Africa

UN Staff Honour Colleagues Fallen in Gaza. Credit: UN Photo

By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Jan 16 2025 (IPS)

As the United Nations plans to commemorate its 80th anniversary later this year, it is “reflecting on the steps taken to advance implementation of the Secretary-General’s Strategic Action Plan for addressing racism in the UN Secretariat.

The UN’s Anti-Racism Office, which was created in 2023, has hosted several online events that reached over 13,500 participants and generated 2,000 comments, and welcomed 2,700 visitors to its iSeek page (accessible only by staffers)—possibly a reflection of the rising complaints and concerns of UN staffers.

In a circular to staffers, the Office claims it has “collaborated closely with other UN entities and a growing global network of Anti-Racism Advocates, to foster a workplace that is safe, inclusive and equitable for all UN personnel, regardless of their race”

Together with the Office of Human Resources (OHR) and the Department of Operational Support (DOS), the Anti-Racism Office has been working on increasing fairness in recruitment processes through projects such as strengthening “blind hiring” practices and requiring diversity on hiring panels, which will be fully implemented in 2025.

Ian Richards, former President of the Coordination Committee of International Staff Unions and Associations (CCISUA), representing over 60,000 UN staffers, told IPS some of the practices being proposed, such as “blind hiring” and “mixed panels”, make sense. The unions have been requesting this for years. Although defining racial diversity in a legal manner may prove challenging.

At the same time, he pointed out, there are many competing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, (DEI) initiatives right now: Anti-racism, gender parity, disability inclusion, LGBTQIA, regional diversity, age diversity.

Each has their own office, coordinator, focal point network, action plan, policy, task force, ICSC agenda item, quota system or communication strategy. And each response to a legitimate grievance, said Richards, an economist specializing in digital business environments at the Geneva-based UNCTAD.

However, some of these conflict with each other, and HR officers and staff in general are finding it a bit hard to keep up.

“For any of this to be really effective, there needs to be some consolidation and prioritisation. Hopefully the SG can have a strategic think about this so we have the best outcome for all”, he declared.

A survey by the UN Staff Union in New York in 2021 was equally revealing.

According to the findings, 59% of the respondents said “they don’t feel the UN effectively addresses racial justice in the workplace, while every second respondent noted they don’t feel comfortable talking about racial discrimination at work”.

Meanwhile, the UN Secretariat in New York, faltered ingloriously, as it abruptly withdrew its own online survey on racism, in which it asked staffers to identify themselves either as “black, brown, white., mixed/multi-racial, and any other”.

But the most offensive of the categories listed in the survey was “yellow” – a longstanding Western racist description of Asians, including Japanese, Chinese and Koreans.

A non-apologetic message emailed to staffers read: “The United Nations Survey on Racism has been taken offline and will be revised and reissued, taking into account the legitimate concerns expressed by staff.”

Meanwhile the UN Special Adviser for Addressing Racism in the Workplace, Mojankunyane Gumbi of South Africa, has been “actively visiting different UN duty stations worldwide, holding town hall meetings with staff and leadership from various departments to discuss and address issues related to racism within the organization”.

The Special Adviser, who as appointed January 2023, has been providing “strategic advice to the Secretary-General on addressing racism and racial discrimination, as well as oversee the implementation of the long-term Strategic Action Plan adopted by the Organization in 2022 to address racism in the workplace.

Following the adoption of the Strategic Action Plan, every Secretariat entity was asked to develop and implement its own action plan, while an Implementation Steering Group under the leadership and stewardship of the Special Adviser will monitor and guide corporate-level actions to implement the Strategic Action Plan.

An Anti-Racism Team has been established to support the Special Adviser.

Dr Palitha Kohona, a former Chief of the UN Treaty Section, told IPS the Secretary-General’s Strategic Action Plan is a welcome initiative.

The UN has always prided itself of its inclusive approach to hiring but, in reality, many staff harbour, often publicly unexpressed but privately discussed, reservations that race and gender influence hiring and promotions, he said.

“Unfortunately, it is widely felt that political considerations influence recruitment and promotions. Some countries have made lobbying a fine art, said Dr Kohona a former Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN, and until recently Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China

Some of those who were responsible for staff management, he pointed out, tended to be influenced by considerations that were not necessarily consistent with the clearly stated principles of the United Nations, especially in sensitive areas, often conceding to external pressures.

