Globcal International

Indigenous Philanthropy That Rewards Beneficiaries and Supporters

Sat, 10 Dec 2022 16:06:50 +0200

Join Us to Establish our 1st Indigenous Unity Mission Globcal International has come to understand that to operate under post-pandemic conditions we need a new location that is readily accessible to Indigenous Peoples (beneficiaries) and their supporters (customers). We need a location where both the political climate and social environment fosters continuing their sustainable development

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

Tue, 09 Aug 2022 17:11:22 +0200

How Indigenous Peoples Enrich Climate ActionUN Climate Change News, 9 August 2022 - Indigenous peoples have the knowledge and practices needed for the global community to implement and scale-up climate action. Today’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples presents a unique opportunity to recognize the multifaceted role of indigenous knowledge and practices in stewarding the

World Kindness Movement

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 15:50:14 +0200

Be the Gift that Keeps on Giving, Be a Goodwill Ambassador

Michael Lloyd-White created kindness campaigns championed by Goodwill Ambassadors to generate meaningful and positive exchanges within organisations in both the private and public-sector spaces – and the results speak louder than slogans. Secretary General of The World Kindness Movement, Lloyd-White connected the principles of the World Kindness Movement Campaign with the idea of the goodwill ambassador in Australian cities.

Australian Cities Adopt Goodwill Ambassadors

By Michael Lloyd-White

Local Government bodies across Australia have embraced the Goodwill Ambassador concept both at elected councillor and bureaucratic levels. The motion is moved through a “Mayoral Minute” at a full sitting of Council and a bipartisan Declaration of Support is called for from the floor to support World Kindness Australia’s endeavours to make our world a little kinder for our children. A presentation is made, and the Declaration of Support is produced at a signing ceremony for all councillors to sign regardless of which side of politics they may be from. At the invitation of the Mayor and on behalf of the community, a company can have its own board follow suit.

The Gold Coast City Council in Australia, with a constituency of 550,000 and employing over 3,500 staff, appointed their own Goodwill Ambassador in 2012, Councillor Glenn Tozer.

“We saw the appointment of a Goodwill Ambassador as an important part of our city identity and an opportunity to partner with and highlight the already active members of our community contributing positively to overall morale. Our commitment to driving tourism in the Queensland economy is enhanced by a willingness to acknowledge how important kindness and compassion is when promoting our appeal to a prospective tourist. Of course, the everyday community needs a hug too sometimes and acts of generosity and kindness make our city a better place to live, conduct business, and raise a family,” says Tozer.

Fast forward to late 2017 and the City of Gold Coast had not just consistently met its Kindness Performance Indicators, it exceeded them and was recognised by the peak global body the World Kindness Movement by its endorsement as a world first ‘World Kindness City’. This is significant as the Gold Coast is host to the upcoming Commonwealth Games, welcoming 70 nations in 2018.

In January 2018, Variety International become another member of World Kindness USA and we look forward to getting them on board our Kindness Performance Indicators too. Many will be familiar with Variety as the charity for children in operation for over 90 years with 22 offices in the US and a footprint within 20 countries worldwide. Variety will be appointing Goodwill Ambassadors in each of their offices and hosting Signing Ceremonies to assist engaging its staff in a global kindness campaign.

While organisations may have the reach and resources to make a huge impact in kindness, becoming a Goodwill Ambassador can start from the home. The fact is, no one person can do everything but all of us can do something. If we follow this philosophy then we will be one step closer to seeing kindness become our default position. It costs nothing to show kindness, but the return is immense, and enduring…

Secretary General of The World Kindness Movement, Michael Lloyd-White, Photo: INDVSTRVS

The World Kindness Movement proposes the following top ten actions for corporates to consider:

Place Kindness on The Agenda
Host a regular panel where conversations in kindness can take place
Develop a Kindness Policy and Workshop
Create a pledge to always seek the kinder option
Appoint Goodwill Ambassadors to co-ordinate, acknowledge and reward acts of kindness
Collaborate in kindness through seeking ideas from all stakeholders, external and internal
Undertake a quarterly Kindness Index
Aim for your organisation to become an “Agent for Positive Change” through having a purpose greater than its bottom line
Encourage the Board to sign a Declaration of Support in an official Signing Ceremony inviting all key stake-holders to witness; and
Insert a Kindness Clause into your agreements or constitution.

Additional Credits: Read the entire article: Be the Gift that Keeps on Giving, by Michael Lloyd-White
Read more about the author: Secretary General of The World Kindness Movement

Globcal International, Honorificus and the Goodwill Ambassador Foundation recognizes the World Kindness Movement program ambassadors with the official title of WKM Goodwill Ambassador and Australian cities that have a Goodwill Ambassador of __(CITY NAME)__, as an honorific style and form of address.

This blog has been verified by Rise: R4cbeb2dbe2b80ed177b91dba86b1255d

Starting an Indigenous Chocolate Factory

Thu, 25 Nov 2021 18:20:33 +0200

Original Chocolate from the Source

Piaroa Organic Wild (POW) Cacao from the Amazon

Globcal International is starting a new sustainable development project with Ecology Crossroads of Kentucky to help establish the first indigenous owned and operated chocolate factory in Venezuela under the observation and guidance of the international community through our organization.

Piaroa Organic Wild Cacao from the Guiana Highlands grown by the Guardians of the Forest.

The new venture will offer true wild forastero 'chocolate of origin' harvested and crafted by the indigenous Piaroa tribe of the Guiana Highlands in Amazonia's Orinoco River watershed, one of several potential original sources of the cacao tree. It is from the Orinoco and Black River (Rio Negro) that the tree may have made it's way north to the Caribbean, Trinidad including Mexico and south to Brazil by river, further through the indigenous peoples that have used and traded beans for thousands of years.

The project will be developed online as a crowdfunding campaign to form a social enterprise and will feature cocoa beans that are wild collected and harvested, then cured and sun-dried before being transformed into an amazing flavorful aromatic chocolate bar by members of the indigenous Piaroa tribe of Amazonas, Venezuela. The chocolate will be offered for direct international shipment using EMS (Express Mail Service) and made available through a distributors network for resale.

Cacao Piaroa

The Piaroa are new to the chocolate making scene, but they are not new to growing, harvesting or curing cacao beans, they have been propagating and planting cacao trees as a forest crop at least "since the late 1950's," according to tribal elders; they have been practicing ecologically sustainable agriculture for over 1,000 years. Cacao represents a major portion of their income with some communities producing several tons each per year. Agriculturally they are one of the most autonomous indigenous societies in Venezuela. The Piaroa also harvest other non-wood forest resources like fruits, nuts and honey as well as make handicrafts.

Traditionally (with cocoa beans) the Piaroa have not been treated fairly in the marketplace (selling their beans for a mere fraction of their value to predatory middlemen), this caused our organization to take an interest in their case in 2018. We were pleased to discover after doing research that their beans were being produced into premium craft chocolates by several bean-to-bar entrepreneurs in North America and were prized and cited with recognition internationally. Now because of governmental imposition into the cocoa trade it is difficult for anyone to purchase their beans.

"Knowing the importance and quality of their beans after receiving a sample and investigating other companies who have purchased their beans for making bar chocolate we came up with the ideal of them taking their operation one-step further by helping the Piaroa make the chocolate themselves here in Venezuela for international distribution and sale, which will ensure a them a fair-trade price to the grower and new work opportunities for the community." - David J. Wright

This year because government interference in the cocoa trade and changes to the local economy the Piaroa have not been able to find a fair price for their beans so they consulted with our organization to help them develop a crowdfunding project to both ensure them that they will get a premium price for their excellent beans in coming years and so they can earn more by producing the chocolate themselves, in our view by using the beans themselves they can increase the cacao farmer's income by 6x which is welcome news to the producers and creates new employment opportunities for others in the community.

Objective: Build a Chocolate Factory

The objective is to build a chocolate factory with international cooperation efforts and goodwill in the social media through a crowdfunding campaign to find investors, members and partners for the program.

The crowdfunding project we are developing with chocolate company involves the use of up 49% (49,000 shares) of the company being cooperatively (collectively) owned by independent investors while the other 51% will belong to members.The preferred shares are valued at $10 each and will be sold for $11-$12 each to cover funds transfer fees and crowdfunding commissions. The funds are needed in order to have adequate operating capital to start the business and operate for two years until such time the company can become solvent.

In a the business plan being crafted the preferred investor is offered a 15% return over their investment after one calendar year or they can wait until the third year to double or perhaps triple their original investment with when the company is valuated. The calendar year begins once the first 30,000 shares are sold, the equipment is installed and the factory is opened. We are looking to fund the program by May of 2020, begin the project before the end of the month and start producing chocolate by early July of 2020.

The other 51% of the company belongs to the De'Aruhuä Cacao Cooperative & Trust (in formation) through Ecology Crossroads who is legally responsible for the delivery, development and execution of project, providing management and oversight is our organization Globcal International.

The Piaroa recently brought us 2.9 metric tons of cocoa beans from the Amazon to the factory location in the city of Caracas, which will soon be under construction. In the coming months (now in less than 1 year) using state of the art stainless steel pots and high-impact chocolate molds the Piaroa will begin to make their own fine chocolate. Several members of the tribe will be attending bean-to-bar chocolate workshops in Venezuela to learn about making chocolate.

Its not unusual for Venezuela to offer such exquisitely good chocolate considering that it is believed the cacao tree holds its origins there, some say in the Orinoco basin which is where our chocolate originates. Different original cultivars and varieties of cacao are also grown throughout Venezuela. One of the oldest companies in Venezuela, Casa Franceschi has been growing and supplying cacao beans to European chocolate makers since 1830, they also have a genetic collection of different sub-species, varieties and strains used in the industry.

Chocolate is an excellent business, according to the Internet there will be over 130 billion dollars worth of chocolate sold this year worldwide, about 30 billion dollars of that is in the craft chocolate bar industry.

Chocolate as a Financial Solution for Globcal

Globcal International has been looking for a method of producing income without depending on donations and we think we found our way with chocolate as our fundraiser. For the past several years we have wanted to become more sustainable and earn a transparent income from our non-governmental activities, the problem has been that most of the programs we have offered are provided for those who have no money or in need our assistance. The time between program development and the effort it takes to subsequently raise funds often stalls or slows program formation.

The remedy is to have a constant source of funding (from business) so the organization can administer its programs quickly, efficiently and constantly develop new missions. Our involvement in the chocolate business will help us create such an annual funding source, fill social needs and being in a profitable business with the indigenous Piaroa tribe which will complement our international non-government organization profile with the United Nations.

Join Us as an Investor

We believe these are the best cocoa beans in the world, there are many factors that we can attribute to their taste and special flavor as well; unlike other cocoa beans these beans are from 'wild' forastero cacao trees, the trees do not receive any pesticides or chemical fertilizers, moreover they are harvested and cured using natural ecological methods.

Join our chocolate factory venture with the Piaroa tribe in a 'forest-to-bar' single-origin organic chocolate business. Our organization is providing operations and oversight management as well as operating the marketing/sales aspect of the business. Private shareholders and members are being accepted now by Ecology Crossroads, preferred shares are $10 each via Credit Card or by PayPal, investors can buy from 100 to 1,000 shares to become a shareholder or a member. You can read more about the opportunity online at the De'Aruhua Cacao website.

An invitation letter was delivered to all Globcal International members in late September several of them have signed onto the program development as investors or members including Maria Veneke-Ylikomi, Luis Cruz Diaz, Maya-Lis Wright, Nicholas Wright, Xi 'Alfred' Ng, Sonia Ceballos, and Clay Gordon; thank you all for joining the project. We are still expecting others to join us. You can learn more about the project and how the project came to be and how it is shaping up on their blog,

Indigenous Unity in Diversity is Now a Reality

Sun, 04 Apr 2021 22:47:07 +0200

Indigenous Views Collated Worldwide 'For First Time'

By Lisa Nikalau at SciDev.Net

[MADRID] Indigenous people will soon be able to put their opinions across to international policymakers thanks to an initiative which is the first to collate their views worldwide, its developers say.

