A / B / C / D / E / F / G / H / I / L / M / N / O / P / S / T / U / V / W
A
AgribusinessFarming has become industrialised in many parts of the world and is now under the control of a relatively small number of multinational corporations. Agribusiness is the term used to describe these companies and their activities in the field of agriculture. The influence of these multinational businesses extends to every aspect of agriculture, including ownership of land and plantations, agrochemical factories, shipping companies, marketing organisations, research facilities, banking institutions and even the outlets through which produce is sold to the consumer. They can dictate where, what and when crops are grown. In addition, they control the quality and price of food and can even shape consumer tastes.
Aidterm referring to the net flow of official development assistance (ODA). This is the transfer of capital, usually in the form of loans or grants, from governments, international agencies and public institutions of the industrialised world to governments of the Third World. The costs of other forms of assistance, technology transfer or provision of materials may also be included in the totals.
The goal of the aid system is for wealthy nations to help those less well off. But it is a complex, controversial and inequitable system with several major failings. The global community has agreed to a number of aid 'targets' over the years and the United Nations has also set aid goals, but few have ever been achieved. In 1968 the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) recommended that rich countries should channel at least 1% of their GNP in aid to the developing world.
However, even though total aid spending has grown, OECD members were still averaging only 0.3% of GNP in 1994 and by 1997, aid, as a percentage of rich countries' output, had fallen to 0.25 per cent. This is the lowest proportion on record.
Generally means independent or self-governing. For a fuller definition, visit www.onelook.com
B
Basic NeedsThe essential items of private consumption and basic services needed by every individual to maintain a reasonable standard of living. These include adequate food, shelter, clothing and household equipment, together with essential community services such as safe drinking water, sanitation, health services, education, transport and cultural facilities. The term was largely originated by the International Labour Office (ILO) and is sometimes held to include the right to work. An estimated 1.4 billion people are so poor that they cannot meet their basic needs for food or shelter.
Bio-GasA methane-rich gas produced by the fermentation of animal dung, human sewage or crop residues. In addition to gas, the slurry formed is rich in nutrients and can be used as an organic fertiliser which is particularly useful as food in fish-farm ponds. The gas can be used to light lamps, run machinery or produce electricity. Methane has a high octane rating and burns cleanly. It can also be used in diesel engines. However, the methane produced by treatment of wet biomass like manure or sewage sludge is not ideal for vehicles. Bio-gas plants are currently being used to supply millions of homes in 40 developing countries.
Plan builds relationships by bringing people together. We create links between people in need and those who can help. Between children, their families and their communities. Between communities and governments. And, ultimately, we build relationships across the world between child and sponsor. By truly understanding the different needs of the various parties, we are able to promote unity through positive and effective co-operation, building strong communities around the needs of children.
C
Child-centred community development is a rights-based approach in which children, families and communities are active participants in their own development rather than passive recipients of assistance.
It enhances their capacity and opportunity to work together with others to address the structural causes and consequences of poverty at all levels.
A child-centred approach involves listening to what children have to say about their needs and concerns and what is preventing them from achieving their rights. It also means encouraging and enabling children to take an active and – where possible – leading role in finding solutions to the problems they face.
Children can only participate fully in community development when they are supported by their families and communities to do so. Plan therefore works with communities and national and international institutions to promote greater awareness and understanding of children’s rights.
Child LabourThe UN Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted in 1989 affirmed the rights of the world's children to be protected against all forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation. By 1995, it had been ratified by 185 nations, making it the most widely adopted human rights convention. Many countries have adopted legislation stipulating minimum ages below which children cannot legally be employed and specifying conditions under which children can work. The International Labour Office (ILO) Minimum Age Convention of 1973 sets 13 as the lowest age when children can work, and then for light work only. Yet official figures produced by the ILO indicate that at least 200 million young children under the age of 15 are working to support themselves and their families. The actual total may be twice as high.
Children are generally docile, fast, agile and above all cheap and dispensable. Consequently, millions of children in developing countries toil long hours for little reward with no fringe benefits, insurance or security. Working children are more likely to suffer occupational injuries because of unsafe working conditions, inexperience, fatigue and the fact that most work places and machinery have been designed for use by adults.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted in 1989 affirmed the rights of the world's children to be protected against all forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation. By 1995, it had been ratified by 185 nations, making it the most widely adopted human rights convention.
It specifices the standards to which all governmentes must aspire to realise these rights for all children.
Visit their website to read more about the convention: www.unicef.org/crc/
Refers generally to groups of people / organisations who aim to work together for the benefit of individual citizens or society as a whole (not including government). for examples of types of civil society groups, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_society
Death RateThe number of deaths in a given year divided by the mid-year population of the country in question gives the death rate. It is used for comparative purposes and is usually multiplied by 1,000 and expressed as the 'crude death rate' (deaths per thousand population). For almost 40 years, the global death rate has continued to fall, from 16.5 per thousand in 1960 to 9.1 per thousand in 1996. As standards of living improve and health services get better, crude death rates can be expected to decrease, despite ageing populations. Oddly, Europe has shown an increasing death rate for the past 20 years, up from 10.3 in 1965 to 10.8 in 1990. The rate is highest in Africa (as a result of low life expectancy) and second highest in Europe (as a result of the high proportion of elderly people).
