One of the results of trends such as industrialization and imperialism is that not all countries have developed equally. According to the World Bank, around 2.5 billion people around the world live on less than $2 per day. 1 People often speak of a divide between the countries of the rich North, such as North America and Europe, and the poor South, particularly Africa and South Asia.
The world's countries can be divided into developed countries (also called advanced industrial countries) and developing countries (also called less developed countries and newly industrializing countries). Newly industrializing countries such as China and South Korea have made the biggest strides in ending poverty. This has happened because these countries have developed industries that can sell goods around the world. These countries have also received investment from developed countries.
But these changes have not helped the world's least developed countries, particularly in Africa. The world's poorest countries have little opportunity to export (send away) goods to developed countries. This is, at least in part, because many countries have tariffs (taxes) and quotas, or limits, on the total number of goods brought in from overseas. Developed countries do this to protect their own farmers.
Farmers in Africa receive only a tiny fraction of the money customers pay for tea in developed countries.
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The growth in global trade and communication adds to the problem. Multinational corporations can make goods in countries where they can pay workers less. But much of the money for these goods remains in the developed country where the company is based.
The problem of global poverty raises many questions about how individual governments should behave. Governments are likely to act in the interests of their own people. If they do not, people will vote out an elected government. However, many people believe that a fairer world would make it easier for the international community to tackle other issues. Making the world fairer would also be the right thing to do.
The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are linked to the United Nations and funded by the world's governments. They can provide money for development. However, this money can often come with conditions that, many people believe, make it more difficult for the countries receiving aid to develop. These conditions can include opening the countries up to international competition.
One of the biggest obstacles to progress in developing countries is the repayment of debts to richer countries. In 2005, the world's richest countries agreed to cancel the debts of many of the world's poorest countries. 2 Although this made a big difference to many people, it was not a solution that brought an end to world poverty.
The World Trade Organization (WTO), with more than 150 member countries, provides a way for countries to debate issues about trade. It also makes the rules that govern world trade, which are primarily aimed at removing barriers so that countries and businesses can sell their goods worldwide. 3 The WTO can impose sanctions on countries that do not follow its rules.
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Critics say that the WTO favors big businesses and the most powerful countries. They argue that free trade as regulated by the WTO has made rich countries richer and has not helped the poorest countries, which have far fewer resources to sell around the world. 4
In a more equal world, countries would be able to trade their way out of poverty. As it is, imbalances between rich and poor mean that aid, rather than trade, is a powerful tool. It can be used to lift people out of extreme poverty and to deal with crises such as floods and famines (periods without food).
In addition to acting quickly to deal with disasters, charities and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Oxfam can also provide money to deal with long-term and future problems. The growing populations of the world's poorest countries are more likely to be affected by conflict than those in richer countries. The spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa is another issue, as it means a large number of the adult population can no longer support their families. This also puts pressure on overstretched medical resources.
UNICEF was set up by the United Nations after World War II to provide food and health care for children in war-torn Europe. 5 The organization's role soon broadened to protecting children around the world and upholding the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF works in almost 200 countries on projects related to protecting children from conflict and abuse and promoting health, nutrition, and
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education. In 2005, UNICEF launched a specific campaign to help the 2.5 million children living with HIV/AIDS, most of them in Africa. 6
Aid organizations are often in a better position than individual countries to provide assistance. This is because they are trusted in a way that other countries may not be. On many occasions, countries in need of help welcome aid agencies when they are overwhelmed by a huge natural disaster. However, sometimes aid agencies have to get involved in a situation where they are not welcomed by all sides, such as when a disaster hits a country that is divided by conflict.
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ETHICS OF POLITICS WMt
It can be difficult for aid agencies to strike a balance between the short-term relief of suffering —by providing food or medical care —and longer-term development projects. The best aid projects provide equipment and education that will enable the least developed countries to reduce their reliance on aid. However, if the need for aid is to be removed completely, many of the imbalances in the international system will need to be addressed.
Individuals can make a difference in helping to solve the problem of world poverty. We can all donate or raise money for charity. But we can also make changes in our lives that will help to make the world a bit fairer. Companies making everything from sportswear to consumer electronics have often, possibly unknowingly, used factories in the developing world where workers were treated badly and paid poorly. You can find out more about companies' ethical policies before you buy. Fair trade goods come with a guarantee that producers of goods such as coffee, tea, chocolate, and bananas have been paid a fair price for their products. These products may cost a bit more in your local supermarket, but choosing them will help to lift communities out of poverty.
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One way that people can escape poverty is by moving and working somewhere else in the world. This is called migration. There are currently more than 200 million people around the world living outside the country in which they were born. 7 Some of these people are refugees, fleeing war or persecution. But the vast majority are people who have moved to another country so they or a family member can find work. A Mexican factory worker can earn about four times as much doing the same job in the United States as he or she can earn at home. 8
Crossing the border
The border between the United States and Mexico is the longest land border between a developed country and a developing country. Millions of people cross this border to work in the United States every year. Some are legal immigrants, but there are also an estimated 11 million illegal Mexican immigrants living in the United States. There have been many calls to crack down on the numbers of immigrants crossing the border, and security is tight at popular crossing points. However, as long as workers believe they will have a better life in the United States, they will continue to take risks crossing the desert or the Rio Grande River to reach their goal.
Immigration, which is when people move into a new country, causes a great deal of tension within international relations. People are free to move around their own country, but there are normally restrictions on moving from one country to another. Immigrants often face hostility from those already living in the country, who feel that immigrants will work for less money and take jobs from native people. Many people also feel that immigrants from overseas will change the culture of the country.
While politicians need to listen to public opinion, they also need to be aware of the benefits that immigration can bring. Immigrants can often bring much-needed skills that are in short supply. Some immigrant workers can fill jobs that native people are unwilling to do. Immigrants also create jobs by using stores and schools, and they help to pay for services by paying taxes. Immigration has helped form the culture of countries like the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
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Illegal immigrants from Mexico often have to walk for many days across inhospitable desert. Many people do not survive the iournev.
Migration can even benefit the countries that immigrants leave, since they often send money back to families in their native country. They may also learn valuable skills and bring these skills back to their native country.
Despite the many benefits of immigration, immigrants are often treated less well than native people. They are unfairly blamed when times are tough, and news reports often focus on negative stories of immigrants claiming welfare benefits. At the same time, people's lives can change dramatically when the place where they live becomes home to a large immigrant population, and it is natural that many people are uncomfortable with this.
It could be argued that immigration is one result of an unfair balance between rich and poor in the world. If people could earn money and live safely in their own countries, they would not need to take the often-hazardous journey to work in a richer country.
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