Poverty affects us [This piece was published today on Unity]
Dear Secretary of the PD,
since for several years, our letters to Father Christmas and Epiphany have been disappointed, this year we decided to write to Te.
We are two experts from the problems of underdevelopment, and like other Italians have spent most of our lives to the study and promotion of development in the world. We were fascinated by the joy of distant peoples, their enthusiasm and hospitality. At the beginning of 2009, while some regions of the world (China, India) have initiated a process of growth in other areas the problems are still serious. 41 percent of the African population survives on less than $ 1 a day. In Ethiopia, only 23% of the population has access to drinking water in Sierra Leone on 30% of children die before reaching five years of life in Botswana is lived on average only 35 years because of AIDS. Many of these examples - think Afghanistan - Show that, in the globalized world, the fates "our" and "they" are intimately linked.
In our view, thanks to the opportunities offered by market economies, the problems of global poverty would be easily solved: the problem is the political will to organize.
In this sense, the Development Cooperation is not only management of the humanitarian emergency or extreme poverty. It is above strategy and actions to promote the balanced development of the world in a sustainable and consistent. It is then also care about our interests, through equitable and sustainable policies.
But we Italians involved in this "field" time to suffer from the failure of our development cooperation: minimum funding, poor facilities - oriented case management rather than a coherent strategy -, low skills and often humiliated. And no production for the development of political culture: Italy is almost never able to propose a philosophy or practical measures on the key issues of development, such as trade and investment, climate change and environmental issues, patents and technology, migration, health policy , water rights, etc..
Development Agency would need a stand-alone, in mixed ownership, with a quality management system, capable of (1) promoting economic policies consistent in the "inter-tables" of our government, (2) strengthen and enhance synergies among experts, associations, local authorities, government, businesses, universities, (3) mobilize and coordinate the generosity of the Italians.
This is the promise of reform and always forgotten by the leftist leaders of the past (including Prodi). But we want to believe in you. To give a hand to our poor brothers and sisters do not need to "go to Africa" \u200b\u200bwould be more useful to put things right here. We ask that the gift this year, therefore, it is your sincere promise. When you win the election, really committed to create a modern reform of the Development Cooperation together with high skills in the sector who are anxious to help solve these problems.
Thanks for your attention,
PierGiorgio Gawronski staffgawronski@gmail.com
Carlo Pietrobelli, c.pietrobelli @ uniroma3.it