DebtThe global debt crisis emerged following the oil shocks of 1973 and 1979 when several developing countries were unable to repay or service their debts. Oil-exporting countries were overflowing with money which they placed on deposit with Western banks. The banks then put the money into large prestige projects in the Third World. At the same time global interest rates soared as the US borrowed money to finance its huge budget deficit. A global recession coupled with weak commodity prices caused Third World debt to balloon.
At least 15 countries fell behind in debt-service payments, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Tanzania and Zambia. In the case of Zambia, the nation's debt was three times as large as its GNP.
At the start of the 1980s, 109 developing countries owed a collective debt of $579 billion. By 1986, the total has risen to $1.02 trillion, climbing to $1.9 trillion by the end of 1994.
The World Bank says the rate of increase is slowing down though it forecasts a further $30 billion rise in total debt by the year 2000. Of the total $1.24 trillion (87%) is held by countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), either directly or through international organisations.
Developing country debts remain at the mercy of fluctuating interest rates and export earnings. Every 1% rise in US interest rates adds about $4 billion to the debt bill.
Developing CountriesLoose term used to identify poor Third World nations, using criteria based almost exclusively on per capita income. The 172 countries in this group include states which are variously labelled as developing countries, underdeveloped countries, low-income countries, Majority World, the South or the Third World. These nations generally have low levels of technology, basic living standards and little in the way of an industrial base. Their economies are mainly agricultural and are characterised by cheap, unskilled labour and a scarcity of investment capital.
Per capita incomes are below $5,000 and often less than $1,500. Around 70% of the world's population live in the developing countries, almost all of which are in Africa, Asia, Oceania and Latin America. Many communities outside the major towns are poverty-stricken and hunger, disease and illiteracy are still commonplace. The Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the UN, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) all produce listings of developing countries.
Also see: Third World and Low Income Countries
Development, in the context of the work of organisations like Plan, has been defined by the UK Department for International Development as 'When we talk about international development we are referring to efforts, by developed and developing countries, to bring people out of poverty and so reduce how much their country relies on overseas aid. Many different things can contribute to development which reduces poverty, such as settling conflicts, increasing trade and improving health and education.'
At Plan, based on over 60 years of working in developing countries to improve the lives of ordinary people, we have developed an approach called 'Child Centred Community Development', which is our way of working to enable children and communities to create positive changes in their lives. Children and their families are involved in deciding how to improve their own lives, and a diverse team of people in the community work together to bring about lasting change for children. We have learnt that lasting change is best achieved if children and their families have a central role in deciding how to improve their own lives.
EEarly Childhood Care and Development (ECCD)
For a child to develop and learn in a healthy and normal way, it is important not only to meet the basic needs for protection, food and health care, but also to meet the basic needs for interaction, stimulation, affection, security and learning through exploration and discovery. Plan undertakes ECCD programs in many countries, addressing issues such as pre-schooling, early learning opportunities, day care centres in urban areas, and project-based nutritional development for children.
El NinoA poorly-understood recurrent climatic phenomenon that affects the Pacific Coast of South America but which appears to have a dramatic influence on weather patterns much farther afield. The process starts with a surge of warm ocean water in the eastern Pacific, along the coast of Peru. The effects are generally first felt in December (El Nino is used in Spanish to mean 'Christ Child').
It is not solely oceanic but couples with an atmospheric phenomenon called the Southern Oscillation. A complete cycle lasts from 3-6 years, with the most intense El Nino component lasting about a year. No two cycles are alike and eleven have been identified since 1950.
A wide variety of disasters have been blamed on El Nino, including a famine and fires in Indonesia, bush fires in Australia, rainstorms in California and the destruction of the anchovy fishery off the coast of Peru. Climatic changes in Central and North America and in parts of Africa are also blamed partly on El Nino.
F
Family Planning The process of deciding the number and spacing of children in a family. Hundreds of millions of women would like to be able to choose whether or not to become pregnant. In developing countries an estimated 100 million women (1 in every 5) want to avoid pregnancy but are not using any form of contraception and have no means of spacing or limiting births. The 45 million induced abortions around the world attest to the need for family planning. If all women who wished to avoid childbirth were able to, births would all by 27% in Africa, 33% in Asia and 35% in Latin America and the number of women who die during pregnancy or childbirth would be halved.
Famine A prolonged shortage of food which causes widespread and persistent hunger, starvation, ill health and a substantial increase in the death rate. Famines can occur when crops and food supplies are destroyed by natural causes such as droughts, floods, torrential rains, cold, hurricanes, vermin, plant disease or insect infestations. Drought is the most common cause of famine in arid and semi-arid areas.
From 1971-73, a famine in Ethiopia killed 1.5 million people. The Ethiopian famine galvanised the global community as painful images of the hungry and the dying flashed across the world's television screens. Huge cargo planes were able to despatch food from existing stocks and the scale of lives lost was significantly reduced.
Famines due to natural causes continue to occur. But famines often have more to do with human actions than nature. Over the centuries, warfare has been the most common cause. For centuries, armies have destroyed enemy crops and blocked food supply, for example in Biafra in 1967-69, or during the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II. Human greed rather than conflict can also lead to famine. In 1943 in India, the price of rice was driven up by speculators. As a result the poor were priced out of the market and nearly 1.5 million people died from hunger and hunger-related diseases.
