The Quantum Effect of Development
Amirthavarshini, reporting from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), gives a strategy for overall development by the elimination of conflict between national and individual development.
The development of a nation does not always mean development of the people of that nation. Brazil's so called 'predatory model of development', which has been brought up as an issue of concern in the UNHRC in the past, is an important example of this [1]. This has also been the case with many developing countries, especially the ones from Asia, where the rat race between governments—to prove the superiority of their nation in terms of economic and industrial development—has led to a neglect towards the implementation of human rights. This, in turn, hampers the personal development of individuals belonging to certain sections of the population within the country.
The problem here is that development, like the universe that we live in, comes in two scales: national development (mainly defined by growth in the economic and industrial spheres) in the large scale, and personal development in the small scale. As seen in the above examples, the successful realisation of one of these does not essentially mean the same of the other. These two different facets of development, therefore, require two different sets of regulations. However, neither of these two facets of development can be neglected without causing eventual doom to the other. It is important to understand that a truly developed nation would be the one that knits these two scales of development into a smooth fabric, in a way that work done towards one scale reflects positively on the other, and not the other way around.
The conflict between national and individual development can be avoided if the developmental activities are planned keeping in mind both the needs of the nation as well as the needs of the individual, clearly distinguishing between the two. This way, when there is a situation of conflict, where national development seems to hamper individual development or vice-versa, the pros and cons of taking an action supporting either of the conflicting sides can be analysed and a tangible solution can be obtained.
The United Nation's (UN) adoption of human development index as a measure of development, as opposed to GDP per capita, is an important and effective step towards distinguishing the overall development of a country from its economic development. But this is just the initial step. As a global community, there is still a long way to go in establishing a successful model of development, where every aspect of development is equally achieved.
The famous American economist and political thinker Walt Whitman Rostow developed a theory on 'the stages of economic development' and in his book, he stated a clear, research backed pattern, seen to be followed by every country to achieve development. According to this theory, every country in the passage of development passes through five well characterised stages-
1. Traditional society
2. Transitional stage
3. Take off
4. Drive to maturity
5. High mass consumption
Rostow's theory was developed in the 1960s, when 'high mass consumption' was considered as the optimum outcome, ironic to the worldview today. If his work is extended to today's world, however, we can see clearly that the fifth, and arguably, the final stage to this pattern would be sustainable development. It is important for the global community to recognise this pattern of development in different economies and the stage of development that each economy is in.
Nations that identify their place in the 'stages of development' can benefit by adopting effective strategies by not just copying their predecessors in the hierarchy of development, but also by effectively dodging destructive strategies that slow down the growth of their predecessors. A smart person learns from his experiences, but a wise person learns from others' experiences as well. Using this strategy, the aim of sustainable development for the entire planet can be achieved much faster than expected.
Sources:
1. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2401195
2. https://www.researchgate.net/post/Are_Rostows_5_Stages_of_growth_still_ideal_for_todays_economies_Must_an_economy_follow_these_5_stages_to_achieve_sustainable_economic_growth
(Edited by Harsha Sista)
The Gender Whose Rights Need to Be Developed
Vaishnavi Murali, reporting from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), talks about the issue of gender equality.
On 25 September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as the agreed framework for international development, according to a report by the United Nations Women (UN Women), date unspecified. According to this report, “The Agenda, unlike the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), has a stand-alone goal on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. In addition, there are gender equality targets in other goals and a more consistent call for sex disaggregation of data across many indicators.”
The issue of gender equality and the need to reduce crimes against women is one of the foremost issues that need to be considered. A country is progressive, if and only if the women are well educated and are protected by the law. According to the report by the UN Women, poverty has its roots in gender discrimination, because women are made poor by depriving them of basic human rights. The wage gap also plays a crucial role in this.
According to the UNHRC report of New York and Geneva, dated 2014, since the founding of the United Nations, equality between men and women has been among the most fundamental guarantees of human rights. The report also states that besides calling for non-discrimination in the enjoyment of the right to education and free universal primary education, human rights law also requires States to address the particular obstacles that girls and women face in accessing education, such as early marriages, pregnancies, child labour and violence. Thus, the development of the situation of nearly half of the world’s population is the need of the hour.
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, in its general recommendation Number 21 (1994), explained that “in order to make an informed decision about safe and reliable contraceptive measures, women must have information about contraceptive measures and their use, and should be guaranteed access to sex education and family planning services, as provided in Article 10 of the Convention.” Such information should be scientifically accurate and free from discrimination. The Committee, in its general recommendation Number 24, further specified that “laws that criminalise medical procedures only needed by women and that punish women who undergo those procedures” are barriers to women’s access to healthcare. Thus, provision of proper healthcare facilities for women like appropriate contraception to prevent unwanted pregnancies, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and education and aid for menstrual health are some of the initiatives that governments of various countries can take to uplift and empower their female citizens. According to the report by the UN Women, about 133 million girls and women experience female genital mutilation in the 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East. This causes extreme physical, mental and emotional trauma, and can cause infections that lead to complications in reproductive health. The governments must take strict action against the prosecutors for such a serious offense.
