2008 : U.N.'s International Year for Sanitation

2008 is the U.N.'s International Year of Sanitation. So, there is renewed focus on Sanitation by UN. However, the expansion of world population is making it hard for UN to reach it's MDG goals on Sanitation within 2015.The U.N. set a millennium goal of halving the proportion of people with no access to sanitation -- even simple latrines rather than sewers -- by 2015 from 40 per cent of humanity or 2.6 billion people now.A 2007 scorecard showed the sanitation goal was likely to be missed by 600 million people worldwide on current trends.U.N. estimates show it would cost only about $10 billion a year to reach the 2015 sanitation target. And every dollar spent on sanitation creates spin-offs worth $7 on average, largely because of less disease.A 2006 U.N. Human Development Report said rich donor nations gave about 5 per cent of total overseas aid, or between $3-4 billion a year, to water and sanitation. Excluding big investments in Iraq, the recent trend was down. Though many donors view water investments as too risky, partly because of problems of accountable financing, it said, adding that sanitation progress since the 1970s had been "glacial",Goldman Sachs sees prospects for growth in the water sector -- from drinking water to processing waste.

Many firms stand to benefit from a focus on water and sanitation.In rich nations such as the United States, upgrading water and wastewater infrastructure should bring 4-5 per cent growth and in markets such as China, new infrastructure should mean 10-15 per cent growth over 5-10 years, it said in a December 2007 report. It is expect in long term that the global water sector to surge towards a global water oligopoly, where the market for water equipment and services will be dominated by a few multi-industry companies, including General Electric, ITT Industries, Danaher and Siemens," it said.


In most part of the world still now water is not an important political agenda . Yet the supply of water is important for human life . That's why it is important exploit new innovative ways of handling waste water by planting plants and soil bacteria that feeds on waste, to cut water born disease for the rural poor. The waste water can be recycled and used as a fertilizer also, as it is done by building an artificial wetland at a jail in Mombasa, Kenya, to process sewage from 4,000 inmates that now flows untreated into a creek, or ponds in South Africa where algae purify waste and are then used as fertilizer. Infact , for sanitation it is more intelligent decision to bring the nature on the side, on building sanitation solutions.

The OECD said that more than five billion people -- or 67 per cent of the world's population -- are expected to be without a connection to public sewerage in 2030.That is up by 1.1 billion from 2000, when 71 per cent of a smaller world population had no connection.
About 1.1 billion people lack drinking water -- another millennium goal is to halve that proportion by 2015. The World needs to be in war-front to address water related problems.

Fresh Attack in Afghanistan – a threat to Nation Building efforts ?

There seems to be now a hide and seek battle with Taliban and ISAF. The new death toll in 14th July, 2008 claiming 9 US lives is an manifestation of it. The US death toll has shocked media and political observer, though there is a huge loss of life, in Taliban end also. Just when the country was getting back to the rhythm of democracy, the rise of Taliban is posing a new threat towards the progress of democracy and the well-being of the people out there. Afghanistan recently got a huge International support to rebuild the nation in 12th June 2008 at Paris, on presentation of Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) which seeks to take the country on achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by 2020. The recent security threats and ambushing from Taliban, has put a strong challenge on the Nation Building efforts of the Government of Afghanistan.

E– Democracy – Can it enhance the democratic process?

E-democracy is a political still in its fancy; however, people are having a lot of hope on it. The expectation is it can reform the democratic process and make people participation more convenient. The major hurdle on implementing e-democracy is citizen identification. However, if implemented it is sure to abolish the intermediary like media moguls, certain politician, some interest of big business and trade unions. There would be a transforming effect in democracy with in the context of people participation, once E-democracy is implemented.

Good Advising Bad Advising

Advising is a job for most of the people on the top level. All advising has the string of decision-making attached to it on some way. Some do take decisions directly, and other gives option that decision makers could have more liberty on the decision making progress. Bill gates once remarked long back that with usage of PC and Internet people will make decision in a very different way. They will assimilate information in a different structure, which will help them to make decision more effectively. The World really expanded much ahead on the business of advising then Bill Gates has envisioned. Google has been one of most trusted advisor, for people around the world, not on the virtue of decision-making or giving options on decision-making. However, on the virtue of creating a process that will help us to structure information in a very different way. Nobody, that information engineering could be the best piece of advice for decision-making. Google does just that and helps, billions of people to make decision in wide array of subjects .That is good advising. Obviously Global credit crisis, has given some experience to all of us, what is bad advising, which some of our economic and financial advisors have done, both on individual and institutional level.

Integrated Planning required for Global Energy Needs ?

The World faces a great challenge on meeting its energy needs. Some of the wars, which recently had, take surface, has the key component of aggressively acquiring energy bases of other nations. Energy is a vital input for production of any sort .It also helps to increase the overall competitiveness of a Nation. That is the reason there is so much fight between nation towards each particular nation’s energy security and sustainability. It is the key thought of all the National leaders. The series of crisis, heating one after another into the world, shows the need of growth of our future energy base. The basic elements like water and food are becoming scarcer by improper handling of natural resources. Still, there has been a lack of integrated planning on terms of fulfilling the global energy needs. Instead of getting into wars for increasing the energy bases of particular countries, there has to be a reasonable co-operation between the governments of the nations, to create a new line of thought, on production of energy, according to global needs. A global energy problem requires dealing, beyond national political barriers.

Social Sector Banking: Proper treasury services could create the accountability for treasury replenishment goals. ?

Treasury services include different types, of financial instruments not limited to treasury management, foreign exchange, short-term credit facilities, trade finance, and global liquidity management. The most important part of the services is treasury planning. Bank of America with GTS (Global Treasury Services) provides a robust technology based planning for businesses and institution with integration of supply chain finance technology and supplier outreach service with further enhancing its trade-discounting program. This enables them to reduce working capital requirements, finance cost through their supply chain, strengthen operating margins, and develop stronger supplier relationship.

Replenishment program for the future days is the key parameter for treasury service planning in social sector banking. For example, International Development Agency (IDA), which is an arm of World Bank, gives credit to the poorest-of-poor countries. After every 3 years, this body goes through a replenishment program where it asks for more funds, from its donor countries. Only proper Treasury services could create the accountability to realize the Treasury replenishment goals for social sector banking.