Female Circumcision
(also known as Female Genital Mutilation [FGM] or Female Circumcision)
More than 100 million girls and women live with the results of female circumcision, which is practiced in 26 African countries and also occurs in Malaysia, Indonesia, Yemen and in parts of Brazil, Mexico and Peru. In Europe and North America many immigrants from these regions still maintain the practice. For many men and women it is a symbol of their heritage. Others undergo the operation as a religious requirement, although neither the Bible nor the Qu'ran prescribe female circumcision.
The practice involves the removal of parts of the external female genitalia. Approximately 15% of affected women undergo 'infibulation', the most severe form, in which the clitoris, all of the labia minora and all or part of the labia majora are removed. The vulva is then stitched together, leaving only a small opening for urine and menstrual blood to pass through. The age of circumcision varies from infancy up to the sixth month of pregnancy. The operations are carried out in several ways. In isolated areas, traditional birth attendants use a razor blade, knife or piece of glass, stitching the sides or holding them in place with thorns. The health impacts are severe ranging from pain, haemorrhage, infections, urinary tract problems and infertility. One study in West Africa found that 83% of circumcised women had a circumcision-related problem which required medical attention at some point during their life.
Back To Top
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)The total monetary value of goods and services produced within a country over a year. It may be used to determine the wealth of a country, but is less widely used than the Gross National Product (GNP, see below). By the mid-1990s, the global GDP was around $26 trillion, with the industrialised countries accounting for $20 trillion of the total. Luxembourg, Switzerland and Japan have the highest GDP per capita ($34,000) while Sudan, Somalia and Mozambique have the lowest ($80).
Gross National Product (GNP)The most commonly used measurement of the wealth of a country. The GNP is the total value of goods and services produced within a country together with income received from other countries (notably interest and dividend payments, minus similar payments made to other countries). For many developing countries, interest and dividend payments to foreigners are normally more than similar receipts. In these circumstances, the national product is less than the domestic product.
The concepts may be expressed either in gross or net terms. For the latter, a deduction is made for the capital assets used up in producing the goods and services sold. Net national product is often referred to as National Income, the sum of all income received in a given year. It is equal to GNP less depreciation. For comparative purposes GNP is frequently expressed as a per capita figure, the total GNP divided by the number of people in the population.
Global Movement for ChildrenPlan, in partnership with UNICEF, the International Save the Children Alliance, World Vision International, Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) and Netaid.org Foundation founded the Global Movement for Children; a worldwide initiative uniting, for the first time, all those with a concern for the welfare of children for the promotion of their rights. In 1989 during a General Assembly of the United Nations, the world's Heads of States agreed and signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Its basic principle is that society should satisfy the fundamental needs of children and provide assistance for the development of the child's personality, talents and abilities.
Since then, more children are in school than ever before, they are receiving better health care and an increasing number of adults are trying to do something about child exploitation. Yet there is still a long way to go.
The Global Movement for Children was established to bring these principles back onto the public agenda. The United Nations will hold another Special Session on Children in May 2002, bringing together children, Heads of States and children's advocates to talk about children's rights and to agree a decade-long plan of action to improve their lives worldwide.
The Global Movement for Children was established in 2001, to influence the outcome of the Special Session, raise awareness of children's rights among governments and policy makers throughout the world and call on everyone to end the poverty, ill-health, violence and discrimination that destroy so many young lives.
Plan's objective within the initiative is to ensure that children's voices are heard at the global forum and can influence global policy. See also Say Yes for Children Campaign
External Links on the subject:Global Movement for Children
UNICEF
The International Save the Children Alliance
World Vision International
Netaid.org
Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC)
H
Health programs in PlanWhen developing programs aiming to improve each child's well-being, Plan assesses the situation of each community, addressing many inter-related factors in their environment, such as infection control, nutrition and longer-term measures promoting healthy lifestyles and responsible parenthood. Plan also develops programs to improve the well-being of adults, particularly women of child-bearing age, which have a clear benefit to the health of the child.
Human Development Index (HDI)An annual assessment of the progress of nations in improving living standards. The indices are produced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and follow the assumption that economic growth does not necessarily equate to human development and improved well-being. The reports assess the actual impact of development on people, rather than using the Gross National Product (GNP) which is based purely on financial information like income and savings, commodity production and the accumulation of capital.
The HDI includes factors like life expectancy and access to education, in the belief that human development requires both economic growth and an equitable distribution of income and resources. The HDI is a basic aggregate of 3 indicators: life expectancy is used to determine longevity; adult literacy and years of schooling to estimate knowledge; and GDP per person as a means of gauging command over resources.
Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV)HIV is a retrovirus which leads to Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Disease Syndrome (AIDS) in humans. HIV destroys the body's natural defences against disease by multiplying in the cells that are sent by the immune system to destroy it, making infected individuals susceptible to a wide range of opportunistic infections. Many of these infections are not normally serious, but HIV gives them the opportunity to have a lethal impact.
The virus is spread through sexual contact, intravenous drug use and blood transfusions as well as from an infected mother to her infant in utero or during birth. AIDS takes at least 6 years to develop after the initial infection.
