| International Development Cooperation Looking only at the world average figures of health and wealth, both steadily increasing during the last century, one could make the false conclusion that the world is on a sustainable path and that living conditions on this planet are getting better and better for everyone. In reality, the direction of disappointing progress during the 20th century points at an unsustainable, inequal world, where billions suffer from unhuman living conditions. In the last 100 years social, economical to environmental problems of humanity became deeper and more numerous. The planet's population continues to explode, the trend during the last 100 years turned almost vertical. The inequalities between and within societies have never been so large. The wealthiest 20 percent of the world's population receive 85 percent, while the poorest 20 percent receive only 1.2 percent of world income. Children make up over half the world's poor. They begin life malnourished, in poor health, vulnerable to preventable diseases, and without access to even basic education. In short, they never get the chance to live a productive life and rise out of poverty. Problems in this globalized world overpass national and even continental borders. Both the effects and causes of these problems can only be addressed effectively in the framework of an international cooperation. The causes of conflicts, diseases, migration, pollution and other problems occurring in developing countries are in strong connection with the high proportion of people living in extreme poverty and overpopulation in these areas. Multidimensional poverty is responsible for population growth. In order to be able to drive back the world to a sustainable track, population needs to be stabilized, poverty needs to be eliminated and the life patterns of high-income countries need to be driven back to sustainable measures of consumption and emissions. Development has to empower and encourage sustainable patterns of life in both donor and recipient countries. It has to make it clear to everyone in both the developed and developing world that humanity at present follows a globally unsustainable path which has to be altered in order to reduce and eliminate global problems. International Cooperation for Sustainable Development is not only a moral obligation but a strong self-interest as well for all countries of the world. The project was supported by the National Civil Fund (NCA) and the BOCS Foundation. |