We’re the first generation with the resources to end global poverty

HOW does one begin to imagine the awesome power that can lift the sea 30 feet, that can suck an ocean into itself and then send it roaring for hundreds of miles, all in the space of minutes?

How can anyone possibly comprehend the humanity behind the mounting statistics of the dead and missing?

I know, indirectly, what one family went through because one of their children was unaccounted for in the first two days of the disaster.

It will take them a long time to recover from the trauma of those two days, even though they now know that their child is safe and well. What if they were still waiting? What if the worst had happened? Multiply that distress and pain by a couple of hundred thousand, and we’re still nowhere near adding it up.

And it will go on. For months and years to come the physical effects of the past week’s devastation will be felt throughout the region. And surely the economic consequences will be felt throughout the world, both major and minor aftershocks of their own.

One of the things that makes me proudest to be Irish at moments like this is the first instinct of the Irish people, We want to help in whatever way we can. I’m never sure what causes this instinct. Perhaps it’s a culture that recognises a neighbour in need, or perhaps just a basic recognition of our inter-dependence - that old phrase “there but for the grace of God”.

Whatever it is, Irish people have an unparalleled ability to rise to the occasion at moments like this.

I heard Tony Blair on television saying that Great Britain was the world leader when it came to support for the developing world and in times of crisis like this one. Without wishing to denigrate the extraordinary efforts being made by British people at every level, on a per capita basis Ireland will easily surpass that contribution.

And that is despite the instincts of our own Government. It was widely said, when the Government callously abandoned the attempt to reach the UN target for development aid, that it was flying in the face of the deep-rooted instincts of the Irish people. The response of people to this disaster proves that. The Government itself was tempted to respond with a miserly couple of million, a reaction correctly described by this newspaper as an insult to humanity. It wasn’t until people like Pat Rabbitte and John O’Shea criticised the Government’s response that they saw sense and began to move in the direction the people were leading them.

But no matter what we do, no matter how much we contribute individually or collectively, it is just not enough. The time is long past for the nations of the world to take a long, hard look at the policy changes necessary to face situations like this on a much more coordinated and proactive basis.

Of course it will be said that no multilateral or global agreement can ever hope to cope with a disaster on this scale. The power of nature gives no time to prepare or capacity to prevent. That’s true. But it’s not the issue. The issue in cases like these, and many others, is how to cope with disaster when it happens, and ultimately how to rebuild. The world has the capacity to equip itself with this ability. It has never really had the will.

Bill Gates and Bono had an article in yesterday’s Irish Times on this subject.

The world’s richest man, and the world’s most influential rock singer, have both devoted time, effort, study and money to this very issue, and their views deserve respect.

THIS is part of what they had to say in that piece: “Momentum has been building to make this the year when the world finally gets serious about changing the future for its poorest people. The coming 12 months are a test for us all - especially the leaders of the G8 nations, whose vision and resolve have never been more on the line.

“History’s judgement will be harsh if we fail, precisely because we are the first generation which truly has the power to succeed. New tools and ideas are creating opportunities which were, until very recently, unthinkable.

“Conventional wisdom used to be that foreign aid could not buy measurable results. That attitude and its ally, indifference, is eroding in the face of dramatic progress, particularly in health.

“... For starters, we hope that the leaders of every developed nation will resolve to take four crucial steps in 2005. “The wealthy world has already committed to some of these ideas - and promises made must be promises kept.

“First: double the amount of effective foreign assistance, possibly through the International Finance Facility, a proposal to frontload aid and get it flowing immediately.

“Second: finish the job on the debts of poor countries. They need more than relief - they need full debt cancellation. “Third: change unfair trade rules, thereby creating a pathway for poor countries to reach self-reliance.

“Fourth: provide funding for the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, a more aggressive and coordinated approach to developing a vaccine.

“The story of 2005 will have its leaders and laggards, and in a year’s time it will be clear to all of us who was who. In the meantime, it is up to us how we want our generation to be remembered. For the internet? Or for the ‘war on terror’? Or for finally deciding that where a child happens to live will no longer determine whether that child gets to go on living?”

Of course these are high objectives. And of course they are difficult to achieve. But they’re by no means beyond us. The world is richer than ever now and it has more capability at its disposal than previous generations could ever have imagined. The problems addressed in that article can be solved.

But will they be? In their piece, Gates and Bono concentrate on making a direct appeal to the G8, the eight most powerful and richest nations in the world. There is no mention of the UN and the role that it could play. That omission might reflect disillusionment on the part of the authors, or it could be that they are choosing what they see as the most practical and quickest route to solving the problems they address.

But even if they win the entire G8 over to their point of view (and they already have a powerful and committed ally in Tony Blair), the solutions they propose won’t help address the crisis of rebuilding that follows a disaster like last week’s.

That level of pro-activity and co-ordination needs a strong, reformed, energised UN. Ireland isn’t one of the G8 countries, but if we set our minds to it - and if we enlisted the help of the Bonos and Bill Gates of the world in return - we could play a major leadership role in initiating that kind of reform. Surely the country that can lead Europe towards a new constitution could undertake a task like that?