PR from the Beach

Internet Access a 'human right'? Finland finishes first in making it work

Today, Finland becomes the first country in the world to enshrine internet access as a legal right for its citizens. This piece from the BBC provides a quick overview of what has been accomplished, and follows on from the BBC survey earlier this year which identified access as a fundamental right. The Finns passed their bill in October 2009 and the aim is to provide citizen access to 100mbs - by right - in 2015.

Last year, France declared in its courts that internet access was a human right and other countries are following suit - but Finland wins the game today with its activation of last year's law.

Here in New Zealand, where we still struggle with connectivity, an effective duopoly of provision between Telecom and Vodafone with a few minnows struggling upstream, means the statistics are not so good. In Finland, 96% of the population is already on line. With a population of 5.3m, that's not so much bigger than us, yet Statistics NZ's number release in April this year advises that only 1m Kiwis are active broadband users, 80% are regular users but rural populations are still struggling along on dial-up.

There was a reasonable and robust programme of digital engagement under the last NZ government. Since John Key and the Nationals were elected, there has been far less emphasis and discussion on how we can ensure that the digital divide is bridged - and bridged quickly.  Areas of access, digital literacy, digital education have all faded into the background. Sadly, basic infrastructure is lacking along with the will to change and despite our much vaunted Kiwi ingenuity, I fear that unless there is some real leadership, we will soon find ourselves far behind other countries in the world. And it is very easy to 'slip behind'.

Technology is a key enabler. It facilitates education, change, progress and problem solving. Access in itself is not a 'human right' but making it a 'legal right' certainly helps us all to improve the level of human rights around us.

Below is a great TED video from Hans Rosling from 2007, which looks at progress through the eyes of a very creative statistician, who demonstrates that change is possible, nothing is impossible - but we do have to be able to distinguish between goals and means if we are to make any progress at all.  I hope that our own New Zealand government uses Finland as a credible and praiseworthy example as to what is possible in the area of digital access and starts sorting out an infrastructure that will allow everyone here to benefit in the same way as the citizens of Finland.

Only the silence seems to grow in face of global food shortages

It is nearly a year since I first blogged about the severe food shortages in North Korea. Today, conditions are much worse, to the point where the cloistered North is even contemplating asking for help from South Korea - so things must be bad. But North Korea is not alone in this predicament. More than three million people face starvation in Nepal, thanks to crop failures caused by climate change. The Solomon Islands face food shortages, again brought about by climate change, and the list grows by the day - Kenya, Sudan and 'closer to home' as well, with warning bells sounding in the UK over the need to address food production and agricultural issues.

North Korea's problems are seeded by its political system but many other places around the world face food shortages because of disaster, climate extremes and price hikes caused by unsustainable practices. Again, glancing back to this time last year, we were teetering at the edge of the global financial meltdown, yet warnings went unheeded and it seemed that everyone was wise only after the event. 

Signs, indicators and trends point towards food security being a major issue for millions of people in the coming year, yet the majority of mainstream media outlets are as slow to catch on to food security as they were the financial blow-outs. In western economies, price is the main issue, rather than scarcity. There is plenty of food in the shops but as jobs disappear and incomes are cut access to that food is reduced. So what's to be done? The 'agencies' - Oxfam, World Vision, the UN and many others - are all doing their part to raise not just awareness of the problem but also stimulate action to prevent conditions worsening. Sadly, as soon as one famine fire looks like it might be extinguished, another takes its place.

Mainstream media seems obstinate in its refusal to' effectively report on famines, food security issues and food shortages yet it is an issue that is going to touch each and every one of us at some point - probably sooner than we think. 

So what can we do? Talk to people about it. Blog about it. Look around and see how you can help. It might mean you decided to grow veggies in the back yard for yourself or it might mean finding a channel to make your voice heard, so that those with the power and resources to help those dying from hunger do so.

Today, 1.02 billion people are hungry. That is a huge number. A ridiculous number. Almost beyond comprehension. So boil it down - see each individual for the person they are, a person just like you but who needs our help. It is easy to imagine one child. Well, one child dies every five seconds from hunger-related causes. So in the time it has taken for you to read this, five children will have died. I think that is something worth raising our voices over, don't you?

Afghan men can now starve their wives. How can we let such a law exist?

A great deal of hot air is generated by bloggers and other commentators when it comes to the power of the web to change things. The potential exists for sure - and yet a law like this can be passed today,in 2009, when we are all supposed to be 'civilised' human beings.

