distinguish on essay on Bird and Common Bird, but they tried to write! So, why did the question was made complicated by tagging Common?
My colleagues answered that the child are able to distinguish it, because they just capture any reading like poem. Most of the student capture essay on bird, common bird, a crow etc, because these are included in syllabus! Then another question came in my mind, who have made these syllabus for child and what are the objectives of the syllabus? Have we wanted to give an environment to our child to capture the basic skills in primary education or Have we wanted to give an environment to our child to show their artificial skills in primary education?
Unethical Business Practices of Grameen Phone (GP)
Grameen Phone (GP), the leading mobile phone operator of Bangladesh, charged Tk.7 (USD 0.11) per minutes for a phone call at the beginning and they are charging highest call rate (USD 0.04 per minute) compared to other operators exists in Bangladesh. But why are people subscribing GP till now? People are subscribing, because they have fallen in trap of GP.
Focusing on Change!
Change! a buzz word now a days, is using frequently by the development practitioners around the world. More and more theories and strategies are appearing every mintue to bring a change of fate of the people around the globe. But in the real world, hardly the majority of poor people gets any positive results from these initiatives taken by the change makers. Researchers are appearing with new agenda to indentify the rootscauses of failure of development initiatives. But the outcome never bring any change of the fate of poors!
We can indentify the rootscauses of failure as poor governance, lack of awareness of people, corruption, illiteracy, poverty…… But we never indentify, the power relation which requires to be balanced. Power relation among the among the people, community and state is an integral part of strengthening governance, increasing awareness, reducing corruption and illiteracy from the society and state.
Wihtout changing the parttern of power relation, we could not bring any positive change of society. The initiatives are taken without taking account of power relation fails frequently. This is the time to re-think it!
Riches are Responsible!
Riches are responsible!
Riches are responsible! For what? Riches are responsible for climate change. An angry campaigner said, `only climate change, tell me please, for which they are not responsible? Each citizen of the globe is suffering for their unlimited economic growth which have given them strengths to put their finger in global governance. They are creating environment only for them. The rest of the people of the globe are living under their control. Millions of the people of the world are living in hunger, just striving for survival. The riches are responsible for these!’
The indusrialists nations as well as riches are emittings billion of tons green house gases in every second, it increases tempreture of the globe, consequently the sea level is rising. Scientists are forecasting, 30 million of people of 17 coastal district would be bound to migrate another places due to submerge the district under the sea. Poor nation are not polluters, but they are becoming victim of climate change. Riches are responsible, but they have technology to adapt with it. What will the rest of people of economically poor do?
Experts in Shadow Climate Tibunal: Yes! Riches are responsible!
Mamtaz Begum had an unsettling feeling as she performed her morning prayers that day. Her husband Arif was about to embark on a long fishing trip and she sensed that something would go wrong. She buried the thought deep in her mind but weeks later, having heard no news from her husband, the eerie feeling resurfaced. In her heart, she knew Arif would not come back.
Thousands of fishermen in the region have disappeared at sea. Increasingly bad weather conditions are to blame. Dr. Ahsan Uddin Ahmed, a former Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scientist, is convinced that this is due to global warming. “The rising sea surface temperature is turning the Bay of Bengal into choppier and wavier waters, making it extremely difficult for fishermen to navigate.”
For most families living on the coast of Barguna, fishing is a way of life and a means of survival. A good catch from a fishing trip can generate enough income to sustain a family for quite some time, so Mamtaz was supportive when Arif and 20 other villagers borrowed $17, 000 from a local moneylender to rent a trawler and buy the fuel they needed for a two week journey out to sea. “A wholesome catch,” he promised, and enough money to support the family and more. With four children and an extended family to care for the young couple were in dire need of the money.
With their hopes set high, the men set off to brave the rough seas. But the sea was too violent to survive. A sudden storm hit the coast, taking away the men and their earnings, and plunging Mamtaz and her family into poverty.
As a widow, Mamtaz became the sole provider for two generations of her family. She has since has taken up domestic work but it brings her only a meagre income. Eleven years on, she still has not managed to pay back the interest on her husband’s debt.
Looming disaster
The international aid agency Oxfam believes that climate change is to blame for the storms that have claimed so many fishermen’s lives. They believe polluting countries should be held responsible for these losses.
“It’s a question of climate justice,” says Ahmed Ziauddin, a lawyer working with Oxfam. He believes polluting countries should be taken to court for the loss and destruction they have caused, and adds that “it’s a long shot but its possible”.
First he says that Bangladesh needs to build a legal case for climate change. Countries like China and the UK are making their promise to reduce carbon emissions a legally binding document. The more these agreements are codified in law, the greater the chances are for countries like Bangladesh to press charges against polluting countries or companies in front of an international tribunal.
