Monthly Archives: F Y

Habitat III: urban development and the future of the city

September 18, 2016 |
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Blog Updates, Poverty in Canada, Uncategorized

Written by: Spiro Metaxas

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On September 10th, 2016 in New York City, a final draft of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) was accepted by members of UN-affiliated national governments. The NUA consists of 175 paragraphs, outlining the global standards to be followed for the future of urban sustainable development for human settlements. This agenda will be presented at the Habitat III global conference to take place October 17-20th in Quito, Ecuador. Members of UN-affiliated governments will partake in this four-day affair, with other invited and registered civil society organizations present as formal observers. Some believe that the exclusion of civil society groups and local governments from having any formal voting powers to be a tenuous deal. Moreover, because of this, their power to modify the agenda is severely limited. In light of this, social forums themed around resistance to this “mega-event” are set to take place alongside the UN conference.

Despite the benefits and drawbacks of the Habitat III event, the NUA is filled with desirable and feasible standards for governments to achieve. Importantly, non-governmental organizations occupied with the concern over the city (as an abstract concept) have fought for the inclusion of a formal “right to the city”. For months, the hashtags “#Right2City”  and “#SupportTheCity” have pervaded social media. Umbrella organizations such as the UCLG (United Cities and Local Governments) have helped to spearhead the inclusion of this profound right.

On September 10th, the momentous campaign proved successful, as the Right to the City was formally recognized in the NUA, under paragraph 11, which reads:

“We share a vision of cities for all, referring to the equal use and enjoyment of cities and human settlements, seeking to promote inclusivity and ensure that all inhabitants, of present and future generations, without discrimination of any kind, are able to inhabit and produce just, safe, healthy, accessible, affordable, resilient, and sustainable cities and human settlements, to foster prosperity and quality of life for all. We note the efforts of some national and local governments to enshrine this vision, referred to as [the] right to the city, in their legislation’s political declarations and charters.” (alteration mine)

This right translates to a significant advancement for the flourishing of (urban) human settlements. More, it lays the foundation for a feasible goal to be sought after and achieved. In a correlative sense, the content of such a ‘right’ implies a duty governments and citizens have in seeing its practical implementation. So much is clear in the words “are able to inhabit and produce…” human settlements worthy of dignified, affordable living. As such, the general content of the NUA touches on so many vital issues that city-living encompasses: housing affordability, homelessness, economic development, urban security, infrastructure, local governance, civil society, policing, etc. Given the breadth and ambition of the NUA, our public attention is essential in overseeing the implementation and aftermath of any of its resolutions.

As we move closer to the Habitat III event in October, so too should we be reflecting on the place the city has in our everyday lives and how its development impacts our future.

Poverty Eradication Through Education in Undeveloped States

September 10, 2016 |
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Technology & Innovation, Uncategorized

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Written by: Shannon Maroutian

Unsurprisingly, education plays a key role in the eradication of poverty. However, those living in poverty may quit to work in order to support themselves and their family, leaving them without basic skills for the future. The vicious cycle is continued when their children find themselves in a similar situation: quit school, find an income. Therefore, it is vital that governments in developing countries help families escape the cycle of poverty through social programs that aim to develop an educated society.

Improving access to education is one of the most undeniable ways of ending the cycle of poverty. Both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child declare education as an essential human right. The right to education promises that every child has access to quality learning. In turn, increased rates of education will produce better employment opportunities, improve overall health, and increase economic growth. The benefits of an educated society extend across class-boundaries since more people acquire the skills needed to generate productivity gains for the state.

According to the United Nation’s Education for All Global Monitoring Report, providing all children with quality primary education would boost economic growth by 2% in low-income countries. About 170 million people could be lifted out of poverty if all students in poor countries had basic reading skills. While these statistics show that an increase in education rates in developing countries would improve overall economic growth, at least 250 million children are still unable to read, write, or count.

The effects of increasing quality education in developing countries cannot be understated. Education improves food security and reduces malnutrition by teaching youth about agriculture and proper nutrition. Education improves the overall standard of health by educating men and women on healthy pregnancy, children’s health, clean water and sanitation. Education reduces the threat of disease and viruses by spreading information on prevention and rehabilitation. Finally, education also reduces gender inequality by teaching children on the effects of young marriages and pregnancies.

Expanding access to education is essential for development in many of the poorer African states. According to the Africa Learning Barometer, only half of sub-Saharan Africa’s 128 million youth in school are likely to learn basic skills to live healthy and productive lives. Gender, income, and region contribute to the learning gaps in countries like Zimbabwe, South Africa, Uganda, Lesotho, Malawi, and Botswana. For different reasons, rural areas in Africa are the most disadvantaged in terms of schooling. Rural schools suffer from a lack of willing teachers because urban schools generally offer better opportunities with higher incomes. Urban schools have access to better infrastructure, health services, and general goods. Meanwhile, rural teachers are often less qualified and overwhelmed by the pupil to teacher ratio. Many African governments face an education crisis that needs to be addressed by implementing policies that improve infrastructure, health and sanitation needs. Rural development through social programs is necessary if African governments wish to see an improvement in the overall quality of education in their state.

In 2012, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon launched the Global Education First Initiative, which seeks to ensure every child receives a quality education. Ban Ki-Moon stated: “Our shared goals are simple. We want children to attend primary school and to progress toward higher education that will help them to succeed in life. We cannot stop until every child goes to school. This is our task, this is our homework.” The initiative aims to achieve the enrolment of all children of member states in primary education. The initiative’s Top Ten supporters and advocates include: Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Brazil, China, Croatia, Denmark, Guyana, South Africa, and Tunisia.

While the role of education is largely promoted on the international scale by non-governmental organizations (NGO) like United Nations and Child Fund, it is important that state governments, especially in underdeveloped countries, do so as well. With the financial, moral and educational help of developed nations and NGO’s, the eradication of poverty through education can be achieved in many underdeveloped states.