Do We Have The Will?: Millennium Development Goals

Showing posts with label Millennium Development Goals. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Living the Life

Today's Propers for the Daily Office include readings from Jeremiah, Romans and the Gospel of John. Each reminds us that God always stands ready to receive us, to reconcile us to God's self, and to bring us into right relationship with God. In Romans, Paul says, "Do you not realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance" (3.4b). In John, Jesus heals a man who had been ill for thirty-eight years - a true act of generosity and kindness. This kindness led Jesus to attend to the man's spiritual well-being as well, offering him the gift of right relationship with God (5.14).

In Jeremiah, the prophet laments that both Israel and Judah have strayed and lived "faithlessly." Both have "played the whore." God sends Jeremiah to say to the people of Israel, "I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful" (3.12). Then, in a prose addition that is probably later, Jeremiah has God say, "I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding" (3.15).

Jumping a couple of chapters, we read a challenge proclaimed by Jeremiah in a sermon at the temple: "For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly with one another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever" (7.5-7).

These texts each remind us that living as God's disciples requires commitment, a conscious choice, and a willingness to repent and reorient when we go astray. Discipleship requires that we create for ourselves and our spiritual communities a rule of life that shapes our thoughts, our decisions, our interactions with other people and the world around us, and that makes provision for return when necessary.

Episcopalians find this rule embodied in the words of our liturgy. We celebrate the presence of God in our lives as we hear the good news of the Gospel, pray for ourselves and others, ask for forgiveness and receive absolution, and then break the bread of God's presence as a community of redeemed people. As we live out that liturgical drama during the week by functioning in the world, we recognize that God continues to call and guide us and to push/pull us towards the reconciled relationship that God has for us.

There are many rules of life, of course. Some take the liturgical ebb and flow and apply it to our daily living. Others modify existing trditional rules in creative ways. John McQuiston has written a little book called, Always We Begin Again: The Benedictine Way of Living, in which he takes the Rule of St. Benedict and applies it to the busy modern world. You can read this little book at Google Book Search.

McQuiston states his first rule: "Live this life and do whatever is done in a spirit of thanksgiving. Abandon attempts to achieve security, they are futile. Give up the search for wealth, it is demeaning. Quit the search for salvation, it is selfish. And come to comfortable rest in the certainty that those who participate in this life with an attitude of Thanksgiving will receive its full promise" (17-18). Tough, counter-cultural, perhaps counter-intuitive words - but words to consider carefully as we travel the spiritual path!

Another rule was written by the folks at Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation, and can be found here. This rule incorporates careful attention, through prayer, study, and action, to the Millennium Development Goals as part of a broader spiritual discipline that will help us to live faithfully according to God's purposes and desires. It fits particularly well with the words of Jeremiah 7 quoted above.

To summarize, regardless of our shortfalls, our fits and starts, our turning away, God responds with kindness, reaching out with God's unconditional and gratuitous love with the singular intention of restoring us to right relationship with God. As we exercise the discipline of discipleship, we find that we turn from whatever distracts or pulls us away and move back onto the path that God has set for us. How blessed we are that God is with us regardless of the challenges that we face, regardless of the stubbornness of the human heart, regardless of our spiritual blindness. God opens our eyes to God's truth, to love, to compassion, to generosity!

Friday, November 21, 2008

The Latest News from the United Nations' Development Programme

I received this in an email newsletter today. As the paragraph points out, this is an extraordinary time to focus on financing the Millennium Development Goals. When it seems that the developed world is falling apart financially, we cannot forget those who don't even notice the difference because their circumstances are so dire under normal conditions. It also reminds us that we are passing the midpoint between the adoption and the and the target for accomplishing the MDGs. There is much to do - made that much more challenging by the complexity of the global economic woes that all of us confront.