Human RightsPrivileges claimed or enjoyed by every human being by virtue of being human. The concept developed from the Roman idea of 'natural law'. Early milestones in establishing human rights include the British Magna Carta (1215), Habeas Corpus Act (1679) and Bill of Rights (1689). None of these were as fundamentally comprehensive as the US Bill of Rights (1788) or France's Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789). During the nineteenth century, human rights began to be enshrined in international law, best illustrated by the Geneva Conventions, a series of treaties which governed the humane treatment of civilians, soldiers and prisoners during times of war.
The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948. It stated that people have the right to life, liberty and education; to freedom of movement, religion, association and information; to a nationality and to equality before the law. Many nations still deny their citizens basic rights.
HungerThe average person needs about 2,500 calories a day to survive. People in the developed world consume 40% above this figure daily, while the average Third World citizen gets by on 10% less. During the first half of the 1980s the number of 'hungry' people in the world reached 512 million. Every year another 40 million people are added to the total. By the year 2000, an estimated 588 million men, women and children will be seriously undernourished. Each year, some 40 million people die from hunger and hunger-related diseases.
The majority of the world's hungry and undernourished live in Asia and about 85% of those live in rural areas. If food was distributed evenly around the world, everyone would have enough to satisfy their needs. Unequal distribution means that hunger and malnutrition are commonplace. The hungry are mostly those people who lack the cash to buy or the land to grow food for themselves and their families. This is true even in the richest of countries.
I
IlliteracyAccording to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), some 25% of the world's adult population is illiterate. Average rates of literacy vary from 50-70% in the Third World to nearly 99% in industrialised countries. In total, there are more than 900 million illiterate people in the world, nearly 98% living in developing countries. Over the past 4 decades, literacy rates for people of fifteen years and over have improved everywhere, most notably among women. But women still account for two-thirds of the world's illiterate adults (some 565 million people), concentrated mainly in developing countries.
More than half of today's illiterate adults live in India (291 million) and China (166 million). In India 57% of adult males are literate compared with only 29% of women. UNESCO is leading the campaign against illiteracy, aiming to reduce it to 15% of 1990 levels by the year 2000.
Imperialism is the acquisition and maintenance of empires, through direct territorial control or through indirect methods of exerting control on the politics and/or economy of other countries. The term is used by some to describe the policy of a country in maintaining colonies and dominance over distant lands, regardless of whether the country calls itself an empire.
This definition is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperialism, please click on the linked text to read more
Exemption from punishment.
ImmunisationA means of providing immunity to diseases by artificial means. This can be done by injecting antibodies against specific diseases (passive immunity) or by vaccination (the injection of disease-causing micro-organisms to stimulate the body to form its own antibodies without producing the disease).
Immunisation against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles, tuberculosis and polio has saved millions of children from death and disability. Hepatitis h3 and yellow fever vaccines have also proved invaluable. Since 1960, child and infant mortality rates have been more than halved by vaccination.
In 1980, only 20% of the world's children were protected against the major immunisable diseases. By 1995, the figure had risen to 80%. More than 70 developing countries reported that 80% of all children had been immunised. However, 25 countries (18 of them in Africa) still reported coverage below 50% for the 6 major vaccines.
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)The IMR is the number of deaths of children aged 0-12 months per 1,000 live births in a given year. This includes 'neonatal mortality' (death occurring in the first four weeks of life) from such causes as asphyxia and injuries sustained during the birth process. Neonatal deaths account for two-thirds of all infant mortality in developing countries, mainly due to a lack of good medical facilities.
The world's IMR fell by 37% between 1970 and 1996-from 97 to 60 deaths per 1,000 live births. But this still means that some 8.4 million infants die before their first birthday. Despite dramatic improvements over the last 20 years, there is a huge gap between the developed and developing worlds. In rich countries the average is 6.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to an average 106.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in developing countries.
The infant mortality rate is often accompanied by figures for child or 'under 5' mortality-the number of children who die under the age of five. In 1995 the global average child mortality rate was 81.7 per 1,000 live births, down 40% from the 1970 figure.
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), or World BankThe IBRD or World Bank was founded in 1944 following the Bretton Woods agreements to facilitate economic and infrastructure reconstruction following World War II. It is commonly known as the World Bank, although it is only a wing of the World Bank group.
Based in Washington, the IBRD is an independent body, owned by more than 180 member countries whose views and interests are represented by a Board of Governors and a Washington-based Board of Directors. Member countries are shareholders who carry ultimate decision-making power in the World Bank. All members must belong to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). All members make a capital subscription in accordance with a formula related to their economic strength. The US is the largest contributor with Japan rapidly approaching parity. The Bank's resources are obtained by direct borrowing in international capital markets and from governments. It lends on near commercial terms.
Since 1948 most of its loans have been to spur economic growth in developing countries, though it has also made loans for educational and social schemes, including family planning and resettlement programs. It plays an important role in appraising and advising on the development programs of developing countries, as well as producing several influential annual statistical publications.
Today more and more people are questioning the Bank's credibility and activities. Critics charge that the Bank is a tool of neo-colonialism controlled by rich, Western countries to force Third World nations to take a subservient place in the global economy. In 1993, US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson endorsed this view in an address to the leaders of 11 African states when he said, '[the industrial nations] no longer use bullets and ropes, they use the World Bank and IMF.' To visit the World Bank website, click here
International Monetary Fund (IMF)The IMF is a specialised financial agency of the United Nations, established under the 1944 Bretton Woods agreements. The Fu~nd now has 179 members. Its stated aims are to promote international monetary co-operation and the growth of world trade, to stabilise foreign exchange rates and to smooth financial arrangements amongst member states. The ultimate goal is to provide a secure global financial base that will support a liberal trading system and avoid the protectionist policies which contributed to the global economic depression of the 1930s.