It is not a just or reasonable law that allows husbands to starve their wives if they do not have sex. The law of any land should protect, guard and provide justice for all, not create situations where human rights are so obviously and dreadfully undermined. Where are the cries of international condemnation? Cloaked and hidden beneath the politics of Afghanistan no doubt, which is of small comfort to the women this law will imprison, kill and degrade. Surely, as we have the freedom and the tools to protest, we could use that freedom to oppose such oppression and in doing so, turn at least some of the hot air into something tangible and of real value?

This month, Amnesty International has been running a series of Dinners for Dignity, where participants host a dinner in their own homes, raise some modest funds, send off some postcards asking for someone's freedom and toast - in water, soup, tea, coffee or whatever is to hand - the many freedoms we all enjoy yet probably take for granted.  There is still time to take part and in doing so, perhaps you could spare some time to write, campaign or make your voice heard in opposition to this dreadful law.  As the paraphrased Burke quote goes:

"All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to remain silent".

I'll take that to mean all of us as Burke lived at a time when the majority of women were treated as chattels and possessions, rather than humans worthy of dignity. I would further lament that although it was attributed to Burke, philosopher and politician of the 1700s, the sentiment - whether expressed by him or not - unfortunately remains resonant to this day.

Join the Twestival - Feb 12 2009 - and get some cool water

Something really cool from Twitter (at long last). Social media for social good.  If you like your Twitter, then join the Twestival tomorrow night in Sale Street for some fun and fundraising for clean water around the globe. 

Why? Because right now, 1.1 billion people on the planet don't have access to safe, clean drinking water. That's one in six of us. 

Facebook page here and Twestival page here for tickets to the Auckland event along with more info.

Imagine yourself not having access to clean water as you reach for your glass in the current heat - then think of a valid excuse not to turn out!

"Christmas is for Children", goes the saying - unless of course you are a child soldier in Darfur...

My youngest child is 12 years old. We have - like many other families around the world - been happily getting ready for Christmas over the last couple of days.  Amidst the comfort we are fortunate enough to share, I find it hard to imagine a world where at 12, my youngest would be given a gun and forced to march to war.  And yet here I am, living in such a world.

Today I read - yet again - of the increased numbers of child soldiers, this time in Darfur.  In Darfur, which has hosted such horror and tragedy for the last five years, it is perhaps no surprise that so many thousands of children have been drafted into action. But is it not just in Darfur. Elsewhere in the world, children are forced into military service or used in some way to further conflict. In May this year, in case you missed it, the Coalition to stop the use of Child Soldiers published its global report on the use of children by governments, rebels, militia and others around the world.  It makes grim reading and you feel pretty powerless to act by the end. But despite the grim read, we can all do something to help  and, if you feel so moved, I would urge you to at least trawl the Coalition's site and look at some of the things that can be done to chip away at the circumstances that cause our young and vulnerable to be exploited and damaged in this way.

This small excerpt from the report, gives an indication as to the scope of the problem:

...the Coalition’s research reveals a number of disturbing findings that make it clear that the efforts to date have been insufficient.

The first of these findings is perhaps the most stark. It is this: when armed conflict breaks out, reignites or intensifies, children will almost inevitably become involved as soldiers. The Central African Republic, Chad, Iraq, Somalia and Sudan (Darfur) are all cases in point.

Next, efforts to demobilize children during conflict have met with only limited success. Peace remains the main hope for securing the release of child soldiers from armed forces and groups, a fact that further reinforces the importance of child protection being integral to peace negotiations, as well as the need for explicit provisions relating to child soldiers in ceasefire and peace agreements.

The impact of efforts to end child soldier recruitment and use by armed groups has been similarly limited. Armed groups in at least 24 countries located in every region of the world were known to have recruited under-18s and many have used them in hostilities. Many have proved resistant to pressure and persuasion. Their widely diverse characters, aims and methods, and the varied environments in which they operate militate against generic solutions. Effective strategies must be multifaceted and context-specific. Above all, they must address root causes. Poor governance and its effects, including impoverishment, inequality, discrimination and human rights abuses, are all known to contribute to the risk that children will be recruited by armed groups. While such conditions persist, children will remain vulnerable to involvement in armed forces and groups.

The report is only published every few years.  Perhaps by taking some time out from the turkey we could each play a small part by doing something that might create hope - and peace - for these children.

