Global Essay

Abstract

Poverty on a global scale has been an issue that has been set on the shoulders of government’s worldwide. The expectation has been that these agencies, including the UN, should make strides in the seemingly impossible task of ending poverty through goals laid out in the Millennium Development Goals. It is important for government to use the power that is given to help developing nation’s progress but individuals, those that are more fortunate, must realize their responsibility to the rest of the world as well. Philanthropic ventures have been made by some of the wealthiest people in world; these individuals and institutions have donated their money and at times their fame for the aid to the fight against poverty and hunger. The philanthropy of these citizens has come under some scrutiny for appearing to be self-serving, as well as work of government agencies for coming off as forced democracy. Debate about the motives of people is nothing new, especially in social issues, thankfully even with the analysis the personal efforts continue. The outcome then must contain an incorporation of all efforts: individual, collective and regulative. The duty belongs to us all.

World Poverty: Philanthropy, Government Aid and Responsibility

            There are millions of faces to poverty and hunger around the world but few who do their best to help end such tragic realities. Corporate greed, unsound political decisions and the lack of the richest people in the world to give what they can spare has made poverty a way of life, rather than a way of life that can be changed. Marxist author John Berger said, “The poverty of our century is unlike that of any other.  It is not, as poverty was before, the result of natural scarcity, but of a set of priorities imposed upon the rest of the world by the rich. (Thinkexist).” The blame of the plight of poverty must not rest entirely on the governments that are meant to protect the poor or on the people who cannot pull themselves out of poverty alone. The burden must rest on every person, in every country, in every walk of life; and poverty must be taken personally.

When the United Nations established the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in September 2000, the summit declared that there are fundamental values required by all Nations and all people to achieve the goals set forth including: Freedom, Equality, Solidarity, Tolerance, respect for nature and shared responsibility (United Nations). When applying these values to Millennium Development Goal number one, ending poverty and hunger; evaluating the handling of the goals demonstrates who really wants to take on the responsibility to aid the poorest nations in the world, the ethics of how aid is given and why the MDG outline will fail on its own. The MDGs set their goals based on a global scale of trends without addressing specifically the poverty trends of each nation (Vandemoortele, 358). This method of addressing the issues will result in some nations meeting some success while others continue to digress further in to poverty. 

Freedom, equality and solidarity have never been given to the people who suffer most with poverty because they cannot afford to buy these rights. The uneven distribution of world assets hinders progress toward rebuilding nations that need the money the most. According to the Mexican Government, “overcoming poverty will never be achieved through economic growth alone. What is needed is sustained economic growth and a stable environment, as well as a more even distribution of wealth, which are necessary conditions of achieving a higher standard of living” (Castellino, 20). A distribution of wealth may never occur since the top one percent of the world population owns 40 percent of the world’s wealth and bottom half of the world’s population barely hold one percent of the wealth (Davies et al., 7). Since the establishment of the MDG outline, very few of the richest people in the world have stepped forward to distribute their wealth among the poor, but some philanthropists like Bill Gates are trying to change how the rich view their role in the aid of ending poverty.

Philanthropic efforts that have made a difference include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which has provided billions of dollars to fight poverty with help from investors like Warren Buffett (Wright, 74). Both Gates and Buffett have pledged to donate a majority of their fortunes to the fight against poverty, hunger, AIDs and other health related issues; in total about $60 billion, a much higher amount that UN combined funds (Okie, 1084-1085). Celebrity is one of the most effective tools in aiding the world’s woes; putting a famous face to a cause gives people a reason to donate their time and money to help end poverty and hunger. While there has been some debate regarding the motives of the efforts made by celebrities like Angelina Jolie or Bono, there is no denying that the star image is helpful to the cause. No one asked these actors and businessmen to make such seemingly unselfish acts of kindness but they continuously donate their money and sacrifice their anonymity for world progression.

On the political side of the aid to poverty and humanity the G8, the wealthiest nations in the world, have pledged to increase the amount that they will give to the aid of developing nations by $53 billion. However, the money that is given to these nations often ends up in the hands of corrupt leaders that are pursuing their own financial goals by creating businesses that do not help the country as a whole (Wright, 73). Thus, stricter governance of apportionment of funds must be taken and the government of the countries themselves must be held accountable for the achievements, or lack of achievement that each nation experiences. While the democratic nations of the world should attempt to stay out of the business of another country, when their funds are involved, fair standards and practices should be applied. There is a line to be drawn between forcing a certain country’s political practice on another and allowing the receiving nation to do as they please. Great Britain, for example, is one of the wealthiest nations in the world and has given billions to the aid of poverty stricken countries. Should England be allowed to say how another nation spends its money? Should they be allowed to enforce their policies on a nation if it results in the economic rise of the poor nation and if the end result is a dramatic decline to poverty, why not?

The compromise comes from combining the acts of singular entities like personal donators, government agencies and the contributions from groups that operate for the sole purpose of aiding those that have a goal to eliminate world struggle with hunger, poverty and disease. People give hope that the common goal can be accomplished, not immediately but slowly and at a reasonable pace; there is hope and an achievable goal of prosperity.

The resolution then, to end poverty is a never-ending sacrifice made by every person to give and to do so frequently. The finger cannot be pointed at the government every instance there is an issue that needs to be resolved. The people of the free nations of the world have a social responsibility to those that do not have the luxury of a free world and a personal responsibility to make every person equal. The lesson that can be learned by watching how some of the richest people in the world give is that no matter what amount of personal wealth someone has, it is a collaboration of efforts that leads to the greatest results. Locally, nationally and globally, people have at least one thing in common: we all deserve the right to live.  

 

References

Castellino, Joshua. “The MDGs and international human rights law: a view from the          perspective of minorities and vulnerable groups.” The International Journal of Human           Rights Volume 13. Issue 1. (2009): 10-28. PDF.

Davies, James. Sandstrom, Susanna. Shorrocks, Anthony. Wolff, Edward. “The World                             Distribution of Household Wealth.” UNU-WIDER Discussion Paper No. 2008/03.            (2008): 6-7. PDF.

Garces-Ozanne, Arlene. “The Millennium Development Goals: Does Aid Help?” Journal of          Developing Areas. (2010): 28-37. PDF.

“John Berger Quotes.” Thinkexist.com. Thinkexist, n.p, 2010. Web. April, 12, 2011.

Okie M.D., Susan. “Global Health: The Gates-Buffett Effect” The New England Journal of                      Medicine. (2006): 1084-1085. Web. April 12, 2011

United Nations. “United Nations Millennium Declaration.” (2000): 2-3. Retrieved from                            http://www.un.org/millennium/declaration/ares552e.pdf. PDF.

Vandemoortele, Jan. “The MDG Conundrum: Meeting the Targets Without Missing the Point.”                Development Policy Review Volume 27. Issue 4. (2009): 355-371. PDF.

Wright, Lucas. “POINT: UN MDGS AND U.S. AID TO AFRICA: WORTHY CAUSES.”                    International Social Science Review. Volume 83. (2007): 73-77. PDF.