Each member country contributes to the Fund in both gold and national currency, in accordance with pre-set quotas which also determine the amount they may withdraw. The higher a member's contribution, the greater its voting rights. The upshot is that the IMF is controlled by the wealthiest nations.
The IMF provides standby loans to members with balance of payment problems; the amount of the loan is limited by the quota system and is normally repayable within 5 years. If the loan is large, conditions are attached and the recipient country has to adopt economic and fiscal policies recommended by the Fund and follow IMF advice on how to resolve its financial problems. Measures usually include reducing expenditure in so-called 'non-productive' areas like health, education and food subsidies.
The IMF is based in Washington and the head is always a European (as the head of the World Bank is always an American). Power resides, in theory, with 21 executive directors. In fact, control is exercised by the major quota nations-Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the United States which has the largest quota.
Plan is often referred to as an INGO which stands for International Non-Government Organisation, and reflects the international nature of the work Plan does. INGOs are also referred to as voluntary agencies. These are private organisations of a charitable, research or educational nature that are concerned with a wide range of social, economic and environmental issues. They may act on an international, national or local scale. Some raise money from the public and from governments to help fund development projects in the Third World or to assist in disaster relief. Others attempt to educate the public and campaign on major global issues or to lobby governments and international agencies to change public policies.
L
Life ExpectancyMost published figures refer to life expectancy at birth. This is the number of years a new-born child will live, given the range of mortality risks in their country of birth. Modern medicine, science and technology all act to prolong lives. Consequently life expectancies for most people in the world have been steadily increasing. In 1950 the average life expectancy was a mere 46 years. By 1996 average life expectancy had risen to 65 years. The success brought about by improvements in living standards, health services and medical advances over the last 40 years has been reflected in rising life expectancies everywhere. Even in the Third World average life expectancy has risen from 41 to almost 60 years and is expected to reach 71 years by 2020.
The place of an individual's birth has a profound influence on determining the age of death. For example, the average life expectancy in Africa is now 51 years, whereas a child born in Europe is likely to live to 74. Longevity still tends to correlate with per capita income levels. Inhabitants of poor countries have the shortest life expectancy. Rwanda, at 36 years, has the lowest. Meanwhile, the average Japanese citizen will live till at lest 80. Women everywhere live on average 5% longer than men.
Low-Income CountriesAnother term to describe countries with a below-average per capita income and part of a system used to rank countries based on national economic performance. The World Bank originally defined any country having an annual per capita GNP of less than $400 as a Low Income Country. The exact figure and number of countries varies with annual updates.
The World Bank ranks all nations with populations of more than a million on their economic performance. In 1996, 64 nations were in the low-income category ($725 or less), 65 in the lower middle-income ($726-$2,895) and 35 countries in the upper middle-income group ($2,896-$8,955). In 1996, the lowest income countries were all in Africa.
Also see: Developing Countries and Third World
M
MalariaAn infectious disease caused by the presence of parasitic protozoa in the red blood cells. The disease is transmitted via blood-sucking, female Anopheles mosquitoes and is confined to tropical and subtropical areas. It is the most prevalent and devastating parasitic disease to afflict the human race.
There are 300-500 million new cases reported annually, 90% of them in Africa. About 270 million people are believed to be infected at any one time. Up to two million people die every year from malaria and its complications and over 2.4 billion people, almost half the world's population, are at risk of getting the disease.
Despite malaria's impact on global health, and the vast resources being used to combat the disease, the situation has shown little improvement over the past 30 years. Large scale forest clearance, particularly in Amazonia, has led to a marked rise in mosquito numbers. Extensive, ill-managed irrigation schemes throughout the tropics have produced numerous ideal breeding sites. Favourable conditions for mosquitoes to breed are also created in urban slums throughout the tropics.
Quinine, produced from the bark of a tree, still remains the front line drug for malaria-although resistance to it is also spreading. A new class of drugs being developed from an ancient Chinese herbal remedy offers hope for the future. Although development of a new vaccine is underway, the resistance of mosquitoes and malaria parasites to insecticides and commonly available drugs means that 470 million people, mainly in tropical Africa, live where there are no measures to control the disease.
MalnutritionA condition caused by an imbalance between what an individual eats and what is required to maintain health. The word literally means 'bad feeding' and can result from eating too little, but may also imply dietary excesses or an incorrect balance of basic foodstuffs such as proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Chronic under-feeding leads to listlessness, immune system damage, impairment of mental functions and, eventually, death. Excess eating leads to obesity, heart disease and also hastens death.
There are two forms of malnutrition. In the Third World tens of millions starve to death each year; while in the developed world illnesses caused by overeating increase annually. This phenomenon of simultaneous hunger and glut also appears within countries.
Malnourished people are more vulnerable to infection, disease and general ill health. Today it is estimated that there are almost 800 million severely malnourished people around the globe. At least 20 million underweight babies are born each year simply because their mothers are malnourished. In the Third World, 60% of deaths in children under 5 are related to malnutrition caused by underfeeding.
Poverty is the most immediate indirect cause of malnutrition in both the developed and developing worlds. In industrialised countries the money available to low-income families is frequently spent on food of dubious nutritional quality. In poor countries 40 million people die from hunger and hunger-related diseases annually, many of them infant children. It is a cruel irony that in the UK over $250 million is spent on slimming aids each year and in the US at least a third of people over 40 are obese.
Microfinance / MicrocreditFinancial services in the form of small loans and savings services provided to the rural and urban poor as a means of escaping the poverty trap. Usually given to individuals (especially women) and small, local enterprises even though they have little or no collateral - a situation which prevents them from borrowing through the conventional banking system.
The number of people around the world benefiting from microcredit institutions rose from 1 million in 1985 to 10 million in 1997, when a Microcredit Summit meeting was held in an effort to extend credit to as many as 100 million of the world's poorest families by 2005. Although the World bank has pledged $200 million for funding micro-enterprises, it has been proven that such funds are best administered and controlled at the local level.
Plan's MissionPlan aims to achieve lasting improvements in the quality of life of deprived children in developing countries, through a process that unites people across cultures and adds meaning and value to their lives, by:
- enabling deprived children, their families and their communities to meet their basic needs and to increase their ability to participate in and benefit from their societies
- building relationships to increase understanding and unity among peoples of different cultures and countries
- promoting the rights and interests of the world's children
Read our vision
N
Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) Also referred to as voluntary agencies. These are private organisations of a charitable, research or educational nature that are concerned with a wide range of social, economic and environmental issues. They may act on an international, national or local scale. Some raise money from the public and from governments to help fund development projects in the Third World or to assist in disaster relief. Others attempt to educate the public and campaign on major global issues or to lobby governments and international agencies to change public policies.
There are now tens of thousands of NGOs world-wide, representing millions of supporters. The NGO movement is becoming increasingly involved in decision-making at both the national and international level.
Plan is often referred to as an INGO which stands for International Non-Government Organisation, and reflects the international nature of the organisation.
O
Organization of African Unity (OAU) Founded in 1963 in Addis Ababa, the OAU's aims are to promote unity and co-operation among African countries; oppose colonialism; mediate territorial disputes between member states; and discourage attempts to change frontiers that cut across tribal areas. The OAU also attempts to raise living standards throughout Africa via improvements in the economic, cultural and political spheres.
It helped co-ordinate member policies towards apartheid in South Africa and has taken a leading role in promoting environment-improvement policies throughout the continent. The OAU's 53 members include all states in Africa plus Western Sahara, over which the OAU remains split.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)The OECD is an international organisation helping governments tackle the economic, social and governance challenges of a globalised economy. The OECD groups 30 member countries sharing a commitment to democratic government and the market economy. With active relationships with some 70 other countries, NGOs and civil society, it has a global reach. Best known for its publications and its statistics, its work covers economic and social issues from macroeconomics, to trade, education, development and science and innovation. - visit their website here
P
Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI)
A comparative measurement of a nation's general well-being, devised by the US Overseas Development Council. The index is based on three social indicators: life expectancy (at age 1), infant mortality and adult literacy rates. Each component is measured equally on a scale from 0 to 100. If life expectancy is 38 years, the country scores 0. If it is 77, it scores 100. The infant mortality scale ranges from 229 to 7 deaths per 1,000 live births. Literacy rates are taken as direct scores. Although there is some correlation between income and PQLI, there are significant variations. Sri Lanka, for example, has a low per capita income but a high PQLI.
Plan PrinciplesAll of Plan's program work adheres to seven principles which guide everything we do, ensuring we keep true to our promise that children are at the heart of everything we do. The principles are a checklist and a reminder of our ultimate mission:
- Child Centredness
Plan strives to improve the quality of life and advance the rights of children, to strengthen the capacity of families and communities to provide their children with stability, protection and security.
- Institutional learning
drawing upon internal and external sources, Plan will promote learning for itself, its partners and the development communities in order to acheive our mission.
- Integration
Plan strives to integrate all program work where appropriate to achieve maximum benefit for children and their communities.
- Gender equity
Plan will actively work towards eradicating gender-based inequality, to strive for equal opportunities for all.
- Environmental sustainability
Plan promotes sustainable use of natural resources, based on an understanding of the communities relationship with their environment.
- Empowerment and sustainability
Plan seeks to strengthen the long-term capability of all community members to manage matters that affect the well-being of their children. This includes organisational, technical, financial, and managerial capabilities, and empowering them to influence the priorities and quality of services of local institutions and organisations.
- Co-operation
Plan works through and with communities, and with community organisations, government bodies, NGOs and others.
Poverty A lack of money or material possessions such that a person is unable to meet the basic needs necessary for survival. The definition of poverty varies depending on the social context and what is held to be an 'acceptable' standard of living. In modern industrial societies the total output of goods and services is theoretically great enough to provide everyone with a reasonable standard of living. The fact that poverty still exists in the West is more a question of distribution, social justice and lack of political will than of available wealth. According to the UN the number of people living in poverty worldwide rose to more than 1.3 billion by the mid-1990s-approaching 1 in 5 of the world's population.
Primary Health Care In 1978 an international conference on Primary Health Care (PHC) in Alma-Ata called for 'Health For All by the year 2000'. PHC was defined as provided a basic level of care, attention and advice to all people throughout the world. It was built on the principles of social justice and equity, self-reliance and community development.
