Men line up to receive food distributed by Coalition for the Homeless volunteers at 35th St, FDR Drive, in New York City. Credit: Zafirah Mohamed Zein/IPS

By Zafirah Mohamed Zein
NEW YORK, Aug 25 2014 (IPS)

Joe sits on newspapers spread on the sidewalk by the entrance to midtown’s Grand Central Station. His head rests in his hands, only looking up when coins from passersby clink into his paper cup.

“A shelter is like a prison without guards,” he says, when asked why he was out on the street. “I’m done with them.”“A few things happened after the war. The government just forgot about me. Not only just me but a lot of others too." -- Don, a Vietnam veteran

The 36-year-old says “people who just got out of jail” steal from others in the bathroom and violence is rampant, as shelter staff members turn a blind eye. Throughout the conversation, Joe holds tight to his backpack, making sure it stays close.

While accurate figures for New York’s unsheltered homeless are hard to come by, the thousands sleeping on the streets are in addition to the 53,615 people – a record-breaking figure not seen since the Great Depression – who enrolled in the city’s shelter system in January this year. Yankee Stadium would not be able to seat all of them.

The Callahan v. Carey consent decree of 1981 established the right to shelter in New York and put into place certain minimum standards for shelters. However, many are still plagued by overcrowding, deplorable sanitary conditions and poor infrastructure.

“While there is that right to shelter, many individuals, maybe because of bad experiences, choose not to go there and prefer to be on the streets,” said Gabriela Sandoval, a policy analyst at Coalition for the Homeless.

“Some shelters do feel very much like prison and many just don’t feel like going to that environment,” she told IPS.

Most shelters have sets of rules that include a smoking and alcohol ban, as well as a 10 p.m. curfew. Punitive policies such as sanctions, which were put in place by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, can be used against those who engage in certain behaviours or if they repeatedly fail to meet with a case manager.

“There is a lot of stress in your life if you’re homeless. You have no place of your own and you are not at your 100 percent full capacity level,” said Sandoval. “Sometimes staff members in shelters don’t see it that way. They have a different perception of the problem and tend to believe that the homeless want to be homeless.”

Even for those who have secured a place in the shelter system, a way out of poverty is difficult and chronic homelessness haunts the lives of those in New York’s underclass.

Melvin gets free food from the Coalition for the Homeless on Bowery and wants the world to know the good work they do to help men like him every day. Credit: Zafirah Mohamed Zein/IPS

Sandoval attributes the rise in homelessness to the lack of affordable housing and the high unemployment rate in the aftermath of the economic recession. Some families with one or two working parents still find themselves unable to afford rent in what is known as one of the greatest cities in the world.

Outside the Bryant Park subway stop, a man and his pregnant wife are slumped behind a cardboard sign similar to Joe’s, with urgent pleas – “need money, need food, need clothes.” The couple said they were staying in the city’s shelter system and had a roof over their heads every night, but had little for anything else.

Homelessness grew under the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, when permanent housing assistance for homeless families was terminated and they had to rely on short-term “band-aid” policies.

The city’s current mayor, Bill de Blasio, has committed to the creation of 30,000 supportive units over the next 10 years. New York has also recently undertaken a plan to move families out of shelters and into their own apartments with two new rent subsidy programmes. Altogether, the administration’s plan will cost almost 140 million dollars.

For individuals on the street with mental or emotional problems, Mary, a volunteer with the Coalition’s Food Van Program, said, “Lots of times they’re mentally incompetent to even make their way to the services available. If they get in such a bad way, they get picked up, taken to the hospital and treated but they’re sent out as quickly as they can back out on the streets.”

Sandoval acknowledges a common problem regarding the assessment of homeless individuals, especially those with mental health issues. “It’s really hard to tell if someone has a mental health problem unless there is a psychological evaluation done.”

Due to the lack of resources, such evaluations are rarely carried out.

