Monday, December 20, 2010

Achieving New International Order (4): Central Role for Developed and Developing Countries Citizens

Matters Arising from Previous Posts

With participants from 23 Countries – US, Canada, UK, Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Russia, France, Croatia, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Cote d’ivoire, Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Brazil, Peru and largest readership coming from US, France and Russia, it is clear that this Blog’s content has substance and our cause – Help make World Poverty History, has merit.

Our Blog Statistics in not encouraging. We are happy with participants coming form 23 Countries in 7 of 8 Regions Worldwide. This is evidence that our cause is indeed perceived as Global and it would have been wrong and self defeating to focus on Nigeria and Africa.

We have 3 Followers, this could be more. We have few repeat readers. Had this been increasing rather than dwindling and had followers and repeat readers responded to our repeated call for interactive participation, we would have been happier. We perceive that UN Agencies and US Government Agencies are part of the repeat readers from the US – our largest block of Participants from any of the 23 Countries. Should this eventually be the case and should the UN Agencies and US Government Agencies sometimes in the New Year take steps to establish Positive Working Relationship with our Organization, our effort would be rewarded and in ways that deliver Sustainable Benefits to Citizens on both Developed and developing Countries sides, particularly the Poor, whose numbers are increasing in the millions on both Developed and Developing Countries sides as direct consequence of inadequate effort towards the solution to Global Recession, World Food, Fuel, Finance and Terrorism problems on the ground from Village to Global levels.

The Low Repeat Readers and No Interactive Discussions underline the daunting challenges we are facing with Blog Visibility and Blog Participation, that is making us dis-spirited. We are considering putting the Blog on “Technical Suspension” after today’s Posting to enable us reflect deeply on practical solutions to these daunting challenges before continuing with further Postings in the New Year, guided by the outcome of our reflections.

To assist us with these reflections, we invite each of the 3 Followers and each of our repeat readers to please respond to above concerns, either by sharing their comments and views on “What we are currently doing wrong?”, “Suggestions on ways and means of overcoming these challenges”? with other Blog Participants or sending same direct to us at ispeabuja@yahoo.co.uk

Please note that we discuss solutions to very sensitive issues based on our real experience in continuing constructive engagement of relevant National and International Stakeholders in select Developed / Developing Countries and International Institutions. Many benefiting from current decayed systems do not want change we seek and many that could benefit from change we seek lack the Soft Competencies – Character, Courage and Mindset to publicly join our cause.

During the last week, the only two articles read were on New International Order (3) and MDGs' .

The earlier articles on New International Order (3), New International Order (2), New International Order (1), Global Agenda, Implementing G20 Declarations and Strengthening Advocacy Systems provide background material for deeper understanding of fundamental issues discussed in this week’s article.

Today’s Article:

Achieving New International Order (4): Central Role for Developed and Developing Countries Citizens

Until we accept and cooperate with the law of gravity, we can’t fly. Until we accept and cooperate with the law of economics, we can’t succeed with business at individual, corporate or country levels. Until citizens in both Developed and Developing Countries get the idea that Good Thinking breed Good Products; Good Politics breed Good Economics; Good Human Rights breeds Good Service Delivery – and Vice Versa; it would be an uphill task finding and implementing successful and sustainable solutions to Global Recession, World Food, Fuel, Finance and Terrorism Problems on the ground from Village to Global levels.

According to Selwyn Huges “The Scientist who does not sit down before the facts, is not prepared to give up every preconceived notion and follow to whatever end nature will lead him / her will learn nothing. He / She has to know that he / she doesn’t know in order to know”. The opening sentence in the UK Commission for Africa Report 2005 is an Ogbo (Nigerian Language) Proverb “Not to know is bad. Not to wish to know is worse”.

The implication of these two quotations is wide ranging, some of which are; after 50 years of International Development Cooperation, the overarching lessons learnt is that concerned authorities on Developed Countries, Developing Countries and International Institutions sides have learnt no lessons from lessons learnt; that as long as fundamental issues of correct: diagnosis, prescription, surgery and recovery management are not effectively addressed, the work towards tackling Global Recession, World Food, Fuel, Finance and Terrorism problems on the ground would at best achieve little that is not sustainable and at worst achieve nothing – with ultimate catastrophic consequences for all concerned.

