24th May, 2010

By John O'Shea

IT is time to blow away the dust from so many myths about “progress” being made in the Third World. Today is “Africa Day”, and while the continent is worthy of celebration for its people, and their heroics in completing the daily miracle of survival, the story of Africa’s relationship with the West is one of failure rather than success.

Here are three quick reminders why the champagne should remain uncorked a little longer; until the international community raises its game and engages meaningfully with the one billion poor with whom we share our planet:

Sub-Saharan Africa continues to account for half the deaths of children under five in the developing world. Sub-Saharan Africa still has 38 million children who are not in school. In Africa, a woman’s risk of dying from complications of pregnancy and childbirth is 1 in 22, compared to 1 in 7,300 in the Developed World. Too many families in Africa are trapped in cycles of illness and poverty.
Bad government, conflict, institutionalized corruption and social injustice have all added to the misery. But there is another major reason why life is so hard for so many Africans, and that is the readiness of the West to tolerate the intolerable, as if universal standards of justice, fairness, and accountability, have been suspended for many parts of the continent.

For instance, there have been over nine million refugees and internally displaced people from conflicts in Africa. Countless people have been slaughtered from a number of wars. One thinks of the five million deaths in the Congo without any significant intervention from the West; there is no doubt that if bloodshed on a similar scale was taking place in Europe, it would be regarded as World War III.

So today it is more important to focus on what has yet to be done rather than trumpeting “progress”. My intention is not to disillusion or discourage but rather to concentrate hearts and minds on what needs to change in order to get the new deal that Africa and its people so desperately deserve.

Change for the better must be led by the international community, this may sound politically incorrect for many: but the truth is that such are the challenges and obstacles to progress, only a whole-scale engagement by world leaders will be sufficient to achieve what is required.

Each year $150bn in foreign aid is lost to corruption in the Third World, much of this is siphoned off by Africa’s leaders. President Obama has pledged to fight this cancer of corruption but all countries with an interest in helping the poor must make fighting graft a priority.

From the point of view of our own country, I would love to see our Government taking advantage of the global leadership vacuum. History has equipped ‘neutral Ireland’ to become the champion that the poor so badly need. If our government has the courage to seize the initiative and harness the caring gene that has set our nation apart globally, we can become a powerful agent of positive change and give a voice to Africa’s voiceless. When I speak about the “caring gene”, I am referring to the innate compassion that drove ordinary men and women of this nation to give so generously to GOAL over the last three decades.

The planet is currently reaping a bitter harvest because of the selfishness of nations. There is now a unique opportunity to show the strength of “selflessness”. The missionary heritage of Ireland has made this country a “superpower” in this regard, and it is critical that we harness this influence and lead the charge for a fighting chance for Africa’s poor.

A major step would be for Ireland to press the international community to establish an Apolitical army to deploy when an emergency response is required to protect civilians. It would be fully-equipped with the expertise to secure disaster sites during a time of emergency.

It would operate in conjunction with a team of logistical experts who would organise, coordinate, and control strategic solutions delivering food and medical aid, and oversee future development. At present there is lack of direction and it is facilitating Western governments to evade their responsibilities. Because there is no systematic response to emergencies there is no one to account to when there are massive failures.

We saw the appalling consequences of global spinelessness back in 1984 when millions starved in Ethiopia, the world stood back, each country waiting for the next guy to intervene. It was the same in Rwanda in 1994 when a million people were massacred in the genocide, but again no major political entity saw fit to intervene.

An emergency reaction force is vital to help the poor, and this is a role that could be played by a revitalised UN were it given the mandate and resources. We have seen the exceptional work done by the UN’s Food Programme, if world leaders took their responsibilities seriously and contributed the personnel and finances, then the UN could play a major part in transforming Africa.

The UN is an arena where Ireland could play an influential part. Frank Aiken set a precedent for small nations to be a driving force at the UN, by campaigning on the issue of nuclear non-proliferation. His efforts have contributed enormously to world peace. It is time that Ireland’s voice was heard again, this time on the side of Africans who have been abandoned to their plight.

We may be poor in resources but our reputation is strong and we will be listened to if we take the initiative and speak out. In Darfur, where China gives the Sudanese cover to pursue relentless scorched earth polices that have cost countless civilian lives, or in Ethiopia where the country will not even acknowledge that millions are suffering from malnutrition, there is no-one to cry foul.

Beijing’s land grab in the continent and its swallowing up of massive swathes of resources to feed its massive economic development at home is allowed go unchecked. China compounds the difficulties of the poor by giving unconditional loans to tyrants who trample on their people, and again the world stays silent because of fears over lost trade.

Were the Irish Government to cry out in defence of the world’s poor and become their tribune, such is the silence on Africa and its problems, that the cry could echo around the world..
I have seen more than most the qualities that make Africans unique; the enterprise and ingenuity that goes into keeping body and soul together against enormous odds. The continent and its people have so much to offer and Ireland could play a pivotal role in assisting them.

Our country has the potential to be a fly in the ear of the world’s most powerful, pestering and cajoling until they are stirred to respond to Africa’s litany of crises.

What a signal it would give to people at home and abroad if Ireland in its own time of difficulty, proved itself capable of looking beyond its own current problems to embrace the needs of the continent so that Africa could truly have its day.

© 2010 The Irish Independent