Cast a wary eye North as Iceland riots over crisis

Currently being reported as food riots in some blogs, the unrest in Iceland sees a physical manifestation of the financial meltdown that left the country all but bankrupt and, at times, facing severe food shortages. 

Here's the ITN report on YouTube and a report from The Scotsman.  Check on some of the blog conversations and you will see they are being dubbed 'food riots'.  Reviewing what has gone on, the riots are less about food and more about the future people see themselves facing - although I worry that the question of food may come into the protests soon. The actions taken by normally placid Icelandic citizens demonstrate the extent to which trust in the system - and those responsible for running the system - has been lost  We have seen food riots elsewhere in the world throughout this year (April was particulary notable for this)  and although any sort of riot is disturbing, a food riot, perhaps more than any other expresses the desperation people feel when they are cornered and without hope when it comes to the essentials of life. I think we will see more actual food riots from previously peaceful people in the months ahead and not simply because there are food shortages - primarily because people will simply not be able to afford the basics. Here in NZ, the average family food bill has risen by at least $35 - $50 per week in the last twelve months.

Without wishing to be a doom-mongerer - rather acting as an observant forecaster - there's definitely a storm brewing. Good crisis communication starts with tackling and resolving the issue long before it becomes a crisis.  Sadly, the issue has been around for the last eighteen months (longer in many parts of the globe) but very little overt action has been taken to address this fundamental concern for every single person. Hatches are not being battened, the political fallout will be extreme and the social cost immense. Oh dear.

Thanksgiving ahead - but food shortages increase in US towns

There has been a significant increase in the last three weeks in the number of stories coming out of the USA highlighting the problems and shortages facing the country's foodbanks. As times get tougher, more and more people are turning to foodbanks for help - some are reporting increases of up to 40%. Here is an example of a typical situation as described in one of the many reports.  Other reports in the last week indicate that 2007 saw 36.2 million US citizens wondering where their next meal would be coming from, a pretty shocking statistic for somewhere often referred to as the richest country on the planet. One of the many articles on this subject, sparked by a new report by the US Department of Agriculture, was written by James Thalman and gives a fairly rounded picture of the research.

Last month, World Food Day produced statistics that indicated nearly one billion people worldwide were without sufficient food. The financial crisis left Iceland with some very worrying weeks
and predictions in October suggested that similar food shortages would follow elsewhere - and soon.  As the credit crunch starts to bite and the price of food continues to rise, I suspect foodbanks in many countries are going to struggle to cope.  Personally, as Thanksgiving looms, I hope that things improve sufficiently for our neighbours in America to the point where so many of them don't have to worry where the next meal will come from.

At Asian food market, a sign of lost confidence - The Boston Globe

At Asian food market, a sign of lost confidence - The Boston Globe

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Food Shortages: One leader calls for help, another executes those who call

Contrasting approaches to critical food shortages are apparent today. Neither needs much comment from me.
On the one hand, according to Malaysian news agency Bernama: "Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has called for global political will to address severe food shortages and help developing countries reduce hunger and poverty as the situation becomes more critical with the international financial turmoil". 
On the other hand, in North Korea, The Times (London) reports: "North Korea is clamping down on mobile phones and long distance telephone calls to prevent the spread of news about a worsening food crisis, according to the United Nations investigator on human rights for the isolated communist country."  The investigator goes on to say that public executions have been used as a means to intimidate the public.
Perhaps we could make that call on behalf of those who are unable to do so themselves - or at least respond to the Malaysian plea and add our voices to their call for action, hopefully driving a global political will that will address this situation before it is too late for another million or so people - simply trying to feed their families, just like us.

Food shortages: Price of food basics triples - 923 million people undernourished worldwide

We are just over a week on from World Food Day.  Statistics published to coincide with the event indicate that 923 million people worldwide are short of food and undernourished. If that number is too big to cope with, or seems meaningless, then think of it as every person in America - North and South - being without food. Or every single country in the European Union, plus a few more for good measure, without the wherewithal to feed that population.

As you know, I have been mithering about food shortages from Iceland to Egypt, Peru to Haiti, for most of this year and over the last week I have monitored what's happening even more closely than normal. For over two million people in North Korea, October looks like it will be the worst month yet as current reports from Associated Press indicate starvation is now a reality in parts of the country, even though the regime is apparently taking draconian steps to prevent the spread of this news to the world at large.