Matters Arising from Previous Posts
With participants from 22 Countries – US, Canada, UK, Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Russia, France, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Cote d’ivoire, Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Brazil, Peru and largest readership coming from US, it is clear that this Blog’s content has substance and our cause – Help make World Poverty History, has merit.
This continues to make slow but steady progress. We keep pressing forward. We hope to attract and retain very soon, the attention of:-
1. Media Executives of National and International Media in the Countries where we have readers, currently 22.
2. Governments of Countries where we have readers
3. Institutional Heads, Senior Administrators, Senior Technocrats of International Institutions operating in Countries where we have readers.
We also hope to rapidly increase the number of Countries where we have readers and the number of readers in each of these Countries.
During the last week, all previous articles were read. The most popular were articles on New International Order (1) and Strengthening Advocacy Systems.
The earlier articles on Global Agenda, MDGs’ at 10, Implementing G20 Declarations, Strengthening Advocacy Systems and New International Order (1) provide background material for deeper understanding of fundamental issues discussed in this week’s article.
It appears some readers are not aware that New Articles are posted every Monday. We are getting increasing number of Participants that are repeat readers every Monday. If you are visiting this Blog for the first time, we encourage you to join the increasing list of repeat readers every Monday.
We encourage all readers to please visit the Blog every Monday from 10.00 GMT when new articles are posted and to comment on aspects of any article of interest to the reader. The only comment we have received thus far, is a Commendation in response to the MDGs’ at 10 article. Our repeat readers are either Active Development Change Champions or Potential Development Change Champions.
Either way, our view is that each repeat reader has expertise, experience and exposure to share with other Participants, and could do this through expressing their thoughts / reflections on points of interest in past and current articles.
We urge all Participants, particularly repeat readers, who are genuinely motivated to join like minds, in the great work towards improving Leadership Responsiveness, Followership Responsiveness, Development Effectiveness and Development Impact in the implementation and monitoring implementation of National Visions and World Visions Ambitions on Developed Countries, Developing Countries and International Institutions sides, to please let this much needed interactions / active participation begin now. We further urge both repeat readers and first timers to please help bring ongoing discussions on this Blog to the attention of others.
Today’s Article:
Achieving New International Order (2): Central Role for Researchers and Reporters
In the work towards finding and implementing successful and sustainable solutions to real and complex Global recession, World Food, Fuel, Finance and Terrorism Problems on the Ground on Developed Countries, Developing Countries and International Institutions sides, there is urgent need to ensure that Development Research is Focused on Development Policy & Program and Development Monitoring, Evaluation & Assessment within National Visions e.g 7 Point Agenda in Nigeria, National Security Strategy in US and World Visions e.g. MDGs’, Paris declaration, Accra Action Agenda, One UN Initiative, G20 Global Solutions to Global Problems Initiative.
However, turning Researchers into Policy / Program Entrepreneurs or Monitoring, Evaluation and Assessment Entrepreneurs and turning Research Institutions into Policy / Program focused Think Tank or Monitoring, Evaluation and Assessment focused Think Tank is not easy because it involves fundamental re-orientation, organization and discipline towards Policy / Program engagement or Monitoring, Evaluation and Assessment engagement, rather than academic achievement; engaging much more vigorously with Policy / Program Community or Monitoring, Evaluation and Assessment Community; Developing a Research Agenda focusing on Policy / Program or Monitoring / Evaluation / Assessment issues rather than academic interests; acquiring new skills or building multidisciplinary teams; establishing new internal systems and incentives and spending much more on Communicating effectively with all stakeholders.
This New Approach should include Dialogue before, during and after the Research itself; producing appropriate Communications products for each audience – in most widely acceptable language, at the right time and working more in effective partnerships and networks. It also involves looking at a radically different funding model.
To influence Policy / Program or Monitoring / Evaluation / Assessment Decision Makers in all concerned stakeholder communities from Village to Global levels; Genuine True Development Researchers need additional skills. They need to be politically influential, able to understand the politics, the economics, the sociology and culture and identify the key players. They need to be good storytellers; to synergize simple compelling stories from results of the research (not spin doctors who publicize falsehood). They need to be good networkers; to work effectively with all other concerned stakeholders and they need to be good engineers to build Shared Vision initiatives that pulls all of these together or they need to work on multidisciplinary teams with others who have these necessary skills.
The Research for True Development Storytellers are not Spin Doctors spreading spin (falsehood / lies) or Propagandists spreading propaganda (half truths or outright falsehood presented as whole truths). They are Development Change Champions telling inspiring Stories based on real life experiences that challenge concerned stakeholders to take positive Development Change Action ultimately resulting in Win – Win for all Partners – Rick or Poor, Strong or Weak. Within Research for True Development, Good Researchers need Good Reporters and Good Reporters need Good Researchers.
