Job opportunities for nearly 100 mn urban poor
IBN, 25 January, 2012
After launching employment schemes for rural India, the Centre now plans to create job opportunities for the nearly 100 million urban poor. The UPA-II has proposed a National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) to address issues related to urban poverty like skill upgradation, entrepreneurship development and providing credit at affordable rates.
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Clean up world seas to boost economy, UN
Reuters, 24 January, 2012
Cleaner and better-managed seas and coasts would help boost economic growth and reduce poverty and pollution, said a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report.
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Big questions from top delegates to the World Economic Forum
The Guardian, 24 January, 2012
As the annual gathering at Davos opens Cherie Blair joins others in mapping out the tough challenges ahead for global wellbeing.
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Double agricultural research to help world’s poorest
Reuters, 24 January, 2012
The world needs at least to double its spending on agricultural research if it is to produce reliable crops and improve the lives of the one billion people who battle starvation every day, said Bill Gates.
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Economic growth with poverty lines
The Swazi Observer, 21 January, 2012
Although Swaziland and generally Africa’s economic growth in recent years has been impressive, it has not translated into any meaningful reduction of hazardous effects such as poverty, corruption and poor management of limited economic resources.
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Search for new world economic order
Business Recorder, 21 January, 2012
The world economic order, popularly known as globalisation, has now started manifesting signs of decay in the countries of its origin. Therefore, not only the developing countries, which are not in its favour since its very inception, the developed countries are also realising the need for its change or restructuring.
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How the G20 Countries Are Failing on Inequality and Environment
Huffington Post, 21 January, 2012
The world has a new global steering committee, the G20 group of developed and ’emerging’ economies, which has committed itself publicly to supporting economic growth that reaches the poorest people, and doesn’t destroy the environment in the process. But according to a new survey by Oxfam, this isn’t happening.
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Britain claims vital role in Ghana’s economic boom with aid
Ghana Business News, 20 January, 2012
Britain is asserting that it played a vital role in the recent boom of Ghana’s development after the country was heavily indebted with more than half the population living in poverty 20 years ago.
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Entrepreneurship key to escaping poverty
CNN, 17 January, 2012
Developing countries need to, and most likely will, understand the importance of business and entrepreneurship to their continued development. Improved rankings in the ease of doing business index will become a key international metric to aim for.
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Rising Middle Class Fuels Global Energy Surge
Bloomberg, 17 January, 2012
Energy consumption and the energy needed to manufacture goods increases sharply when households move out of poverty into the middle class. Countries that improved the living standards of the poor, a 1 percent increase in gross domestic product leads to a 1 percent or higher increase in total energy consumption.
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Industrial energy efficiency vital for sustainable development – UN report
UN News Centre, 17 January, 2012
A new United Nations report urges investment in energy-efficient technologies to help achieve sustainable growth and tackle a host of global challenges from climate change to poverty reduction. The Industrial Development Report, the flagship publication of the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), states that industrial energy efficiency is key to sustainable development.
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China’s Urban Population Exceeds Countryside for First Time
Bloomberg, 17 January, 2012
China’s urban population surpassed that of rural areas for the first time in the country’s history after three decades of economic development encouraged farmers to seek better living standards in towns and cities. The world’s most-populous nation had 690.79 million people living in urban areas at the end of 2011, compared with 656.56 million in the countryside, the National Bureau of Statistics said in Beijing.
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A Step Backward for Economic Freedom in 2012
The Wall Street Journal, 12 January, 2012
‘Rapid expansion of government, more than any market factor, appears to be responsible for flagging economic dynamism. Government spending has not only failed to arrest the economic crisis, but also—in many countries—seems to be prolonging it’, says the 2012 Index of Economic Freedom, published by the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal.
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Further rise in poverty seen with slow recovery in US
Reuters, 11 January, 2012
Nearly 10 million more Americans have fallen into poverty since the recession began, and the number is expected to increase due to the slow pace of the economic recovery, a study released by Indiana University showed.
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Africa Rising: Jeffrey Sachs says Ghana’s future looks bright
The CS Monitor, 11 January, 2012
Because of good governance in the past, and now oil production, Ghana is likely to reach all of the Millennium Development Goals toward ending extreme poverty and child mortality.
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How European Banks Fuel Hunger
IDN, 11 January, 2012
A new report by Friends of the Earth Europe has faulted European banks, pension funds and insurance companies for increasing global hunger and poverty by speculating on food prices and financing land grabs in poorer countries.
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BRICS should have bigger say in world economic order
Xinhuanet, 02 January, 2012
The world economy, short of a robust recovery, is likely to continue to face a sea of challenges and hobble forward in the new year. As one dose of antidote to the current global economic malaise, BRICS, a bloc of five major emerging economies, should have a bigger say and play a more important role in the world economic mechanism.
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The financial power of the poor
Business World, 02 January, 2012
In the last few years, microfinance has been gaining ground in the Philippines as a viable source of credit for the poor. In 2010, total loans amounted to USD632.1 million with 3 million active borrowers and deposits in 2010 totalled USD454.4 million with 3.7 million borrowers.
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Food, fuel saving is the way forward
Business Line, 01 January, 2012
The United Nations has designated 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. Broadening access to sustainable energy is essential in solving many of the world’s challenges including food production, food security and poverty.
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