Analysis of Critical Issues in International Development: A Deep Dive

This assignment delves into several critical issues hindering international development. It begins by examining the pervasive challenges of inequality and poverty, highlighting their detrimental effects on economic and social growth, and the power imbalances that persist globally. The paper then explores the complexities of migration, its impact on both sending and receiving countries, and the need for effective policies. Furthermore, it addresses the critical importance of health, emphasizing the consequences of poor health conditions and the need for global initiatives, particularly in developing nations. The assignment also highlights gender discrimination as a significant obstacle, advocating for gender equality and the inclusion of marginalized groups in the development process. Finally, it considers the broader implications of violence, particularly against women and children, and its adverse effects on sustainable development. The author provides a comprehensive analysis, drawing on various sources to support their arguments and offers recommendations for addressing these multifaceted challenges.

ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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Inequality and Poverty
Inequality and poverty are two big challenges in the way of international development. Some of
the most important pillars of international development are the social and economic development
of the world. However, the world has become a place where a huge gap has been formed
between the have-nots and the haves and the situation is no different even in developed countries
like United States (Global Sherpa, 2019). I think that the primary source of this global inequality
is poverty or uneven distribution of wealth among people or countries. I also believe that the
unjustified gap between the poor and the wealthy continues to be widened because of the recent
economic system. The impact of this inequality is devastating that not only costs economic
growth but also social growth as a whole. As a result, many areas of development like health,
education and more are at stake. Thus, the power imbalance has been ruling the world that has
not been defeated even by the initiatives taken by the BRICS association.
I have found that one of the main aspects of inequality is economic inequality that is the source
of poverty all over the world. According to some reports, over 783 millions of people around the
world live under the poverty line (United Nations, 2019). On the other hand, less than 45% of the
global population has received any kind of cash benefit for social protection in the year 2016.
However, programs like Sustainable Development 2030 Agenda have been trying to eradicate
poverty from the world by taking care of the fact that resources are distributed equally among
people globally. Moreover, looking at the world around me, I think that poverty still remains one
of the unavoidable threats to the international development.
Migration
Migration has become one of the key issues in international development today. However,
migration has always been in the nature of human beings in the past when people used to move
from one place to another in order to be around a better environment and better food. I can say
that the situation has taken a new mould in this generation where people have been migrating in
search of better opportunities, education, and work and in order to escape from any kind of
conflict. As a result, as per my research, over 258 millions of people have been migrated since
2017 whereas the amount used to be quite lesser in 2000 (173 million) (United Nations, 2019).
The impact of this issue is two sided. On one hand, the countries, from where people migrate to
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other countries, lose their man power and intellectual resources that ultimately affects their over
all growth.
On the other hand, some countries have become crowded because of the entrance of migrated
people and that affects their growth too. I believe that migration is also the reason behind
obstructing the development of the whole world. For that reason, health and living standards of
the refuges also suffer a lot (Lagarde, 2015). This is so because many migrants are illiterate and
thus they cannot benefit the country they go for settling in. On the other hand, the uneven
population distribution, as an outcome of migration, has been creating issues of inequality all
over again. However, programs like International Organization for Migration and Global
Compact for Safe, Orderly and regular migration have been coming up with goals and policies
that I think, may be able to use the issue of migration in the favour of international development
in the coming days.
Health
Like inequality and poverty, health is another major challenge that obstructs international
development in my opinion. Poor health conditions and low living standards are actually the
consequences of overreaching poverty and inequality that have been overpowering the world.
United Nations have been trying to eradicate the health related issues from the world by
spreading awareness about good health globally and by taking other significant actions.
However, I found out that 15,000 children have died before reaching adulthood in the year 2016
(United Nations, 2019). Due to the contributions of the World Health Organization, many
unknown diseases have been identified and have given a name so that it becomes easier for the
doctors to treat them and to conduct research on them.
