Global Poverty Alleviation – Micro Lending Myths and Management

By Padmini Arhant

The greatest challenge confronting humanity is alleviating poverty, hunger and disease.

With global population on the rise, the gulf between the rich and poor widening – the worldwide statistics in deaths related to starvation and preventable disease is alarmingly high especially among children, the most vulnerable victims in the human caused misery.

There is no doubt that many organizations such as the United Nations, Government and Non-Governmental efforts in the developing countries including some philanthropists from different corners are striving hard to address this issue to their best of ability.

Their commitment in this regard is remarkable for the situation would be worse in the absence of myriad interventional measures.

As for the industrialized and developed nations’ role in containing the growing humanitarian plight – the G-20 pledge to contribute $100 billion to developing nations is honorable but yet to be exemplified through action.

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Padmini Arhant

COP 16/CMP 6 UN Climate Change Conference Cancun 2010

By Padmini Arhant

The two week conference from November 29 to December 10, 2010 on climate change strived to approach the global environmental challenge by adopting UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and Kyoto treaty mandating the carbon emission reduction below 2 degrees Celsius or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit in addition to COP15 Copenhagen proposals such as -

Industrialized nations $100 billion pledge by 2020 towards financial assistance to the poorer nations in combating environment disasters.

The Green Climate Fund for technological aid and forest preservation appear to have been recognized leading to a consensus among the negotiators.

Although the fund sources and management details have not been presented as yet, the preliminary step to provide economic relief to poor and developing nations is a positive measure.

The debate arising from the once contentious issue is – expediting funding and setting the eligibility criteria due to the demand from many nations seeking financial help under ‘vulnerable’ category that could potentially deprive the precarious recipients from qualifying for adequate benefits.

Hence it is essential to arrive at a conclusion on the specific content and fund allocation to the qualifiers in desperate situation as part of the post-Cancun agreement.

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Padmini Arhant

Freedom Struggle – People vs. Power in the New World Order

By Padmini Arhant

Evidently, the facts in every respect confirm that the nation is heading in the wrong direction.

The NWO chartered by the secret society elite members has grave consequences.

It is exacerbated by their unwillingness to confront the people on the illogic strategies behind relentless warfare, sinking economy, alarming national debt, rising health care costs, cataclysmic energy undertakings and importantly - gross violation of the constitution in every possible civil and human rights issue.

When the incumbent administration launched the Presidential campaign in 2007, the core message was about the country and the world in need of a dramatic Change with tremendous Hope raised on the campaign trail.

The message for most part of the campaign resonated the impending Change and delineated from the opponents as them being –

More of the Same citing the Bush-Cheney administrations’ disastrous course on war, economy, environment and utter disregard for the constitution.

Although the Bush-Cheney record is unique in aimlessly leading the nation and the world on wild adventures causing immeasurable misery all around,

The current administration’s Bush policy continuation and complicity to the crimes committed by the predecessor is a major concern among the electorate that casted their vote for Hope and Change.

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Padmini Arhant

The 65th U.N. General Assembly honors 2010 - International Year of Biodiversity

By Padmini Arhant

On September 22, 2010, the 65th U.N. General Assembly session contributed to the “2010 – International Year of Biodiversity.”

Biological diversity representing the ecosystems is on the decline threatening planet sustenance.

At the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, 2005 and 2006 – The States committed to the biodiversity strategies and agenda, in addition to providing the necessary financial and technical resources to the developing nations.

The objectives during these summits were to efficiently reduce the biodiversity loss at the national, regional and global level as a contribution towards poverty alleviation and benefit to all life on Earth by 2010 that led to;

“The 2010 Biodiversity Target.”

It has been enacted with the Millennium Development Goals as part of Goal 7 on environmental sustainability.

Biodiversity is the life support for the ecosystems that helps the planet survival and the sensitivity cannot be underestimated.

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Padmini Arhant

The 65th U.N. General Assembly Focus – Millennium Development Goals and Biodiversity

By Padmini Arhant

A warm welcome to the Heads of the State and dignitaries around the world attending -

The 65th U.N. General Assembly in New York, U.S.A.

The 65th U.N. General Assembly key meeting held between September 20 and September 22, 2010 reached an accord on Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and coordinated with the International Year of Biodiversity.

Per the U.N. Accord on MDG, more than $40 billion is pledged towards women and children’s health, hunger, poverty and technology access over a five year period.

According to the U.N. statement – the unanimous agreement from the various groups such as the Heads of the State and the Government, private sector, foundations, international organizations, civil society and research companies expected to expedite the targeted goals.

There is no doubt that an overwhelming world population is battling with starvation, preventable diseases, chronic illnesses due to lack of health professionals and inadequate facilities exacerbated by natural disasters, political and economic crisis.

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Tragic Events in Pakistan

By Padmini Arhant

Pakistan has been hit with successive tragedies lately resulting in enormous loss of precious lives.

Earlier, there were significant fatalities from the air crash near Islamabad. While the people were grieving over the aviation mishap, the country is swept with massive flooding and more than 1500 people reportedly lost their lives.

The flooding is expected to worsen with thousands displaced and millions facing life disruptions due to power outages and transportation problems.

Pakistani government appears to have deployed its military for rescue operation. It’s challenging to deal with mass mobilization for any emergency crew. The Pakistani forces are apparently doing their best in saving lives.

In addition, the United States logistic support in this regard expedites the relief effort. The major concerns during natural disasters are the spread of diseases and the populace exodus to the safety zones.

Aid workers involved in minimizing casualties have a daunting task in reaching the victims because of the limited access and air lifting survivors often delays the progress.

