“Development is empowerment: it is about local people taking control of their own lives, expressing their own demands and finding their own solutions to their problems.”
To bring a global development perspective to your work as a volunteer, it is vital to have some knowledge of the following topics. They form the wider context within which your experience will take place. Having some knowledge of the bigger picture will help you to understand the forces that might shape events at the local level of your placement.
In 2000 the UN Millennium Declaration was adopted at the largest ever meeting of heads of state. World leaders agreed a set of 8 goals, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aimed at eradicating poverty by 2015. Read more...
The rapid increase in economic, social, cultural and technological exchange across borders affects us all, but has particular implications for developing countries. Read more...
International Institutions such as the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation are mentioned frequently in writing about development. Find out what they actually are and why you should care.
Debt replayments and unfair trade deals are two major issues that undermine poor countries ability to develop their societies and to focus their development efforts on the needs of their people. Understanding the reason for and the impact of these issues can help to place your volunteering experience in the wider context of development and the structures that affect it.