As per the information on poverty, I can say that a large amount of people live under a lower
living standard that has become a reason behind their unhealthy lives and untimely deaths. WHO
has also helped more than 150 countries by providing health specialists, medical doctors and
other medical experts so that the health related issues can be reduced in those countries in need
(Fanzo, 2015). The situation is even worse in developing or underdeveloped countries where
population migrated and poverty stricken families do not have access to the medical
advancements. As a result, many children and women suffer from lack of nutrition and live
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unproductive lives that ultimately affect international development. Thus, I can recommend that
still many initiatives are needed to be taken so that more funding and more resource persons can
involve in the process of developing the poor health conditions.
Gender discrimination
I believe that the world cannot be wholesomely developed if half of the world’s population
cannot participate in the developmental process. However, history has witnessed a continuous
denial of women’s rights globally. The situation is worse in conservative countries that still
perceive women’s freedom as a tabooed subject (United Nations, 2019). However, gender
equality is one of the basic human rights. On the contrary, gender disparity has become one of
the most common issues worldwide that has been affecting the whole world severely. I think that
among the main reasons behind the unequal social position of people based on their genders are
the social prejudices. These social prejudices create the myth that women are less capable than
men to participate in the process of decision making or in the economic development.
As a result, many women go through both physical and mental violence and live wasted lives
despite having distinct and equal qualities as men. I can say that global economic growth can be
achieved if the lives of women can be utilized and can be given a productive turning (Peace
Corps, 2019). Other than women, transgender and homosexual people also get unequal
opportunities because of sharing different sexual orientations. As a result, women and other
marginalized gendered people suffer from violence and poor health standards. Thus, I think that
new initiatives need to be taken so that these people can get access to quality health resources,
education and economic advantages as well.
Violence
In my opinion, violence can be a broader term that has the capability to affect international
development. So, here, the focus of this journal is violence against women and children. As per
the above journal entry, violence can be termed as a by-product of gender disparity. I consider
Violence against women to be a violation of basic human rights. Different kinds of violence such
as domestic violence, violence in the workplace and more can hamper the productivity and
security of women (United Nations, 2019,). According to some reports, one in three women
suffer from any kind of violence and this is something that poses impact on their economic
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stability, health and ultimately lowers the possibility that they have. Thus, sustainable
development can be seriously hampered because of the continuous violence inflicted upon
women around the world.
For that reason, one of the goals of the SDGS is to eradicate the practices of violence faced by
women. I also believe that children abuse is another major issue that has been paralysing a big
population from being active participants of economic growth in the future. On the other hand, it
also shows how unethical humane conducts have become. However, there are still not enough
initiatives to reduce the rate of violence faced by women (United Nations foundation, 2019). As
a result, many women are devoid of every basic requirement for a good living standard today.
Moreover, I think that it is high time for considering this issue as one of the major challenges for
international development looking at the extended impacts of it.
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Reference list
Fanzo, J., 2015. Ethical issues for human nutrition in the context of global food security and
sustainable development. Global Food Security, 7(1), pp.15-23.
Global Sherpa 2019, Inequality Around the World, Available at:
http://globalsherpa.org/inequality/ [Accessed on: 13/5/2019]
Lagarde, C., 2015, Migration: A Global Issue in Need of a Global Solution, Available at:
https://blogs.imf.org/2015/11/11/migration-a-global-issue-in-need-of-a-global-solution/
[Accessed on: 13/5/2019]
Peace Corps 2019, Global Issues: Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, Available at:
https://www.peacecorps.gov/educators/resources/global-issues-gender-equality-and-womens-
empowerment/ [Accessed on: 13/5/2019]
United Nations 2019, Ending Poverty, Available at: https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-
depth/poverty/index.html [Accessed on: 13/5/2019]
United Nations 2019, Gender Equality, Available at: https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-
depth/gender-equality/index.html [Accessed on: 13/5/2019]
United Nations 2019, Global Issues Overview, Available at:
https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/global-issues-overview/ [Accessed on: 13/5/2019]
United Nations 2019, Health, Available at:
https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/health/index.html [Accessed on: 13/5/2019]
United Nations 2019, Migration, Available at:
https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/migration/index.html [Accessed on: 13/5/2019]
United Nations foundation 2019, A Global Issue We Can’t Ignore: Violence Against Girls And
Women, Available at: https://unfoundation.org/blog/post/a-global-issue-we-cant-ignore-violence-
against-girls-and-women/ [Accessed on: 13/5/2019]
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