The initiative, known as the Indigenous Navigator, will be officially launched at the UN General Assembly in September.

It is the largest-ever attempt to fill the data gap in development specific to indigenous people, who account for some 370 million worldwide and are overrepresented amongst the poor, illiterate and unemployed, according to the project’s coordinator Cæcilie Mikkelsen.

“The Indigenous Navigator is a great example of how marginalised and excluded groups, who are invisible in official statistics, can collect data themselves.” -Birgitte Feiring

“For the first time, we have global indicators for monitoring the rights of indigenous peoples,” says Mikkelsen, coordinator for sustainable human development at the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA). “It is an awareness raising, a monitoring and an advocacy tool.”

By providing a data collection method that is free, open source and available online, the initiative enables authorized contributors to answer user-friendly questionnaires at either a national or community level. Based on the responses, the tool then creates an index to illustrate the status of indigenous peoples’ rights in selected countries or communities.

Connect to Data with Indigenous Navigator

In 2007, countries adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which set out a universal framework of minimum standards for indigenous people’s survival, dignity and well-being. Seven years later, UN member states and indigenous leaders took part in the first-ever World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.

But one of the most significant global commitments to addressing indigenous issues was the adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The ambitious goals refer to indigenous peoples six times, focusing on the systematic abuse of their rights, discrimination and other drivers that have left indigenous people behind in all measurements of human development.

A New Global Data Set

“The Indigenous Navigator is a great example of how marginalised and excluded groups, who are invisible in official statistics, can collect data themselves,” explains Birgitte Feiring, chief adviser of human rights and development at the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR).

“The active assessment of their situation will [not only] strengthen and empower communities but also give them a powerful tool to raise their issues and concerns with governments, U.N. bodies and others,” she added.

Because the tool is web-based, however, some indigenous experts are concerned that the sample of indigenous leaders providing data will not be representative of the global community.

“Many indigenous people’s advocates — the organisations that represent them, their community leaders — many of them are online,” says Amnesty International’s indigenous rights advisor Chris Chapman. “There is a big bias among those who are online, particularly towards North America and Australia and New Zealand, so I think they’re going to have to somehow account for that.”

However, Chapman added that as a tool, the Indigenous Navigator allows people to take ownership of their needs, their liberties, what is said about them and who says it — rights which are recognised in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Indigenous Navigator is a collaborative initiative developed and managed by IWGIA, DIHR, the International Labor Organization, the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, Philippines-based NGO Tebtebba and the Forest Peoples Programme. The initiative is also backed by the European Union.

Kentucky Colonels: Advocates of Fair-Play and Honor

Sun, 04 Apr 2021 22:44:20 +0200

Becoming a Kentucky Colonel

A Great Honor to Serve as a Goodwill Ambassador for Kentucky

Editorial by Ambassador Col. David J. Wright

In 1996 I received the honorable title of Kentucky Colonel, at the time it was a recognition that was awarded based on being noted for an accomplishment or great deed that brings attention, prosperity and prominence to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Governor Paul Patton awarded me the commission at the recommendation of Judge Ray Corns after the Lexington Herald Leader did a an article about me focused on a tree distribution program I organized in North Carolina that distributed trees to hurricane victims from Berea, Kentucky.

I received the award with great honor and subsequently was named locally in newspaper articles in Kentucky and other parts of the United States as "Col. David Wright" instead of David Wright. It is also a title that helped me in my career and worked as a 'door opener' for continuing the tree program I had started for several years thereafter as the title condones authority when making initial contacts with corporations and the news media. It worked better for me than my university degree, also how I got the title is also a lead-in for a good backstory.

In the subsequent years like many Kentucky colonels I took the special title I was given for my deed, used it and told others about how I received Kentucky Colonel as a title and why it was important to me. I also unequivocally supported the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels which at the time sent membership cards and a product catalog of memorabilia which they sell for Kentucky colonels.

Starting a New Order for Kentucky Colonels

In 1998 I decided I wanted to give back to the Kentucky colonels and the Commonwealth by using the abilities I had learned to become successful on the Internet with the tree program as a webmaster to help promote the image and traditional ideals of Kentucky colonels around the world using the Internet, so I contacted the HOKC, but I was snubbed. They told me that their organization had no roles for its members, that members had no voting privileges and further that they were not interested in being online. They offered no privileges other than the annual membership card, unless I could donate more then I could be recognized with a medal. This encouraged me to establish a website for Kentucky colonels which could be found at [colonel.org] from 1998 until 2002. When the HOKC discovered the website they had an attorney contact me at my home in Kentucky in 2001, threatening to take legal action against me and to remove the website.

The purpose of our website at the time was to offer exclusive Internet services to those who had been recognized with the Kentucky colonel commission, promote their ideas, foster good works and establish an online registry for Kentucky colonels to verify their status as colonels, something I discovered that neither the state or the HOKC organization were willing to do for Kentucky colonels.

If I had not been engaged as an international goodwill ambassador as a result of my becoming a colonel in the first place I may have engaged in the struggle to develop the project resulting in an independent organization, but based on some phone calls I received and contacts that were made by politicians to me it is nothing that would have turned out favorably for my startup website initiative. So in 2001 I continued in my life to go to work internationally as an ambassador establishing a new international organization in Kentucky and moving to Venezuela where I reside now protecting the Amazon from deforestation and working to empower the indigenous people to protect their lands that live in the forests here.

The HOKC is and always has been a powerful well-respected charitable institution with millions each year in funding, they were not about to allow another organization with our inspiration to take root in their territory, not for anyone's benefit. Either way I investigated the organization in depth to learn as much as I could, I read their Articles of Incorporation, though I learned quite a bit it at that time, it was many years ago. I came away from the experience with the understanding that they are not a true membership organization at all, they do not allow members to participate or have any input on the decision making process of the organization, nor did they hold any regular meetings. Most of their activities were dedicated to fundraising and processing mail.

I clearly understood that at very best they are legally stated as a non-membership 501(c)(3) organization that provides an honorary membership to their donors, which was fine; however it was not providing the type of fraternal or an active type of membership like the program or organization that I wanted to start, they had no basis for bullying and snuffing out the inspirations that I and other Kentucky colonels had or have today for themselves, somehow I knew that I would revisit this again someday.

Enter the Facebook Era

Years later, I came to revisit the ideal of establishing a membership group for Kentucky colonels that promotes colonels based on their desire to continue to be recognized as goodwill ambassadors for the Commonwealth and to continue doing good deeds for others through programs and projects involving Kentucky colonels. Then in 2008 I saw a group on Facebook that was founded by other Kentucky Colonels in the social media which were not affiliated or under the administration of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels.

After being a member there for a short-time I applied to become an administrator of the Facebook group and started the first Facebook Page dedicated to Kentucky Colonels in 2009 which remains today as part of the Facebook group. Now today the page and organization is administered by eight very distinguished ladies and gentlemen who have been made Kentucky colonels since the late 1990s.

As a result of my discovery in 2008 I searched Facebook for other groups and found several, I also discovered that at that same time that the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels (HOKC) was not online yet, so I pleasantly contacted them offering them services online free for their members, my offer was flatly rejected again, that was in 2009. By 2013 I was contacted by them once again requesting that we change the name of our Facebook Group and Page so that it does not use the term "Kentucky Colonels" in our name, because they were claiming these words as their own trademark. This is something I did not agree to fully comply with.

They felt that we were confusing members to believe that we were connected in some way to them because we were using 'KentuckyColonels' as our Facebook user name and group name. I agreed to publish a disclaimer that clearly stated to members of our social media circles that we are not affiliated with their charity or organization and added the word "international" to our Facebook group as well. Our Facebook page has always carried the name "Kentucky Colonels International" and has never inferred or insinuated that we are part of the HOKC, which all of us implicitly are a part of through their organizational design.

There is another large group of several thousand called the "Kentucky Colonels on Facebook" which started in 2009 by Col. Jon Meier, they claim the be the largest (unofficial) Facebook group which also states that is not associated or affiliated with the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels.

All of us as colonels are individually associated with HOKC based on the terms of their free non-obligatory membership and initial voluntary offer to recognize us as a part of their charity (when I became a colonel), but moreover we are all Kentucky colonels that were independently of the HOKC commissioned and awarded an honor from the governor prior to becoming recognized by their private non-profit charity organization. No one is selected to become a Kentucky colonel based on how much support they can potentially provide to the independent charitable organization, at least they are not supposed to be, it is a strictly honorable commission that is given without condition, and is not about money or charity, but the deed by which a person becomes a colonel in the first place and supporting the tradition of looking for others that truly deserve the title given they can get the governor's personal attention.

Governor Matthew Bevin presenting a Kentucky Colonel Commission to Honorable Yuan Zhang of the China Daily now member of Kentucky Colonels International and the Honorable Order (Photo Credit China Daily and Facebook)

It is fine when the governor recognizes someone directly as Governor Bevin has above with Col. Yuan Zhang, as well it would also be alright if he reads a letter from another colonel somewhere in the world asking him to review their nomination; there is no substitute for this actual presentation and recognition, however there is not so much honor in a program where hundreds (perhaps thousands) of Kentucky colonels are automatically being recognized which have never actually become known to the Governor or the Secretary of State for their deeds. For the title of Kentucky Colonel to remain the special distinctive and great honor that it is, it needs to be a title that is distributed more sparingly, all those who are Kentucky colonels mostly agree with this.

It is actually important to Kentucky colonels who other Kentucky colonels actually are and what they do. Kentucky Colonels International members naturally want to know how their peers have come to be colonels, it is something that exists naturally among members of "fraternal orders" which in reality represents traditional ideals resulting in common fraternity and mutual cooperation potential.

We welcomed Col. Zhang just a day or two after he was given the Kentucky Colonel title, so you know it is a great honor to be recognized by taking a photograph presenting your commission with either the Governor of Kentucky, another Kentucky colonel that may present it to you or even by yourself after you receive it, as they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Thanks to his presentation in Kentucky Colonels International he received a better average welcome than anyone else has for a very long time.

Kentucky Colonel postcard.

Honor of the Kentucky Colonel Title may be Endangered

In 2016 the development of our independence in the social media became more important because under Governor Matthew Bevin the governor's office suspended issuing commissions and revamped the nomination process that broke with an 80+ year tradition of the nomination policy, now allowing only "active" supporters (donors) of the private 501(c)(3) HOKC to make nominations using an online form.

Apparently the HOKC convinced the governor's office under Former Governor Steve Beshear to permit an online registration form which they hosted which significantly increased the number of colonelships being awarded during his administration (thousands), but it also made the award of a commission less meaningful and easier to obtain. By the time Governor Bevin took over he was overwhelmed with nominations and halted the program to find a better solution.

The old system which was honored by Former Governor Steve Beshear along with the online version was removed as a result of Governor Bevin's change to the system. The classic "old system" had involved a "paper nomination card in cover with a letter" to the governor from Kentucky colonels who wished to nominate someone for the title and commission in recognition of a good deed or accomplishment that warranted the making of a new Kentucky colonel.

Personally I liked the older system because it allows commissioned colonels to include photographs, newspaper articles and make a detailed account that honorably presents the nominee better than an electronic form can and it is one which most colonels agreed with it lasted over 80 years. It should not be an easy or simple process to nominate someone as a Kentucky colonel!