“While equitable geographical distribution must be a guiding principle, staff recruitment, promotions and placements must be done transparently and with due emphasis on merit. Today, this is not too difficult a goal to achieve given the ready availability of talent from most countries of the world. In fact, the steady flow of talent from developing countries to the developed world is an acknowledged reality.”

The goals of the Organisation will be best served if recruitment, placements and promotions occur transparently and relevant information is disseminated as widely as possible through the media, in particular, the social media, he pointed out.

Vacancies, he said, should be advertised in the languages widely used/accessed by applicants around the world. The offices processing applications should also be constituted by geagraphically representative officers.

“The UN must also proactively address the concern that the recruitment of General Staff tends to be biased in favour of certain nationalities,” he declared.

Speaking strictly off-the-record, a senior UN staffer told IPS the official statement outlines the Anti-Racism Office’s efforts within the UN Secretariat, but it lacks a critical examination of the concrete impact of these initiatives.

While the creation of the office and its collaboration with other UN entities is a positive step, there is limited transparency regarding the actual outcomes of these actions. The implementation of “blind hiring” and diversity on hiring panels are mentioned as key initiatives, however, the statement does not provide any data, including status quo, or specific examples showing how these changes have improved or will improve fairness or representation within the Secretariat, he said.

“To effectively evaluate progress, it is essential to highlight measurable results and ongoing challenges in these areas together with the baseline data.

Additionally, while the Special Adviser’s visits and town halls with staff are commendable, the statement fails to address whether the concerns raised during these engagements by staff have led to substantive changes or policy adjustments”.

The numbers of participants and visitors to online events and iSeek are notable, but without demonstrating how these interactions have directly influenced policy changes, decision-making or led to tangible outcomes, the impact remains unclear, he noted.

“It would be more effective to provide specific examples of changes that have resulted from the efforts by the Anti-Racism Office such as improve hiring diversity, more inclusive workplace policies, or shifts in organizational culture, in particular, how the mandate of the Anti-Racism Office has impacted in addressing racism and racial discrimination within the UN”.

To truly advance its mission of fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace, he said, the Anti-Racism Office must go beyond activity metrics such as the number of participants to its virtual events, but focus on outcomes in order to achieve the goals and objectives set in the Secretary-General’s Strategic Action Plan, that was launched four years ago in 2021.

In a circular to UN staffers, Catherine Pollard Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance Chair of the Task Force on Addressing Racism and Promoting Dignity for All in the United Nations Secretariat, said “the Secretary-General has called upon us to condemn racism wherever we see it, without reservation, hesitation or qualification”.

“This includes looking into our own hearts and minds. The global outcry in 2020 caused us all to look inward and recognize that, in order to fight racism, we have to be proactively anti-racist.”

“As an organization, we were founded on the principles of the dignity and worth of the human person, proclaiming the right of everyone to enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms, without distinctions of race, colour or national origin. We have always recognized the prevalence of racism and racial discrimination in society and played a key role in supporting Member States in the development of legal instruments to address this scourge”.

“I want to urge all personnel, of every race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin, to come together in the spirit of human decency and collegiality to educate ourselves on how racism may operate in society and in the workplaces of the Organization. I encourage all of you to participate in the ongoing dialogue and awareness campaigns to gain insight into how racism manifests at the workplace and how we can prevent it and support those who experience such behaviour.”

Ultimately, progress in addressing racism and racial discrimination will require unwavering commitment from senior leaders and the full participation of United Nations personnel to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to participate in the work of the Organization and is treated with respect and dignity. Let us stand in solidarity against racism, she declared.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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While Israel like every country has a right to defend itself, self-defense is not an excuse to commit genocide. Picture: WHO

By Joseph Chamie
PORTLAND, USA, Jan 15 2025 (IPS)

Despite the denials by the Israeli government and some of its supporters, Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza is evident.

After the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, Israel’s former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant referred to Palestinians as “human animals”. Israel’s former ambassador to the United Nations Dan Gillerman, also described Palestinians as “horrible, inhuman animals”.

Deputy speaker of the Israeli Knesset, Nissim Vaturi, posted “ Now we all have one common goal – erasing the Gaza Strip from the face of the Earth.” Also, Israeli President Isaac Herzog declared that “There are no innocent civilians in Gaza.”

