Siddharth Chatterjee: Perspectives-My work in the United Nations, the Red Cross and the Indian Army

On August 27 2016, Kenyans celebrated not just the promulgation of the new Constitution six years ago, but also the tangible gains made throughout the country. The 2010 Constitution heralded a new era of open and inclusive governance best epitomised by devolution, which is helping to bridge the development gap between rich and poor regions.  This gap was first created by colonialists who zoned the country into high-potential and low-potential agricultural areas. The new Constitution must guide Kenya towards being seen as a beacon of hope for democratic values, good governance, rule of law and social inclusion for all of Africa.  Towards this vision, the United Nations will remain a resolute partner of the Government and the people of Kenya. My take:  http://news.trust.org/item/20160825180722-f31um/

Consider this: in 1956 Sweden and Kenya’s population was roughly at 7 million. Today Sweden has about 9.8 million, while there are about 44 million Kenyans. Fertility levels are declining gradually and Kenyans are living longer. It is estimated that there will be 85 million people in Kenya by 2050, with three quarters of these being below 35 years.  While Kenya’s median age is 19, Sweden’s is 42. Kenya’s mushrooming population presents an extraordinary opportunity and several challenges. The opportunity lies in the potential for a so-called demographic dividend of sustained rapid economic growth in the coming decades.There is reason for optimism that Kenya can benefit from a demographic dividend within 15 to 20 years. It is estimated that Kenya’s working age population will grow to 73 percent by year 2050, potentially bolstering the country’s GDP per capita 12 times higher than the present, with nearly 90 percent of the working age in employment. (NCPD Policy Brief: Demogra

In the words of  Michael Porter ; “for too long have business and society been pitted against each other”. The PSHP is showing the way in how different sectors with separate mission statements can be galvanized to find intersections in solving social problems. For long, suspicions about the private sector’s motives have created a wedge, preventing social programmes from accessing the knowledge, ideas, capabilities and resources that abound in private companies. Shared value propositions will enable different sectors to leverage each other’s assets, connections, creativity and expertise to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. We must continue finding new and creative ways to increase collaboration between government, the private sector and non-profits if we hope to reach Sustainable Development Goals. Here is a perspective:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/siddharth-chatterjee/kenyas-health-sector-chal_b_11503202.html

India, a country best-known for its rising economic might,  is the worst place to be a woman . On Sunday, 25 July 2016, an  Israeli woman was gang raped  in Manali, India. The incident is a gruesome reminder of the uncomfortable truth that India is not prepared to deal with the deluge of crimes perpetrated against women daily -  a woman is raped every 22 minutes. Consider this. Reports emerged this month that a young woman was gang-raped by the same men who had raped her three years earlier in  Rohtak, Haryana in North India.  Frankly law enforcement authorities should be ashamed of themselves. That the criminals were free all along and had the temerity to repeat the crime on the same victim can only point to the abysmal failure by Indian law enforcers to deal with rape crimes. Clearly, the attackers’ decision to track the victim and repeat the crime was meant to thumb their noses at her family and authorities, fully aware that they would get away with it again.

“Gentlemen, there are no bad soldiers, only bad officers”, said Napoleon Bonaparte to his military staff after they complained that the poor quality of soldiers was inhibiting success on the battlefield. We as former Army officers, totally believe in the sage words of Napoleon. In the face of some  vile and sickening  allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation among United Nations (UN) peacekeepers, questions the moral integrity of the people who are commissioned to be protectors, but who end up abusing the trust bestowed on them. Thus tarnishing the reputation of the entire UN. UN peacekeeping missions perform a crucial service in resolving conflicts, saving lives, building peace, restoring and rebuilding broken states. Their humanitarian services have been meritorious on all counts. However, incidents where troops seconded to the UN by member states under its command become sexual predators to the helpless civilians under their care have continued to present a cyclic

The Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is establishing and strengthening sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) recovery centres in the country. One such center was launched at the Kilifi County Hospital on 01 July 2016 in collaboration with the Kilifi County Government. It must rank as among the most confounding realities that SGBV, though acknowledged globally as one of the most pervasive violations of human rights in the world, is also one of the least prosecuted crimes. It is a crime that cuts across all races, income-levels and religions and it continues to be largely visited upon one half of humanity. When  four in every ten women in Kenya  have suffered one form of violence or another from a close partner, it must be clear that the silence on violence against women and children must end now.  It is the time to stop seeing SGBV as an issue for gender activists, but as a prerequisite fo