It was an unlawful and unethical act for the governor to revoke or limit the privileges of Kentucky colonels granted by previous governors based on them making an annual contribution to a private charity without taking over the organization completely and remaking it an official or quasi state agency or office, otherwise it is diminished in its status. Legally speaking the award does not belong to the HOKC, but to the office of the governor which precedes them. However for the time being the HOKC is vetting each Kentucky colonel nomination under the current requirements and policy implemented by Governor Bevin. Business has never been so good either for the HOKC.

What Happened to the Original Organization?

Many believe that under the Republican governor that the HOKC has also been somewhat nationalized to assimilate some of the values of the Trump administration with the change of their logo from a traditional Kentucky motif to one representing the American flag shield and updating the HOKC's social media profile which is also known today as "Kentucky Colonels - National Headquarters" instead of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels (HOKC), sort of putting themselves in charge of the commission and other small organizations at least nationally that set up as fraternal groups, there are perhaps 20 independent civil societies in the United States. I don't hold an opinion over their name or the politics that may have been behind the changes I was never dependent on the HOKC for my recognition but on the title itself. Maybe it would have been better for colonels if they had changed their online name to International Headquarters or just Headquarters it would have held more authority.

Changing their name from the "Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels" to "Kentucky Colonels - National Headquarters" was probably not the best of their decisions, I view it as an attempt to come up first in the social media which also changed their distinction to become more aligned with national values and the United States rather than those of the "Commonwealth of Kentucky" which are distinct.

This is important to me because I live outside of Kentucky today, possess individual beliefs that promote the international ideals of the United Nations and I am not aligned with either Republican or Democratic party values, despite being a proud American and a Kentuckian both values that I hold to the highest regard. Either way present day politics are a joke in my opinion and do not fairly represent the people, instead the corporations benefit with a voice, who have no vote but lots of money, such as the HOKC.

The fact of the matter is that the HOKC did not create the commission or the title of Kentucky Colonel, the HOKC does not credit the organizations that existed before they did around the turn of the 20th century and it is unfair to all those who were already commissioned as colonels to have to "activate" their membership to gain a privilege over what they already had and were given for life (based on an organization which provides no voting privileges or genuine member benefits).

The nomination process implemented under Governor Bevin in 2016 undermines and waters down the honor, integrity, privilege and validity from the legal jurisdiction of the letters patent issued by the Governor through the involvement a private charity like the HOKC or National Colonels as they may soon be called? Having an automated system involving the HOKC to produce a document that is valid as a "Letters Patent" is a significant statement on the behalf of the Governor which would clearly not hold any genuine legal authority for the title holder or their jurisdiction over its issuance making it an valid warrant or letters patent.

Formal Fraternal and Membership Organizations

Today like many other Kentucky Colonel organizations and brigades around the world we are an unincorporated loosely organized group of Kentucky colonels, that exist predominantly in the social media with members that truly believe in themselves as Kentucky colonels.

Some of the groups are independently chartered and organized professionally with statutes and bylaws, some of them even support the HOKC by sending a portion of their dues and donations to the National Headquarters for the Good Works Fund or by compelling their members to maintain an annual membership card from the HQ. They are all organizations that support Kentucky colonels (perhaps more so, because they are organized as member organizations) as their own independent fraternal efforts functioning as local organizations in Toronto, Hong Kong, Vienna, New York, Philadelphia, Italy, Florida and the United Kingdom. Many of their members are also our members or were inspired by our efforts online to develop their own civil society organizations.

Some of the better organized independent groups are the Kentucky Colonels Switzerland, the UK Brigade of Kentucky Colonels and the Kentucky Colonels of Central and Southeastern Kentucky. There are perhaps as many as 40 more organizations that have been formed by Kentucky colonels that are or were formed independently supporting the ideals inspired by their commissions as Kentucky colonels in their own communities, which is very honorable, purposeful to our global society and to the goodwill of the Commonwealth.

Reversing the Bevin Policy

The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels has no authority in law or within their charter that gives them the legal right to abuse power (currently), infiltrate online forums or to approach organizations such as ours with scare tactics, legal demands or attempts to dominate who and what "Kentucky colonels" are or are actually capable of doing. To influence the Gov. Bevin to only allow current annual donors of their private charity to make nominations was a big mistake and very unfair to the traditional and customary status of the Kentucky Colonel.

While a well-intentioned Governor Bevin may believe he made the process better by charging the HOKC with the mandate of vetting future colonels and making current Kentucky colonels more responsible by forcing them to donate to an independent private charity each year in order to continue to make nominations, or remain on the HOKC mailing list will not remain be allowed to remain. His maneuver was actually a move that compromised the entire ideal and the degree of honor involved in the receipt of the commission unless instituted by the governor's office independently and unilaterally as it once was without the unethical and unlawful involvement of the private HOKC charity or as they are known today Kentucky Colonels - National Headquarters.

While the state under Governor Bevin currently serves the HOKC organization and engages it as a private contractor, instead of the organization serving the needs of its colonels (as a non-membership prerequisite charity) has become awkward situation for other organizations that wish to serve Kentucky colonels, the meaningfulness of the ideal, to exist or to fully respect the commission as the independent high honor it once was. KCI along with these other organizations and groups will not consider that matter resolved until colonels "active" and "inactive," all of them, have their traditional customary rights restored, Gov. Bevin's policy reverted and the online nomination form removed or improved under the confidential control of the Office of the Governor or Secretary of State.

The fact as to whether we as Kentucky colonels personally support the HOKC which is legally a non-membership organization needs to be the decision of Kentucky colonels and those who choose to support their charity, not a condition of our service as colonels or recent activity with their particular organization. Becoming a Kentucky colonel is a lifetime appointment and proud honor that cannot be subjugated to a conditional status by a third party unless done so voluntarily.

What is next for Kentucky Colonels International?

I reserved myself from making any nominations during the tenancy of Gov. Bevin in the governor's office, first because of the suspension of issuing titles in 2016 and second because of the conditions he imposed on colonels to exclusively support the HOKC, which is an after fact option of the title and the honor. I have not supported the Honorable Order because of all I know about them, philanthropy and nonprofits in general, it promotes only programs for Kentucky in Kentucky. It is not a real membership organization and does not serve its members or their needs, however their charitable programs are very good and do help others, that is what is most important. The Good Works Fund provides much needed support to many charities and programs across Kentucky.

As a professional ambassador working overseas I decided to reserve these opinions during Governor Bevin's administration, one thing that I have learned as an ambassador is that mistakes made by government officials in policy or practice are never corrected until a new government takes its place.

Now perhaps under the new Governor-Elect Andy Beshear who will take office on December 10th we can convince him to revert Governor Bevin's nomination policy to create a more transparent model that better serves the needs of Kentucky colonels, takes into account the deed of the person being nominated, creates more accountability by limiting nominations and replaces the current electronic nomination method which has been taken out of the hands of the governor's office.

Meanwhile Kentucky Colonels International (currently one of our programs) has introduced an international registration program for Kentucky colonels to individually certify and register their titles in an overseas registry operated by our organization that provides registrants a non-state IDaaS (Identity-as-a-Service) credential to access online services through Google and other SSO (Single-Sign-On) providers. The project includes an international registration certificate and a lifetime membership card that is issued within 60-90 days of your registration three times per year, the first registration will take place in March of 2020, the signup form is online now. Most members will receive their IDaaS sooner than to their registration certificates or ID cards.

New Commission of Kentucky Colonels

Also Kentucky Colonels International has decided to form and charter an international commission made up of distinguished Kentucky colonels to protect and defend the great honor of the commission of being nominated confidentiality to the governor by another colonel as a goodwill ambassador to the Commonwealth for a meritorious or noteworthy deed that deserves the attention of the Governor. The new Kentucky Colonels International Commission (KCIC) currently includes members from several different organizations and civil societies that were established for colonels that are not directly affiliated or governed by the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels.

Currently serving on Kentucky Colonels International Commission are Col. David Wright of Venezuela, Col. Maria Veneke of Sweden, Col. Luis Cruz Diaz of Puerto Rico, Col. Jon Meier of Utah, Col. Nicholas Wright of Kentucky, others will be added soon. Those interested in serving on the commission can join by registering their title and postulating themselves for consideration by the other members of the commission to participate as a member or on the executive council. Currently the only rule is that each member of the executive council must live in a different state or country. The findings of the commission will be published following debate and full understanding of the history and culture of the use of the term Kentucky colonels, preservation of the title of Kentucky Colonel as part of Kentucky tradition, the role of a Kentucky colonel after being distinguished with the honor and what the title means to each of them.

The special international commission has convened online using the secure IDaaS credential, it is open to all those who can prove they are Kentucky colonels and register their letters patent internationally. For those who do not need their title recognized internationally or the IDaaS credential the commissioners offer free membership to all Kentucky colonels using Facebook and are current voluntary members of Kentucky Colonels International and Kentucky Colonels on Facebook that have been commissioned.

Globcal International as the registration agent assures its colonels can be recognized outside of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and outside of the United States which will potentially bring additional prominence to those who participate with acknowledgement and recognition by other heads of state through our notification system. We also have hopes of establishing a fund for Kentucky colonels that wish to become involved in goodwill missions internationally representing themselves as goodwill ambassadors for the Commonwealth. Membership in KCI is free in the social media on Facebook to colonels who can prove they are colonels, donations are currently being accepted online at our website to improve our program, membership organization and online presence.

Promoting International Human Rights and the Rule of Law

Sun, 04 Apr 2021 22:42:54 +0200

Living in a Globalized World

It is not a secret that Globcal International believes in and understands the ideals of the United Nations in protecting human rights and upholding an international rule of law. Our world today is more globalized than ever with nations and corporations depending more and more on international trade and commerce. Without globalization countries like the United Kingdom and the United States would have no coffee, tea, chocolate, avocados, or bananas, either would the others

Over 200 countries and thousands of organizations belong to and depend on the United Nations to make the world a better place and be part of the global community. Most have ratified the international declarations and conventions that have been created by all of the nations collectively. These include the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Geneva Convention and many others.

Despite this globalization and globalism has become a great threat to many people politically because their governments feel that it threatens their independence and sovereignty. People that oppose the ideals of the UN staunchly have even created conspiracy theories about them and attack its failures which are propagated politically by the same nation-states.

Watch people around the world reading articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in more than 80 languages. (Photo: United Nations)

People Have No "Human Rights" Except from the UN

While people like the ideal of having human and civil rights, as citizens of their nations they actually do not have any human rights at all except those specified in their own national constitutions. Either way when their human rights or constitutional rights are violated there are no authorities where they can take their grievances except to courts that are part of the same nation that has violated them.

It is very clear that police and military forces working for the state frequently violate the human and civil rights of their citizens in protests advocating these rights, we have seen this year in Algeria, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Ukraine, the United States, Venezuela and many other countries resulting in death and injury of their citizens that will never be addressed or accounted for because the people belong to their nations, much like cattle, chickens and pigs belong to the farmers that raise them.

When people are travelling though, they do implicitly possess international human rights when they are outside of their nation, this is because when they enter a country they do so under these universal rights as unknown civil human beings. As visitors to a country for whatever purpose they simply agree to abide by the general laws and customs of the nation they are visiting, but likewise they do not necessarily possess the constitutional rights afforded to a country's citizens. Likewise they are not obliged by all of the nations laws that are specific to their citizens like paying tax on their income, they do not qualify for the benefits of citizenship, they do not have rights like the ability to vote or to take someone to court, or in many cases even receive police protection.

US citizens and the citizens of the more developed countries are lucky because they are better respected, these countries 'try to take care' of their 'good citizens' when abroad through embassies that help to provide for their needs when travelling. These better developed countries have ambassadors, consulates, or embassies in nearly every country for business, economic development, trade and tourism, how well some of them can take care of their citizens depends on which country we are talking about. Smaller and underdeveloped countries that do not have an embassy often cannot offer any services at all to their citizens, so travellers from these country's depend on the nation they are visiting to respect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Some of the countries that depend on tourism like Mexico have special police and services that are there specifically for tourists.

