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Burgess Manuscript
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Hundreds of Issues
From the book 'Hundreds of Issues that Impact Relief and Development'
Section HHH
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Issue
HIPC
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Basic observation
Highly indebted poor countries (HIPC) are a classification that relates to the debt reduction process of the ORDA world.
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Prevailing response
The HIPC process and debt reduction is a big activity of the relief and development sector. It seems to have become a sub-sector of RDS with the little of value on the ground in poor countries taking a very long time and being expensive to negotiate.
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A better response
Debt should not be incurred lightly and it should not be canceled without some clarity about how and why the debt has been incurred. There needs to be clear accounting and accountability about the debts that are being forgiven and quite specifically how and why they cannot be repaid. Who are accountable parties?
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Issue
Health
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Basic observation
Health has been a priority sector within the ORDA world, but it is costly and does not generate economic progress on its own. Some health initiatives have had a very good impact. Health is a good PART of a comprehensive plan for development
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Prevailing response
Health continues to be a priority, but it has not been integrated into a total development framework, and now there is widespread un-sustainability of public health services without significant external funding. The issue is now a crisis because of the impact of HIV-AIDS, and other diseases like malaria and TB
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A better response
Health needs to be a priority, but it should be integrated into the community development planning so that local resources can be used to the maximum, and not assumed to be funded by government or donors. Good health is a precondition for productive employment and therefore important.
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Issue
Hedge funds
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Basic observation
Hedge funds have become a sub-segment of the finance sector important to high return investing
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Prevailing response
Hedge funds are a major tool of high net worth individuals and organizations to achieve very high investment returns. They are more or less ignored by the relief and development sector and RDS analysts.
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A better response
Hedge funds have made it possible for liquidity to be translated into high return investment on a scale that is enormous. The returns and the rewards being reported by hedge funds is very high and should be of concern because it is not often newly created wealth but a repositioning of existing wealth. For all this gain, others are losing.
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Issue
HIV-AIDS
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Basic observation
The HIV-AIDS pandemic is huge by any historic measure, especially in Africa, but increasingly in other parts of the world.
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Prevailing response
The response to HIV-AIDS has been to fund a wide range of health initiatives using existing and new funding mechanisms. Most of the initiatives are funded and accounted for using typical ORDA systems that provide little accountability for results being achieved.
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A better response
Make accounting and accountability a required integral part of the response. Change the focus from how much has been disbursed to measuring how much has been achieved and at what cost, and relate to the unmet need. Have oversight in place so that financial abuse can be identified and abusers held accountable.
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Issue
Human Development Index
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Basic observation
The Human Development Index (HDX) was introduced by UNDP in the early 1990s as part of the annual Human Development Report.
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Prevailing response
This report helped to expand the metrics of relief and development beyond economics to the broader area of the overall human condition. This was a good idea, but it still comes at metrics from an economic perspective rather than the management view.
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A better response
The typical HDX metrics are useful not only at the country level, but also at the community level. As management information at the community level, the HDX data are very useful, but they also show how vast areas are terribly failed, and how little has been done to address the problems.
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Issue
Human Resources
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Basic observation
Though people are the central justification for relief and development, there is little use of “people” as the driver of development and the key resource of development implementation.
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Prevailing response
Thematic groups of people are a big driver of donor funding, rather than people and their own economic interest.
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A better response
People get put at the center of relief and development thinking. For practical reasons relief and development has to be implemented through organizations and their activities. However, by organizing at the community level, people and activity and impact can be effectively linked together.
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Issue
Human rights
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Basic observation
Human rights are talked about, but not enough it done when human rights abuse is identified.
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Prevailing response
There are high level bureaucracies that discuss human rights issues, but rather limited efforts on the ground to stop abuse.
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A better response
In addition to diplomacy, the problem needs to be safely “on the record” within a global international and independent system so that abusers can be held accountable.
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Issue
Human trafficking
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Basic observation
This is a big problem that does not often get a lot of media attention. It is driven in large part by failed economics and promise of big rewards, real or imaginary.
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Prevailing response
Drawing attention to this through media information is done from time to time, but with little real impact.
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A better response
A big international effort is needed using law enforcement agencies in cooperation. At the same time address the issue of failed economics in the communities where people are hopeless and can be preyed on by organized crime
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From 'HUNDREDS OF ISSUES THAT IMPACT RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT'
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