18 October 2009

Humanitarian Resource Institute
Phone: (203) 668-0282
Url: www.humanitarian.net

Global Arts Integration Into Education Initiative
Url:  www.unarts.org
Twitter: unarts

STAND UP AGANIST POVERTY - 2009: THE NEXT LEVEL

Humanitarian Resource Institute  [1,2]  and the ONE Campaign [3] have advanced a global grassroots appeal for participation in the United Nations initiative STAND UP 2009. [4]

Last year, a record breaking 116 million people stood up and took action to end poverty and help achieve these Goals.  However, this is a time of extraordinary challenge. The global financial crisis is having a devastating impact on the world’s poorest and most vulnerable.

This year, Humanitarian Resource Institute [5]  is working to spread the message about STAND UP 2009 to the community level in 192 member countries of the United Nations [6], to engage the grassroots level (6.91 billion population),  half who live in extreme poverty [6].  

Though Humanitarian Resource Institute fully supports the objectives of the Millennium Declaration 2015 target, [7] the size and scope of the current international humanitarian emergency needs to be comprehended with immediate intervention.  Focus areas include:

1. Damage to the economic infrastructure in every United Nations member country, attributed to the lack of regulatory controls on global financial markets during the last decade. [8]  This includes reversing the damage of systemic hyperinflation and inability of traditional economic mechanisms to accommodate stability.
2. World Health Organization Level 6 Pandemic [9]: International Public Health Emergency and crisis associated with vaccine accessibility [10], co-infection: Toxic Shock Syndrome [11], sensitivity testing for antibiotic resistance in secondary bacterial infections [12, 13, 14].  The severity of current challenge is proportional to the state of public health infrastructure in UN member countries. [15]
   

STAND UP 2009 is a starting point that engages the use of technology in a Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube world.   But as noted above, the issues on the table need to go far beyond a tweet or a post of support on Facebook or MySpace.  We need real time communication of prioritized issues, engagement of top experts and formation of background discussion groups for review and analysis, compilation of peer reviewed supporting information for communication to the decision making level, media, etc., etc.  Through this advocacy approach, consensus building, grassroots strategic planning, and response are achievable at the speed of an email. [16]

The goal is to provide the grassroots level, in every UN member country with the tools they need to STAND UP in 2009.

Stephen Michael Apatow [17] is founder of the nonprofit organization Humanitarian Resource Institute and director of the Global Arts Integration Into Education Initiative.

References:

1. Humanitarian Resource Institute: Url: www.humanitarian.net
2. Humanitarian Resource Institute: Global Arts integration Into Education Initiative "Rock the World" Campaign. Url: www.unarts.org
3. ONE Campaign: Url: www.one.org
4. STAND UP 2009: Url: www.standagainstpoverty.org
5. Pathobiologics International: Communications capability. Url: www.pathobiologics.org/groundzero.html
6. The Ultimate Objective: Global Poverty Statistics and Humanitarian needs. Url: www.humanitarian.net/interfaith/studycenter/Omnia_vincit_amor/
7. United Nations Millennium Declaration: Url: www.un.org/millennium/declaration/ares552e.htm
8. How will the Global Economic Crisis Impact the Worlds Poor: USAID, April 2009. Url: www.usaid.gov/locations/asia/documents/Health-and-Impact-of-Economic-Crisis-4-13-final-duproof0413.pdf
9. Current WHO phase of pandemic alert: Url: www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/phase/en/index.html
10. Nine Countries Pledge H1N1 Vaccine Donations To Developing Countries: 120 Million doses to cover 6.91 billion global population. Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report. Url:  http://globalhealth.kff.org/Daily-Reports/2009/September/18/GH-091809-Swine-Flu.aspx
11. Toxic Shock Syndrome: Medscape, eMedicine. Url: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/969239-overview
12. CDC: National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS): Enteric Bacteria. Url: www.cdc.gov/NARMS/
13. Antibiotic Resistance Enteric Disease: 2005 Agricultural operations.  Note: Salmonella culture, antibiotic sensitivity. Url: www.pathobiologics.org/ivphc/ar362005.html
14. Co-infection discussion: Presence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in farm and pet animals. Url:  http://aac.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/40/10/2285
15. Academic Analysis - Intelligence Community: Stephen Michael Apatow at Los Alamos - Keynote on molecular diagnostics. Url: www.pathobiologics.org
16. H-II: Human Rights Reporting - Evidence Collection - Witness Protection. Url: www.humanitarian.net/university/arts/news/nedasoltan_6232009.html
17. Stephen Michael Apatow: Background. Url: www.humanitarian.net/presbio.html