In 1981 members of the World Health Organisation (WHO) decided that progress should be measured against a set of targets. Two of these targets were a life expectancy of 60 years and an infant mortality rate below 50 per 1,000 live births. Most developed countries are approaching full PHC though there is still much ground to cover in the Third World. Literacy and poverty rates correlate directly with health indicators.
ProgramAll projects that Plan carries out in the communities that we work belong to a particular program, which has been researched and developed for that community according to Plan's overall objectives. Country programs are broken down into themes to make them easier to organise and understand: Growing Up Healthy, Learning, Habitat, Livelihood and Building Relationships. All programs are guided and developed by a written code of principles that keep children at the heart of our work. We also ensure where possible or appropriate that all programs are integrated so that maximum benefit is achieved for that community.
Program Units (PUs)A Program Unit is the Plan administrative office which is closest to the communities that we work in. This local Plan office coordinates programs and projects for all the communities within it's area, working with local staff and volunteers to implement Plan's work.
ProjectsPlan undertakes a series of projects in each community that we work, in order to achieve lasting improvement and change in children's lives. All projects are organised under specific program objectives
S
SAMUHA-PlanPlan works with local partner organisations throughout India, in accordance with Indian law. SAMUHA-Plan is one such partnership in the Bangalore region.
Say Yes for Children CampaignThe Say Yes for Children campaign was launched in February 2001 as part of the Global Movement for Children, as a way to raise awareness of children's rights among governments and policy makers throughout the world. Its motto is 'To change the world with children'. Both children and adults across the world have been asked to vote on the most important issues affecting children's lives today, from the ten principles which form the core of the global movement ititiative. Here are the principles:
1) Leave no child out
Because every girl and boy is born free and equal in dignity and rights, all forms of discrimination and exclusion against children must end.
2) Put children first
Governments must meet their obligations to children and young people. At the same time, everyone – including individuals, non-governmental organisations, religious groups, the private sector and children and adolescents themselves – must recognise their responsibility to ensure that child rights are respected.
3) Care for every child
All children must enjoy the highest attainable standard of health, especially through immunisation, good nutrition and diet, clean water and adequate sanitation, proper housing and a safe and healthy environment.
4) Fight HIV/AIDS
Children and adolescents and their families must be protected from the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS.
5) Stop harming and exploiting children
The violence and abuse that children suffer must be stopped now. And the sexual and economic exploitation of children must also end.
6) Listen to children
Everyone must respect the right of children and young people to express themselves and to participate in decisions that affect them, consistent with their evolving capabilities. And we must listen and act.
7) Educate every child
All girls and boys must receive a compulsory, free primary education of good quality.
8) Protect children from war
Children must be protected from the horrors of armed conflict.
9) Protect the earth for children
There must be urgent steps by every one of us – including governments, civil society and the private sector – to assure the wellbeing and security of future generations by safeguarding the environment at global, national and local levels.
10) Fight poverty
Invest in children. Because children suffer the most from poverty, the fight against it must begin with them. This includes investing in social services that benefit the poorest children and their families, such as basic health care and primary education. At the same time, the wellbeing of children must be a priority objective of debt relief programs, development assistance and government spending.
Underpinning these principles, the movement affirms that children carry our hopes for the future; that the world has an absolute obligation to give every child the best possible start in life; that the best interests of children are determined by our own self-reflection and by listening to children and young people themselves; and that we are all accountable and responsible.
Results from this massive universal vote will be taken to the United Nations Special Session on Children (UNGASS) in May 2002, to raise awareness of children's rights among governments and policy makers throughout the world and call on everyone to end the poverty, ill-health, violence and discrimination that destroy so many young lives.
The work of the movement is a far-reaching initiative intended to establish a framework within which governments can achieve the goals set at the UN Special Session. This forms the basis of The Future Agenda for Children – a set of principles that organisations and individuals can use to formulate their own child-oriented policies.
General background
The evolution of children’s rights: the slow path to recognition
The rights of children were not guaranteed under international convention until 1989, when The Convention of the Rights of the Child was signed. This ‘universally agreed set of non-negotiable standards and obligations’ (UNICEF), was developed over a period of ten years and finally adopted on 20 November 1989. It addresses all human rights – civil, political, economic, social and cultural – but its basis is the rights of children. In respect of these rights it established these fundamental principles:
- Non-discrimination: every child everywhere has equal rights
- The best interest of the child: children will receive the first commitment of all social and economic resources
- The right of every child for self-expression in all matters that affect them: according to their age and maturity, and capability for making decisions
- The right to survival and development: every child must be assured of survival and opportunities to develop as full citizens of society.
It is alarming that such a guarantee is only as good as political will allows, and 11 years on it was felt that politicians need to be reminded of the pledge. The Global Movement for Children was born to address this issue.
Street Children A term applied to young children who, for one reason or another, are forced to either live or work on the streets. In developing countries an estimated 100 million children between 5 and 18 spent most of their lives in the streets. Many actually live at home but are forced out to earn money to help support their family. The work they do is menial and low-income: begging, shining shoes, prostitution, selling newspapers and cigarettes or cleaning windscreens. The remainder live full time on the streets, trying to exist as best they can with little or not adult support.