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Redemption and Reorganization for a New Beginning

By Padmini Arhant

On March 10, 2010, the former President Bill Clinton delivered an apology statement to the people of Haiti.

President Bill Clinton is appointed the UN Special Envoy to Haiti.

I commend the former President Bill Clinton in coming forward willfully and taking responsibility for the unpopular economic policy that caused immense grievance to the suffering population of Haiti.

The courageous action by the former head of state in acknowledgment of a negative political decision that led to an immeasurable despair for the trusting population in Haiti is praiseworthy.

President Clinton - Your action is honorable and demonstrated the remorse you had experienced from the judgment error in the ‘Free Trade’ agreement imposed upon the people of Haiti against their will.

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The Iranian Crisis – A message for the Iranian regime and the Republic

By Padmini Arhant

Lately, the puppet President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad representing the Islamic Republic of Iran, addressed the captive audience falsely claimed as the “pro-government” and “anti-Western” protesters when they appeared to be the ‘oppressed’ choosing to remain silent amid government crackdown prevalent in the “pro-democracy” activism.

Since the fraudulent elections in June 2009, the Islamic Iran Participation Front, a reformist or the green party victory was suppressed violently by the Iranian theocracy.

The defiant autocrat Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed the incumbent candidate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the President in name only (INO).

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Current Events

By Padmini Arhant

Earthquake in Haiti

The Caribbean nation on the western hemisphere, Haiti, is hit with a massive earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale. Natural disasters are generally devastating for any country, particularly the poorest nations.

Unfortunately, Haiti with reportedly 80 percent of the population below the poverty line will require more than financial aid.

President Obama’s action to provide military assistance in rescue operation combined with necessary humanitarian relief is praiseworthy.

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COP15 – Copenhagen 2009 Tentative Accord

By Padmini Arhant

The two-week long climate summit evidently dissatisfied the scientific and the international community despite the arrival of the world leaders from around two hundred countries to discuss the climate change confronting humanity at the present time. Although, the international forum provided the platform to share the concerns among the delegates representing many nations, the entry prohibition to the civil society and other legitimate voices is undemocratic aside from being discriminatory towards the nexus organizations.

It appears the contentious issues demanding focus include the following:

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Israel Palestine Peace Treaty

By Padmini Arhant

The fate of the two state solutions is hanging in balance and the peace process has once again come to a screeching halt. Initially, there appeared to be momentum on both sides until the controversial yet credible issues surfaced and ignored by the parties in default.

The contentious issues are -

Freezing Jewish settlements in West Bank and East Jerusalem in its entirety.

Honoring the Gaza report compiled by the Head of the UN Fact Finding Mission, Justice Richard Goldstone, overwhelmingly approved by the U.N. Human Rights Council and the U.N. General Assembly recently.

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Afghan Election Quagmire

By Padmini Arhant

As detailed in the blogpost titled

‘U.S. Dilemma on Afghanistan’ published on the website

www.padminiarhant.com September 1, 2009 – in the ‘International Politics’ category,

The flawed Afghan election results in favor of the current President Hamid Karzai appropriately rejected by the U.N. backed investigators with the runoff election scheduled for November 7, 2009.

Afghanistan heading for yet another election within two weeks is a tall order given the recent turmoil in the electoral process that led to the annulment of the results. Modern democracy is not devoid of voter fraud, corruption and unscrupulous tactics by the respective campaigns representing the political candidates.

However, the Afghan election is complex due to the extremism ranging from physical threats, ballots stuffing, violence that mars the democratic protocol and worsened now with the August election declared ‘flawed,’ by the United Nations panel and the other international authorities.

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Darfur Plea for USA from UNHCR

From: PADMINI ARHANT
WWW.PADMINIARHANT.COM

Meryl Streep - Hollywood

USA for UNHCR
Washington DC 20077-7282

Dear Meryl Streep,

I appreciate your humanitarian concerns with respect to Darfur crisis.
Unfortunately, the widespread human atrocities not confined to a specific demography despite the world progress in other aspects.

Darfur is the worst humanitarian crime in the twenty first century and soon nearing a decade for the genocide. Yet, the most influential authorities like the United States, the European Union, the emerging economic powers and the United Nations continue to witness the heinous act instead of terminating it once and for all.

Although, the humanitarian relief is commendable, the poignant issue is the reluctance and the lack of action from the United Nations Security Council and the other affluent democracies in Europe and North America.

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International Affairs

BY Padmini Arhant

Japan’s General Election

Congratulations! to the DPJ (Democratic Party of Japan) leader, and the recently sworn in Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama of Japan.

The DPJ’s landslide victory in the general election held on August 30, 2009 is an auspicious beginning for the land of the rising sun in breaking the long political tradition held with the LDP, the Liberal Democratic Party due to its failure on both the political stability and economic growth.

Japan‘s economic revival is crucial for the global economy and the new administration’s economic...

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Reconfiguration of the U.N. Security Council

By Padmini Arhant

“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” – simple yet meaningful creation by the renowned American Poet – Robert Lee Frost.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Only if the authorities in power – the corporations and the governments alike, in the contemporary world honor the commitment to their people and prioritize the promise to the general population over personal quest for profit, privilege, prestige and politics,

Perhaps, it might be possible to wipe out the global problems such as poverty, disease and war polluting the planet and restore the deep, dark and lovely woods that once used to be the nature’s paradise.

The past week event involving the release of two American journalists – Laura Ling and Euna Lee through high profile diplomacy aided with the former President Bill Clinton’s visit is a confirmation that communication and dialogue can be effective in resolving international crisis.

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