For twenty-six year old Eunice from Migori County,Kenya, celebrating her daughter Sherry’s fifth birthday is a milestone that few of her friends have enjoyed. As with many areas of Africa, a child born in Migori is seven times more likely to die before the  age of five , compared to a child in Europe. Despite recent gains in improving maternal and child survival rates in Africa, the continent still rates the lowest in the world.  In Kenya, child mortality stands at  52 per 1000 live births  and more than 6000 mothers die every year giving birth For many mothers like Eunice, the survival of a baby is  often a hit or miss ,   four in ten newborn babies die within the first 28 days of life . These first days are when newborns are highly susceptible to infections such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and septicaemia, which require hospital treatment or intensive care in severe cases. With almost one third of women in Kenya giving birth away from health facilities, it is easy to see how the

Kenyans, and friends of Kenya, are once again hoping that the five-yearly ritual of elections will not take the form of widespread ethnic violence and destruction of property.  However, recent intransigent positions over the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) are a cause for apprehension and concern. The social and economic effects of the 2007 election dispute are still being felt, and key sectors of the economy, including tourism, are still struggling.  The violence had also left its scar on the survivors in the form of anxiety and post-traumatic stress.  Statistics on sexual and gender-based violence show that whenever election-related violent conflict occurs, it is the innocent women and children who suffer most. As a development partner of Kenya, and guided by the core values of respect for human rights, diversity, equality and inclusion, the United Nations (UN) family is determined to do all it can to help prevent a recurrence of violence and conflict

Mandera’s double whammy, the concurrent outbreaks of cholera and chikungunya, is bringing to the fore the need for accelerated epidemic preparedness and prevention systems. Cholera  is an acute diarrhoeal disease that can kill within hours if left untreated. Chikungunya  virus is most often spread to people by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. These are the same mosquitoes that transmit dengue ,yellow fever and zika virus. Its symptoms include high fever, joint pain, rash and headache. There is no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat chikungunya virus infection. The twin epidemics have hit the expansive north-eastern county in Kenya, with half the population coming down with chikungunya virus infection. Since April, almost 1,103 cases of cholera has been reported in Mandera including 16 deaths, 3 being children. My take: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/siddharth-chatterjee/stepping-up-the-fight-to_b_10319574.html

The 3rd Devolution Conference that took place in Meru, Kenya between 19 and 21st April was an opportunity to discuss how the post-2015 development agenda will be localized and how county governments will deliver on the  Sustainable Development Goals  (SDGs). President Uhuru Kenyatta has said that  devolution  is vital in helping the country achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And this is beautifully aligned to Kenya’s own  Vision 2030,  which is to create a globally competitive and prosperous Kenya with a high quality of life by 2030. Devolution is all about inclusion and participation. Devolution is therefore also an opportunity to champion gender equality. My opinion piece with Ambassador Tarja Fernandez, of the Finalnd Embassy in Kenya: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/siddharth-chatterjee/county-governments-in-ken_b_10166608.html

When Pope Francis recently endorsed the use of  individual conscience  in deciding whether to use contraceptives in view of the spread of the Zika virus, it was not just a landmark moment but it underscored the need for faith leaders to get involved more closely in contemporary health challenges. In Northern Nigeria,  a former global epicenter of polio transmission , Islamic clerics, who were once opposed to immunization, turned into advocates for vaccination. As a result Nigeria, one of the three remaining countries where polio is still considered endemic, has for the first time been  polio-free for 18 months , a development that brings us significantly closer to eradicating this terrible disease. A profound realization has lately emerged among health professionals about how well-equipped health systems alone cannot solve today’s public health challenges.  Stemming from various highly complex causes, these problems can never be solved by a single approach, but by an array of

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, an average of  92 women are raped in India every day . A survey compiled by the Thomson Reuters Foundation lists the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Somalia as the  five worst states for women’s rights  in descending order. The Indian armed forces instil powerful leadership skills in their ranks that don’t vanish on retirement, combined with a deep sense of honour and discipline. Moreover, veterans who have retired often still feel a sense of purpose and service that can be channelled into upholding the rights of women and girls. This then serves a dual purpose – that of furthering human rights and equality in India and that of providing ex-service personnel a sense of community and usefulness. They can add value by becoming champions by speaking up at the community level for the rights of women and girls, supporting and assisting local authorities in a massive advocacy campaign throughout Ind