"The Doha Follow-Up Conference on Financing for Development (29 November to 2 December 2008) is set to take place close on the heels of the recent G20 meeting and in the midst of unprecedented challenges arising from the present financial, climate, food and energy crises. Delivering on the Monterrey Consensus while addressing these challenges will require a renewed and reinvigorated multilateralism that is able to break down barriers between policy domains and institutions in the pursuit of integrated and holistic solutions to our global challenges. As we pass the midpoint between the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000 and the target for their attainment in 2015 we must ensure that we have the international institutions, policies, programmes and projects in place to deliver on the promise of the MDGs to end extreme poverty. This UNDP-sponsored side event at Doha, to be held on 29 November 2008, will bring together high-level policymakers ahead of the next G20 meeting to identify concrete ways in which the multilateral system can be renovated to respond to these pressing demands. The event will be opened by United Nations Secretary-General BAN Ki-moon and will feature a high-level panel that will include Dr Ashraf Ghani, Chairman of the Institute for State Effectiveness and former Finance Minister of Afghanistan; and UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis. For more information

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Poverty Resources

Image by foodistablog via FlickrHere is a list and description, posted on Mashable, of eight great sites that will help you to understand issues concerning poverty and will give you great ideas about what you can do. Take the time to read this and think about how you can make a difference.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

How Much Would You Give to Decrease World Poverty?

Image via WikipediaThe Voice of America posted an interesting article yesterday titled, "Hunger Poll Indicates Widespread Global Support for Millennium Development Goals." The poll was conducted by World Public Opinion for the Washington-based Program for International Policy Attitudes.

The first goal is to cut hunger and poverty in half by 2015. The World Bank estimates the annual cost of achieving this goal at $39 billion. People in twenty countries were asked if they would give a specific amount annually to make MDG #1 a reality. Here's how they came up with the dollar amount for people from each country: "the pollsters used an accepted World Bank estimate of $39 billion and divided it proportionally according to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) and population sizes of the countries being polled." The result: Americans in the survey were asked to donate $56 annually per person. People in Turkey were asked to give $11, reflecting the much smaller size of its economy. Other countries: Britain - $49, France - $45, Germany - $43, Italy - $39, South Korea - $23, Russia - $11.

The end result of the survey was that the majority of people surveyed said they were willing to contribute necessary funds - good news!

Here's the challenging news, according to the article:
"Thursday in Rome, World Food Program director Jacques Diouf remarked that donor countries have made good on only 10 percent of a $22 billion aid package pledged for this year to help starving nations. He and others urged wealthy nations not to cancel aid or limit trade in ways that hurt poor countries. While US and European financial institutions begin to implement substantially larger-scale government rescue commitments to remedy the current economic crisis, Ramsay says the process of galvanizing public consensus behind such complex, multi-faceted initiatives takes significant time to develop. In contrast, he believes his new poll bears out that the public mind-set across cultures firmly accepts the moral responsibility for advanced societies to help the poor fight hunger and poverty.

Peace,
Greg

Friday, October 17, 2008

World Poverty Day - Today

Image by ocean.flynn via FlickrToday is World Poverty Day, otherwise known as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

Hilary Benn, UK Secretary of State for International Development, has this to say on this important day:

"Today is the UN’s official World Poverty Day. But every day is poverty day for the two billion people worldwide who have less than two dollars a day to live on. Of those, just under one billion live on just one dollar a day. In September 2000, 189 countries pledged to halve the number of those in poverty by 2015. When we look at the results so far, hope mixes with despair. Over 100 million children are still unable to go to school. Each year, 10 million children die before their 5th birthday. 40 million are living with HIV and AIDS, and 5 million die of it each year.

"And yet … progress is possible. China is reducing poverty, and India promises to do the same. More people have been lifted out of poverty in the last 50 years than in the previous 500. In the same period, adult illiteracy rates have halved, and life expectancy in developing countries has increased from 46 in 1960 to 64 now. The fight against global poverty can and must be won.

There is much to celebrate and yet so much more to do in the global effort to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals (see the top of this blog for the list). There are bright spots, however, as an increasing number of people learn about the fight. This month, Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE, was featured in the October 6 edition of Newsweek magazine as one of 10 "Women in Leadership." CARE is one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the world, focusing especially on working alongside poor women because, according to CARE, "women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty.:

So, on this World Poverty Day, lets think about what it must be like to live on the equivalent of one, or even two, dollars a day. Of course, very few of us truly can imagine it because we have the luxury of taking our next meal for granted. So, even if you can't imagine what it is like, imagine what you can do to make a difference. How can you get involved? Check out the links in the right column of this blog for some examples of organizations that could use your help. Get involved! You'll be glad you did!

Peace,
Greg

Friday, October 10, 2008

ONE Commitment Worth Keeping

Image via WikipediaThe message below comes from the ONE campaign. Yes, its tough out there. We can't deny the economic turmoil that makes headline everyday. Its bad. But, that doesn't mean that we should lose our macro view of the world in which we live. The commitments that our nation made to support the MDGs, and the personal commitments that many of us made are as important today as ever. The poor of our world can't afford for us to lose sight of them. We cannot simply hunker down and turn our attention inwards. Only as we continue to live out our core values (values that include, for many of us, the promise to respect the dignity of every human being) can we gain the perspective that will see us through our own hard times.