In addition to cutting off food, water and fuel to Gaza, Israel retaliated to the attack with a devastating war in Gaza involving bombings, shootings and blockades. Those actions resulted in excessive numbers of deaths, injuries, suffering, displacement and destruction throughout Gaza.

As the Israel-Gaza war approaches 500 days of conflict, the imbalances in the deaths, injuries, displacement and destruction are striking. For example, based on the reported numbers of deaths, which are considered to be significant undercounts for the Palestinians in Gaza, approximately 96 percent of the Israel-Gaza war deaths as of 10 January 2025 have been to Palestinians with nearly 70 percent of those deaths being women and children (Figure 1).

 

Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

 

While Israel like every country has a right to defend itself, self-defense is not an excuse to commit genocide. Self-defense must conform to international humanitarian law and Israel’s actions in Gaza fail the tests of humanitarian law.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and his former defense chief for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict. The ICC judges found reasonable grounds to believe that those two Israeli officials were criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

Also, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued orders on how Israel conducts the war in Gaza. Among other things, the ICJ orders stressed that Israel must conduct the war in a way that avoids the commission of genocide.

Based on the reported numbers of deaths, which are considered to be significant undercounts for the Palestinians in Gaza, approximately 96 percent of the Israel-Gaza war deaths as of 10 January 2025 have been to Palestinians with nearly 70 percent of those deaths being women and children

The United Nations Special Committee to investigate Israeli practices found Israel’s warfare methods in Gaza consistent with the characteristics of genocide, with mass civilian casualties, the use of starvation as a weapon of war and life-threatening conditions intentionally imposed on Palestinians in Gaza.

In an objective, methodological, and detailed analysis report, the University Network for Human Rights (UNHR) at the Boston University School of Law concluded that “Israel has committed genocidal acts, namely killing, seriously harming, and inflicting conditions of life calculated, and intended to, bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza.”

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), a US-based legal advocacy group, has also said that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. In its legal analysis, the CCR reported on Israel’s violations of the Genocide Convention and also criticized the US administration for its complicity in those violations.

A former Israeli defense minister said that Israel’s government with the support of far-right politicians was aiming to occupy, annex and ethnically cleanse Gaza and build Israeli settlements there. He accused the Israeli government of committing war crimes and ethnic cleansing in Gaza.

In addition, Amnesty International issued a report indicating that it had gathered sufficient evidence to conclude that Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The report specifically condemned Israel for using starvation as a method of war. Following the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack, Israel cut off water, fuel and nearly all humanitarian aid from reaching civilians in Gaza.

Human Rights Watch also reported that Israeli authorities have intentionally deprived Palestinians in Gaza of access to safe water for drinking and sanitation needed for basic human survival. They concluded that the Israeli government is responsible for the crime against humanity of extermination and for acts of genocide.

Scholars and academicians in Israel, the United State as well as elsewhere have concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.

Professor Amos Goldberg, chair of Holocaust Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, published an article in Siha Mekomit accusing Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza. He concluded that “what is happening in Gaza is a genocide because Gaza does not exist anymore.”

Similarly, Omer Bartov, professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, also concluded it is no longer possible to deny that Israel has been engaged in systematic war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocidal actions. The Israeli government’s ultimate goal from the very beginning, he noted, had been to make the entire Gaza Strip uninhabitable and to debilitate its population to such a degree that it would either die out or seek all possible options to flee the territory.

Governments inside and outside the region have also found Israel committing genocide in Gaza. Saudi Arabia’s crown prince condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide and Qatar’s emir sheikh accused Israel of committing a “collective genocide” in Gaza. Turkey’s president said that Israel’s policy of genocide, occupation, and invasion must come to an end.

In addition, more than a dozen countries, including Belgium, Ireland, Mexico and Spain, have joined or signaled their intention to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice.

In the United States, no less than a dozen federal government employees have resigned in protest over President Joe Biden’s Gaza policy. They accuse the Biden administration of complicity in Israel’s killing and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, which contributed to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Some explained that they could not continue working for an administration that ignores the voices of its diverse staff by continuing to fund and enable Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. In addition, others have reported that Biden’s policy in Gaza has been a moral, practical and political failure with America being complicit in civilian deaths, including in the starvation of children.