“A few things happened after the war. The government just forgot about me. Not only just me but a lot of others too, you’ll be surprised by how many stand in this line,” said Don, a Vietnam War veteran in line for the Coalition food van parked under the FDR Drive on Manhattan’s east side.

“We’re not all bums who do drugs and drink or whatever. A lot of people here got educations and everything.”

Joe agrees. He says he stays away from drugs and alcohol. The coins he collects go toward daily trips on the subway, or a night’s sleep on someone’s couch. He can make up to 80 dollars on a good day, and even more on Christmas.

He does his own laundry, he said, lifting his bright white shirt off his chest. He claims to be saving for the future and says he does not sit on the street when he can help it. Speaking with a confidence and tough hope born out of experience, Joe appears to have a system going.

Estranged from his mother upon his father’s death when he was 16, Joe had to work from a young age to support himself, mostly construction work. A fall down a flight of stairs led to medical problems, and he ended up on the streets. He does not keep in touch with his siblings, one of which is “in a bad state” and the other in prison.

“I’ve been in worse places in my life before, believe it or not. I’m just waiting for this disability to come through, so I can get a proper place. I’m halfway there, halfway there,” he said.

Homeless individuals like Joe and Don are the men of New York City’s margins, navigating their way through shelters and streets, increasingly less trusting of a city that has abandoned them in the shadows.

“I don’t think enough services are available for the homeless community,” said Jeffrey Collete, co-founder of New York City Homeless Advocates. “There is a lot not being done and it’s sad because this city is so rich, with such rich tourists.”

Caleb, another volunteer with the Coalition, says the issue of homelessness has never been a political priority.

“When it becomes a sanitary issue, then it becomes an issue. It’s a simple matter of them not having anything to do with elections. No politician ever won an election because he helped homeless people.”

Edited by: Kitty Stapp

Threatened with slaughter if they descend what is now known as the “Mountain of Death” and at risk of dying of dehydration if they stay, tens of thousands of Yezidis have been driven to peril by the Islamic State (also known as ISIL).

About 200 000 people have been displaced in the last nine days, adding to the 650 000 who had to leave their homes since June 9, when ISIL seized Mosul, a city in northern Iraq. ISIL has since ravaged swiftly across the country, leaving a trail of horror and fear in their wake.

An estimated 1.5 million, including Syrians taking refuge in Iraq, are currently in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

Aid to Mount Sinjar has arrived in the form of airdrops of food and water, delivered by the United States, Britain and France.

However, “the situation of people still on the mountain are absolutely dire,” according to Kieran Dwyer, spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

“The people trapped on the mountains are absolutely exposed to the heat and it is searing hot here,” said Dwyer, speaking from Iraq.

“People coming off the mountain every single day are in much worse condition than the day before.”

People are trapped in multiple locations on the rough, barren expanse of rock. The south of Mount Sinjar exposes those trapped to armed militants, who are now making religious minorities choose between their lives and their faith.

Alarming reports from inside Iraq however, have revealed that militants have been conducting indiscriminate executions and barbaric torture of all those vulnerable, including women and children.

Up to 500 women are being held in a prison in Mosul after being abducted by armed groups. Of the 200 000 displaced, half are children under the age of 15. 56 children have died since the crisis broke out last week. This excludes the number of those still trapped on Mount Sinjar.

On the north side near the Syrian border, Kurdish and other security forces have assisted some thousands in escaping, although safety is not guaranteed once they get down.

A seven-hour walk greets them at the start of their journey to relative safety. After surviving harsh conditions on higher ground, they cannot be certain of not being confronted by violence down below.

About 16 schools have been set up in the town of Dohuk and serve as emergency shelters for those displaced. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has four communal kitchens in place, providing around 1.6 million meals in the last week alone.

Although humanitarian coordination from local, regional and international authorities is stepping up, security measures are not yet underway, posing a constant challenge to adequate provision of emergency assistance.

“We need to stress that security is critical for humanitarian access. Security is key for us to deliver life-saving support,” said Dwyer.

