Focusing on the global water crisis, the Human Development Report 2006 takes up a subject which for several years has been widely and hotly debated. Thus, it is difficult to say something really new – but with its focus on equity issues and the situation of the poor the Human Development Report is markedly different from comparable reports, for example by the World Bank. A first assessment by Uwe Hoering.
The Report broadly consists of two parts or ”distinct themes“: the first three chapters deal with ”water for life“, covering the crisis in water and sanitation, water for human consumption, and the vast deficit in sanitation - the latter being an issue which in spite of its tremendous relevance is neglected in most other publications on the water crisis ... ... this article has been published in our Issue 4 and can be accessed online by subscribers. Please log in >>> here.
Race to a New Bretton Woods + Time for UN to Act + Stiglitz' New Economic Compact + China's Agrarian Reforms + Transparency Deficit of IMF and World Bank
Since the financial meltdown began in mid-September, the bond markets of most of the region have been hit, as well as most of their stock markets and a number of currencies. Can South America escape the wrath of the economic and financial storms that have their epicenter in the United States?
On 11 October 2008, the International Working Group of Sovereign Wealth Funds (IWG) released the Generally Accepted Principles and Practices (GAPP) that would guide the governance and accountability framework of sovereign wealth funds (SWFs).
For years, only a small and enlightened elite and some NGOs looking beyond their tiny projects have been calling for a New Bretton Woods - a global conference to restructure the global economic and financial system. Yet suddenly such demands have become almost mainstream, and developments have accelerated tremendously.
The timing has been perfect: In the middle of October, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China approved a reform proposal that will allow farmers to lease or transfer their land rights. Called a "historic" decision by some observers, the Chinese government announced it as Chinas contribution to counter the financial crisis.
The 2008 US Presidential election was historic itself owing to the candidates' profile. But the timing of the elections as the U.S. and global economy are in the midst of the worst financial crisis and recession in decades reminds us of the Great Depression era and the 1980s recession.