In addition, some elected officials in the US Congress, including Senator Bernie Sanders, have criticized the Israeli government, saying that Israel’s actions in Gaza are “ethnic cleansing”. Also, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Jamal Bowman have accused Israel of genocide against the Palestinian people.

A ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war and the release of Israeli hostages may occur as mediators are reporting that a deal is closer than it’s ever been before. Despite that outcome being widely desired by the international community, the ceasefire and release of hostages will not alter Israel having committed genocide in Gaza. It remains for Israel to be held accountable for its actions and also ensure that Israel does not continue its genocide against Palestinians.

 

Joseph Chamie is a consulting demographer, a former director of the United Nations Population Division and author of numerous publications on population issues, including his recent book, “Population Levels, Trends, and Differentials”.

 

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The 2025 Annual Meeting of The World Economic Forum will take place at Davos-Klosters from January 20-24. The meeting brings together government, business and civil society leaders to set the year's agenda for how leaders can make the world a better place for all. It's relevance as a global gathering sits within and beyond the official programme. The importance of dialogue — often happening in private conversations — reveals an ever important mission to convene leaders when 'threats to world stability are multiplying'.

By Deodat Maharaj
GEBZE, Türkiye, Jan 15 2025 (IPS)

“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” Charles Dickens is more relevant today than ever.

The wealthy and powerful are meeting again this year in glamorous Davos, at an invitation-only event. They arrive in chartered aircraft and private jets to speak about our warming climate, among other global concerns.

The super-rich, politicians and celebrities gather for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting later this month at a time when global inequity is at its highest. Last year saw a phenomenal growth of wealth in major economies with valuations of at least eight companies exceeding the trillion-dollar mark.

On the other hand, those at the margins are barely scraping a living and preoccupied with where their next meal is coming from. Globally, 733 million people are facing hunger, and 2.33 billion are food insecure. The situation is most dire in the 44 Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Based on the data, it is getting worse for people living in the poorest and most vulnerable countries. According to Oxfam, the wealthiest 1% own almost half of the world’s wealth, while the poorest own just 0.75%. In addition to inequality, geopolitical tensions and external threats, including climate change are rising. At the same time, the global economic outlook remains subdued.

The 2025 theme for Davos, ‘Collaboration for the Intelligent Age,’ is particularly timely for wealthy countries as they reap rich dividends due to rapid technological advancements. Equally, the theme holds profound significance for people living in LDCs, where new and relevant technologies can permanently alter their development trajectory.

However, only 36% of their citizens have access to the internet, and digital infrastructure is weak. So, if we care about a more equal world, a necessary first step is to focus on the reality of those living on less than $1.90 a day.

In terms of solutions, the Davos gathering should look at concrete and practical ways to help these countries with financing and technical expertise to reduce this alarming gap where poor people are not just left behind but are completely left out.

The summit agenda outlines five priorities and their rationale – all pertinent for LDCs if the will, financing, and collaboration can be mustered.

Reimagining growth: The World Economic Forum notes that the digital economy has the potential to account for up to 70% of the new value generated globally in the next ten years.

This potential and attendant economic benefits will reside overwhelmingly in the wealthiest countries. Nonetheless, the digital economy provides an outstanding opportunity for the poorest countries to leapfrog in their development gains.

With support through technology transfer, financing, and capacity building in the LDCs, their development trajectory can change, creating new jobs and opportunities for their people.

Industries in the intelligent age: This thematic focus is invariably on the world’s largest businesses and economies. However, there is much that big business can do to help grow a global economy where everyone benefits. Sharing best practices and investing in LDCs are prime examples of ways to promote a more equitable transition into the tech future.

Business has an important role to play in enhancing the presence of these countries in global supply chains. They can also support small and medium enterprises by boosting their productive capacity at the domestic level. However, this has not happened thus far, and the time to change the focus is now.

Investing in people: Globally, education systems are struggling to adapt to fast-changing technologies, with just 54% of countries having digital skill standards. However, in the world’s poorest nations, 260 million people of primary and secondary school age did not attend school in 2020.

As long as LDCs spend more on servicing their external debt than on education, this appalling inequality will not change. Using low-cost, high-impact technologies to build human capital in LDCs is fundamental. There is much the wealthiest countries can do in this critical area.

Safeguarding the planet: Large pockets of the world’s poorest are starving due to climate-induced disasters and food insecurity. Climate financing action is vital for LDCs, which contribute less than 4% of global emissions but bear some of the most severe impacts of climate change.