Amidst this instability, Iraqi President Fuad Masum has named Haider al-Abadi as the new prime minister, replacing Nuri al-Maliki. Maliki has long been seen by the United States as a contributor to sectarian and ethnic discord in the country.

Although U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has commended Masum for adherence to the Iraqi constitution in his nomination of al-Abadi, he is concerned that heightened political tensions paired with the security threat of ISIL could plunge Iraq into an unprecedented crisis.

In precarious environments all around the world, women are being seized into the throes of conflict and poverty. Where war is being waged, women are either caught in the crossfire or bear the brunt of exclusion and attacks on their family, livelihood and emotional wellbeing.

“It is hard to see how we can make true progress on poverty eradication if we do not also address peace and security including that of women,” said Greta Gunnarsdottir, Iceland’s Ambassador to the United Nations.

She was speaking at a lecture series entitled ‘Women, Peace, Security – a critical component of the post-2015 development agenda.’

She added, “The woman are really suffering in Gaza,” – a reality for women that is proving devastatingly true in countries beset by violence.

At the discussion, organised by the Permanent Mission of Liechtenstein, Gunnarsdottir highlighted that the peace and security of women was a critical issue for the post-2015 development agenda. The inclusion of women in decision-making, as well as investing in the potential of “half the world’s assets” has been witnessed to improve development efforts.

Amina J. Mohammed, the U.N. Secretary General’s Special Advisor on Post 2015 Development Planning, stated that Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was a good foundation to build upon progress towards social inclusion, economic transformation and environmental protection. However, she stressed that it was just the beginning, posing the question “now we’ve got the ingredients, can we bake the cake?”

Having received her primary education in Nigeria, Mohammed spoke of the investments and inclusion that were present at that time to nurture educated girls.

As Nigeria becomes increasingly associated with the actions of Boko Haram and the kidnapping of 200 schoolgirls in April, the Special Advisor expressed, “This is not what my country should be defined by. We need to search back the root causes that explain our young men taking young girls from our community and using them as fodder for conflict.”

Political will and robust planning placing governments, peaceful societies, respect for the rule of law and access to justice at the center will enable progress and successful implementation of the development agenda, according to Mohammed. Context is also important to consider when attempting to breakdown barriers to women and young girls participating in such ambitious development planning.

“To assume that a good education emancipates and empowers you in totality without really thinking of cultural-religious settings is one assumption too far,” said Mohammed. “We need to bring everyone on board in order not to sow seeds of discontent, where women are at the other end of that discontent.”

The potential of the rising cohort of young people that can help pave the way towards change was also addressed. Aside from expertise, modern day development efforts can benefit from a young generation that is actively engaged in current affairs and are able to see beyond boundaries and differences. Elderly people, too, should be viewed as assets that can offer depth of experience and an important historical tract that often gets forgotten.

The inclusion and participation of all sectors of civil society, as well as stronger institutional settings, are needed to support the path towards sustainable development beyond the poverty agenda.

Recognizing that governments worldwide had their respective visions and plans, Mohammed said of the SDGs, “What our set of goals will do is to lift that ambition, bring more clarity and get us to a global village that is more equal.”

Equality nonetheless requires the spread of knowledge and learning through dialogue between all stakeholders. Everyone needs to be at the center of development, including women and girls, Mohammed reminded. No one should be left behind.

Although global poverty is declining, human development growth across all regions is slowing down, according to the 2014 Human Development Report (HDR) launched Thursday by the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP).

Income inequality has also risen in several regions, though Latin America and the Caribbean still carry the highest instances of income disparity. Increased levels of violent crime continue to threaten the lives of people, despite its many achievements in human development.

Such crises and threats significantly hinder progress towards sustainable development. Other than physical insecurity and income inequality, the report cites food insecurity, health risks and natural disasters as shocks that prevent people from overcoming vulnerability.

Almost 800 million people are at risk of falling back into poverty if problems arise, which is more frequently becoming the case in a world where rising instances of conflict are thrusting people into states of insecurity.