If these fundamental issues are to be effectively tackled, all relevant authorities need to recognize that:-
1.    True All Round Development should aim at minimum certain levels of organization, orientation and discipline, if the Citizens in each Developed Country and each Developing Country are to be the MOVING FORCE Driving Socio-economic and Political TRANSFORMATION of their respective Societies.
2.    Service delivery should aim at promoting and protecting the Right of each Citizen to be Served Right by each Government Ministry, Department, Agency, particularly the Poor within the Country’s National Development Vision Initiatives and the Poor in Countries benefiting form the Countries International Development Vision Initiatives.
3.    The future of our children, our people, our country, our continent and our planet greatly depends on making our governing systems (public service / civil service) work properly for one and all – worldwide.
4.    The UK Commission for Africa Report 2005, UK International Development White Paper 2006; US National Security Strategy; UN 2010 MDG Summit Global Action Plan and similar Ambitious Programs will remain mere Political Statements until the Documents are fully converted into Village to Global Strategies, Policies, Programs, Projects in ways that seek to have Positive Attitude, Positive Focus and Positive Action: P-Square, in line and on sustainable basis in the research, planning, statistics, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and assessment of every provision in each of these documents and in ways that help make poverty history in Africa, Europe and Worldwide. Having P-Square in line; is a Be-attitude not a Do-attitude. The Doing comes out of the Being and the Being propels the MOVING FORVCE described above. This way, it encourages all concerned stakeholders at sub-national, national and international levels on Developed Countries, Developing Countries and International Institutions sides, to simultaneously:-
a.      Move away from focus on complex problems and passing blame and move towards focus on practical solutions and opportunities.
b.       Move away from Arithmetic and Academic Research Model and move towards Geometric and Development Research Model.
c.       Move away from focus on working Harder and move towards focus on working SMARTer.
d.       Move away from Policies, Programs, Projects with inadequate depth, comprehensiveness and inclusiveness and move towards Policies, Programs, Projects with adequate depth, comprehensiveness and inclusiveness.
e.      Move away from Low Policies, Programs, Projects Linkages, Interconnectivity and Interdependence and move towards High Policies, Programs, Projects Linkages, Interconnectivity and Interdependence.
f.         Move away from weak Policies, Programs, Projects Coordination, Integration, Synergy and Effectiveness and move towards Strong Policies, Programs, Projects Coordination, Integration, Synergy and Effectiveness.

In the preface of 2006 UK International Development White Paper, Hillary Benn, then UK Secretary of State for International Development, wrote “in the end governance – from global right down to the village level – is about people and their relationships, one with another, more than it is about formal institutions”.

The leaked US Diplomacy Documents has put on the front burner in the international arena, the serious flaws and failures in these relationships. The US will be doing great disservice to US Citizens and Citizens of other Countries – Rich and Poor across the World, should the Obama Administration, US Congress / Senate and US Citizens ; the Trinity that make up US Presidency; fail to accept these serious flaws and failures and move forward by taking positive action steps towards correct diagnosis, prescription, surgery and recovery management; necessary to transform these flaws and failures into sustainable success.

In the work towards getting governance and globalization right from global right down to village levels, on both Developed and Developing Countries sides, the prospects of success has never been so bright. We are so near to making World Poverty History, yet so far away from making World Poverty History. We are so near to sustainable solutions to Global Recession, World Food, Fuel, Finance and Terrorism problems, yet so far away from sustainable solutions to Global Recession, World Food, Fuel, Finance and Terrorism problems. The fundamental issues are too important to be left to Developed and Developing Countries Governments and International Institutions Leadership alone to solve – the Citizens of both Developed and Developing Countries need to get better involved. Going on Protests, Demonstrations and Civil Disorder is simply focus on problems and passing blame that is clearly the wrong approach.

Will these Citizens adopt a new solutions and opportunities focused approach? Will these Citizens arise and contribute their quota towards the sustainable solutions to these real and complex problems? Would these Citizens continue to look on wishing success would just be left to happen? Citizens on both Developed and Developing Countries sides need to appreciate that they have Choice to make; that No Choice is a Choice and that we all on both Developed and Developing Countries sides will have to live  with the consequences or rewards of the Choice we make in the work towards tackling Global Recession, World Food, Fuel, Finance and Terrorism problems on the ground.

We urge all to remember that as long as Ordered Change is refused, Disordered Change become inevitable – with ultimate catastrophic consequences.

Appendix

If you want to participate in the implementation of ideas and suggestions generated from discussions on this Platform, we invite you to join Multidisciplinary Professionals Community of Practice on Poverty Elimination and Environmental Sustainability, MPCOP-PE&ES and Comprehensive Systemic Reform, CSR Project. Please send 3PCM and CSR Project enquiry to ispeabuja@yahoo.co.uk

List of Topics for Next 10 Weeks.
New Topic Posted Every Monday

1.    Achieving New International Order (2): Central Role for Researchers and Reporters 6 December 2010 Ref 6/2010
2.    Achieving New International Order (3):  Central Role for Political Leaders, Religious Leaders and Traditional Rulers 13 December 2010 Ref 7/2010
3.    Achieving New International Order (4): Central Role for Developed and Developing Countries Citizens 20 December 2010 Ref 8/2010
4.    Achieving New International Order (5): Rethinking, Redesigning, Rebuilding Government Accountability and Whistleblower Reform  27 December 2010 Ref 9/2010
5.    New Year; New Hope for International / National Development Cooperation 3 January 2011 Ref 1/2011
6.    Elections, Economic Growth and Pro Poor Institutional Reforms 10 January 2011 Ref 2/2011
7.    International Development Cooperation (1): Need to Standardize Evaluation Approach 17 January 2011 Ref 3/2011
8.    International Development Cooperation (2): Need to Standardize Program Approach 24 January 2011 Ref 4/2011
9.    Reorganization, Reorientation and Discipline of National, Regional, Global Professional Bodies with Central Role in achieving National Visions and World Visions 31 January 2011 Ref 5/2011
10.                       Transforming Policy, Program, Project Failure into Success 7 February 2011 Ref 6/2011

Together we can help make our World a
Better Place
to Live, Work and Recreate for Citizens and Immigrants in all Countries Rich and Poor.