Ahmed Ziauddin believes that creating a climate change tribunal will pave the way to a greater reduction of carbon emissions because it will compel polluting countries to act.
In Bangladesh, Oxfam has put together a mock climate change tribunal. Mamtaz is one of the four plaintiffs. She wants to know who is responsible for her husband’s death, and who will pay for the resulting loss of income.
Among the jury, which is made up of lawyers, politicians and economists, is Roshanara Ali, a British Bangladeshi MP. She has reiterated that the Labour party will ensure that the British government keeps to their stated commitment to devote 0.7 per cent of the country’s gross national income to climate change aid to vulnerable countries.
Despite promises made during the Kyoto and Copenhagen summits, only a few countries have stuck to their pledge. Oxfam’s country director Gareth Price-Jones hopes that the event “will leverage the negotiations and get real change”.
Bangladesh is one of the least polluting countries in the world, and yet is one of the hardest hit by climate change. It stands barely one metre above sea level and according to predictions by the IPPC at the current rate of rising sea levels, one third of the country will be submerged by 2050.
The country is currently seeking more than $10bn in compensation from polluting nations. The money will not stop the rising water, nor will it bring Mamtaz’s husband and hundreds of other missing fishermen back from the sea. However, it will give her and the millions of Bangladeshis facing the threat of climate change some means to cope with the looming disaster.
Courtesy: Report (Patial) in Al-Jazeera by Nicholas Haque
Returning back again
After a long days interval, I am returning back again here. But I have changed the name of the blog, Prodip K. Roy instead of Online Knowledge Centre. I have changed the name, because Online Knowledge Centre have her own address now. I am asking my appologies to the readers for making an confusion. But now, it is my personal blog and hope to satisfy the expectation of the readers of the blog which were not possible for me. Many of the readers asked questions about the posts, but I could not reply them timely due to maintain the forum blog. Hope, now I will come here at least once in a day to share my experience and observation.
Social Work! Is it possible without social commitment or with a commitment for serving self interest?
Many of people is coming in the social work, particularly in NGO activities. But they hardly remember the laws under their institution registered as non-profit organisation. They are coming, because a plenty example of success of NGOs they observed. They get inspiration from these example! But is it enough for coming in the world of social work? I have to discuss these at the forum and sometimes the members are becoming confuse hearing the different opinion about social activism. But we should get a solution first before starting the journey!
6th Fifth Year Plan: Some Development Concerns about Youth Employment
Bangladesh Bank achieves 11 billion dollar reserves in August 2010 which is a good sign of economic stability of the country, the governor said. But [1]ten million people, not assured of three square meals a day, suffer silent hunger. [2]About half of the child of the country is malnourished. [3]The country have unemployed persons now total 2 crore 44 lac which is 13.4 percent of total population. It is about 11 percent higher than 1990s. The rate of unemployment was 2.4 percent in 1990 which increases to 8 percent in 2002 and 13.4 percent in 2009. It means rate of unemployment has increased 11 percent in last 18 years.
Rural Economy is becoming weakened due to reducing agricultural lands day by day. So, the rural population migrated to urban areas for employment and livelihood. [4]The banks are investing 92.2 percent of their capital in urban areas whereas only 7.8 percent are invested in rural areas. It is a gap between policy and practice, but government is hardly taking necessary steps to minimize it.
The prime minister after gaining the power last year vowed continuously to build poverty free Bangladesh. But Development policy and action are yet to face up to this challenge in fighting poverty. Bangladesh have total population 1.6 million whose 64 percent youth. Total 1.37 million of youth is now unemployed.
The government privatized state owned enterprises as maintaining of neo-liberal economic order pressured by IFIs like World Bank and IMF. They said, privatizing state owned enterprises, employment would be increased. But in reality, 30 privatized state owned enterprises stopped productions which have reduced in the employment opportunities. But they are pressuring till now!
[5]Let’s see now the opposite picture. Rich people (assets limit above crore) was only 47 in 1975 in Bangladesh. But it increases to 23,310 in 2009. It means, rich people increases 492 times in last three and half decades. It means, policy supports only the riches to grown up day by day.
Recently [6]the government is formulating her 6th fifth year plan again focusing to equal development and income inequality, the preface of the document illustrated. This is the time to think about 2.44 million unemployed youths if we really want to reduce the income equality and equal growth in the practical world.
[1] Battle ground in rural economy by Manzoor Ahmed, published in The Daily Star, dated 28 October 2007
[2] Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2007.
[3] MDG Report 2009.
[4] Bangladesh Bank Report 2010
[5] Bangladesh Bank Report 2010.
[6] Daily Kaler Kantho, dated 11 August 2010
