Johannesburg Summit
August 29, 2002When it comes to this summit you really do get differing views depending on who you read.
TechCentralStation.be has been writing alot about the difference in views of developing world delegates to delegates from the industrialised world.
James Shikwati has a good story called Poor Choices about just that.
The wealthy countries want the Earth to be green. The underdeveloped want the Earth fed. Exploitation of the natural resources created the wealth that feeds the rich countries. To bar the underdeveloped from utilizing their own resources is to make them die hungry....
A delegate from Sweden pointed out that "the poor should not be allowed to make the same mistakes the developed made leading to pollution, the poor should leap-frog in order to attain sustainable development." But what gives the developed nations the right to make choices for the poor?
I sincerely agree with this. Developing countries must be allowed to work their way out of poverty, before ridiculous expectations from middle class European intellectuals are met.
James also talks about the South African governments removal of the undesirable informal sector.
On the other hand, the South African government "dehawked" the street for the summit, throwing out traders, taxi drivers and farmers who sell goods. This treatment of the hawkers is a good illustration of treatment counterproductive to development.
Previous readers will know that the Informal Economy is one of my favorite subject matters. I think it's disgusting that people trying to make a living are removed for cosmetic purposes.
For a completely different view on the Summit, try the British Council's Daily Summit blog.
As far as I can see this follows the very traditional European intellectual (read Leftist) views. The blogs been filled with your typical Anti US retoric.
However they also had mention of the removal of the hawkers. The Informal Business Forum who represent members of the informal economy marched on the summit and said:
"We call on our government and governments around the world to deregulate our industry and to decentralise control over our lives and economic activity," their declaration read. "We can live a better life, and afford better housing, food and insurance, only if the government leaves us alone and allows us to trade."
Amen!
Otherwise Jeff Sachs had a few things to say. His thing was that the west needs to throw some serious money at some major health projects throughout Africa:
"I want accountability from the rich world. I want it to match action with its promises, its spin and its rhetoric. There's one thing I understand as an economist - real change will need money." [Daily Summit]
I'm sorry, but accountability??? Real change will need money??? Yes the rich world need to open their markets and stop their remaining protectionist programs such as farm subsidies, but please focus on those kinds of things rather than a bunch of expensive plasters. There needs to be less burocracy, fewer NGO's, fewer govt programs and many of these things will sort them selves out. Just read the above quote from the Informal Business Forum. Then read Hernando DeSoto's Mystery of Capital to understand why.
Comments:
It is fair to say "Developing countries must be allowed to work their way out of poverty, before ridiculous expectations from middle class European intellectuals are met" in fact as Pelle would himself confess I am very much in favour of open markets and the related benefits of self regulation.
Yet reading some of the literature surrounding the summit I would propose the problem with some of the African countries now is not as simple as middle-class-european interference...
I am continually horrified to see nations turning away GM food aid and then moaning that the world is ignoring them.
See "The bubble-and-squeak summit" Economist, Sep 5th 2002.
Such is the stigma attached to GM food that people are ignoring the basic fact that we have been genitically mutating food for centries, the difference being where we once spent year after year improving plant resilience through cross breeding we are now applying simple biotechnological advances to the process. How can a country that claims it is suffering the worst famine ever ignore the scientific advances that may actually speed up the recovery process of their own environment.
Surely this is a classic case of when the European Middle Classes can actually lend the developing nations crops and produce that will proper in the harsh conditions offered by area's so traditionally "over farmed".
Posted by: Geoff at September 9, 2002 07:42 AM
It is fair to say "Developing countries must be allowed to work their way out of poverty, before ridiculous expectations from middle class European intellectuals are met" in fact as Pelle would himself confess I am very much in favour of open markets and the related benefits of self regulation.
Yet reading some of the literature surrounding the summit I would propose the problem with some of the African countries now is not as simple as middle-class-european interference...
I am continually horrified to see nations turning away GM food aid and then moaning that the world is ignoring them.
See "The bubble-and-squeak summit" Economist, Sep 5th 2002.
Such is the stigma attached to GM food that people are ignoring the basic fact that we have been genitically mutating food for centries, the difference being where we once spent year after year improving plant resilience through cross breeding we are now applying simple biotechnological advances to the process. How can a country that claims it is suffering the worst famine ever ignore the scientific advances that may actually speed up the recovery process of their own environment.
Surely this is a classic case of when the European Middle Classes can actually lend the developing nations crops and produce that will proper in the harsh conditions offered by area's so traditionally "over farmed".
Posted by: Geoff at September 9, 2002 07:43 AM
I agree completely that this is ridiculous. But however the problem is IMHO created by fear mongering by the European left.
OK, anything todo with Mugabe is to do with Mugabe. He has single handedly created the famine in Zimbabwe as probably we all know right now.
In that same Economist article it talks about how most of the Developing world is embracing GM foods.
Posted by: Pelle at September 9, 2002 06:57 PM
