New Actors In International And Global Health Focus On NGOs - Essay Example

Topic: Discussion paper on new actors in international and global health focus on NGOs. Table of Content …………………………………………………………………. Introduction…………………………………………………………… Ideology of Millennium Development Goals……… Current role of MDGs…………………………………………… Emerging Role of MDGs……………………………………….. Public-Private Partnerships……………………………….. Conclusion: Recommendations……………………………… Abstract: This paper is based over a discussion and a critical analysis of Non-Governmental Organizations, owned or directed by new actors around the globe, which not only includes some of the prominent names of an international industry but also a mediocre involved in these non profitable organizations focusing over different health issues which are under consideration globally. To prolong our discussion I would focus on South Africa as an example along with different other countries which are working parallel over the health issues rising in our society. In this piece of discussion I will also put light on all kinds of loop holes present in current and emerging NGOs and would end up with number of suitable suggestions and recommendations for the improvement of these supporting bodies within a country. NGOs plays a significant role in improving the struggling masses present in the third world countries and in developing nations to an extent for which, I would use various references from books based on facts and figures to make this discussion qualitative and reasonable for the reader to understand the original essence of the topic. Introduction: This paper analysis and discusses about the issues raise in Non Governmental Organizations which are non- profitable at the same time around the globe. In this era, where communication is not an issue and distances are no more a deal, all the NGOs have worked together and settled down together with civil society organizations to make a remarkable difference. Some of the facts which are eye catching, as it is getting into power rapidly. “The non-profit sector has over $2 trillion in assets (excluding foundations). If it were a country, the non-profit sector would have the seventh largest economy in the world”. “The non-governmental organization employs over 14 million people or ten percent of Americas workforce”. “The non-governmental organizations contribute almost $322 billion in wages to the US economy”. “The non-profit workforce outnumbers the combined workforces of the utility, wholesale trade, and construction industries”. “Nationally, the non-profit arts and culture industry generates $166.2 billion in economic activity every year:  $63.1 billion in spending by organizations and an additional $103.1 billion in event-related spending by their audiences”. Non-profit sectors/non-governmental organizations work in every community which includes rebuilding cities, schools for primary education, supporting the workforce, medical assistance, old age masses, elevating the arts, mentoring our youth, protecting natural resources, and much more. In this deal, many new names of business industry and actors are coming up with great deals to offer. They are working for humanity not in a particular region but throughout and around the globe. All these points will be discussed in detail later in this paper. Foot note: Facts: Relation Trends Magazine: rtm@relationshiptrends.com Ideology of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): As the masses of the globe situated at different corners were dipping more and more into crises like Health, lack of education, insecurity, poverty and hunger, and when these issues came unavoidable it was then decided by United Nations to come up with a concrete theory to progress. To achieve this positive difference in the living world, an idea of Millennium Development Goals (MDG) was endorsed in 2000 at Millennium summit meets by the 192 head state members and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve the set targets by the year 2015. The Millennium Declaration acts as a framework for the entire globe to work together towards a common target, which will make sure that the human development program reaches each individual in every corner of the globe. If MDGs are achieved, there will be tremendous reduction in the poverty and statistically would be left by half, which would lead billion of people to get benefit from the world economy. MDGs are based on eight highly sensitive issues out of which three are purely for health measures but the improvement in rest will also make a positive difference in health issue because most of the health problems arises where there is lack of education, poverty, inadequate environment. Set Goals are lined up as: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. Achieve universal primary education. Promote gender inequality and empower women. Reduce child mortality Improver maternal health Combat HIV/Aids, Malaria, TB and other diseases. Ensure environmental sustainability Develop a global partnership. Over the past couple of years, as the concept of the MDGs has emerged, NGOs and civil society organizations (CSOs) have been learning about the goals and evaluating whether or not they offer new possibilities for holding their governments to account on commitments and whether a new North-South understanding that is pro development could emerge in areas such as trade, debt and investment. Some NGOs have been involved in national level consultations in preparing MDG Country Reports and are trying to ensure this annual exercise reflects the views of NGOs and somehow translates into policy recommendations; others are exploring how this relates to Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). If taking health as a major issue in this discussion, a lot of emphasis is on the health problems rising majorly in the developing countries, where people are struggling for their lives against life threatening diseases like HIV/Aids, malaria, TB, Maternal problems, and