There are also countries like Dominica which have completely useless ambassadors with no experience that exist in countries like Malaysia, but do not offer services to citizens and are there only for the benefit of themselves (not even the state) according to a recent report by Al Jazeera. If you are travelling as one of their citizens don't expect much in the way of services while abroad

The chance for a human being to take their government for a violation of their human rights to the International Court of Justice in the Hague is nil to none.

United Nations Declaration of Human Rights

Only the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and countries agreeing with the declaration provide people with basic human rights, but there are no laws or forums 'inside of a country' that can guarantee your human rights outside of those outlined under constitutional laws. According to Wikipedia the United States is in the highest category with 86 of 100 points on the human and civil liberties it provides, it is tied at number 33 in the world with Slovenia, Norway is number one on the World Freedom Index.

Human rights are for everyone, today is the 71st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is one of the principle treaties that is supposedly respected by all of its member states. Despite this the greatest violator of these rights remains to be governments and corporations in order to protect their power and wealth. Think about it, we are here at Globcal International.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, was the result of the experience of the Second World War. (Photo: United Nations)

Our Answer to the Problem

In 2015 with the introduction of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development we introduced a program for individuals based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other treaties that are in force around the world recognized by most nation-states with plans to develop a supplementary identification for global citizens and those who support the ideals of the United Nations. The project we developed was stalled by international politics as the world moved towards nationalism in 2017 and 2018, currently we are reintroducing the program for those who have a valid passport who believe in the ideal of global citizenship, we see it as an answer to nationalized discrimination practices and those who are travelling abroad. The program is available online now and we hope to be able to make our first international complimentary travel documents in 2020 for those who go abroad.

To learn more about our current program please review the Global Citizenship Registration program initiative we have underway.

Nadia Murad, UN SDG Advocate

Sun, 04 Apr 2021 22:41:41 +0200

One of 17 SDG Advocates

Is gender equality and women empowerment important for you? Do you feel it is unfair that some people live in war with a constant fear of bombs, mines and weapons? Do you want to make the world a better place? Do you want to collaborate with others to make change happen? Great! The SDGs – the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – do emphasize these issues, among many others.

The SDG 5 is all about Gender Equality. The SDG 16 promotes Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. The SDG 17 emphasizes the fact that the SDGs can be realized only with strong global partnerships and cooperation.

In an article recently published in this blog, we presented the UN SDG advocate Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim, who is a strong advocate for indigenous peoples, the environment and climate action representing the Mbororo people in the Sahel region.

In this article, we chose to focus on Nadia Murad. In 2016, she was appointed the first Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking of United Nations. In 2018, Nadia Murad (born in Iraq) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize together with Denis Mukwege (born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo). They received the prize "for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict".

Nadia Murad, a Yazidi human rights activist and survivor of ISIS gender-based violence, delivers remarks at the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on July 25, 2018. (State Department photo/Public Domain.)

Nadia Murad

Nadia Murad was born in Kojo, Iraq, in 1993. Nadia belongs to the Yazidi ethnic and religious minority in northern Iraq. On 3rd August 2014, the Islamic State (IS) launched a brutal attack on Nadia Murad’s home village. Over the following days, the terrorist group executed hundreds of men and took captive thousands of women and children, publicly reviling them as 'infidels', according to a report from United Nations Human Rights.

“The Commission of Inquiry calls on the international community to recognize the crime of genocide being committed by ISIL against the Yazidis and to undertake steps to refer the situation to justice,” was the message from the Commission of Inquiry on Syria three years after the massacre, on 3rd August 2017.

“We need justice. Justice for women. We want people to accept women’s messages, so women won’t be afraid to talk about what they went through.”

- Nadia Murad

Iraqi Yazidi Islamic State survivor and activist Nadia Murad received the European Parliament’s 2016 Sakharov Prize during a ceremony in Strasbourg. Photo: ©European Union 2016 - European Parliament.

Nadia’s Initiative

In 2018, Nadia Murad founded the nonprofit organization Nadia’s Initiative. The aim of the organization is to “help women and children victimized by genocide, mass atrocities and human trafficking to heal and rebuild their communities”.

Education, healthcare and women’s empowerment

Nadia’s Initiative works in the region of Sinjar in Iraq to help rebuild the local community by providing education and healthcare. Women’s empowerment is an important part of the work and the organization gives support to survivors of sexual violence worldwide. This means that Nadia’s Initiative and Nadia Murad is a strong advocate for SDG 3 – Good Health & Well-being, SDG 4 – Quality Education, and SDG 5 – Gender Equality, among others.

SDG 3 – Good Health & Well-being

The Sustainable Development Goal 3 is “to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”. The Covid-19 pandemic has unfortunately interrupted childhood immunization programmes in around 70 countries and made the health situation very difficult.

According to UNSD, United Nations Statistics Division, less than half of the global population is covered by essential health services. Service cancellations due to covid-19 will lead to 100 percent increase in malaria deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa, says UNSD.

Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health & Well-being

UN Digital Dialogue on 6th Anniversary of Yazidi Genocide

On the sixth anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, on 3rd August 2020, Nadia’s Initiative co-hosts a UN digital dialogue about the genocidal campaign against the Yazidi minority. Co-hosts are also the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations in New York and the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations in New York.

Message from Ato Dakheel to the world on the 6th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, August 3rd 2020. Experience advocate of Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions.

Ato Dakheel, Goodwill Ambassador in Sweden representing the Yazidi people of Iran, Iraq and Syria.

Interview with Ato Dakheel

On the 6th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide on August 3rd 2020, Globcal International Ambassador Maria Veneke Ylikomi had a conversation with Ato Dakheel, an indigenous Yazidi who currently lives in Sweden.

Today I am very sad, says Ato. There should be no difference between different groups of people in Iraq or other countries, says Ato Dakheel, who today lives in Sweden.

Ato Dakheel hopes that in the future, Yazidi children and young people will be able to live like everyone else and have the same rights as everyone else.

There should be no difference between different groups of people in Iraq, says Ato.

It was the city of Sinjar/Shingal that IS attacked on Sunday, August 3rd, 2014. Ato remembers the city of Sinjar very well. He says that he was 15 years old when IS came to the village with their big, new cars. Before the terrible event, Ato and his family enjoyed life very much in the village.

We lived in a small village that belonged to the town of Sinjar. It was very simple, but it was like a paradise for us. We were very grateful.

The Sinjar Mountains have always been and are still an important symbol for Yazidis, says Ato.

The Sinjar Mountains are like a mother who has taken care of me. IS could not get up there. It is very difficult to get up there by car. We were there for eight days before we went by foot to Syria. There were thousands of children, young people, women and men.

We ask Ato about his message to the world on the 6th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide. Ato replies that he hopes that there will be no war again.

I hope there will be peace. I hope that all people will be equal.

Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions

UN SDG Advocates for 2019–2020

The United Nations has appointed the following 17 SDG advocates for 2019–2020.

Sustainable Development Goals Advocates - Photo: United Nations

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana
Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway
HM Queen Mathilde, Belgium
HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Qatar
HH Muhammadu Sanusi II Emir of Kano, Nigeria
Richard Curtis, United States
Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim, Chad
Jack Ma, China
Graça Machel, Mozambique
Dia Mirza, India
Dr. Alaa Murabit, Canada
Nadia Murad, Iraq
Edward (Eddie) Ndopu, Namibia
Paul Poman, the Netherlands
Jeffrey Sachs, United States
Marta Vieira da Silva, Brazil
Forest Whitaker, United States

Agenda 2030

The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs – were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015.

Agenda 2030. 17 Sustainable Development Goals - Illustration: United Nations

No Poverty
Zero Hunger
Good Health & Well-being
Quality Education
Gender Equality
Clean Water & Sanitation
Affordable & Clean Energy
Decent Work & Economic Growth
Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
Reduced Inequalities
Sustainable Cities & Communities
Responsible Consumption & Production
Climate Action
Life below Water
Life on Land
Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
Partnerships for the Goals

Learn more about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at Act4SDGs, UN SDG Action Campaign or on the United Nations Sustainable Development Platform.

Join us as a member of Globcal International if you have a project that you want to develop or you can also join us to become a goodwill ambassador for one of our programs under development.

Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim, UN SDG Advocate

Sun, 04 Apr 2021 22:41:26 +0200

One of 17 SDG Advocates

Are you passionate about animals in your country? Do you feel peace of mind is important for a peaceful world? Do you think clean water for all is one of the world’s most important issues? Do you believe climate action is urgently needed? Great! The SDGs – the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – surely is something for you.

To raise ambition for the implementation of the SDGs worldwide, the United Nations has appointed 17 SDG advocates. They are all united in their dedication to a peaceful world, a healthy planet and prosperity for all. It is easy to think that the SDGs is someone else’s responsibility, but the fact is: the SDGs are responsibilities for each and everyone of us. As global citizens, it is our duty to care for our planet and our one and only human family. To really leave no one behind, we all need to get involved and start to take action.

In this article, we chose to focus on Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim, who is a strong advocate for indigenous peoples, the environment and climate action representing the Mbororo people in the Sahel region.

Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim is Co-Chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change. Photo: World Economic Forum

“For centuries, indigenous peoples have protected the environment, which provides them food, medicine and so much more. Now it’s time to protect and benefit from their unique traditional knowledge to bring concrete and natural solutions to implement sustainable development goals and fight climate change.”

Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim

Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim was born in Chad in north-central Africa in 1984. Today Chad is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the south-west, and Niger to the west.

The Mbororo people, who Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim represents, are a small subgroup of the Fulani ethnic group. The Mbororo people, also called the Wodabee or Bororo, are traditionally nomadic cattle-herders and traders in the Sahel region, a region situated to the immediate south of the Sahara Desert stretching east-west across the African continent.

The Association of Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad

When Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim realized the discrimination against indigenous peoples, and especially indigenous women, for example the exclusion from educational opportunities, she founded the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT), promoting the rights of girls and women in the Mbororo community. By doing so, she also promoted the girls and women in the Mbororo community as strong leaders in environmental protection.

International Negotiations

The organization Association of Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad has since 2005 participated in international negotiations on climate, sustainable development, biodiversity, and environmental protection. This means that Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim is a strong advocate for the SDG 4 – Quality Education, SDG 6 – Clean Water & Sanitation, SDG 13 – Climate Action, SDG 15 – Life on Land, and SDG 16 – Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions.

SDG 13 – Climate Action

The Sustainable Development Goal 13 is “to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”. According to UNDESA, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2019 was the second warmest year on record and global temperatures are projected to rise by up to 3,2 degrees Celsius by 2100.

Only 85 countries have national disaster risk reduction strategies aligned to the Sendai Framework, which is the roadmap for how we make our communities safer and more resilient to disasters developed by UNDRR, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The climate of the Sahel region, the home of the Mbororo people, is arid and hot with strong seasonal variations in rainfall and temperature. The region is vulnerable to climate change. The Sahel region will be at risk of drought which can reduce water supply for both animals and people. This is one example of how global warming may affect the people living in the Sahel region, especially the vulnerable Mbororo people.

Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action

UN SDG Advocates for 2019–2020

The United Nations has appointed the following 17 SDG advocates for 2019–2020:

Sustainable Development Goals Advocates - Photo: United Nations

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana
Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway
HM Queen Mathilde, Belgium
HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Qatar
HH Muhammadu Sanusi II Emir of Kano, Nigeria
Richard Curtis, United States
Hindou Oumaro Ibrahim, Chad
Jack Ma, China
Graça Machel, Mozambique
Dia Mirza, India
Dr. Alaa Murabit, Canada
Nadia Murad, Iraq
Edward (Eddie) Ndopu, Namibia
Paul Poman, the Netherlands
Jeffrey Sachs, United States
Marta Vieira da Silva, Brazil
Forest Whitaker, United States

Agenda 2030

The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs – were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015.