We make bold to state that without adequate numbers of Good Researchers and Good Reporters, who have required levels of Hard Competencies – Learning and Skills and Soft Competencies – Character, Courage and Mindset for achieving National Visions e.g. 7 Point Agenda in Nigeria; National Security Strategy in US and Global Visions – MDGs’, Paris Declaration, Accra Action Agenda, One UN Initiative and G20 Global Solutions to Global Problems Initiative would be a Mirage.
The Concept of Development for Research described above contain Master Keys for Rethinking, Redesigning and Rebuilding the Role of Researchers and Reporters in the work towards achieving National Visions Ambitions and Global Visions Ambitions on Developed Countries, Developing Countries and International Institutions sides.
It is pertinent to note that the UK Commission for Africa Report 2005 recommended a New National / Global Agenda for National / Global Media Organization in the work towards tackling Africa Poverty. 5 years later, very little has been done in the practical implementation of this recommendation. President Obama in his book “Audacity of Hope”, made several points on American Media and Politics, some of which are:-
1. Spin (falsehood and lies) works because the Media is hospitable to spin.
2. The spin, the amplification of conflict, the indiscriminate search for scandals and miscues – the cumulative impact of all this is to erode any agreed upon standards for judging the truth.
3. The truth may cause consternation, the truth will be attacked, the Media wont have the patience to sort out all the facts and so the public may not know the difference between truth and falsehood.
4. The Politician may still as a matter of personal integrity, insist on telling the truth as he / she sees it, but he / she does so knowing that whether he / she believes in his / her position matters LESS than whether he / she looks like he / she believes; that straights talk counts Less than whether it sounds straight on TV.
The leak of US Diplomacy documents raise fundamental issues that need to be professionally tackled by the US Administration, Parliament and Peoples and the Administration, Parliament and Peoples of US Partner Countries across the World, if the US is serious about promoting and protecting US and Partner Countries Common Interest, Common Future, Common Prosperity and Common Security.
The US needs to accept responsibility for spying, lies and corrupt practices; the guess work and educated opinion rather than spade work and sound recommendations done by those saddled with responsibility for promoting and protecting US and Partner Countries Security; that have been exposed and this would start from the US recognizing that:-
1. The leaks could be Force for Good rather than Force for Evil.
2. Overarching Lessons Learnt in past 50 years of US International Development Cooperation is that No Lessons have been Learnt
3. The respective US and Partner Countries Research, Planning, Statistics, Implementation, Monitoring, Evaluation and Assessment Systems are in a State of Decay and therefore in Urgent need of Reform within a Reinforced and Reinvigorated US National Security Strategy effectively Linked with Reinforced and Reinvigorated US Partner Countries National Security Strategy.
4. Should President Obama do more towards implementing in practice ideas and suggestions set out in his book “Audacity of Hope”, the Security, Economy, Political and religious problems facing the US and Partner Countries could be solved on successful and sustainable basis and in record time.
5. Addressing fundamental issues within (1) – (4) demand that the US and Partner Countries identify, empower, promote and protect Citizens of both Rich and Poor Countries, with adequate intellectual capacity to help all relevant stakeholders find and operate the techniques of political management of Security Strategies, Policies, Programs, Projects Management from Village to Global levels that will fast track work towards achieving Dream of World without Poverty and without Hunger.
The point we are making is that in the work towards achieving Dream of World Without Poverty and without Hunger, the World has not learnt correct lessons from the sad event of September 11, 2001, the failed British Citizen Shoe Bomber attempt in December 2001 and the failed Nigeria Citizen – British Raised Underpants Bomber attempt December 2009. as long as these lessons remain unlearnt the work towards tackling Global Recession, World Food, Fuel, Finance and Terrorism Problems, would continue to achieve less than desired results, with ultimate catastrophic consequences for Citizens in both Developed and Developing Countries.
This is because the reality is that US and European Countries are individually and jointly dancing around the fundamental issues, therefore work on sustainable solutions – Redefining Role of Money in each Country’s Politics; Investigating and Punishing Acts of Illegality, Criminality and Corruption underlying much of World Finance Crisis; Reestablishing / Establishing adequate levels of regulation; Reestablishing / Establishing adequate levels of Sanctions Enforcement – is yet to start. The implication is that Austerity Measures based on working harder doing the same old things in the same old way is most likely to increase pain and misery of Citizens without delivering proportional solutions / benefits. If these Countries are to have Reform Measures based on working SMARTer, doing new things in new ways most likely to reduce pain and misery while delivering disproportionately higher levels of solutions / benefits to Citizens, then a New and Central Role has to be found for Researchers and Reporters within the Development for Research Concept described above.
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 10/2011
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.