many other. If we spare a second and think over these health problems, most of them is the result of unawareness, lack of hygiene, lack of education and inadequate diet, so keeping the causes and the reasons in view all the issues require an urgent and proper solutions that needs to be implemented through NGOs and CSOs in a parallel line according to Millennium Declaration. Footer: United Nations Non-governmental laision services Current Role of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): A decade after this theory being laid, we cannot deny the progress in the noticeable reduction of Poverty globally, significant improvements in enrolment and gender parity in schools, reductions in child and maternal mortality and increasing HIV treatments but at the same time we cannot ignore the fact that in the developing countries like South Africa, India, Pakistan and many others in line, HIV/AIDS is a global issue, risking social and economic stability in the most affected areas, while spreading uncontrollably into new regions. “Over the past year, 3 million people died of AIDS, more than ever before and more than from any other infectious disease”. Fighting AIDS in the Developing World offers solutions to overcome obstacles to prevention, treatment and support for affected households, with a focus on achieving tangible results. While the share of poor people is declining, the absolute number of the poor in South Asia and in Africa is increasing. Reduction in poverty does not compensate the issue of gender equality and environmental problems. Inadequate progress in the fight of HIV/AIDs is resulting in several other problems like child mortality and maternal issues. The expansion of health and education services is not being matched by quality. Increase in number of the devastation caused by natural disasters is also an obstacle in the continuous progress of MDGs achievement. The amount kept for different targets sometimes need to be put in urgently to overcome these devastations. MDGs progress is also threatened by the inflation in food sector which is simultaneously affecting the international financial and economic crisis. Hunger and poverty is also caused in reaction of the climatic changes like(excessive rainfalls, earthquakes, land sliding and global warming resulting in glacier melting, causing floods etc) occurring drastically specially in agricultural countries. These accidents outweigh the financial capacities of an organizing body. Many questions are being raised that how MDGs theory can be appropriate for every individual living in different classes, having different backgrounds and different circumstances. This need to be reanalyzed rather than going more into debts and bankruptcy. Emerging role of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): Under this heading I would relate to a critical view conducted by different high commands over the mistakes done in the past decade. The outline of the Millennium Declaration need to be reviewed before stepping ahead with same old policies which somehow got messed up in the past. The Major issue which needs to be put forward is to indentify the approach for developed and developing countries, and the obligations of developed and developing countries needs to be defined. The set target in Millennium Declaration and the time frame kept all needs to be reviewed to speed up the progress in the poorest country in priority rather than achieving goals in order, which does not even needed at present. According to a analysis report by Human Development Office, the finances is to be monitored by United Nations instead of International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Ann Pettifor, Director of the Centre for International Finance and Governance of the New Economic Foundation. The emerging paradigm calls for developing countries to take a pragmatic approach to globalization and liberalization and to be selective and deliberate in choosing how and when and in which sectors and to what extent, to integrate their domestic economy with the global economy, in the areas of finance, trade and investment. This approach recognizes that interaction with the global economy can benefit to a developing country. In Addition to this point an excessive financial liberization in also to be monitored otherwise it can lead to a debt repayment crisis if the right regulations and conditions are not in place. The Declaration and Goals do provide an organizing framework for a significant number of initiatives, and there is some evidence of organizations, even quite major NGO aid agencies, reviewing and prioritizing their plans in light of the Goals. But Strategies designed and mentioned above would help in reestablishment with mutual understanding and commitments between developed and developing countries. Without an understanding MDGs would be hard to achieve. Footer: Human Development Report Office (HDRO). The public-private partnerships: Under this headline, I would firstly give a brief description about public-private partnerships. It is a joint effort between government services and private businesses which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private-sector companies. Public-private partnerships have been financing health infrastructure for over two decade. To solve the issue on a larger scale governments of different nations want private sector to merge with public to deliver the best of Health Care. No country in the world is financing health care solely through its government. Whereas, Health Quota is kept in highly contributed issue by the government. To ensure the progress and quality in health infrastructure, government invites private sector to come and induce the required efficiency and betterment. This can result in the reduction of overall cost on any of the sector either public or private. Recent example of an alliance named Global Alliance and Vaccine Immunization (GAVI Alliance) is a public-private partnership launched in 2000. It comprises