A Forethought (The Winds of Change)

The post World War economic restructuring has mainly been focused on GDP-oriented growth with little attention paid to a people-centered development agenda. Resultantly, we have, as of today, only a small number of islands of prosperity in the sea of misery and the world stands sharply divided between the rich North and the poor South-G-8 and the rest of the world. The poor and marginalized hapless millions are crying at the foul play by the technologically advanced developed world as they feel badly betrayed by those who talked tall of their achievements. Robert McNamara the then president of World Bank in early 1970s voiced his concerns and implored that development should be woven around the people and not the vice versa.

At the Millennium Summit in 2000, the world leadership has made the biggest ever promise to the people. Poverty, Hunger, Gender Inequality, the scourge of HIV/Aids, Environmental Degradation Primary Education, and Mother-child care figures large in the Millennium Development Agenda. The journey has begun and though the destination is still far away yet a peaceful and prosperous future beacons us at the new frontiers. The winds of globalization are blowing across the continents. Borders and boundaries of the yester years are becoming meaningless as world is squeezing into a ball. In this digitalized world a universal culture is in the making. Humanity stands in agreement to uphold the noble values of democracy and human rights. This presents not only tremendous opportunities but also enormous challenges. Therefore a meaningful Global Partnership involving all walks of life has to be evolved and concrete actions need to be taken at war footing to achieve all these ambitious targets by 2015.