Existing technologies, as well as new and emerging technologies that can help predict climate change and manage disasters, should be transferred to those who need it most. And of course, the developed world must meet its commitments on financing for climate action.

Rebuilding trust: There is much talk about global collaboration and multilateralism – at a time of rising global inequality and increasing isolationism. Davos could do well to foster greater inclusivity and, in doing so, build this much-needed trust and hope.

Those with great wealth and influence also have a great responsibility. Unless the World Economic Forum’s annual summit focuses on the more than one billion people living in the world’s poorest countries, it will remain an echo chamber for the privileged.

A global future rooted in equity, shared prosperity, and collective resilience is not only possible but essential for us all. Davos 2025 must seize the opportunity to redefine itself as a true forum for global progress.

Deodat Maharaj is Managing Director of the United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and can be reached at: deodat.maharaj@un.org

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Plugging illicit financial flows are among solutions mooted by experts to bring the poverty rate of Africa down. Credit: Ignatius Banda/IPS

By Ignatius Banda
BULAWAYO, Jan 15 2025 (IPS)

Africa loses billions of dollars annually through illicit financial flows, resulting in the continent failing to improve the lives of millions of people despite vast mineral wealth, according to experts.

Agencies say more needs to be done to turn the continent’s natural resources into prosperity at a time governments are struggling to address challenging economic conditions that have spawned high poverty levels.

According to the African Development Bank (AfDB), poverty levels increased in 2022, with 281 million people affected by hunger, up by 11 million the previous year.

The grim data was a cause for concern among experts during the recent African Economic Conference in Gaborone, Botswana, who lamented that despite the continent’s undisputed mineral deposits, such high levels of poverty have persisted.

By tapping into existing natural resources, experts believe this will result in better debt management as countries remain saddled with unserviceable loans.

This is also coming against the background of growing calls for debt forgiveness, as critics say loans from international lenders will burden the continent’s future generations.

“We cannot eat diamonds or bauxite,” said Said Adejumobi, Director of Strategic Planning at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

“Other regions with fewer resources have transformed their economies by adding value to what they produce. Why not us?” Adejumobi added in an address during the Gaborone conference.

The ECA estimates that Africa loses USD 90 billion annually through illicit financial flows, and the plunder has crippled services such as the health sector and infrastructure development.

This loss is also being felt in the continent’s efforts to address lingering debt and unserviceable loans, with ECA noting that the external debt of more than half of African countries will soon exceed USD 1 trillion.

“Sometimes we borrow just to repay previous loans, which is unsustainable,” said Sonia Essobmadje, Chief of the Innovative Finance and Capital Markets Section at the Economic Commission for Africa.

“There’s a need for economic diversification, fiscal discipline, stronger public debt management strategies, and, above all, the establishment of domestic capital markets,” said Essobmadje.

Researchers have long raised concerns about the loss of potential mining revenue to international criminal syndicates where African countries have failed to plug holes that have seen billions of dollars being lost.

However, experts note that for Africa to succeed, robust policymaking will be crucial to ensure adherence to continental protocols that seek to both protect and reclaim lost wealth.

“Policy is not first aid,” said Raymond Gilpin, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Africa’s Chief Economist.

“It’s about building structures for the future,” Gilpin said, highlighting the lack of adequate long-term planning to protect the continent’s wealth.

It is, however, not all gloom and doom, as experts have pointed to Africa’s young population as offering hope for potential growth despite the lingering challenges.

“We are optimistic because Africa has unique assets: a young, dynamic workforce, vast renewable energy potential, and urbanization,” said Caroline Kende-Robb, Director of Strategy and Operational Policies at the African Development Bank (AfDB).

“It’s not all about crises—it’s about opportunity,” she added.

As part of broader efforts to plug the continent’s wealth loss, regional technocrats must innovate for governments to adopt implementable evidence-based solutions.

“As leading institutions on the continent, the AfDB, ECA, and UNDP must step up, not just in articulating smart ideas, but in fundamentally rethinking how we operate. The Africa of today is dynamic and evolving—our strategies must evolve with it. This is about action, not aspiration,” said Gilpin, the UNDP economist.

