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

Mr Matthew Russell Lee, who runs a blog called Inner City Press. Over the last 10 years he has repeatedly published malicious, false and libelous allegations about me. This started in 2007 and continues till date. I finally wrote to him to state all the facts, which I am sure he was aware of.  He has published my response however the link is difficult to find on search engines. So for the sake of clarity I am also publishing my response on my own blog site. Ban Ki-moon's Son in Law Denies Censorship by Threats, Dodges on War Crimes, Cc's UN Spox Here is a message for Mr Lee. “If you want truth to go round the world you must hire an express train to pull it; but if you want a lie to go round the world, it will fly; it is light as a feather and a breath will carry it.” Rev. Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1855) Here is my full response to Matthew Lee. Matthew, For a decade now, you have been on a protracted campaign to publish allegations against me, accusing me...

On Feb. 6, 2017, the world observed the 14th International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).    Consider this: Approximately  200 million girls and women alive today  have undergone some form of FGM, globally.  One cannot but despair at the indolent pace towards elimination of one of the most brutal cultural norms, a practice that continues to hold women and a nation’s development back.    While Kenya must be applauded for having  brought down the national FGM prevalence  from 32 percent to 21 percent in the last 12 years, there are still some communities where about nine in 10 girls are needlessly mutilated, often forced to leave school and into early marriage.  An often-unnoticed reality is that the effects of FGM go far beyond the negative physical and psychosocial consequences. The social and economic damage done to entire countries has only started to be realized.  In 2015,...

It is estimated that 3000 Kenyans are born every day, a  million a year . With a median age of 18 years, Kenya is witnessing a massive youth bulge, which could either be a  demographic dividend , or a disaster.  Consider this. In 1956, Kenya’s population stood at about 7 million, twice that of Norway. Today, Norway has a population of 5.2 million while that of Kenya stands at about 45 million. It is projected that  by 2030, the population of Norway will be 6 million while Kenya’s population will reach 65 million , and 85 million by 2050.  Africa’s youth bulge, and Kenya’s in particular, should largely be the basis for optimism offering great opportunity for socio-economic take-off. Six of the countries with the highest economic growth rates are in Africa.  Yet, for most countries, Kenya included, economic growth lacks the desired social transformation. Despite Kenya’s impressive economic growth, four out of ten people live in extreme ...

Consider this: every year,  nearly 1 million Kenyans are pushed below the poverty line  as a result of unaffordable health care expenses. For many Kenyan families, the cost of health care is as distressing as the onset of illness and access to treatment. A majority of the population at risk can hardly afford the costs associated with basic health care and when faced with life threatening conditions, it is a double tragedy-inability to access health care and lack of resources to pay for the services. According to the World Health Organisation, a large percentage of poor households in Kenya cannot afford health care without serious financial constraints as most are dependent on out of pocket payments to pay for services.  Nearly four out of every five Kenyans have no access to medical insurance , thus a large part of the population is excluded from quality health care services. In 2015, UN Member States endorsed the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG...

Election related conflicts along ethnic lines is the greatest threat to Africa's stability and consolidation of democratic institutions and culture.  It is with this in mind that on Wednesday, 14th December 2016, an important gathering organized by the UN and Africa Policy Institute, known as  Maendeleo Policy Forum took place in Nairobi . (YouTube: Prof Peter Kagwanja CEO, Africa Policy Institute). And here is a snap shot of the  conversations  at the forum .   Few factors impact business growth more than the security and stability of the country in which it operates.  The 2007 post-election violence brought this painfully reality to the bank accounts of many corporates in Kenya, with the country’s GDP growth rate which stood at 7% in 2007 tanking to 1.7% the following year.  President Uhuru Kenyatta and Honorable Mr Raila Odniga at the 38th anniversary of the late founding President Mr Jomo Kenyatta  told all Kenyans that they mu...

Post-election violent conflict along ethnic lines is the greatest threat to Africa's stability and consolidation of democratic institutions and culture.  It is with this in mind that on Wednesday, 14th December 2016, an important gathering – known as Maendeleo Policy Forum will take place in Nairobi. A brainchild of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Maendeleo Policy Forum was launched in 2015 to provide space for African leaders, international mediators and negotiators, researchers, policy makers, development practitioners and writers on African issues, to debate on critical issues of development in Africa. This particular edition being launched by UNDP in partnership with the  Africa Policy Institute  is designed to collate lessons and good practices in election management from past polls in Africa to inform democratic consolidation in countries like Kenya.   My take: http://news.trust.org/item/20161210061144-ygz06/

In Kenya the  Gini coefficient of inequality is at around 0.45 %. Therefore, the economic growth statistics present an unequivocal picture of a highly unequal society, whose development strategy is largely leading to accumulation of wealth by a few and worsening the poverty of the majority. Consider just two statistics behind the picture: according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, individuals in capital city Nairobi have about 15 times more access to secondary education than those living in Turkana, one of the poorest counties. Also, a household in Nairobi is 36 times more likely to have electricity for lighting compared with those in Tana River. Without doubt, Kenya’s race towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an agenda whose most notable tang of inclusivity is underscored by the now well-known phrase of ‘leaving no one behind’, is going to need the resilience of its world-beating athletes. The global SDGs agenda is a platform that aims ...