The common response is to institutionalise street children: to put them in homes, schools or residential facilities where their welfare can be improved. However, in some countries street children are the target of torture and murder by so-called 'death squads'-vigilante groups whose answer to increasing street-crime is to kill children living rough. Over 5,000 children in Brazil have been killed by such death squads. Similar killings were reported in South Africa, Colombia, Haiti, Guatemala and Thailand.
Sustainable Development
Ultimately, all economic development depends on the earth's natural resource base. It is the primary biological production generated by photosynthesis that sustains the human race and virtually every other life form. Maintaining this biological productivity is therefore the key to sustainability. It is also crucial that the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. That is why sustainable development implies limits.
To be 'sustainable', development must meet human needs without depleting resources or irrevocably damaging the systems which produce those resources. Under present conditions, organic matter equivalent to 40% of the primary production of the earth's ecosystems is being consumed by humans. If the world population doubles humans will devour as much biological material as is produced each year. At this level of exploitation the quality of the environment and, consequently, of human life will quickly decline.
The World Commission on Environment and Development defines sustainable development as a 'process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations'.
T
Third WorldA term applied collectively to the nations of Africa, Asia, Latin America (including the Caribbean) and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) which are industrially underdeveloped and economically weak. Although Third World countries comprise about 80% of the world's population, they are responsible for less than 30% of global industrial production. The term 'Third World' was first coined by French demography Alfred Sauvy in 1952.
During the 1950s, the world's nations divided roughly into three groups: the North American/European 'Western bloc' (or First World); the Soviet-led 'Eastern bloc' (or Second World) and the Third World. Today the term Third World has less meaning following the break-up of the Soviet Union and many refer to the South (as opposed to the industrial nations of the North) or the Majority World instead.
Also see: Developing countries and Low Income Countries
TyphoidThere are 16 million cases of typhoid fever a year and more than 600,000 deaths. Eighty per cent of these are in Asia and most others are in Africa and Latin America. The disease is transmitted through faeces-contaminated food or water. Salmonella typhii, the bacterium responsible for causing the disease, has developed resistance to commonly -used antibiotics. Safe drinking water, hygienic food-handling and adequate sanitary facilities are essential for prevention of infection. A vaccine exists but it does not give complete protection and patients who survive take several months to recover.
U
UrbanisationOver the last 50 years as a rural migration has increased and population levels have risen, cities have expanded dramatically. Between 1950 and 1980 the world's urban population almost tripled. In 1959, only 29% of the world's population were city dwellers. By 1995, 45% of the global population was living in cities, some 2.5 billion people. By the year 2005 it is estimated that half the world's population will be city dwellers.
Urbanisation rates are growing fastest in the Third World, by over 3% a year. The rapid urbanisation process in the Third World is taking place against a backdrop of high population growth and low incomes. Housing, water, sanitation, power and other services need to be provided for all city dwellers. Food has to be grown and transported in vast quantities, employment and health care also need to be provided. The planning, co-ordination and resources necessary to accomplish all this are often unavailable to governments in many developing countries. New city dwellers are often forced to live in slums or shanty towns, where they have little access to safe drinking water or proper sanitation facilities. Even if migration from the rural areas in developing countries is halted, natural population growth will ensure that urbanisation remains a major problem for decades to come.
V
Vaccination Also known as immunisation. The introduction of inactivated, disease-causing micro-organisms (vaccine) into the body to stimulate the formation of antibodies to the organism, without producing the disease. The first vaccination, against smallpox, was carried out in 1798. Vaccine is now routinely used to prevent life-threatening diseases such as polio, diphtheria, tetanus and tuberculosis, and to protect people travelling to areas where diseases such as yellow fever, cholera and typhoid are endemic.
Plan's VisionTo live in a world in which all children realise their potential in societies which respect people's rights and dignity. To read our mission, click here
W
WaterWater is essential to life. It is a renewable, but limited resource. Only 3% of all the water on earth is freshwater. Most of that is locked up in ice gaps and glaciers (77%) or in ground water (22%). The rest is found in rivers, lakes and streams.
Every human being requires a minimum of 5 litres of water daily for basic survival. Average consumption varies from 5.4 litres a day in Madagascar to 500 litres a day in the US.
In total, about 73% of freshwater around the world is used for agriculture, 21% by industry with just 6% left over for public use. In developing countries the bulk of freshwater is used for crop irrigation.
The availability of freshwater varies according to geography. For example, citizens of Iceland have 654,000 cubic metres each while people living in Bahrain have no renewable water resources whatsoever.
As the demand for water increases, the supply of freshwater will become increasingly important and contentious. In 1997, UNEP forecast that 3 billion people were likely to face the prospect of severe water shortage within 50 years.
Waterborne Disease Name given to a group of diseases transmitted to humans by bacteria, insects and other organisms that live or breed in water. Most of the world's deadliest diseases are in this group: including cholera, amoebic dysentery, typhoid, hepatitis, all diarrhoeal diseases, infections of the intestinal tract, trachoma, scabies, leprosy, malaria, river blindness, yellow fever, schistosomiasis, dengue fever and elephantiasis. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 80% of all illnesses in the developing world stem from lack of safe water and adequate sanitation. These water-linked diseases kill at least 25,000 people each day yet they can all be significantly reduced by providing clean, safe water and adequate sanitation. In 1996 a quarter of the population in the developing world did not have access to safe water and more than two-thirds lacked adequate sanitation.
World BankSee: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
|