For Africa to move past its many challenges, solutions must emerge from within the continent itself, believes Zuzana Schwidrowski, Director of the Macroeconomics, Finance, and Governance Division at the Economic Commission for Africa.

“Africa is not asking for handouts,” Schwidrowski said.

“Every challenge brings with it an opportunity. Amidst global fragmentation and trade wars, Africa has the chance to carve out new niches and seize emerging opportunities. We must work together to capitalize on them.”

Going beyond safeguarding Africa’s abundant wealth, more still needs to be explored to spread the continent’s revenue base, some experts contend.

“We have the tools to create change, but tools alone are not enough,” said Anthony Simpasa, Director of the Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting, and Research Department at the AfDB.

“We need practical, evidence-based solutions to transform economies, diversify growth drivers, and build shock absorbers for future crises. Political commitment and policy coherence are critical to creating an environment that fosters growth and resilience,” Simpasa told the conference.

The African Economic Conference, held under the theme Securing Africa’s Economic Future Amidst Rising Uncertainty,” was yet another platform where policymakers and experts gathered to map Africa’s future, and was met with guarded optimism among some delegates.

“Make sure that this conference does not degenerate into merely a generous exchange of flattery,” said Botswana’s president, Duma Boko. “We must act to lift our people from poverty and raise our continent to take its rightful place as a leader in the world, and not just an emerging frontier.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Remittances offer something philanthropy cannot: autonomy. Families receiving remittances decide how best to allocate those funds, based on their most pressing needs. Credit: Shutterstock

By Tafadzwa Munyaka
HARARE, Jan 14 2025 (IPS)

Across Africa, economic transformation and development are being fuelled by two significant streams of funding: remittances and philanthropy. Both play vital roles, but as the situations evolve in many African countries, one truth becomes increasingly clear – remittances are emerging as a more sustainable, dignifying force compared to traditional philanthropy.

While philanthropy, often driven by well-meaning donors, tends to create short-term interventions, remittances empower households with the freedom to define their own future.

While philanthropic efforts can provide essential support, a more collaborative approach that prioritizes community engagement and empowerment is crucial in strengthening resilience and enabling communities to chart their own paths toward sustainable development

Remittances are interwoven into the identity of Africans as they support their families and communities, often on the premise and thinking that if one of us makes it, they pull everyone up with them.

With this knowledge, it begs the question, is it not time to reimagine our approach to African development and embrace the profound potential of remittances? A stark distinction of remittances and philanthropy is that the latter is often a result of and comes from excess while the former is derived form a culture and expectation of selflessness.

 

The Scale of Impact

According to the World Bank, remittances to sub-Saharan Africa exceeded $50 billion in 2023, in a year they were considered to have slowed down, dwarfing the funds allocated by philanthropic organizations and official development aid.

Countries like Egypt, Nigeria, Morrocco, Ghana, and Kenya top the charts, with families using these funds to pay for education, healthcare, and small businesses.

Unlike many charitable initiatives, remittances go directly to the intended recipients – often without the burden of administrative costs or external agendas.

It must be noted that although remittances can be powerful, they often stem from obligation rather than abundance, which can lead to exploitation when the giver is always expected to give, despite the strong bonds that exist.

This dynamic can create a cycle where recipients may feel pressured to rely on these funds, potentially stifling local entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency.

Furthermore, while remittances provide immediate financial relief, they do not always address the underlying socio-economic issues that cause migration in the first place. Ultimately, balancing the benefits of remittances with the need for sustainable development strategies cannot be overstated.

Philanthropic interventions, no matter how generous, often hinge on specific projects determined by donors, who decide which issues take precedence be it education or health.

This top-down approach, while beneficial in the short term, frequently overlooks the unique needs of individual communities, leading to a dependency on cycles of aid rather than embedding empowerment.

When local populations are not engaged in the decision-making process, interventions may miss the mark, failing to resonate with cultural contexts or actual needs.

As a result, communities can become reliant on external resources, which stifles local initiative and innovation, ultimately perpetuating cycles of poverty. Moreover, the focus on immediate results often overshadows the systemic issues that hinder long-term development, creating a dynamic where local leaders feel compelled to align with donor priorities instead of advocating for their community’s true needs.

Therefore, while philanthropic efforts can provide essential support, a more collaborative approach that prioritizes community engagement and empowerment is crucial in strengthening resilience and enabling communities to chart their own paths toward sustainable development.