Agenda 2030. 17 Sustainable Development Goals - Illustration: United Nations

No Poverty
Zero Hunger
Good Health & Well-being
Quality Education
Gender Equality
Clean Water & Sanitation
Affordable & Clean Energy
Decent Work & Economic Growth
Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
Reduced Inequalities
Sustainable Cities & Communities
Responsible Consumption & Production
Climate Action
Life below Water
Life on Land
Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
Partnerships for the Goals

Learn more about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at Act4SDGs, UN SDG Action Campaign or on the United Nations Sustainable Development Platform.

Join us as a member of Globcal International if you have a project that you want to develop or you can also join us to become a goodwill ambassador for one of our programs under development.

Tibet, the Water Tower of Asia

Sun, 04 Apr 2021 15:00:57 +0200

Tibet, the Water Tower of Asia

Lobsang Sangay, president of the Central Tibetan Administration, is increasing the efforts to raise awareness about the deteriorating human rights situation in Tibet. Recently he visited Scandinavia and Canada and last week he visited the United States to discuss the Tibet issue and the U.S.-China bilateral relationship.

Globcal International's Goodwill Ambassador Maria Veneke Ylikomi had the great honour to interview Lobsang Sangay, or "Sikyong" as his Tibetan title is, during the president's visit in Sweden. The interview was made for the Swedish magazine Gränslöst, with the theme of human rights, democracy and tolerance. News about justice – for all.

"What we say is that we want to walk with the Chinese government, we want to talk with the Chinese government and we want a mutually acceptable solution with the Chinese government. It is to seek genuine autonomy as per Chinese laws for the Tibetan people", said Lobsang Sangay.

Sikyong studied International Law at Harvard Law School in the United States. In 2011, he got elected as president of the Tibetan-government-in-exile, Central Tibetan Administration, based in Dharamsala, India.

"I spent 16 years in America and learned quite a bit. And 2011 I ran for the election. I didn’t think I would win, my mother didn’t think I would win, no one thought I would win, but I won. And then I decided to move to India, to leave Harvard and leave my job in America. I didn’t find it that difficult, mental adjustment."

Below is the article which was published in the Swedish magazine Gränslöst:

Tibet’s president in exile – visiting Sweden

Tibet’s President in exile, Dr Lobsang Sangay, or “Sikyong” as his Tibetan title is, visited Sweden on November 14–15. The Swedish visit was arranged by the Swedish Tibet Committee together with the Tibetan Community in Sweden. The President had a hectic program during the two days in Sweden. The magazine Gränslöst received an exclusive interview with the Tibetan leader.

Gränslöst Magazine: Interview with the President of Tibet

by Maria Veneke Ylikomi, for the Swedish magazine Gränslöst, 2017-11-22

It is a sunny morning in November when Gränslöst meets Lobsang Sangay at a hotel in Stockholm. He talks about the challenges that the Tibetan people are facing. He says that human rights violations are the most pressing issues today.

– There is political repression, cultural assimilation, environmental destruction, social discrimination and economic marginalization.

As an example of cultural assimilation, Sikyong mentions the Tibetan language.

– The Chinese law says that Tibetan language should be not only used but should be encouraged. But in practice, it is discouraged and not used.

Lobsang Sangay says that 150 Tibetans have burned themselves to death.

– Few young students burned themselves saying we want to use Tibetan language in Tibetan schools. That is severe.

Lobsang Sangay explains that Tibet totally lacks independent media.

– Reporters without Borders have said that it’s more difficult to have access to Tibet for journalists than North Korea. So, if you try to get a visa as a journalist to go to Tibet, Chinese Embassy will say no, you cannot go.

Lobsang Sangay thinks that the water issue is very important not only for Tibet but for the whole Asia.

– Tibet is called the water tower of Asia. The ten major rivers of Asia flow from the Tibetan Plateau.

As examples of rivers flowing from Tibet, Sikyong mentions the rivers Indus, Brahmaputra, Mekong, Irrawaddy, Yangtze and Yellow River.

– Yellow River is the cradle of Chinese civilization. 1.4 billion people depend on freshwater flowing from Tibet. So it’s very serious. China has 19 per cent of the world population but only 12 per cent of freshwater, which means already 400 million Chinese are facing scarcity of water. The situation in other parts of Asia is bad.

Sikyong explains that China wants to divert the Tibetan rivers to the inner parts of China.

– There was one report that they want to divert Brahmaputra River, which is a lifeline for northeast of India and Bangladesh. They want to divert to Xinjiang, which is a very dry area. If that river is diverted, millions of people in northeast of India and Bangladesh will suffer.

The Tibetan Plateau is sometimes called “The Third Pole”.

– After Antarctic and Arctic, Tibet has the third highest reserve of ice. And Tibet also acts like the cooler or the refrigerator of the world. It is so high and so cold, covered in snow. Tibet has 46 000 glaciers. Nasa says, by 2100, one third will disappear, or even as high as two thirds will disappear. If two thirds of Tibetan glaciers disappear, what will happen to 1.4 billion people who are depending on water from the Tibetan Plateau? It is a very serious issue. One scientist in University of California said “if you want to understand climate change and global warming, it won’t be complete without understanding the Tibetan Plateau”.

Sikyong says that Chinese environmentalists are proposing to declare Tibet as the Third Pole National Park.

– Chinese government is not listening, so all the big companies are exploiting mineral resources of Tibet. And they are also exploiting all other kinds of minerals, cutting down trees and building a lot of hydro projects in Tibet regions and rivers. It is Chinese companies and Chinese leaders and officials who are profiting from all this kind of businesses.

Lobsang Sangay explains that deforestation causes natural disasters and floods.

– The Tibetan Plateau affects the climate all the way to Europe, whether the Sweden winter is cold or warm, whether there is heat wave in Europe or not, is partly determined by the climate change on the Tibetan Plateau. So the Tibet issue is a global environmental issue.

For the Tibetan leader Lobsang Sangay, Gandhi’s non-violent philosophy, ahimsa, is the right way to go.

– There is so much violence already in the world. If you can solve the issue, any issue, based on ahimsa and non-violence, it is always good. We are advocating this. There are people who are interested, there are people who are supportive, but unfortunately the Chinese government and Chinese leaders are not listening, so that’s where the challenge is.

Photo: Office of Tibet

Sikyong explains that Tibetan Buddhists are not given the right to peaceful demonstrations.

– Larung Gar monastery had 12 000 monks and nuns. From last year August to this year August, it was destroyed and reduced to 5 000 monks and nuns. 7 000 were expelled. Three nuns committed suicide. So you can clearly see, peaceful demonstration by Buddhist monks and nuns is impossible. Larung Gar and the surrounding mountains are surrounded by troops.

Sikyong believes that rise of nationalism is a global challenge.

– There is decrease in internationalism and there is rise of nationalism. In North America, Europe, Asia, it is a reality. And the Chinese nationalism is a new thing. So how we handle that is a big test. That’s the big challenge for the globe, for the whole world. We must continue the path of internationalism and liberalism. The world is getting smaller in the sense we all are integrated, the borders become porous, are intermingling. The liberal pulse is the best way to go. The rise of nationalism and extremism is creating more obstacles for general peace and harmony in the world.

Lobsang Sangay’s parents fled to India from Tibet in 1959.

– I grew up in a small village, in a place called Darjeeling. Darjeeling is known for tea. But I was not from the town. I was from the village. My family did not have much, only one acre of land, two–three cows, one dozen chicken. On my winter vacation I cut grass for cows, cut wood for home. I went to a refugee school, studied hard and worked hard.

Later in life, Lobsang Sangay received a Fulbright Scholarship to study International Law at Harvard Law School in the United States, where he got a doctorate degree. In 2011, he got elected as President of the Tibetan-government-in-exile, based in Dharamsala, India. He left America, Harvard, and went to Dharamsala to work for the Central Tibetan Administration.

– Since childhood, when you hear the stories from your parents, how much they suffered, how difficult it was, that inculcate some sense of responsibility in you.

Sikyong explains that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a good helping hand.

– He thinks I am doing okay, helping the Tibetan cause. I meet him regularly. Just one week before I travelled to this part of the world, I met him twice in one week. I inform him and he advise me, so I get to meet regularly. He is a good support for me in everything I do.

In conclusion, Sikyong says he likes nature.

– I like forests, I like mountains, I like fresh air. And I like cows.

Gränslöst (borderless/limitless in the Swedish language) is a Swedish magazine with the theme of human rights, democracy and tolerance. News about justice – for all.

Fair-Trade Award Winning Coffee from India

Sun, 04 Apr 2021 14:58:29 +0200

Indigenous Indians Fight Deforestation Threat with Gourmet Coffee

Article by Rina Chandran, Reuters

Once forbidden by colonialists from cultivating coffee, indigenous people in southern India have won a prestigious award for their bean, which they farm while fighting deforestation.

Adivasi indigenous peoples harvesting coffee in the Araku Valley in India

Araku Valley Coffee won gold in the Prix Epicures (Award) in Paris earlier this month. The beans are grown by Adivasis - or “original inhabitants” - of southern Andhra Pradesh state through a cooperative set up by the Naandi Foundation.

The organic farming model has benefited more than 45,000 Adivasi families, with profits from the high-grade coffee put into schools, healthcare and other needs of the remote community, according to Manoj Kumar, who founded Naandi.

The initiative has been a success because it built on the strong connection that Adivasis have to the forest, he said.

“They fully embraced the concept of biodynamic farming, because it is a holistic approach that benefits the eco-system, and is in tune with their traditional beliefs of caring for the community and the forest,” he said.

“This is not just about food security; it is also about pride in living without government handouts, and conserving the forest,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation over the phone.

The Adivasis are also countering deforestation by planting millions of mango, papaya and orange trees to provide shade for their coffee crops, as well as in other areas, with support from the Paris-based Global Livelihoods Funds.

While India has pledged to keep a third of its total land area under forest and tree cover, a growing population and increasing demand for land for mining and other industrial activities are placing greater stress on forests.

Activists say a new forest law favoring commercial plantations would undermine indigenous rights over forests and lead to more logging.

Coffee estates thrived in the Araku valley’s cool climate during the British colonial period, but Adivasis were prevented from growing it and did not take up the crop after independence, according to Kumar.

That changed after the Naandi Foundation began working in the region 18 years ago, first setting up schools and healthcare facilities, and then helping to organize a cooperative to farm and market coffee.

Araku Valley Coffee soon commanded high prices in global auctions, and opened its first cafe and shop last year in Paris.

But the real challenge for the Adivasis is not picking coffee beans the right shade of red or deciding on a marketing plan; they face a more existential threat as forests disappear, Kumar told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“The Adivasis have such a deep spiritual connection with the land and the forest,” he said.

“Taking that away from them is taking away their life.”

Report (Article) by Rina Chandran @rinachandran. Editing by Jared Ferrie. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit news.trust.org to see more stories.

Price of a Plate of Food - World Food Day

Sun, 04 Apr 2021 14:55:17 +0200

October 16th, 2018 marks World Food Day, an International Observance promoted by the United Nations and recognized by Globcal International. This article by Herve Verhoosel, Senior Spokesperson at the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and is republished from the Inter Press Service, News Agency to observe World Food Day.

True Cost of a Plate of Food Around the World

How much would you expect to pay for the most basic plate of food? The kind of thing you might whip up at home – nothing fancy, just enough to fill you up and meet a third of today’s calorie needs. A soup, maybe, or a simple stew – some beans or lentils, a handful of rice, bread, or corn?