Some other areas in which women face inequality are education and inheritance. The report by the UN Women states that despite the rise in adult literacy rates from 76% to 85% since 1990, women account for over 60% of the world’s population. This emphasises the need to provide fair education all around the world to women. In 26 out of 143 countries, statutory inheritance laws (i.e. written laws passed by the legislature) differentiate between men and women. This makes women more susceptible to poverty and food insecurity, increases the dependence on men for sustenance and inhibits any chance of getting accessibility to resources and credit, to name a few impacts. Thus, women are forced to be submissive and have nothing to call their own.
Another sphere in which women need more independence is in their right to nationality. According to the UNHRC report of New York and Geneva, dated 2014, women’s ability to claim citizenship and nationality-related rights is integrally related to their ability to participate in public and political life. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women calls on states to “grant women equal rights with men to acquire, change or retain their nationality” and to “ensure in particular that neither marriage to an alien, nor change of nationality of the husband during marriage shall automatically change the nationality of the wife, render her stateless, or force upon her, the nationality of the husband.” It also requires state parties to “grant women equal rights with men with respect to the nationality of their children”.
Quoting Jennifer Lawrence, “Women’s rights are human rights and human rights are women’s right, once and for all,” women must stand up for themselves, and governments must ensure that their rights are protected, and most importantly provided for, without any discrimination. Equal and fair access to education, healthcare facilities, inheritance, employment, wages, voting are some of the basic rights that need to be provided to women.
(Edited by Harsha Sista)
The issue of gender equality and the need to reduce crimes against women is one of the foremost issues that need to be considered. A country is progressive, if and only if the women are well educated and are protected by the law. According to the report by the UN Women, poverty has its roots in gender discrimination, because women are made poor by depriving them of basic human rights. The wage gap also plays a crucial role in this.
According to the UNHRC report of New York and Geneva, dated 2014, since the founding of the United Nations, equality between men and women has been among the most fundamental guarantees of human rights. The report also states that besides calling for non-discrimination in the enjoyment of the right to education and free universal primary education, human rights law also requires States to address the particular obstacles that girls and women face in accessing education, such as early marriages, pregnancies, child labour and violence. Thus, the development of the situation of nearly half of the world’s population is the need of the hour.
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, in its general recommendation Number 21 (1994), explained that “in order to make an informed decision about safe and reliable contraceptive measures, women must have information about contraceptive measures and their use, and should be guaranteed access to sex education and family planning services, as provided in Article 10 of the Convention.” Such information should be scientifically accurate and free from discrimination. The Committee, in its general recommendation Number 24, further specified that “laws that criminalise medical procedures only needed by women and that punish women who undergo those procedures” are barriers to women’s access to healthcare. Thus, provision of proper healthcare facilities for women like appropriate contraception to prevent unwanted pregnancies, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and education and aid for menstrual health are some of the initiatives that governments of various countries can take to uplift and empower their female citizens. According to the report by the UN Women, about 133 million girls and women experience female genital mutilation in the 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East. This causes extreme physical, mental and emotional trauma, and can cause infections that lead to complications in reproductive health. The governments must take strict action against the prosecutors for such a serious offense.
Some other areas in which women face inequality are education and inheritance. The report by the UN Women states that despite the rise in adult literacy rates from 76% to 85% since 1990, women account for over 60% of the world’s population. This emphasises the need to provide fair education all around the world to women. In 26 out of 143 countries, statutory inheritance laws (i.e. written laws passed by the legislature) differentiate between men and women. This makes women more susceptible to poverty and food insecurity, increases the dependence on men for sustenance and inhibits any chance of getting accessibility to resources and credit, to name a few impacts. Thus, women are forced to be submissive and have nothing to call their own.
Another sphere in which women need more independence is in their right to nationality. According to the UNHRC report of New York and Geneva, dated 2014, women’s ability to claim citizenship and nationality-related rights is integrally related to their ability to participate in public and political life. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women calls on states to “grant women equal rights with men to acquire, change or retain their nationality” and to “ensure in particular that neither marriage to an alien, nor change of nationality of the husband during marriage shall automatically change the nationality of the wife, render her stateless, or force upon her, the nationality of the husband.” It also requires state parties to “grant women equal rights with men with respect to the nationality of their children”.
Quoting Jennifer Lawrence, “Women’s rights are human rights and human rights are women’s right, once and for all,” women must stand up for themselves, and governments must ensure that their rights are protected, and most importantly provided for, without any discrimination. Equal and fair access to education, healthcare facilities, inheritance, employment, wages, voting are some of the basic rights that need to be provided to women.
(Edited by Harsha Sista)