As the UNDP Administrator,  Ms Helen Clark remarked , “Women are powerful agents of change – and empowering women benefits whole societies.”  A good place to begin is empowering Kenya’s youth, especially girls. The multiplier effect of girls’ education on several aspects of development is now well documented.  Education reduces high fertility rates, lowers infant and child mortality rates, lowers maternal mortality rates and increases labour force participation. Empowering, educating and employing Kenya’s women and girls  will launch our economy to new heights and ensure Kenya reaps a demographic dividend. His Excellency,  President Uhuru Kenyatta , has stressed that “Progress for women is progress for all …….”  For development to be sustainable and resilient, it must be inclusive and equitable, given that half of humanity are women, their empowerment is a must and not an option. My take: http://news.trust.org/item/20160412063631-p302r/

The concept of “health as a bridge for peace” may be resonating in this county, which has seen the scourge of internecine conflicts and cross border attacks. In her paper  'Health as Bridge for Peace'  presented in Paris in 1997, Judith Large introduced the concept of health care as bridge for peace. In her typology of violence she coined the term structural violence. She argues that structural violence is not always synonymous with armed conflict. “The nexus between effective health services and security is now becoming clearer. An adequate and equitable health care system gives an essential form of security and we are quite optimistic that this project is the beginning of a new narrative for communities here,” says Mandera County Governor Ali Roba. According to WHO, it works even better when all actors get involved in post-war reconstruction. What happens is that health workers, a key pillar in delivering health programmes in conflict and post-conflict situations,

An incendiary and violent jobs reservation protest by young people from a community known as Jats in Haryana was close to bringing the capital of India, New Delhi to a standstill. Is this an ominous sign of social upheaval that looms in the horizon? Henrik Urdal of the Harvard Kennedy School  finds that globally, it is nearly all young men who fight in wars or commit violent crimes and found that a "youth bulge" made them more strife-prone. When 15-24-year-olds made up more than 35% of the adult population--as is common in developing countries--the risk of conflict was 150% higher than with a rich-country age profile. My take: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/siddharth-chatterjee/indias-youth-a-blessing-o_b_9288120.html

When President Barack Obama made his  first visit to Kenya as US President last year , one of the poignant messages he left was an exhortation for communities to shun cultures that degrade women and girls.  “Imagine if you have a team and don’t let half of the team play. That makes no sense,” he said, referring to the denial of opportunities for women to fully participate in development. The president’s message could not have been more pertinent, coming as it did when the country, like most of Africa, is thinking how to reap a ‘ demographic dividend’  – or boost in economic productivity – from its declining fertility rate and growing youthful population. This occurs if the number of people in the workforce increases relative to the number of dependents. Countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong also called the “Asian Tigers” lifted millions out of poverty by lowering dependency ratio. Individuals and families were able to make savi

Mothers in northern Kenya with their children at a free medical clinic - photo credit Islamic Relief Kenya is one of the countries where maternal health is still lagging far behind.  It is ranked among the 10 most dangerous countries for a woman to be pregnant and give birth.  21 women die every day due to preventable pregnancy-related complications, while 1 in 19 children never live to see their fifth birthday. Kenya has a tremendous opportunity to do even more to help women and children have better healthcare, and so improve their lives.  That’s why at the beginning of December 2015, partners from Government of Kenya, the UN, civil society, private sector and development institutions came together for a workshop organized by the World Economic Forum, Ministry of Health Kenya, World Bank and UNFPA. The workshop was to forge a new way ahead to discuss a roadmap for partnerships that can  leapfrog  the health care services for improving the health status of Kenya’s women and

Women in Meru county examine a Menstrual cup. Photo Credit: Wikimedia commons. The onset of menstruation is a landmark event in the life of a young woman. Yet many complications and challenges accompany such an event. One in 10 adolescent girls miss school and eventually drop out due to menstruation-related issues. As we celebrate a new year, the best gift we can give our girls is an action-plan backed resolution in 2016 that this will no longer be their lot.  Sanitary pads or  menstrual cups  must be priced reasonably.   There’s no force more powerful for transforming a society than an educated girl.  Any steps taken to eliminate circumstances that keep girls out of school can only be beneficial to our collective future. My take: http://www.trust.org/item/20160105072140-7w38h/?source=shtw