In the rich Global North – say, in New York State, USA – such a meal would cost almost nothing to make: 0.6 percent of the average daily income, or US$1.20.

In parts of the developing world, by contrast, food affordability can shrink to the point of absurdity: in South Sudan, a country born out of war and disintegrating into more war, the meal-to-income ratio is 300 times that of industrialized countries.

It is, in other words, as if a New Yorker had to pay nearly US$348.36 for the privilege of cooking and eating that plate of food.

How do people in South Sudan afford it? It’s simple. They don’t.

An FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) visited South Sudan in 2011 to estimate cereal production and assess the overall food-security situation. (Photo UN)

This is not a unique issue to South Sudan. Across the board, food is becoming ever less affordable in poorer countries that are subject to political instabilities.

Lack of access to food, and the costliness of it, have many causes: climate extremes, natural disasters, post-harvest losses, or bad governance, all of which can damage- or even shatter- farming supply chains and markets.

But, one overriding cause stands out: conflict. At WFP, we’ve long known that hunger and war are tragically symbiotic. Which makes it that much harder to eradicate the one without ending the other.

The 2018 edition of WFPs Counting the Beans: The True Cost of a Plate of Food Around the World index, now spanning 52 countries, underscores this clear correlation between food affordability costs and political stability and security.

The index looks at whether food costs for the original 33 countries analyzed in 2017 have risen or fallen, and compares costs for the same meal in some of the world’s poorest places with one of its richest, by using a New York baseline to highlight vast gaps in global food affordability.

In many countries, it was found that food affordability measured in this way has actually improved since 2017. This is situational, thanks to strong economic growth, political stability, and/or a better rainy season- or in the case of southern Africa- humanitarian assistance helping to offset the effects of severe drought.

Though despite such progress made in many countries through the past year, food costs are often still intensely disproportionate in relation to income. This is the case across much of Africa, as well as in parts of Asia and, to a lesser degree, of Latin America.

Among the countries surveyed for the study, Peru tops the list with the most affordable plate at the NY equivalent of US$ 3.44, just 1.6 percent of per capita income, vs. what that same plate would cost in New York, amounting to 0.6 percent of per capita income.

While Laos and Jordan are close runners-up to Peru, other countries have deteriorated. Almost invariably, these are nations where peace has been (further) eroded by violence, insecurity or political tension, including South Sudan- where the cost of a plate of food has soared from the exorbitant 155 percent of daily income in 2016 (USD $321.70) to 201.7 percent of daily income in 2018 (USD $348.36).

It now costs twice the national daily income to buy a plate of food in South Sudan. Northeast Nigeria took second to last place, at USD $222.05, or 128.6 percent of daily income in 2018, up from USD $200.32, or 121 percent of daily income in 2016.

These abysmal numbers highlight the vast gaps in global food affordability, where 821 million people go hungry while elsewhere one can get a simple nutritious meal with a just a handful of change.

The fact that this still occurs defies both reason and decency, and it’s why we – the World Food Programme and other humanitarian partners – are there.

However, the impact of WFP and other humanitarian actors in saving and changing lives cannot be sustained without political investment, good governance, transparent markets, and wider partnerships.

Societies cannot lift themselves out of the poverty trap if families are continuously priced out of providing their children with the nutritional meals essential for them to develop into healthy and productive adults, if climate degradation continues to threaten food security and development gains, and if protracted conflicts continue to destroy societies and force young talent elsewhere.

With a concerted global effort, the international community can achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and end hunger and malnutrition. Governments must engage with and support their developing country counterparts in peacebuilding, conflict resolution and disaster risk reduction.

The private sector must embrace that turning a profit can go hand in hand with advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through employing young people to boost incomes, sourcing from smallholder farms, and through working alongside leaders to strengthen supply chains.

The shocking and outraging numbers in this year’s “Counting the Beans” index highlight that peaceful societies and affordable food go hand in hand. We have the modern technological capacities to end world hunger, but first we must end the conflict that fosters it.

Together, we can work towards reversing the figures in this year’s index, and ensure that in the future, nobody will have to work a day and a half to afford a simple meal.

Sami People Adopt the Indigenous Unity Flag for Solidarity

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 16:29:29 +0200

International Indigenous Unity Flag in Stockholm

By Maria Veneke Ylikomi, Author and Goodwill Ambassador

At Riksbron bridge in Stockholm, Sweden, every Thursday between 11 and 12 o'clock, there is a group of devoted people who fight for land rights, clean water and a living cultural heritage. In all weathers, they stand up for the rights of indigenous peoples and protest against Sweden’s current mineral regulations. On Thursday, October 26th, Pierre Åhrén received the International Indigenous Unity Flag. The International Indigenous Unity Flag is an international symbol uniting all indigenous peoples in world peace calling for the need to unite to protect indigeneity and the planet earth (mother nature). The flag was created in 2012 by aboriginal Canadian, Col. Michael Lawrence Sher, one of the commissioning founders of the organization Globcal International.

Tidningen Gränslöst is a magazine published in Sweden, this article was published original article: "Riksbron every Thursday"

Pierre Åhrén became a Goodwill Ambassador for Indigenous Peoples Unity.

After demonstrating for 3 years with a homemade banner of the International Indigenous Unity Flag on Thursday, October 26th, Pierre Åhren received a genuine flag, representing unity among indigenous peoples, world peace and how we must become united to protect our planet. The gift was facilitated by goodwill ambassadors of Globcal International.

It all started in November 2013

Pierre Åhrén explains the background to the activities that take place on the Riksbron bridge every Thursday. It all started in November 2013 when activists demonstrated against the mining project in Gállok outside Jokkmokk during the summer. When Pierre stood there demonstrating he came to think of the women in Argentina, Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, whose children disappeared between 1976 and 1983, and who march on Thursday every week. Pierre decided that he also can march once a week, on Thursdays, and other people followed him.

The Poisonous and Destructive Mining Industry

Pierre is on the bridge half an hour before the other demonstrators arrive to prepare the activities. Through the years, they have had protest placards supporting different peoples and places in the world, for example Brazil. The purpose is to protect the earth from deforestation and destruction. The mining industry is poisonous to nature and contaminates our drinking water. The mass consumption society is destroying our planet.

If you follow the chain starting from the mine in the mine you extract metals, from the metal things are made that people should buy, then the things are thrown away and new things are bought. This is going on all over the world, says Pierre.

In Sweden, many of the mines are located in the Sami reindeer herding areas.

The Sami Cultural Heritage

Despite the severe problems with the mining industry, Pierre is quite hopeful when it comes to young Sami people. He means that young Sami people readopt the Sami languages and the Sami art. The young Sami people are the ones who feel the urgent need to protect their cultural heritage.

Kinship with all Indigenous Peoples

When talking about the Indigenous Unity Flag and the event on the Riksbron bridge on October 26th when Pierre Åhrén received the flag from Erica Lundström, he gets emotional.

I feel kinship with all the world’s indigenous peoples.

On October 26th Pierre Åhrén was awarded a medallion to acknowledge and recognize his contribution to the advocacy of human rights and future of indigenous peoples in Sweden.

United Nations Global Citizen Essay Contest

Sat, 30 May 2020 19:14:20 +0200

UN launches Many Languages for 2017, One World Student Essay Contest

Win a 10 day Expense Paid Trip to New York and meet the Secretary General

Minsk, 7 February (Belarus News) – The United Nations has launched the fourth edition of the Many Languages, One World Student Essay Contest, BelTA learned from the United Nations Department of Public Information in Belarus.

The United Nations Academic Impact, a program of the Outreach Division of the Department of Public Information, and ELS Educational Services invite full-time college and university students 18 years of age or older to take part in the fourth Many Languages, One World Student Essay Contest.

The essay must be 2,000 words or fewer and written in one of the official languages of the United Nations (English, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, or French). It must discuss global citizenship and cultural understanding, and the role that multilingual ability can play in fostering these. The essay submission deadline is 16 March.

The winners will be invited to attend the 2017 Many Languages, One World Global Youth Forum to be hosted by Northeastern University. They will be awarded with an all-expense paid trip to Boston and New York City between 15-26 July 2017. The forum participants will present their views at the UN Headquarters in New York and create action plans related to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Climate Refugeeism from Rising Tides

Wed, 18 Jul 2018 21:46:15 +0200

Refugees: Are We Eating our Young?

Islands at Risk

Deborah Levine, Editor-in-Chief of the American Diversity Report

Refugee International reported a few years ago that a Kiribatian man tried to convince a New Zealand court to make him the world’s first climate change refugee. Kiribati is an impoverished group of Pacific islands vulnerable to rising sea levels. He didn’t succeed, but many experts predict a growing number of displaced people seeking asylum because of global warming. The planet has limited drinkable water, fertile land, clean air, and food. The planet’s current supplies are steadily shrinking.

At the same time, valuable resources such as oil, fishing areas, minerals, mines, and even illicit drugs have become a violent crossroads for old ethnic rivalries, international money, and survival. The result is a threat to a global and local economies. Corporations will eventually run out of poor populations to harness, foreign resources to exploit, and regions free of violence in which to operate efficiently and safely. Local leaders are battling fiercely to control access and power, ethnic divisions are stronger than ever, and refugees abound. Above all, the future of this planet, our youth, are experiencing challenges more likely to be identified with the Middle Ages than a post-modern world.

Islands disappearing underwater. Photo: The Guardian: Environment (See photo exposé)

Youth at Risk

The displacement of young people is producing experts in arenas that were once little known but are now all too central to society. Siddharth Chatterjee works at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) since 2011. Before joining the IFRC, he served in the United Nations. A former Special Forces officer in the Indian Army, he is a graduate in Public Policy from the Woodrow Wilson School for Public & International Affairs at Princeton University, USA. In South Sudan, he negotiated the release and demobilized 3,551 child soldiers from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. This demobilization of child soldiers was the first program of its kind during an ongoing conflict.

Unfortunately, many ethnic conflicts are likely to increase in direct proportion to the decrease in availability of vital resources. CNN.com reported what is becoming a familiar situation … “The South Sudanese government and military, dominated by the Dinka ethnic group of President Salva Kiir, is fighting rebels allied with former Vice President Riek Machar of the Nuer ethnic group… At stake for now is control of oil-rich regions responsible for more than 95% of the country’s economy, and perhaps leadership of the country.” In the first two weeks of violence, tens of thousands of people to seek the protection of United Nations forces. The high stakes involved with oil production as well as South Sudan’s gold, copper and possibly uranium resources, brought international pressure for what is, no doubt, a very uneasy cease fire.

Shocking pictures of refugees from Sudan, Syria, and Myanmar are reshape our world view. A Canadian high school senior Chelsea Liu wrote, “I recently came across an article titled “Millionth Child Flees Syria” on Yahoo News. The picture under the headline was one of a young girl, with dark circles under her eyes, staring hauntingly at the camera. In the West—perhaps in Canada—she would be going to school in a few years, wearing nice clothes and hanging out with friends… If she lived here in Oakville, she could do all of that, and more. But she’s in Jordan, sitting in a mobile home at a refugee camp. She’s wearing a blue blanket, and her candid expression shows nothing but distrust for everything that has come her way… How many times have we cried over something that we believe to be so utterly important, and yet so insignificant when compared to this little girl’s predicament?”

What to do?

What can we do to save the children caught up in these battles? They are the future of a society. Destroy them, and you destroy a culture and a generation. Yet, despite the compelling arguments for protecting the future generation, there is little escape for them. Much of the apathy or antipathy stems from a shortage of resources and an overall economic squeeze. How can any country support the tidal wave of refugees over time? How can we feed, clothe, and provide clean drinking water, not to mention jobs, healthcare, and housing?

