developing world vs. developed world

Kiva has its own blog and I found this post rather on the mark.  If anyone wants an "outsider's" point of view of the developed world, please check this out:

A Ugandan's perspective on the differences between the developed and developing worlds, courtesy of Kiva. 

The future of humanitarianism?

I do not know how the UN is doing it: raising funds and staying on track to meet the MDGs considering the economic collapse in Greece, the threat of the same in Ireland, and well...the whole global economic crisis.  The UN does manage its own budget, per se, but is entirely dependent on its member nations opting in.  By extension, the humanitarian efforts spearheaded by the UN are entirely dependent on those same members.  I can't speak about other countries (I can only make an inductive leap regarding the same unemployment troubles in Spain) but want to ask the question about whether or not the current economic environment will have a lasting effect on humanitarianism?  I ask because: do depression era generations donate?  I don't know.  Any want to share some ideas?  

To recycle a few of the conversations in this blog, I wanted to bring up two subjects.  One of the posts dealt with the potential power of international courts (an ICC with teeth) and the other with a possible secession vote looming in the Sudan.

I am a firm believe, by virtue that I studied Economics, that economic sanctions are the true teeth within the UN. In fact, these kinds of sanctions could be motivating the rather uncommon and unorthodox rapidity of voting for a new constitution in Madagascar.  The AU and aid donors took a stand in front of a coupe carried out two years ago.  So, two questions come to mind:  why aren't sanctions used more often?  and do we only use sanctions on countries that are not economic heavyweights?

The second subject of this post is simply to update the readers about the possible secession of southern Sudan from Sudan.  I would make a crack about post-colonial studies getting a boost from this one...but...oops, I already did.  In all seriousness, I am not quite sure what to make of this and cannot wait to see how it plays out and if it will indeed be beneficial to southern Sudan.

Water as human right?

For those of you familiar with the UDHR, you know there are amazing articles within the document espousing economic (wages, labor), medical (treatment, provision), and other novel but traditionally unrecognized human rights.  Dr. Peter Gleik, President of the Pacific Institute, recently wrote an article about how the UN is making another philosophical leap in the realm of human rights.  The UN's binding resolution on July 28th marks a turning point; clean water is a human right.

Read the resolution, it's quite intriguing especially each country's justifications for abstaining; except, the United States did not submit for record their explanation.  Water, water purification, and access to potable water will undoubtedly shape international politics.  For instance, during a trip to Jordan, I was informed that the Hashemite Kingdom would dry out its existing underground water wells in less than 20 years.  That's awful.  But, claiming clean water as a right redefines economic responsibility across numerous nations facing the same kind of fate as Jordan.

 What do you think?

World Philosophy Day

Many of the popular UN celebrations tend to revolve around end-goal celebrations such as Human Rights Day or International Day of Peace.  While important, we tend to forget that these are philosophies.  And, philosophies challenge us to ask the kind of questions we don't tend to us ask when celebrating those above mentioned goals.  I really do believe Philosophy Day should merit the same kind of attention as Human Rights Day or International Day of Peace; at the very least, we need to understand from where those two concepts derive.

I was first exposed to the challenges of rapid urban development by its resolution in Providence, RI: inclusionary zoning, Section 8 Housing, green roofs, mixed income housing, fish emulsion for urban gardens, etc. My first international exposure to the same issue was in the Republic of Moldova; I was asked to come up with a few funding ideas on how to resolve a district's water crisis. That's how I found Cities Alliance and rapid urban development has been stuck in my head since then.

Having been accused of rampant skepticism (thanks Katy), I feel the urge to explain where I believe the power of the UN truly lies: resolving the challenges of growth. To me, that's the key. We face obstacles to the MDGs, human rights, and peace because of the invariable fact that resources are limited and global population growth shows no signs of slowing down. The question of sustainability is always on every development officer's mind. For example, even if we could reduce child hunger this year, can we do it again next year? It's not the goal, it's the method of achieving that goal. That is why I firmly believe that guiding the way in which we grow is paramount. It may be a naive inductive leap, but urban development can be inclusive, equitable and scaled up.
What do you all think?