partners, including UNICEF, WHO, the Gates Foundation, the World Bank, developing country governments, donor country governments, the vaccine industry, civil society groups, and research and technical health institutes. A GAVI’s Secretariat hired in 2003, based in Geneva, coordinates with all partners represented on the Alliance board for primary decisions and for policy development. The priority of GAVI Alliance is to promote health awareness in the third world countries like India, Africa, Pakistan, and Yemen etc. This Alliance is working to combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis and many others to achieve the sixth goal set in MDGs. GAVI Alliance has nine independent supporters which gives a unique support in the declining health situation of the masses living in the developing countries. Some of the ways they follow to contribute in GAVI Alliance are: Going door to door with chilled ice cases containing immunization vaccine not only for infants but for women undergoing through different fatal diseases in the remote villages in Africa. A Brazilian research vaccine company is working to meet the challenges arises in the developing countries. UNICEF social experts working to motivate uneducated mothers about the importance of vaccines at birth. An international banker holding a video conference on new ways to use capital markets to finance immunization The topic explained above tells us that some of the public-private partnerships are coming to some progressive ends and can further cope with the challenges arising with the passage of time, but there are some of the issues still being neglected by the local governments, they somewhat still polishing their own governance by giving priority to the urban areas instead of the uneducated, unskilled and low-income masses of rural areas. Local governments in urban areas, therefore, have great relevance in the progress toward most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This is not simply an issue of whether local governments have the resources and capacities to support the meeting of these goals; it is also a question of what they choose to prioritize and to ignore In this paper examples of local governments that became more effective at meeting the MDGs with little or no external support through changing their priorities and the way they worked with poor urban communities and their organizations. This shows how partnerships between urban-poor organizations and local governments can resolve the need to improve and extend infrastructure within cities and support city development without forced evictions. The local organizations formed by the urban poor themselves also have great relevance in whether or not the MDGs are met. This relevance is both through their influence on local governments actions and through these organizations own capabilities. In many nations, representative organizations formed by urban-poor groups have demonstrated new ways to build and improve homes and to improve provisions for water, sanitation, drainage and solid-waste collection that are cheaper and of better quality than conventional government or private-sector provisions. Many have demonstrated how to do this in ways in which women have central roles in decision-making and implementation (refers to women empowerment), or in ways that allow the poorest to be included. The organizations have also shown how large-scale success is possible, as some have reached hundreds of thousands of low-income urban dwellers with significant improvements, where local government organizations work in partnership with them. Local NGOs often have important roles in supporting the work of these urban-poor organizations. Foot Note: Martin Khor, Director, Third World Network, website (www.twnside.org.sg). more information visit www.gavialliance.org Recommendations: After giving an overlook of this discussion, several recommendations and suggestions come up which can be fruitful if implemented. Firstly, a continuous check on MDGs whether progressing or stuck with other lapses of communication gaps and weak strategic policies. Secondly the general criteria for selecting suitable NGO facilitators should be designed according to their knowledge and practical experience in dealing with a range of NGOs, institutional credibility and acceptability, and hands-on facilitation and documentation skills. NGOs and CSOs should be involved at all stages, from the early planning processes and be included in both the negotiation, as integral partners in the Partnership Agreement between the Government The creation of a national Facilitation Committee, similar to that recommended for the regional level should be seriously considered. This would help facilitate the process and ensure continuity in the linkages, towards building a more sustained, more strategic partnership. Other recommendations are given by experienced analyst that Bank issues and NGOs of how to build public discourse within countries with restrictive policy environments. The second concerns the selection process of NGOs to be invited, knowing that governments and even Bank staff are likely to favor operational NGOs over advocacy-types. Thus, recommendations and suggestions keep on coming with the passage of time and according to the course taken by regulatory authorities but it only works when put down strictly in work. Foot Note: Study through: Article by David Satterthwaite Bibliography: Human Development Report Office (HDRO), e-mail , website (www.undp.org/hdro). Roberto Bissio, Coordinator, Social Watch, Juan D. Website (www.socwatch.org.uy). Martin Khor, Director, Third World Network, website (www.twnside.org.sg). Neville Gabriel, Coordinator, Justice and Peace Department, Southern African Catholic Bishop’s Conference. Website (www.sacbc.org.za). John Foster, Principal Researcher, North-South Institute Ottawa,Ontario Canada, Website (www.nsi-ins.ca). Article by David Satterthwaite For more information visit www.gavialliance.org Read More