 

Empowerment Through Choice

Remittances offer something philanthropy cannot: autonomy. Families receiving remittances decide how best to allocate those funds, based on their most pressing needs.

This flexibility builds and strengthens agency while preserving and promoting dignity, allowing recipients to meet challenges in real time, without waiting for outside interventions.

A woman in rural Zimbabwe, for example, may receive monthly remittances from a relative working in the UK. With these funds, she might choose to send her daughter to school while investing in a poultry business to generate additional income. She is no longer just a passive beneficiary of aid; she is now an active agent in her community’s economy.

This contrasts sharply with philanthropic programs, which may prioritize education or health but overlook opportunities for long-term economic empowerment.

However, we should not overlook that many in the diaspora sacrifice their own financial growth to help their families back home. The impact is real, but the invisible cost to the diaspora is often overlooked.

 

A Sustainable Alternative

Philanthropy’s Achilles’ heel is often its short-term nature. Donor fatigue, shifting political interests, and economic downturns can abruptly end well-intentioned programs, leaving communities without the support they have come to rely on.

Research highlights how philanthropic underfunding and unrealistic expectations can lead to the failure of nonprofit organizations to sustain their initiatives over the long term, arguably, precisely because of these short-lived commitments.

To contrast this, remittances are a more resilient source of income. Diaspora communities tend to continue supporting their families even in tough times, ensuring a stable flow of funds.

Moreover, remittances are often reinvested locally, creating ripple effects that stimulate small businesses and local markets. This bottom-up economic activity nurtures homegrown solutions to poverty.

In the long term it is expected to contribute to reducing reliance on external aid more so as remittances ensure a stable flow of funds that are often unaffected by political or economic changes in recipient countries.

A 2023 World Bank report highlights that remittances grew by 5% in sub-Saharan Africa, even during global economic slowdowns, underscoring the resilience of these flows.

 

A New Development Model

To be clear, philanthropy still has an essential role to play, particularly in areas where immediate humanitarian assistance is required, such as in disaster relief or during health crises.

However, as Africa’s economic aspirations grow, there is an urgent need to rethink how development is financed and implemented.

Rather than relying solely on donor-driven models, governments, NGOs, and international institutions should focus on creating enabling environments that leverage remittances.

This means and includes reducing transaction fees, actively supporting diaspora engagement, and building financial infrastructure that allows families to maximize these funds.

If philanthropy is to shake off many of its negative connotations to remain relevant, it must evolve beyond charity. Strategic partnerships with diaspora communities can amplify the impact of both streams of funding, aligning donor goals with grassroots solutions already being tried and tested through remittances.

To sum it up, “philanthropy comes from excess, allowing for strategic, long-term change – building schools, hospitals, and infrastructure that break cycles of poverty.”

 

Parting shot

Africa’s future lies in empowerment, not dependence. Remittances, with their direct, flexible, and sustainable nature, represent a dignifying form of support available.

As Africans increasingly take charge of their own destinies, it is essential to complement philanthropic efforts with policies that amplify the impact of remittances. The lesson is clear: development is most successful when it flows from the hands of those it is meant to serve.

Credit: Berit Kessler/shutterstock.com

By Ramesh Thakur
Jan 14 2025 (IPS)

 
A regime built on terror, ruled by fear and sustained by foreign proxy forces crumbled in less than a fortnight. In the end, the foundations of the House of Assad (1970–2024) rested on the shifting sands of time. In the good ol’ days, despots could retire with their plundered loot into comfortable lifestyles in Europe’s pleasure haunts. No longer. The reverse damascene expulsion has seen the Assads scurry to safety to Moscow.

The beginning of the end of the Assad dynasty can be traced back to Hamas’s brutal attacks of 7 October 2023. Its objectives were to kill, rape, torture kidnap and subject to public humiliation on the streets of Gaza as many Israelis as possible.

Its political calculations sought to undermine Israelis’ confidence in their government’s ability to protect them; provoke retaliatory strikes on the densely populated Gaza strip that would kill large numbers of civilians held as involuntary human shields, and inflame the Arab street, enrage Muslims around the world and flood the streets of Western cities with massive crowds shouting pro-Palestinian/Hamas slogans; disrupt the process of normalisation of relations with Arab states; dismantle the Abraham Accords; and isolate Israel internationally.

