9 December 2013
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Remembering Nelson Mandela
Mail & Guardian (South Africa): UN's Ban pays hommage to 'giant' Mandela
UN chief Ban Ki-Moon paid homage on Monday to Nelson Mandela as a giant for justice, equality and human rights, and said the world has lost a hero. Ban visited the Nelson Mandela Centre for Memory in Johannesburg, where mourners lit candles and signed a book of condolences in memory of the democracy icon who died on Thursday.
The Guardian (IK): Nelson Mandela and the Anti-Apartheid Movement
People forget how tough it was then, how hard the struggle was to be for decades afterwards. The resistance had been closed down, leaders such as Mandela imprisoned, tortured, banned or forced underground. [...] But in Britain, the Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) had kept the flame of freedom flickering. Soon it was lit by our militant protests, which stopped white South African rugby and cricket tours in 1969-70. The country had been forced into global sporting isolation.
Daily Times Nigeria: Mandela's legacy will help to advance human dignity - UNDP
The UNDP Administrator, Ms Helen Clark, said the legacy of late Dr Nelson Mandela will inspire people to fight injustice and advance the cause of human dignity. She said: ``Mandela's words and deeds will continue to inspire those who wish to advance human dignity and fight injustice.``That too will be the enduring legacy of this great man who dedicated his life to the cause of a better life for others.'' Clark said that Mandela was an extraordinary man who represented for many around the world the ideals of freedom, peace and justice.
BBC News Africa: Nelson Mandela's campaign to tackle South African poverty
Nelson Mandela will perhaps be remembered as much for his fight for the underprivileged as his fight against white minority rule. He once famously said that "overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice", and so he lent his support to dozens of care giving organisations.
Huffington Post: Nelson Mandela Fought Poverty, AIDS, Supported 50 Charities
Following his years of imprisonment, he pressed global leaders to go beyond rhetoric and take action to help the world's underprivileged. He is especially remembered for a speech in London's Trafalgar Square for The Campaign to Make Poverty History, an initiative focused on the developing world. "And overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom," he said.
National, Regional and Global Human Development Reports
Think Africa Press: What Climate Change Activists Can Learn from Mandela's Great Legacy
Although Mandela might not of known it, the statement he made has particular pertinence for climate change, [...] a failure especially significant amongst those in positions of power, affluence and wealth – may very well halt and then reverse the progress we have made on reducing poverty, leading to impoverishment the scale of which this world has never seen before. [...] And, according to the 2013 UN Human Development Report, climate change and other environmental disasters could put an additional 3.1 billion people into extreme poverty by 2050 if no significant steps are taken.
Excelsior (Mexico): ONU: 40% toleraría la "limpieza social"
Los mexicanos han desarrollado tolerancia al exterminio de población "indeseable", reveló un estudio del Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD). De acuerdo con el Informe Regional de Desarrollo Humano 2013-2014, presentado el mes pasado por la Organización de las Naciones Unidas, 8.8% de los mexicanos sí aprobaría acciones de "limpieza social", mientras que 32.8% no las aprobaría, pero "sí entendería" que un determinado grupo asesine a gente considerada "indeseable".
Human Development Index
Open Democracy: Afghanistan: beyond ethnicity
The international community has addressed Afghanistan through an ethnic prism. As anxiety grows about the future after international forces leave in 2014, a trajectory needs to be established towards a post-ethnic society--and the dispersed diaspora can play a role. Afghanistan suffered from a devastating brain drain, sending the country to the bottom of the human development index—today, it has the highest illiteracy rate in the world.
Oman Daily Observer: Myths and truths of the resource curse
The resource curse is an empirical term that applies to the failure of converting natural resource wealth into sustainable economic growth and equitable development. [...] Equatorial Guinea is ranked 30th in the world in terms of income but only 136th on the Human Development Index. More than 70 per cent of people live in poverty.
La Nación (Costa Rica): Brasil 2014: un duelo entre países desiguales
Cuando el silbato suene en el estadio de Porto Alegre, el próximo 15 de junio, durante la cita mundialista de Brasil 2014, enfrente estarán en su primer juego las selecciones de Francia y Honduras. Pero, en realidad, detrás de ellas, estará una nación rica y desarollada, con una de las escuadras más fuertes y caras del mundo (la francesa) contra Honduras, un país pobre, que observa uno de los niveles más bajos en el Indice de Desarrollo Humano, y, que a la vez, es una de las selecciones más baratas que estarán en el torneo.
Jamaica Observer: We need more access to WWW
Jamaica's rate of Internet penetration is not very encouraging. Despite significant progress made over the last decade, it remains relatively low. [...] Unsurprisingly, there seems to be a direct relationship between the rate of Internet penetration and the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). The higher the HDI, the greater the proportion of the population uses the Internet.
United Nations and Development Issues
UN News Centre: Philippines: 'encouraging progress' but long road ahead – senior UN official
One month since Typhoon Haiyan slammed the Philippines, the top United Nations humanitarian official in the country today urged the international community to continue support so that people have access to food and clean water, as well as shelter and jobs. Challenges over the coming months will involve reopening the damaged schools and public buildings and restoring services.
Wall Street Journal: WTO Deal Shows Hurdles to Global Trade Pacts
Efforts to liberalize global trade inched forward over the weekend, but the limited progress showed the difficulties of broadly reducing trade barriers for all nations and the rising appeal of smaller regional pacts. Negotiators at the World Trade Organization meeting in Bali, Indonesia, agreed to a scaled-back package aimed primarily at streamlining customs procedures world-wide, a modest breakthrough in the trade discussions that began in 2001 in Doha, Qatar. The agreement could add billions of dollars to the $65 trillion global economy by making it easier for goods to pass through customs.
America - The National Catholic Review: How the church can help promote sustainable development goals
How to achieve a path to sustainable development is the most important problem facing the world today. It is a phenomenal challenge, unique for our time, and the voice of the church will be central for success. There is no possibility for success unless the world unites in an ethical vision defending humanity and nature.
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