by Anna Takai
From the COVID-19 pandemic to the Ukraine and Russia war, resulting in the modern day extreme inflation, we are constantly shown that the world is interconnected. Whether you are in Japan, or in the other side of the world like Brazil, we can’t move forward when we are leaving countries behind. It will just cause more detrimental effects on us, as members of countries on Earth.
“Despite recent progress, 3 million are deprived of at least one basic need – food, potable water, sanitation, primary education, shelter from the elements and others. 800 million people went to bed hungry last night, 19,000 children will die today of easily preventable causes.” – JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency)
As JICA also mentions in their research summary, aid is one standardized factor in helping countries. However, there have been debates upon to what extent aid actually helps the people in developing countries. Indeed, aid has the power to save lives, such as the eradication of the once globally widespread, smallpox, to the creation of insecticide-treated bed-nets that decreased the infant mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa.
The answer to should rich nations help the poor, should be a yes to mostly all people from many of the phenomena listed above. The real question is: what are the best ways for rich nations to help the poor?
These are some ways that are suggested by JICA:
- Reform international trade policies
- Recognize international migration
- Take action against climate change
- Reform global finance
- Limit the arms trade to fragile countries
However why should we change the present-day policies?
– climate change
This may be a surprise to some, but developing nations are actually the most vulnerable to climate change.
As this graph in the right indicates, countries with a greater exposure to climate change, but don’t have the capability of managing it, tend to be those of developing nations.
However, as we can see in the graph in the left, most of the energy resources are being used by the people of high income, advanced economies. According to the Energy and Development research at Columbia University, these developing nations are using up to 50% of all the energy in the world.
In other words, this means that low income nations are the ones who have to pay the price for the greedy and unfavorable actions of developed ones. Thus, we as members of developed nations have to take part in the reform of climate change in developing countries. Although the Maldives aren’t considered a developing country, it is an attractive touristy location that is unfortunately affected by climate change. According to the DAWN Magazine, it is considered “the first nation on
earth to be forced to abandon its homeland because of the impact of global warming and steadily rising sea levels.” The people of Maldives are currently relocating themselves to countries such as India, Sri-Lanka, and Australia to escape from the disappearing island.
– inequality
According to JICA, – the richest 1% of humanity will soon own as much wealth as the remaining 99%.
Inequality between the people stagnates or even aggravates the level of health, education and well-being.
According to the research by OECD, a lack of investment in the education sector is a factor factor behind inequality among wealth that is hurting growth.
As education being one of the main components of the SDGs, in synergy with most of the goals, and define human action, falling behind in education could be dangerous. Education could be indeed the foundation of building the future generation, so it can never be missed. The fact that educational level differs between income and wealth, is unfortunate. Developed nations should help out in these circumstances to provide the people of developed nations with the education needed. We will have to redistribute the wealth so that the world becomes slightly more equal and brings the good out of people.
THIS GOES WITH OTHER ISSUES SUCH AS HEALTH AND FOOD AS WELL
For advanced countries to start implementing these new strategies, we will have to put pressure on the government. Of course sympathy and compassion is vital, but the quality in which we help and if we are able to turn people’s frowns to smiles is what counts.
SOURCES
“Poor and Vulnerable Countries Need Support to Adapt to Climate Change.” IMF, www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2022/03/23/blog032322-poor-and-vulnerable-countris-need-support-to-adapt-to-climate-change.
“4 Charts That Show How the World’s Energy Use Is Changing.” World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/05/4-charts-that-show-how-the-worlds-energy-use-is-changing/. Accessed 5 Nov. 2022.
“Columbia | SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy | Energy and Development in a Changing World: A Framework for the 21st Century.” Www.energypolicy.columbia.edu, www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/research/energy-and-development-changing-world-framework-21st-century#:~:text=Global%20Impacts%3A%20The%20increasing%20domestic. Accessed 5 Nov. 2022.