Syria’s neighbors and European countries are imploding under the current weight of refugees. Yet, Egypt deported Syrian and Ethiopian refugees, Singapore deported Indian nationals, and National Turk Magazine reports on Saudi Arabia, “Thousands of Egyptians, Indonesians, Malaysians and others have been flown out of the country as the Saudi government seeks to create jobs for local people by deporting some of the estimated nine million foreign workers.”

No region is exempt from the challenges. The US tries to close its borders with Latin America. Trucks and boats of the poverty-stricken attempt life-threatening escapes not only from Syria but from Haiti, the Central African Republic, and other countries decimated by war or natural disasters. They often die in the attempt or end up in make-shift refugee camps that resemble hopeless prisons without adequate food, water, plumbing, or shelter.

The calls for help are many. Chatterjee asks, “Will this be the year to protect children caught in armed conflict? We were once filled with hope and happiness, eager to see a better world where Human Rights and equality are advanced. Yet, in another part of our world we see the compelling misery and despair.”

Beyond Compassion

It may be time to recognize that compassion can alleviate, but not resolve. Yes, humanity leads to acts that make a difference. However, there is simply not enough money or resources to counteract the massive dislocations we are seeing. Increasingly, our compassionate acts are like band aids, more temporary and less effective every year. How else can we use our humanity to magnify our efforts, to change the trajectory of the destruction of our children, our future?

Let’s address the root causes of “devour-our-young” syndrome that we are experiencing: Resources. We must create enough food and drinking water for the planet’s population so that we don’t end up killing each other to survive. None of us will be exempt from the impact of depletion. Therefore, we must invest in alternative fuels and renewable energy to power us beyond the fossil fuels that are poisoning the air we breathe. Housing must be energy self-sufficient with solar panels. Roof gardens and urban community farming plots should be encouraged to alleviate the loss of arable land. No longer can we turn a blind eye to the global impact of natural disasters.

Yes, it is humane to contribute food and clothing for those affected. However, the relocation of vulnerable populations only delays, not manages the problem. Investment in structures that can withstand changing weather patterns are long-term solutions that must be rapidly pursued.

As tribalism engulf our planet, armed-conflicts over diminishing resources are resulting in humanitarian crises that overwhelm our ability to assist. Decimating cities and regions in the process of wiping out the perpetrators is creating vast areas of destruction. There must be investments in innovative technology to re-build these areas for environmental sustainability. Will this be the year that world leaders recognize the urgency and act to save the planet, or are we eating our young for years to come in the fight over shrinking resources?

Fighting Hunger with Bytes of Data and the Blockchain

Sun, 10 Dec 2017 01:52:07 +0200

What is ‘Blockchain’ and How is it Connected to Fighting Hunger?

Photo: WFP/Alexandra Alden

‘This can revolutionize assistance to vulnerable families across the globe.’

The World Food Programme (WFP) is testing the use of blockchain, a bold technology that can potentially transform the fight against hunger. Blockchain technology, most famously associated with the crypto-currency Bitcoin, offers unique opportunities for humanitarian agencies to provide the best-possible assistance to vulnerable people around the world.

What is blockchain?

Put simply, blockchains provide a way for two parties to do business with each other without the need for a trusted third party. Akin to emails, information on the blockchain can flow from one address to another. The content of the message, for example, can be a value transfer, a beneficiary’s ID, or somebody’s health records.

Where markets are functioning, cash-based transfers allow people to choose what food to buy. Photo: WFP/Farman Ali

An identical record of all messages on a blockchain is available to every participant (or ‘node’) on the blockchain, which can be many thousands or more. Because there are so many copies of the data on the blockchain network, it is exceedingly difficult for a would-be attacker to alter the records and falsify transactions. Should this happen, however, it would be immediately obvious that there has been an intrusion. This makes the blockchain much more secure than traditional, centralized systems, and renders its records unchangeable.

Shifting towards Cash-Based Assistance

In recent years, WFP has significantly scaled up its cash transfers. In areas where markets and services are well functioning, these transfers are often more effective and efficient at improving livelihoods. Not only do they allow recipients to choose which food to buy, they also inject much-needed cash into local economies. WFP’s Innovation Accelerator is therefore exploring approaches to delivering cash-based transfers in order to reduce costs and risks, while improving data protection and speeding up delivery.

From the Sandbox to the Field

The first, successful test at field level of WFP’s blockchain innovation — called ‘Building Blocks’ — was carried out in January deep in the heart of Sindh province, Pakistan. As vulnerable families received WFP food and cash assistance, the transactions were authenticated and recorded on a public blockchain through a smartphone interface. Transaction reports generated were then used to match the disbursements with entitlements.

Photo: WFP/Alexandra Alden

“Blockchain can revolutionize the way WFP delivers assistance to vulnerable families across the globe. It can bring us closer to the people we serve and allow us to respond much faster,” said Farman Ali, from the WFP Karachi provincial office.

Using the lessons learned in this first phase in Pakistan, WFP is now moving towards a full-scale pilot.

Immense Potential

Blockchain has the potential to allow faster intervention in some of the world’s most difficult environments. For example, in vulnerable countries lacking financial infrastructure, blockchain could help humanitarian actors roll out life-saving cash assistance in a matter of days when disasters strike.

Blockchains can be seen as a foundational technology akin to the internet, upon which many different applications can be built. Just as email was the first widespread application of the internet, payments have been the first widespread application of blockchains. And just as the internet rapidly expanded beyond email, blockchain applications have already expanded beyond payments. WFP is monitoring the scope for applications beyond cash-based transfers, identity management, and supply chain operations.

The full potential of blockchains can only be realized if all humanitarian actors collaborate around this platform. Republished from the World Food Programme blog on Medium.

***

Learn more about how WFP is harnessing the potential of blockchain technology to enhance our ability to provide effective, efficient assistance to the people we serve — and save millions of dollars.

Based in Munich, the Innovation Accelerator combines internal WFP staff with experts and entrepreneurs from across the private sector and civil society. Teams collaborate for three to six months on ideas that are either proposed by WFP innovators with first-hand field knowledge, or crowd-sourced by members of the public. For more information, contact: global.innovation@wfp.org.

The Accelerator is generously supported by a network of public and private partners and funded by the German Federal Foreign Office alongside the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the State of Bavaria.

Power of Unity, the Golden Key to Cooperation

Thu, 07 Dec 2017 12:57:09 +0200

Unity is Strength!

Role of Cooperatives in the Agriculture Sector

By Fernando Aftalión

The irruption of new players in the global commodities trade, greater consolidation of the multinationals, and the effects of climate change are forcing agricultural producers in Latin America and the Caribbean to rethink their strategies for minimizing risks and maximizing results on a sustainable basis.

Realities and opportunities

Although the research and development (R&D) investments of the “Big Four” (Bayer-Monsanto, ChemChina-Syngenta, Dow-Dupont, and BASF) achieved scientific advances that transformed global agriculture, expanded the agricultural frontier, and increased yields, producers face a dependence on technology and prices that is difficult to mitigate. Although in grains, companies like China’s COFCO or Japan’s Marubeni challenge the power of the ABCD (ADM, Bunge, Cargill, and Dreyfus), and demonstrate the strategic importance of ensuring the supply of commodities for some countries. In this fight, it is likely that corporate acquisitions will continue, or that new commodities platforms will be developed, creating opportunities for groups of producers, cooperatives, or business associations. Finally, the effects of climate change (rains, droughts, frosts, floods, cyclones, reduced aquifer flows, and new diseases) are affecting the producers’ profits, particularly in Central America where the narrow strip of land between two oceans makes climatic distortions even worse.

Various ways to partner

It is an historic reality that agricultural producers take the greatest risks but capture the smallest piece of the pie because of their fragmentation, difficulties in accessing financing, and minimum added value.

However, producer partners in cooperatives that adapted to the dynamics of the market, through internal transformations (including advances in the management of corporate governance), were able not only to improve their incomes, but also to become part of a sustainable business, like Copersucar in Brazil, Conaprole in Uruguay, ACA in Argentina, FNC in Colombia, Colonias Unidas in Paraguay, or Dos Pinos in Costa Rica.

In the case of independent larger-scale producers, although they will be able to maintain a certain individualistic profile internally to obtain efficiency and productivity, improving the external profitability is a must. They could take their inspiration from the spirit of cooperatives to create partnerships leveraging their combined volume (with increasing strategic value) and obtaining better conditions, or even process it for greater added value. For example, in Argentina, the 30 partnered producers of Bio4 transform their own and third-party corn to produce ethanol, and the “L” Group partners to sell milk. Similarly, in Mexico, the partnered producers of Proaoass and Gradesa export bread wheat or durum wheat.

Although the greatest challenge for farmers under this model was to remain united, and in some cases to delegate the management of the new business to third-party professionals, they were also focused on obtaining better economic results, and also to develop a platform to start new businesses and obtain market intelligence.

Looking ahead

It is likely that differences in results among producers of a similar scale are due to: (1) more collective than individual actions; (2) a more business-like profile for sustainable production; and (3) the management of individuals or teams that applied the best technology packages.

Considering that quasi-state companies, and sovereign funds from Asia-Pacific and Middle East countries are seeking alternatives to ensure the food supply, soon it would not be utopic to think that networks of partnered producers or cooperatives may develop strategic alliances to have their own ports, freezers, or powdered milk plants. Moreover, since these investments require long-term financing, it would not be unrealistic to think that development banking will be financing these projects.

As Seneca said: “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that things are difficult.”

Republished from Negocios Sostenibles: What's the role of cooperatives in the agricultural sector? for the members of Globcal International and the Non-State Global Citizenship.

Discover the Truth about Indigenous Peoples

Sun, 06 Aug 2017 16:01:50 +0200

The Indigenous World in 2017

10th Anniversary UNDRIP Special Edition eBook

The International Work Group on Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) has published Indigenous World 2017 which provides an update of the current situation for indigenous peoples worldwide and a comprehensive overview of the main global trends and developments affecting indigenous peoples during 2016.

Download Indigenous World 2017 for Free

The Indigenous World 2017 comes in a special edition marking the ten years anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The public launch took place April 25, 2017 during the 16th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York.

Symbolically, it was launched on the same day, as the UN General Assembly marked the ten years anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Highlights of Indigenous World 2017

Despite some encouraging national achievements, the country reports from around the world in this year’s edition continue to illustrate the great pressures facing indigenous communities at the local level.

If national policies are even available they are often not properly implemented, while in some countries national policies are in direct contradiction with international human rights obligations, including the UNDRIP and ILO Convention No. 169.

The country reports reiterate that the main challenges faced by indigenous peoples continue to be related to the recognition and implementation of their collective rights to lands, territories and resources, their access to justice, lack of consultation and consent, and the gross violations of their fundamental human rights.

The issue of extractive industries is once again a recurrent and overarching theme in the Indigenous World. Numerous examples show that both states and industries are repeatedly ignoring the key principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

Mega infrastructure projects, investments in extractive industries and large-scale agriculture are increasingly posing a threat to the everyday life of indigenous peoples and their ability to maintain their land, livelihood and culture.

The year 2016 also witnessed an alarming rate of violence and discrimination of indigenous peoples and human rights defenders around the world.

On a global level, the implementation of the commitments adopted by UN member states at the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (WCIP) continued at a slow but steady pace.

2016 also marked the first year of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and, here, indigenous peoples continued their engagement. Within the area of climate change, the Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, entered into force in November 2016, which was seen as a great success with regard to states’ commitments to combating climate change.

About the Book: The Indigenous World 2017 contains 59 detailed country reports and 12 articles on defining global processes in a total of 651 pages.

International Authorities

Over 70 distinguished experts, indigenous activists and scholars have contributed to the Indigenous World 2017. Among the contributors are Claire Charters, Patricia Borraz, Albert Barume, Stefan Disko, Joan Carling, Robert Hitchcock, Lola Garcia-Alix and many more.