“The eradication of poverty is not just about ‘getting to zero’ – it is also about staying there,” states UNDP administrator Helen Clark. She also added that as long as people remain at risk of slipping back into poverty because of structural factors and persistent vulnerabilities, development progress remains uncertain.

The report – “Sustaining Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience” – thus asserts that progress is neither equitable nor sustainable unless comprehensively tackled by policies and social norms.

It takes on a people-centred approach with a human development lens in order to consider vulnerability and resilience and makes recommendations in dealing with these factors.

More than 15 percent of the world’s people remain vulnerable to multi-dimensional poverty. The report states that restricted core capabilities in areas such as education and health as well as limited choices caused by social obstacles prevent them from effectively tackling shocks and setbacks.

Khalid Malik, Director of UNDP’s HDR Office, said at a press briefing, “There may be instances in which equal opportunities require unequal treatment. Greater resources and services may need to be provided to the poor, the excluded and the marginalized to enhance everyone’s capabilities and life choices.”

He also talked about “historic exclusions” such as that experienced by India’s Dalits, and suggested collective action be taken in addressing this deep-rooted issue and supporting people’s rights.

The report promotes “a more equal society” where people are placed first, in order to secure gains and sustain progress. It advocates for the universal provision of basic social services, stronger social protection and a commitment to full employment.

“Markets alone cannot provide adequate social and environmental protection,” said Malik. He recognized that fair and responsive institutions have to exist in order to foster social cohesion and expand the capacity for disaster preparedness and recovery.

He also added that “jobs are far more important than the wages” being attained from employment because of the social dividends – such as social cohesion and stability – that exceed the private benefit.

In many parts of the world, youth expectations in the labour market are not being met. As witnessed in the Arab Spring, a youth bulge coupled with limited jobs, amongst other socio-political issues, led to an explosion of dissatisfaction with the state.

The report argues that changing social forces and greater global interconnection require that a better relationship be forged between states and their citizens.

In order to do this, people need to be empowered and supported by their governments, through social protections and policies that build resilience to weather shocks. It also calls for universalism, an improvement in global coordination and stronger collective action in the path towards sustainable development.

As preparations for the conclusion of the post-2015 development agenda negotiations are being made, the report serves as a timely and valuable analysis. It urges the inclusion of “an international consensus on universal protection” in the upcoming plan.

“I came away thinking that the people of the Central African Republic (CAR) were surely the most abandoned people on earth,” said Mia Farrow.

The Hollywood actress, one of UNICEF’s first Goodwill Ambassadors, addressed the media at a press briefing Tuesday, on her recent trip to CAR and her concerns about the severe humanitarian crisis afflicting the country.

She had visited CAR twice before – in 2007 and 2008.

CAR is one of the world’s poorest countries, plagued by decades of political turmoil. Despite being engulfed in extreme violence and chaos, the conflict-torn nation is one the international community has paid least attention to. Observers have likened the current situation in the country to genocide.

On her trip in 2013, Farrow talked of the fragility of the situation in Bangui, and the ethnic cleansing that had taken place. “Nobody was safe. By the time I came back in June-early July, the town of Bossangoa had been cleansed of the entire Muslim population.”

Religious tensions have been brewing in the country between minority Muslims and Christians since the March 2013 ouster of President Francois Bozize and subsequent capture of Bangui by the Seleka rebel coalition.

The current absence of governance in CAR is described by Farrow as an “open invitation to any kind of extreme groups,” and the country is seeing an influx of armed militants from politically unstable countries such as Libya, adding to the onslaught of bloodshed by both sides.

Despite this, Farrow is against the notion that the situation in CAR is a religious conflict. “A country like CAR is able to be trained and used as [extreme groups] wish. That doesn’t make it a religious conflict. It means people of two different faiths have lined up on different lines. It is a sense of otherness.”

She talked of the precise division in which the country’s Muslims and Christians live by, and the immense anger felt on both sides. However, the explosion of violence has blurred these lines, as Christian militias that form the Anti-balaka group have been reported to be killing, raping and robbing Christian civilians as well.

