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

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 abl...

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 stat...

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 

According to the 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey of Kenya, 4 out of every 10 Kenyan women undergo some form of violence, whether physical or sexual. This figure is staggering and should compel us to pause and reflect. This year's  16 Days of Activism  Against Gender Violence once again gives us a chance to contemplate a phenomenon that may be as insidious as a woman getting thrown down the stairs by her husband within the home to the horrors that take place in conflict zones when soldiers/militias run amok and go on a savage raping spree. The Pope said that violence against women needs to be dealt with. He said at a Mass at the University of Nairobi on Thursday, 26 Nov 2015 that, "In obedience to God's word, we are called to resist practices which hurt or demean women and threaten the life of the unborn." This year's theme - 'From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World' - focuses on a factor that has not been spoken about loudly enoug...

The First Lady of Kenya Ms Margaret Kenyatta accompanied by the Governor of Mandera County Mr Ali Roba & UNFPA's Executive Director Dr Babatunde Osotimehin at the Beyond Zero event in Mandera. 06 Nov 2015. Mandera/PC: @undpkenya Mandera in north-eastern Kenya, has often been described as ‘the worst place on earth to give birth’. Mandera’s maternal mortality ratio stands at 3,795 deaths per 100,000 live births, almost double that of wartime Sierra Leone at 2,000 deaths per 100,000 live births. But Mandera also demonstrates what can be achieved with strong political leadership and strategic partnerships.  Just under a year ago, on Dec. 2 2014, we were part of a team from the United Nations, World Bank, charities and the Office of the President of Kenya that undertook the two-hour flight to Mandera, to determine what could be done to address this critical development bottleneck. Minutes before take-off, news came through that 36 Kenyans had been brutally murdered in ...

Photo Credit; @islamicrelief For many women in Mandera County a hard to reach, insecure and arid part of North Eastern Kenya, the story of life from childhood to adulthood is one about sheer pain and struggle for survival. As little girls, they undergo female genital mutilation (FGM), a painful carving out of the external genitalia that leaves them with lifelong physical and psychological scars.  Most girls will be married off when barely into their teens, forcing them to drop out of school, their immature bodies thrust into the world of childbearing. As a result, Mandera – just a two-hour flight from the dynamic, modern East African hub of Nairobi – has maternal mortality ratio of 3,795 deaths per 100,000 live births that surpasses that of wartime Sierra Leon (2000 deaths per 100,000 live births) as well as the Kenya’s national average (448 deaths per 100,000 live births). My take: http://www.trust.org/item/20151018141351-qvx5s/