It’s fair to say that Hamas has won the propaganda war. Israel has never before come under such sustained international censure in the UN Security Council, General Assembly, Human Rights Council, World Court and International Criminal Court. It’s also been heavily criticised in many previously supportive Western capitals, streets and campuses including Australia.

There are still some 100 hostages captive in Gaza. Israeli soldiers are still being killed and wounded. Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis retain residual capacity to launch rockets and drones into Israel.

Yet, Israel has achieved impressive military successes in fighting throughout Gaza followed by Lebanon. Hamas and Hezbollah have been decimated as fighting forces, with their military commanders and leaders decapitated with targeted assassinations and improvised explosive devices placed in pagers and walkie talkies. Iran has been humiliated, lost its aura of invincibility and seen the destruction of its entire strategy of trying to bleed Israel to death through a thousand cuts inflicted by proxies.

The military outcome thus is a complete reset of the local balance of power to Israel’s advantage. The reason for this is strategic miscalculations by Hamas. It launched the attacks of 10/7 unilaterally, hoping to draw fraternal groups into the war. Only Hezbollah half did so by firing rockets but without committing ground troops.

The second strategic miscalculation by Hamas was to underestimate Israel’s will and determination. This is Israel’s longest war. Israel stayed steadfast on destroying Hamas as a capable military force and governing power in Gaza; relegated the rescue of hostages to a highly desirable but subordinate goal; destroyed Hezbollah and ejected it from southern Lebanon; and checkmated Iran as the over-the-horizon military threat to Israel via its two powerful proxies in Gaza and Lebanon.

A further consequence was to remove the props holding up the Assad regime in Damascus and leave it exposed and vulnerable to overthrow by the well-armed and strongly motivated jihadist rebels. PM Benjamin Netanyahu is right to claim that Israel’s ‘blows inflicted on Iran and Hezbollah’ helped to topple Assad.

The new strategic balance sees the Israeli centre emerging much stronger amidst the ruins of the anti-Israel axis of resistance. The underlying reason for this is precisely the scale, surprise factor and depraved brutality of October 7. This broke beyond repair the endless loop of Hamas and Israeli policies of attack, retaliate, rinse and repeat when desired. Only a new balance of power could restore deterrence-based truce resting on certain Israeli retaliation and Israeli dominance at every level of escalation.

International calls for immediate and unconditional ceasefire and urgings not to go into Rafah proved counterproductive, I believe, for two reasons. For one, given the monstrous scale of 10/7, to Israelis they separated true from fair-weather friends. For another, Western youth and countries, under the impact of changing electoral demographics with mass influxes of radicalised Middle Eastern Muslims, were deserting Israel and softening on fighting antisemitism in their own populations. This drove home the realisation that time was against Israel. Hamas and Hezbollah had to be removed as security threats now or never.

However, post-Assad Syria is highly combustible. Syria is not a nation-state but a tattered patchwork quilt of different sects with a blood-soaked history of feuding. The rebels are diverse in tribe, race and religion and backed by different foreign actors with their own agendas. The chances are that après victory will come the deluge of warring factions and Syria descends once more into killing fields.

The dominant rebel group is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), whose roots go back to al Qaeda and the Islamic State. Its leader is Abu Mohammed al-Jolani who has had a US $10 million FBI bounty on his head since 2017 as a terrorist. The HTS’s base is the 75 percent Sunni population, with the remaining one-fourth split between Shiites, Kurds, Christians, Druze, Ismailis, Armenians and Alawites.

Israelis cannot assume that Syrians are immune to the Jew hatred that animates many Muslims in the region. Guided by its own precautionary principle, Israel has pre-emptively destroyed much of Syria’s weaponry, chemical weapons infrastructure and arms-production facilities and taken control of the demilitarised buffer zone in the Golan Heights.

The experiences of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya after their humanitarian liberations into freedom and democracy in the 2001–11 decade should give Panglossian optimists on a ‘new Syria’ a reality check.

Ramesh Thakur, a former UN assistant secretary-general, is emeritus professor at the Australian National University and Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs. He is a former Senior Research Fellow at the Toda Peace Institute and editor of The nuclear ban treaty: a transformational reframing of the global nuclear order.

This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished from the original with their permission.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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The 2024 CHAN finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, which were due to kick off on 1 February, are postponed until August.