September 26, 2002 - Denver Post: Former Peace Corps Director Carol Bellamy speaks about world's problems and opportunities

Peace Corps Online: Peace Corps News: Headlines: Peace Corps Headlines - 2002: 09 September 2002 Peace Corps Headlines: September 26, 2002 - Denver Post: Former Peace Corps Director Carol Bellamy speaks about world's problems and opportunities

By Admin1 (admin) on Sunday, September 29, 2002 - 2:07 pm: Edit Post

Former Peace Corps Director Carol Bellamy speaks about world's problems and opportunities





Read and comment on this story from the Denver Post on former Peace Corps Director and present UNICEF Director Carol Bellamy and her speech in Denver where she said tha to achieve stability over the long term, the U.S. can't ignore the broader issues like hunger, sickness, violence and exploitation of children that can only produce a culture of hostility and rage against those who fail to intervene.

"If Sept. 11 did anything, it opened eyes in the U.S. to the fact that the world is a pretty small place," Bellamy said. There's no place to hide from the world's problems.

Read the story at:


Small world, infinite potential*

* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.



Small world, infinite potential


By Diane Carman
Denver Post Columnist

Thursday, September 26, 2002 - Sure, it's an election season when whipping people into a nationalistic frenzy is considered good politics. As the home of several military installations, Colorado has a tradition of supporting military solutions to international problems. And the 9/11 terrorist attacks succeeded in making most of us chicken hawks to one degree or another.

Still, despite all this, Ted Turner thinks folks here are capable of resisting the impulse for militant isolationism.

I know it's astonishing, but he might be right.

When Turner made his $1 billion contribution to United Nations causes five years ago, one of his objectives was to help ordinary Americans understand their important role as citizens of the world. He launched the Better World Campaign, and Denver was selected as one of the six cities for the project.

As a result, in the past year people here have been able to meet world leaders, learn about international issues and participate in forums to help solve our common problems.

This week, the world's children were on the agenda. Talking about orphans, the impact of violence, barriers to education, child labor, child soldiers, and the devastating effects of AIDS on the children of the world is not as titillating as threatening to bomb Baghdad off the face of the Earth. But the forum still drew a standing-room-only crowd on Tuesday.

Carol Bellamy, executive director of UNICEF, was delighted. "The best part was that there were lots of young people there," she said. The room at the University Club was so crowded, several were turned away.

Right now, she said, the world is a "pretty tense place," and the focus among leaders is on national security. But to achieve stability over the long term, the U.S. can't ignore the broader issues.

AIDS is stalling or reversing many of the economic and social gains of the past two decades in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia and the Caribbean. A lack of educational opportunities breeds political instability and discontent.

And hunger, sickness, violence and exploitation of children can produce only a culture of hostility and rage against those who fail to intervene.

"If Sept. 11 did anything, it opened eyes in the U.S. to the fact that the world is a pretty small place," Bellamy said. There's no place to hide from the world's problems.

Bellamy didn't come here just to talk about problems, though. She also came to remind us of the vast opportunities the world has to offer - even in a place like Afghanistan.

"We're very proud that we were able to get schools open all over Afghanistan in a matter of weeks," she said. "We shipped 7,000 tons of educational tools to the country, and our agency is leading the girls education effort for the U.N."

Given demographic trends, the workforce of the future, as well as the growth market for goods and services, lies in the developing world. Assisting in that development goes beyond altruism or even the quest for future political stability - it's good business.

The human potential is astounding, Bellamy said, and often underestimated.

"I see it all the time. A person from the U.S. with graduate degrees lands in Senegal and is entirely dependent upon people who are illiterate but speak three languages.

"Just because you're poor doesn't mean you're stupid."

Diane Carman's commentaries appear here Thursday and Sunday. E-mail: dcarman@denverpost.com.



Click on a link below for more stories on PCOL

Top Stories and Discussion on PCOL
Sargent Shriver and the Politics of Life911:  A Different America
USA Freedom Corps - "paved with good intentions"PCV hostage rescued from terrorists
GAO reports on Volunteer Safety and SecurityPeace Corps out of Russia?
Help the New Peace Corps Bill pass CongressUSA Freedom Cops TIPS Program


Top Stories and Discussion on PCOL
Senior Staff Appointments at Peace Corps HeadquartersFor the Peace Corps Fallen
Senator Dodd holds Hearings on New Peace Corps LegislationThe Debate over the Peace Corps Fund
Why the Peace Corps needs a Fourth GoalThe Peace Corps 40th plus one
The Case for Peace Corps IndependenceThe Controversy over Lariam
The Peace Corps and Homeland SecurityDirector Vasquez meets with RPCVs
RPCV Congressmen support Peace Corps' autonomyPeace Corps Expansion:  The Numbers Game?
When should the Peace Corps return to Afghanistan?Peace Corps Cartoons



Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Peace Corps Directors

PCOL1082
74

.


Add a Message


This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.
Username:  
Password:
E-mail: