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A2

Development

  Having trouble with 'geographical endowment' ? Tricky words and phrases - definitions for GG4

• Statistics
• Maps
• Development issues
• The United Nations (Specialized UN Agencies)

• Globalisation
• Trade
• Individual countries/regions
• Gender
• Life expectancies

• Stats

Development goals This is a very easy site to use with straightforward tables and interactive maps. Uses 21 indicators to measure development. The International Development Goals set targets for reductions in poverty, improvements in health and education, and protection of the environment. The goals have been adopted by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other agencies. Can be found in the Millennium Declaration of the United Nations, adopted by the General Assembly in September 2000. The goals measure progress from 1990 and look to what can be accomplished by 2015. http://www.developmentgoals.org/

Human Development Report Lots of tables online and you can download a massive 2.7MB file of the whole 2002 report. The report first appeared in 1990 in order to put people back at the centre of development debate and policy. The goal was to go beyond income (purely economic wealth) to assess the level of people's long-term well-being. Four composite indices for human development - the Human Development Index (HDI), the Gender-related Development Index, the Gender Empowerment Measure, and the Human Poverty Index. Commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Press releases provide useful summaries. The 2002 report takes the view: "Reducing poverty depends as much on whether poor people have political power as on their opportunities for economic progress." http://www.undp.org/hdr2001/ http://www.undp.org/hdr2002/

WHOSIS The World Health Organisation Statistical Information System is one of the best places to start more detailed investigations because there are downloadable files in csv format which you can load straight into a spreadsheet such as Excel. (You can create your own spreadsheet with a selection of representative countries from this and add in other stats from the World Bank and elsewhere.) http://www.who.int/whosis/

World Bank One of the best sources of reliable and up-to-date data (GNP & PPP for 207 countries). Explanations of most indicators (see data by topic). Downloads are in pdf format, so you will need the latest version of Adobe Acrobat. Recommended downloads include Poverty Trends and Voices of the Poor (May 2001) and World Development Indicators 2002. http://worldbank.org/ WDI 2002 includes approx 800 indicators in 87 tables, organized in six sections: World View, People, Environment, Economy, States and Markets, and Global Links. The tables cover 152 economies and 14 country groups-with basic indicators for a further 55 economies. http://www.worldbank.org/data/wdi2002/

World Bank Maps A GIS which allows you to pan and zoom data-based maps. This is still under development, but goodies to try include a global map of life expectancy and mortality, GNP per capita (global), access to safe drinking water (global) and biodiversity (regional inc. the Amazon). Country-at-a-glance is promising (Ghana currently available). http://www.worldbank.int/data/maps/index.html

PovertyNet Data on poverty from the World Bank, including lots of articles, one of the best being Income Poverty:Trends in inequality, which includes use of the Gini Coefficient. http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/data/trends/inequal.htm

World Bank Green Accounting http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/environment/EEI.nsf/all/Green+Accounting?OpenDocument

PPP - What's your money worth? A Powerpoint slideshow on Purchasing Power Parity. http://www.worldbank.int/data/ppp/index.htm

World Factbook (Central Intelligence Agency) Highly recommended site for those hard to find basic 'facts' on a country by country basis. Profile of every country's geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military and transnational issues. Contact information for diplomatic representation in the US and in the country are included. http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/indexgeo.html If you have problems accessing the geographical factbook list, go to main homepage, look for publications and click on factbook. http://www.odci.gov/

InfoNation is a two-step database aimed at schools. It allows you to view and compare the most up-to-date statistical data for member states of the United Nations. http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/infonation/e_infonation.htm

Report on the World Social Situation 2001 An advance unedited version of the 2001 Report on the World Social Situation. The Report will be before the Third Committee of the 56th session of the UN General Assembly (October 2001). The 2001 Report has selected the theme Equity for in-depth treatment. http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/rwss/overview.html

Lorenz curves and Gini coefficients A page of explanation from 'bized'. http://www.bized.ac.uk/virtual/dc/farming/theory/th9.htm

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• Maps (Analysis of global patterns)

WHOSIS Maps based on Whosis stats. http://www-nt.who.int/whosis/statistics/whr_statistics/maps.cfm?path=statistics,whr_statistics,whr_maps&language=english

Education Place provides outline downloadable maps for classroom use. http://www.eduplace.com/ss/ssmaps/index.html

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• Development issues

Developments A magazine published by the UK DfID (Department for International Development). Archive of features and articles. Provides an overview of development and the latest news on how British development assistance works in partnership with developing countries to help eradicate poverty. A One World partner. Summer 2002 issue has focus on sustainability (issue 18, 2nd quarter). http://www.developments.org.uk/

GlobalEye Based on the DfID magazine for schools. Follow the link to the secondary newsroom for up-to-date background on development issues in the news. Back issues available as pdf files (Adobe Acrobat). Summer 2001 well worth a look as it included articles on Globalisation and Trade with case studies on the fashion industry and sugar. http://www.globaleye.org.uk Teachers http://www.globaleye.org.uk/teachers/secondary.html#focuson

Development goals The International Development Goals set targets for reductions in poverty, improvements in health and education, and protection of the environment. The goals measure progress from 1990 and look to what can be accomplished by 2015. http://www.developmentgoals.org/

One World - good for development issues. Can search by topic or country. Lots of links to news stories, dispatches on current issues and campaigns. Oneworld.net is an internet community of 477 organisations. Partners include everything from long-established organisations such as the Red Cross and left wing/green magazines such as Red Pepper. OneWorld is dedicated to promoting human rights and sustainable development. http://www.oneworld.net/

Development Gateway A portal which has a directory of development projects, links to statistics and a country index. The Development Gateway helps communities, organizations, and individuals build partnerships, share ideas, and work together to reduce poverty. Many private and public organisations have contributed. http://www.developmentgateway.org/

Worldwatch Institute Online Worldwatch is a nonprofit public policy research organization dedicated to informing policymakers and the public about emerging global problems and trends and the complex links between the world economy and its environmental support systems. http://www.worldwatch.org/

New Internationalist magazine was launched in the UK in 1970 with the backing of Oxfam and Christian Aid. It became independent in 1979. Each month NI focuses on a different theme, like Population or Prostitution, Africa or the Arms Trade, backed by full-colour fact charts, photos and illustrations. Each magazine contains a country profile - an overview of a developing country. http://www.newint.org/

Oxfam is about people in over 70 countries joining together to fight poverty. Poor people know best what their problems are and often how to sort them out. Oxfam helps by giving money and advice: helping people to help themselves. In this way they grow more food, dig wells for clean water, train health workers, learn to read and write, plant trees - and gain confidence and build mutual trust. Development page has case studies. http://www.oxfam.org.uk/development.htm

Cafod The development agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Works to tackle poverty. http://www.cafod.org.uk./ Policy papers main menu (eg on debt, trade, Sudan, globalisation,child labour). http://www.cafod.org.uk/policy

Christian Aid An agency of the churches in the UK and Ireland which believes in 'life before death'. Works wherever the need is greatest, regardless of religion. Christian Aid believes in strengthening people to find their own solutions to the problems they face. It strives for a new world transformed by an end to poverty and campaigns to change the rules that keep people poor. http://www.christian-aid.org.uk/ Le@rn zone http://www.christian-aid.org.uk/learn/index.htm

War on Want Charity fighting poverty. Campaigns on a variety of issues. War On Want was founded by publisher Victor Gollancz and Labour politician Harold Wilson in 1951. Victor Gollancz wrote to the Guardian asking people to join an international struggle against poverty and Harold Wilson coined the name 'War On Want'. (Harold Wilson later became Prime Minister.) http://www.waronwant.org

Indigenous Peoples acting in a proactive manner. "The aim of these electronic pages is to share the views, knowledge and recommendations of Indigenous Peoples on sustainability issues." Has definition of indigenous peoples. http://www.ecouncil.ac.cr/indig/

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• Gender

UNIFEM United Nations Development Fund for Women. Publishes major report 'Progress of the World's Women' which you can read online (or download). The report shows that only eight nations have successfully met global agreements to achieve both gender equality in secondary education and at least a 30 per cent share of women's seats in parliament. Strong focus on globalisation. http://www.unifem.undp.org/

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• Individual countries/regions

On the Line Channel 4 TV series for 2000 which followed the meridian line south through contrasting countries (includes Ghana). Site now hosted by Oxfam. Has linked activites (mainly for KS2 & 3). http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/index.html

Planet Ark is Reuter's news service dedicated to environmental issues. News archive which you can search by country. www.planetark.org/index.cfm

BBC World news is also very good for geographically based searches. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/

Development Gateway Click on country gateways tab. Links to databases, statistics and development projects. http://www.developmentgateway.org

Advance Brazil A Brazilian government plan which aims to develop roads, railways, waterways and hydroelectric dams in the Brazilian Amazon region, costing £27 billion. Avanca Brasil

• See also the BRAZIL page.

Americas Minneapolis-based Resource Center of the Americas is the nonprofit publisher of this Latin America site. Focus on the global economy "...a system in which a minority flourishes while millions of people lack adequate food, shelter and employment". Country and/or topic based 'lens' allows you to link to news stories elsewhere (eg NY Times, Amnesty Int, Info Brazil). http://www.americas.org/

Virtual Bangladesh Everything you ever wanted to know about the country. It contains domestic news for Bangladeshis living abroad as well as information on the country’s culture, location, geography and history. Also has a list of links to other sites. http://www.virtualbangladesh.com/bd_contents.html

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The United Nations

Most of us have heard about United Nations peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance. But the other ways the UN affects all our lives are not always so well known. The UN is central to global efforts to solve problems. Cooperating are more than 30 affiliated organizations working to promote human rights, protect the environment, fight disease, promote development and reduce poverty. The UN and its agencies campaign against illicit drug trafficking and terrorism, assist refugees and set up programmes to clear landmines, improve drinking water and food production, make loans to developing countries and help stabilize financial markets. http://www.un.org/ Complete list of all UN websites http://www.unsystem.org

UN Economic and Social Development sites

The Specialized UN Agencies

Autonomous organizations joined to the UN through special agreements include:

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN) Works to improve agricultural productivity and food security, and to better the living standards of rural populations. http://www.fao.org

UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Promotes education for all, cultural development, protection of the world’s natural and cultural heritage, international cooperation in science, press freedom and communication. http://www.unesco.org

WHO (World Health Organization) Coordinates programmes aimed at solving health problems and the attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health. It works in areas such as immunization, health education and the provision of essential drugs. http://www.who.int

World Bank Group Provides loans and technical assistance to developing countries to reduce poverty and advance sustainable economic growth. http://www.worldbank.int

IMF (International Monetary Fund) Facilitates international monetary cooperation and financial stability and provides a permanent forum for consultation, advice and assistance on financial issues. http://www.imf.org

IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development) Mobilizes financial resources to raise food production and nutrition levels among the poor in developing countries. http://www.ifad.org

UNIDO (UN Industrial Development Organization) Promotes the industrial advancement of developing countries through technical assistance and training. http://www.unido.org

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