Day: October 18, 2010

Is it worth making a profound difference in a small pond?

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World map of the Global Peace Index 2008. Coun...
World Map- Global Peace Index 2008. Green indicates more peaceful

 

Last weekend was spent with my colleagues of the last 18 months benefiting from the inspiring facilitation of Simon Longstaff from the St James Ethics Centre on a wrap-up ‘integrity weekend’. The weekend was the culmination of our previous involvement as Fellows of the Vincent Fairfax Fellowship (an 18 month program to increase the capacity for ethical deliberation among selected leaders towards a good society).
The key take-away message for me was a question from a broader conversation that unfolded on the weekend:

Is it worth making a profound difference in a small pond?

A powerful question when combined with a comment from Steve Killelea earlier last week from the Institute for Economics and Peace who is responsible for the Global peace Index. Steve’s comment was about closing the gap of “emotional distance” by which people are removed from each other. His argument was that by closing this gap, we reduce the likelihood of stereotypes emerging.
What has this to do with small ponds and profound differences? And does this have anything to do with extreme poverty?
Consider that the phenomenon of deliberately connecting with other people who you don’t know has the potential to lead to all sorts of favourable unintended consequences. Profound differences.
I contend that maybe we ought to focus our energy and attention into the small ponds where we find ourselves. The connectivity of the World 2.0 should pick this up to enable it to flourish. Of course, that on its own is neither a strategy nor a coherent pathway forward for action.
The 10 City Bridge Run aims to raise the awareness of an individual’s capacity to act to influence extreme poverty. This for most of us will occur in each of our own little small ponds working with others. Joined up, this gives promise to profound differences. The mega-global campaign of which there are many have their place, but they can’t solve the problem. Neither can government or business on its own. Somewhere in the journey, people need to be engaged and involved.
Check back in to this blog to hear my thoughts on how this might be achieved.

 

 

This entry was posted in Ethics, Simon Longstaff, Steve Killelea and tagged , , .

Did the Government Let Us Down?

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Kevin Rudd (right) and Julia Gillard (left) at...
Please explain

Tom Bland from Oaktree made this comment last week:

Last week, Kevin Rudd committed $210 million of Australian money towards the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. The global community coughed up a total of $11.7 billion.

Let’s not make excuses, or pretend that this is enough money – the reality is that it’s simply not good enough. The Global Fund needed $13 billion to even keep doing what it’s already doing. It needed $17 billion if it was to meet future needs, and $20 billion if it was to adequately help achieve the MDGs and end mother-child transmission of HIV. Australia’s fair share was $500 million – and we didn’t even get half that.

I wonder how Australia made that calculation- the $210 dollars? I wonder whether Australia actually have a ‘fair share’ to contribute?

When is the point reached where ‘enough money’ is given? Who decides? And if the Australian Government did fall short, who did they let down- us, the United Nations, those who have yet to be infected with HIV/AIDS. TB, Malaria or Measles?

Why didn’t the Global Fund just cut out the inevitable disappointment from government and lean on a few ‘rich’ people, as Peter Singer suggests in his book The Life You Can Save?

And if we are all surprised at the government giving less than half of what their ‘fare share’ ought to have been, what the hell was going on in New York during the high-level conference about the Millennium Development Goals which was addressed by Kevin Rudd and monitored in New York by Oaktree?

Who was to blame for the other $6.3 billion deficit where the Global Fund fell short? Fair shake of the sauce bottle!

I think there is more to this than complaining over a ‘fair share’ of money being paid to the Global Fund. What was achieved at the United Nations Conference in September? Is this report from Tom Bland the first signs of blame toward government and the United Nations as we approach 2015?

How should we now respond? Giving money to make up the shortfall?

 

 

This entry was posted in Kevin Rudd, Millennium Development Goals, United Nations and tagged , , .

Training Log 17 October: 15 km City Loop and Harbour Run

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15 km City Loop with Harbour Bridge

 

Took off on an relaxed pace for a harbour run around the Botanic Gardens to Opera House, crossing the Harbour Bridge down to Lavender Bay.

Passing Luna Park and up the stairs that lead to the small Indian Restaurant (if you know North Sydney, you will know which one), then back across the bridge exiting off to where Hickson Road goes under the bridge.

Taking Hickson Road to King Street Wharf, then down to the end of Darling Harbour, and back to Hyde Park via Liverpool St and Pitt St.

Perfect conditions for running, and a good course with mostly flat, many pedestrians in parts and some good bends and sights.

This entry was posted in Harbour run, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Training log and tagged , , .