Senators Obama and McCain have much work to do. One of them will face challenges not seen in this country for many years. However, as holder of the most powerful office in the world, one of them will have a moral responsibility to harness the economic power and human will of America to offer true leadership to those who suffer - leadership not seen during the current administration. They need to know that we care. Many of us were disappointed that in the recent debates no question was asked regarding our nation's commitment to fight global poverty. Perhaps it will happen at the next one, although I doubt it given the panic that is growing stronger every day.

Go to the link below and let your voice be heard. And lets not lose hope. Lets not get lost in a cycle of fear. Lets believe that good can come from even the darkest moments.

Peace,
Greg

From ONE:

Hi,

Even in tough economic times, we want to make sure the next president, no matter who that is, keeps his commitment to fighting global poverty.

The total spent on all poverty-fighting programs make up less than one percent of the entire U.S. budget, yet we are saving millions of lives and helping the world's poorest people break free from crippling poverty. These efforts will be even more critical as the effects of any global economic slowdown are magnified in already struggling countries.

I just took action with ONE to tell my leaders to keep their promises to the world's poor, and you can too, here.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Jeffrey Sachs - The End of Poverty

Book cover via AmazonIn 2003, economist Jeffrey Sachs addressed the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. In that address, Sachs stated, “Ours is the first generation in the history of the world with the ability to eradicate extreme poverty. We have the means, the resources and the know-how. All we lack is the will." It is that statement that inspired the title for this blog - "Do We Have the Will?" Sachs is one of my heros. He is one of the leading voices arguing that it is possible to accomplish the MDG's and to eliminate extreme poverty by 2025. (Sachs is director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University).

In his bestselling book, The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for our Time, Sachs says "Our generation's challenge is to help the poorest of the poor to escape the misery of extreme poverty so that they may begin their own ascent up the ladder of economic development" (24). I would add to that challenge that of saving the planet from environmental catastrophe (check out this video of Al Gore at the TED Conference, where he talks about the opportunity to create another "hero generation). But I agree with Sachs. If we have the means, how can we not have the will? Sachs concludes The End of Poverty by saying, "Let the future say of our generation that we sent forth mighty currents of hope, and that we worked together to heal the world" (368).

Yesterday, Sachs wrote an editorial in The Namibian called "Where Are The Global Leaders?". His first statement: "THE G-8 Summit in Japan earlier this month was a painful demonstration of the pitiful state of global cooperation." He goes on to give his critique of the efforts put forth by the leaders of the G-8 of whom he says, "It's too embarrassing to watch grown men and women gather for empty photo opportunities."

I'll share this quote with you and then let you read the rest for yourself if you are so inclined:

"President Bush may be too unaware to recognise that his historically high 70% disapproval rating among US voters is related to the fact that his government turned its back on the international community - and thereby got trapped in war and economic crisis.

"The other G-8 leaders presumably can see that their own unpopularity at home is strongly related to high food and energy prices, and an increasingly unstable global climate and global economy, none of which they can address on their own.

"Starting in January 2009 with the new US president, politicians should take the best chance for their own political survival, and of course for their countries' well-being, by reinvigorating global cooperation.

"They should agree to address shared global goals, including the fight against poverty, hunger, and disease (the Millennium Development Goals), as well as climate change and environmental destruction."

Friday, July 18, 2008

The G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit - July 7-9

This month's G8 Summit provided opportunity for world leaders to discuss some of the most pressing issues that affect literally all people, but especially those who are poor and marginalized. You can read daily press releases and find much more information at the Summit website.

Topics on the agenda included concerns regarding the world economy, global environmental issues, and the challenge of accomplishing the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

The Leaders' Declaration of July 8 addresses at some length the MDGs, recognizing that, while there has been considerable success to date, significant challenges remain. One of these is the continued commitment of member nations to fulfill their commitments to official development assistance (ODA). This is where the will of the people is so vital. As long as leaders in the west know that it is politically important, they will continue to support the goals. It is up to individual constituents around the world to make their voices heard, to make sure that leaders know that the people do, indeed, have the will to change the world!

Do We Have The Will?