All the contributors are identified by IWGIA on the basis of our knowledge and network. The contributors offer their expertise on a voluntary basis, which means that not all countries or all aspects of importance to indigenous peoples are included in the book.

Still, any omissions of specific country reports should not be interpreted as “no news is good news”. In fact, sometimes, it is the precarious human rights situation that makes it difficult to obtain articles from specific countries.

The book is published with support from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Danida.

USE OF THE BOOK: It is IWGIA’s hope that indigenous peoples themselves and their organizations will find the Indigenous World 2017 useful in their advocacy work of improving indigenous peoples’ human rights situation. They may also, in this regard, find it inspiring for their work to read about the experiences of indigenous peoples in other countries and parts of the world.

It is also IWGIA’s wish and hope that the Indigenous World will be useful to a wider audience interested in indigenous issues and that it can be used as a reference book and a basis for obtaining further information on the situation of indigenous peoples worldwide.

The Indigenous World 2017 is, in that sense, an essential source of information and an indispensable tool or those who need to be informed about the most recent issues that impact on indigenous peoples worldwide. Article reformatted from IWGIA Website book reference.

Article: States and industries still ignore the rights of indigenous peoples

Despite significant progress on global and regional level, indigenous peoples are left behind when it comes to recognition and protection of their right to land, territories and natural resources. This is the main conclusion of IWGIA’s 30th edition of the annual global report on indigenous peoples.

For ten years, indigenous peoples like the Maasai, Adivasi, Inuit and Quechua peoples have had their own UN declaration that commits States to promote, respect and protect indigenous peoples’ rights.

Still, the dignity and survival of the world’s 370 million indigenous people is under threat, as the global race for land and natural resources is increasing.

The Indigenous World 2017 provides an update of the current situation for indigenous peoples worldwide and a comprehensive overview of the main global trends and developments affecting indigenous peoples during 2016.

Focus on the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The Indigenous World 2017 comes in a special edition marking the ten years anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The public launch took place April 25 2017 during the 16th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York. Symbolically it was launched on the same day, as the UN General Assembly marked the ten years anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Lola Garcia-Alix, co-director of IWGIA, says, “The adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a landmark. Still, action on the ground is really needed. Good intentions are simply not enough, as indigenous peoples lose lands and livelihoods every day.”

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples provides a legal framework and an instrument for fulfilling the rights relating to indigenous peoples, including recognition of their right to self-determination, collective land rights, self-determined development, culture and more.

During its first ten years of existence, the Declaration has helped to shape laws, policies and programmes worldwide and continues to do so.

Consultations ignored in the global run for land and raw materials

Still, the realisation of the Declaration falls short in many parts of the world. Numerous examples show that both states and industries are repeatedly ignoring the Declaration’s key principle of free, prior and informed consent. The principle is to protect indigenous peoples by including them in processes that affect their lands and lives.

Kathrin Wessendorf, co-director and coordinator of IWGIA’s climate programme says, “In the global race for acquiring land for industries and large-scale infrastructure projects, indigenous peoples and their rights are too often neglected. International companies and States should be concerned with this development and take responsibility. We call for joint action to realise the Declaration and ensure the dignity and survival of indigenous peoples.”

Development projects on indigenous lands continue to take place without consulting the people living on and from the affected land. And increasingly, energy projects and tourism threaten indigenous peoples to the same degree as construction of hydroelectric dams, fossil fuel development, logging and agro-plantations do.

Shrinking space for indigenous activists

The year 2016 witnessed an alarming rate of violence and discrimination of indigenous peoples and human rights defenders around the world.

Conflicts over land often lead to forced eviction and displacement of indigenous peoples. When defending their rights to land and territory, indigenous peoples risk being arrested, harassed, threatened and even murdered.

Lola Garcia-Alix says, “We condemn the use of threats, arrests and violence against indigenous peoples. Our hope is that by applying the principle of free, prior and informed consent and by generally respecting indigenous peoples’ rights, violent conflicts over land and resources will decrease in the future.”

For any further questions, please contact IWGIA's Press and Communications team: press@iwgia.org or +45 30749470.

Content re-published from IWGIA WebSite for Globcal International Network followers.

Indigenous Forest Guardians: Good or Bad?

Thu, 23 Mar 2017 17:30:47 +0200

Empowering Indigenous Peoples with their Own Lands

Studies show Indigenous people are the best custodians of the planet's threatened forests.

By Paola Totaro

WASHINGTON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Granting formal land rights to indigenous people living in the world's tropical forests is among the most effective, but underused, ways to stop illegal deforestation that fuels violence, poverty and global warming, according to new research.

Local communities are best equipped to safeguard valuable forests, and those with strong land rights are the most effective, said a raft of studies presented this week at the World Bank's annual Land and Poverty Conference.

A representative from the Maya Leaders Alliance, Belize, addresses the crowd on behalf
of award winners at the Equator Prize ceremony in Paris. Image: Eco-Business

Deforestation is known to be detrimental to the earth's climate. Clearing woodlands for agriculture and grazing, and fires that often follow, is responsible for about one-tenth of carbon emissions that contribute to a dangerous rise in global temperatures, researchers say.

Shrinking forests can cause poverty and conflicts as well, as local residents are forced to compete for fewer resources.

A six-nation study for the World Bank's Program on Forests found deforestation rates are significantly lower where communities have legal rights to the forests and government support for management and enforcement, compared with areas elsewhere.

"Critical links" exist among land security, local economic development, biodiversity conservation and reduced carbon emissions, it said.

Research from Indonesia showed conflict over land was minimized and investment was encouraged when local communities were involved in designing transportation corridors around proposed mining projects.
Another study from Indonesia showed granting long-term rights over mangrove swamps to indigenous people has better protected the critical coastal ecosystems than in areas where the endangered buffers between land and sea are not locally managed.

Less than a fifth of the world's population has formal land rights, or tenure.

"Granting communal land rights to indigenous inhabitants of tropical forests is among the most underused and effective solutions to reducing deforestation that fuels climate change," said Peter Veit, director of the Washington-based World Resources Institute's land rights initiative.

"Securing rights also has implications for reducing poverty and conflict," he said.

More than 1,500 land rights specialists converged on the U.S capital this week to share their findings.
The use of giant swathes of information such as advanced satellite imagery can identify patterns such as water use in land rights and land management, said Andrew Steer, head of the WRI and a former World Bank Special Envoy for Climate Change.

"We can show water risk, make future projections of population, use crowd sourcing and cloud computing in a way that is transforming how water is used by private companies and indigenous communities," he said.
Many papers highlighted challenges posed to developing nations by big mining and agricultural industries that are using technology to gain access to remote regions.

Nevertheless, researchers said indigenous peoples and campaigners working with them are harnessing technology as well to expose illegal deforestation or land use and seek remedies and justice.

The research is significant to help back up indigenous communities' claims that they are the best custodians of global forests.

Map illustrating that tropical regions contain 20% of the world's carbon. More
science reveals that these areas must remain natural for the survival of the planet.

Some critics have claimed remote tropical forests looked after by indigenous groups are protected due to a lack of development pressure rather than good management techniques.

An estimated 15 percent of the world's forest cover remains untouched.

Brazil, once a leader in slowing deforestation, has recently been accused of rolling back gains made by providing land rights to rural people in the face of recession and a political crisis.

The World Bank estimates that forest ecosystems cover a fifth of the land in Latin America, representing half of the world's tropical forests.

Reporting by Paola Totaro, Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit news.trust.org/

Commentary: Indigenous peoples are in great danger globally as their territorial rights are being challenged by corporations and states that want to claim natural resources, often indigenous people are in the way and now for the first time in history there is a chance to perpetually preserve global biodiversity and what remains of our natural world with these spectacular people. Their freedom is our freedom, but theirs is at greater risk while at great disadvantage without empowerment to defend themselves and their rights as human beings.

Read more about forest carbon and indigenous peoples in Toward a Common Baseline of Carbon Storage on Collective Lands and Tropical Forest Carbon in Indigenous Territories; A Global Analysis.

Global Goals serve as a Doorway to the Future

Fri, 17 Mar 2017 02:05:10 +0200

Making the Universal Agenda Truly Universal

By Paloma Durán, Director of the Sustainable Development Goals Fund

NEW YORK, Nov 17 2016 (IPS) - One of the key features of the 2030 Agenda which the United Nations and member states identified in the lead up to the SDG agreement was the principle of universality.

After managing to get the pivotal agreement on the global framework for the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed upon last year, it is now critical to continue this momentum and understand the opportunities and challenges it creates for the private sector as partners in sustainable development efforts.

Building on our interest to tip the scales and generate greater private sector engagement, the UN Sustainable Development Goals Fund (SDG Fund) in collaboration with its Private Sector Advisory Group and the Global Compact examined these questions through a new report, Universality and the SDGs: A Business Perspective. The report, launched last week highlights varied perspectives from both large and small companies working to understand the commonality of the new development agenda.

Universality in this context is defined by the UN as “applicable to all countries, while taking into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development that respect national policies and principles.” Thus the notion of Universality also envisions that everyone has a role to play in development and poverty alleviation efforts framing the development agenda.

The business community has, and continues to be deemed an important partner for us, serving as a critical economic engine and multiplier to catalyze economic and social development programs in our 23 joint programs around the world. The task at hand is to now reinforce this commitment and ensure that companies of all sizes and sectors are properly aware of the new SDGs.

To this end, the outcomes of the report were based on a year-long series of workshops and dialogues and reflected input from over 100 firms across a variety of regions and industry sectors. These findings stemming from countless interviews and in-depth questions were not unexpected and mainly in-line with our experience at the SDG Fund. We found that companies were keen to address the new set of goals which they viewed as critical to their core business activities, but many firms still struggled to fully understand the depth of the goals.

The report also mirrored some of our unique experience working with the private sector. For example, while many firms are already working in areas linked to the SDGs, this work is not always associated with the same “UN” or development language. In fact, many companies articulate the “global goals” using other mechanisms, including using other metrics or reporting based on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) indicators or other industry standards.

The new report offers some other useful findings. First, companies both small and large are increasingly aware of the concept of the SDGs, but many firms did not fully grasp the intricacies of the SDGs in context of their work or internal operations.

In addition, although many companies find a clear and added value to framing sustainability initiatives through the SDGs which provide a unified set of globally accepted principles–many companies are still accustomed to working within the confines of their philanthropic and CSR programs.

Despite a strong willingness to embrace the SDGs, many companies are exploring how to best integrate the SDGs into their work. But perhaps the most compelling case for the SDG Fund’s continued efforts to engage companies in a “co-design, co-invest and co-implement policy” is that the private sector remains eager to work on global challenges.

Companies continue to express their desire to be brought into the process to build innovative and robust multi-stakeholder partnerships at the local level and very often with UN partners.

Undoubtedly, with the one-year anniversary of the 2030 agenda approaching in January, this new report reminds us that the UN can and should play a more active role in educating and informing companies on the “universal” dimensions of the SDGs.

It is also important to continue to translate the new agenda into language and simplified reporting metrics that are palatable for businesses of all sizes – all of which means greater education on how companies can integrate the SDGs in their value chains, disseminate accessible resources and tools to promote learning, and support implementation and alignment across sectors.

In the end, the universality principle embedded in the SDGs provides a clear invitation for action and alignment to advance the new development agenda.

We hope to continue to raise public awareness and foster the much needed dialogue and advocacy required to encourage business to support the SDGs. In addition, our report highlights additional information on the ongoing work of the SDG Fund, including Private Sector Advisory Group case studies that continue to build the case for greater engagement in development, especially across sectors and with welcome actors like the private sector.

Source: -IPSNews