Sections

Leaders, academics `rethink' Third World development

A University Law School symposium took a closer look this weekend at the huge percentage of the world that lives without food, shelter and other basic needs, examining the questions of Third World poverty.

The symposium, titled "Making Development Work Without Forgetting the Poor: Rethinking our Common Future," was organized by the Michigan Law and Development Society, a group of University students that examines problems of Third World development.

The relative wealth of the United States may be causing people to forget about the concerns of other nations, said third-year Law student Grant Sovern, a symposium coordinator.

"Students who have worked in developing countries feel isolated here in America where we have so much," Sovern said.

Although international organizations have been working with underdeveloped countries for years, the panels agreed that poverty is still a serious problem. The symposium featured a series of panel discussions that addressed issues including electoral politics, financial policies and education.

A small group of students protested the symposium's inclusion of World Bank Vice President Mark Malloch Brown, who spoke Friday afternoon. The students, including members of India Development Services, passed out fliers and held signs showing opposition to World Bank processes.

The protesters urged audience members to challenge Brown during the question-and-answer section of a panel Friday.

"It was not a disruptive protest," LSA senior Carmen Glen said. "A number of people, including panelists, said, `We're glad you're here and we really agree.'"

The symposium featured more than 30 speakers, including leading officials in developmental organizations. Along with Brown, the symposium also attracted U.N. Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala, a Sri Lanka delegate who is viewed as a contender for the post of U.N. secretary-general when current Secretary-General Boutros-Boutros Ghali's term ends.

Organizers said attracting the speakers was a challenge. "This is an ambitious project, seeing as this is the first year (of the symposium)," said School of Public Policy first-year student Nami Ohtomo. "It has brought together people from different disciplines."

Aside from the political leaders and distinguished academics who spoke, two community leaders from Chiapas, Mexico, participated to discuss the practical needs of their community.

"The people that do have the money want products for almost free," panelist Petrona de la Cruz Cruz said "(People) don't realize how much work it takes, and I think it would be better if the work of indigenous women were recognized."

In addition to the recommendations considered by the panels, several members of the conference suggested microfinancing as a possible solution to the problems of the Third World. In microfinancing, large numbers of poor people receive small loans, usually under $50.

Panelist Muhammed Yunus, managing director of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, said microfinancing not only gives borrowers money to start cottage businesses, it also instills a sense of pride. As loans are paid back with interest, microfinancing is commercially profitable for banks.

The benefits of microfinancing hold great potential for helping combat Third World poverty, Yunus said. "There is no reason for people to be poor."