In two clinics she visited – one Christian, the other, Muslim – Farrow met two young mothers, both teenagers uncertain and fearful of their children’s future. One of them had travelled a whole day in the forest, carrying her baby on her shoulders and crossing the river.

“There was no clean water where she was, nothing to eat but leaves, and her baby was dying. As soon as the baby was strong enough, she was going to cross that river and go back.” The young mother was certain staying in the area would result in their deaths.

Around 2.3 million people is said to have been displaced by the conflict, and up to 10,000 children recruited by armed militias on both sides. “It’s the children you worry about the most. The fear in the faces of women and children is something you can never forget,” said Farrow.

On the work of the United Nations and other international humanitarian agencies in CAR, the actress noted their increased presence and voiced her appreciation for the French troops that have been striving to restore order in the country.

“Where I saw the troops in action, they absolutely made it better,” she said. “There aren’t enough of them and they can’t cover enough ground but tens of thousands of people would be dead had they not been there.”

The French mission in the CAR has been extended till the end of the year, and 12,000 U.N. soldiers are to be deployed in September.

On Monday, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon urged the people of CAR to seize the opportunity of the three-day Brazzaville peace talks taking place in the Republic of Congo to pave the way towards reconciliation.

Farrow reiterated the urgency of the situation in CAR and called for peace in order for its people to live even a semblance of ordinary lives.

“I wish for the cessation of the violence in CAR so that people can reclaim the tatters of their lives and rebuild. This kind of destruction will take time. There’s been too much killing. Maybe all will be forgotten in a month or a year. But I want to see the road towards peace.”

Sustainable energy and sustainable development are key components of a new initiative launched by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) and the China Energy Fund Committee (CEFC) .

Entitled “Powering the Future We Want,” the initiative provides $1.0 million annually to individuals or institutions that have showed leadership and innovation in energy practices towards sustainable development.

“We expect the recipient(s) to identify lessons learned and underlying factors of best practices, and share the lessons learned with decision-makers and practitioners from other countries, through capacity building workshops and seminars,” said Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, at the signing ceremony Friday.

The approach is a response to a call by member states during the 2012 Rio+20 Conference, where they acknowledged a lack of efforts in spreading best practices and sharing successful experiences.

This issue was highlighted as a limiting factor in the path towards sustainable development and the reduction of implementation gaps.

China’s Ambassador to the United Nations Liu Jieyi, said, “Without the development of developing countries, the development of the world would be incomplete.”

Hence, capacity building in developing countries plays an important role in the success of this collaborative scheme. UN-DESA and CEFC hope this can be achieved through south-to-south cooperation and innovative partnerships.

The initiative comes in the midst of active dialogue on the post-2015 Development Agenda. Occurring at such an appropriate time, Jieyi stressed that steps must be taken to ensure the common future of developing countries and that of the international community. He expressed his pride in CEFC in “taking the lead and setting the example” in this direction.

CEFC is a non-governmental, non-partisan, not-for-profit Chinese think tank committed to promoting international dialogue and understanding of cultural values, regional cooperation and energy security.

Patrick Ho, Secretary-General of CEFC, highlighted the importance of energy as a strategic commodity for the development of a country, thus contributing to the challenges and sufferings that stem from efforts to gain resources for the security and interests of individual countries.

“Energy belongs to every one of us on this earth. Access to energy should be a basic universal right. There is enough energy to go around for every one of us and for our children,” he said.

“Energy security at this global level should transcend all parochial, selfish and private reasons.” He also added that global energy is a global challenge that demands global participation.

Grant recipients are chosen through competitive review and selection process by the Technical Advisory Group and High Level Steering Committee, with participation from relevant U.N. systems.

Only those with the most creative, practical and implementable practices that address the world’s challenges in sustainable development will be rewarded, according to Hongbo. He added that the selected “will still need to work hard after winning” and hopes that competition will be fierce.