GBPG in 2025 – Potential to be Realized
At the start of 2024, GBPG put forward a call for harmony. This year I want to emphasize the need to use the potential we have within us all. As Aristotle promogulated centuries ago, I believe in the potential of humankind: the individual’s potential and the potential of so many organizations to do good – including GBPG. I also believe in humankind’s ability for excellence, resilience, and innate capacity to overcome tragedy and conflict by working together to improve opportunity for all. Resilience and potential are the words that will drive GBPG in 2025. It will drive our thinking to advance the core objectives we work on daily, namely poverty alleviation, transparent procurement for increased aid efficiency, informed climate policy and finance initiatives, and education for sustainable development. “Peace is more difficult than war” With conflict continuing in the Middle East and Ukraine throughout 2024 and into the start of 2025, the call for harmony remains relevant, but to attain suitable resolutions in a variety of areas we will need to tap into our potential. The discontent many feel is understandable, since continued humanitarian hardships suffered by so many civilians as a result of indiscriminate violence perpetrated against innocent people continues – largely unchecked and in violation of international laws and norms. Humanitarian aid groups are unable to administer the aid innocent civilians need for their survival. Journalists are being targeted because they are reporting to the world the death and destruction happening in Gaza – with no end in sight. Organizations like the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East have been falsely accused of supporting terrorism and in the field their aid efforts are hindered at every turn. I remain deeply concerned about UNRWA, and the UN more generally, being able to fulfill their vitally important missions and helping those who are without a voice. I am proud to have served in UNRWA in 2023 as Head of their Procurement, Supply Chain and Logistics Operations including Gaza, West Bank, Jordan and Lebanon, when the war broke out. Every day at UNRWA my colleagues and I worked tirelessly to provide much needed aid to women, children, and the elderly. We heard their voices. I still hear them -the balance in regional security versus people’s freedom and dignity is clearly not correct. I heard many level-headed people call it out as an opportunistic land grab to be forgotten over a 100-year span derived from catastrophic and wanton loss of lives on both sides. We have still have not heard of any development plans for Gaza. The wheels for this should have been put in place a long time ago for the rebuilding. “Disillusionment-Based Decisions Are a Recipe for Disaster” It is easy to be worried and disillusioned with what is happening in the world. On the one hand calls for peace and love are frequent, however they do not result in concrete actions. With the spread of disinformation, people have become fearful of migration and government policies that in effect help the economy and deal with social discontent. The wrong types of people with the wrong causes are feeling emboldened from top down. The voiceless are verbally taunted; they are attacked; they suffer vandalism; often stoked by racists who are engaged in othering behavior that unfairly demonizes people based on the color of their skin, the religion they practice, or their gender; overlooking their significant contributions and this is often happening in tandem with traditional changes in societal and demographic structures that are fostering discontent among certain socioeconomic groups. The spreading of this fear has been reflected in policy changes by governments. No more notable of an example is the failed British experiment called Brexit. In 2024, the Bank of England explained that Brexit has resulted in negative economic consequences associated with the UK’s departure from the European Union. It goes against logic to ignore your next-door neighbor as a trading partner. It is arrogant to believe that you can change the rules of the game – no matter how good you think your negotiating team is. The EU also had to take responsibility for the UK leaving the EU , reflect on “Lessons learned” rather than stoically move on, and understand making high level decisions affects people on the ground for queues for hospitals, schools, and housing. Yet, the dangerous cocktail of disinformation, demonization, and disillusionment that the UK succumbed to has become the playbook of politicians worldwide who remain keen on stoking the embers of fear and discontent. “Excellence is never an accident” In response we at GBPG, and the broader development sector, must continue to provide educational tools to at-risk populations so they can develop their lives and so they can remain resilient and hopeful in the face of adversity. We must streamline procurement processes to implement development projects to affected populations faster and more cost-effectively. At the same time, we must commit to conducting all aspects of our work with a focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions that jeopardize our planet’s survival. We will need to be creative though – funding for development is going down, with defense spending going up. Governments are becoming more isolationist and that’s only going to continue with the political change in store for the world in 2025. Our challenge is also made more difficult because our successes are often ignored, because they are often not provocative enough to be on the front pages of the newspaper. We should not lose hope, though. Technological innovation, human ingenuity, and declining global birthrates and increased longevity – coupled with resilience and potential – mean that we’ll be able to navigate the years ahead. GBPG will be aiming to navigate these challenges by utilizing technology and human potential as efficiently as possible – GBPG has recently added leading Cyber Security experts to its bow. That means we will push forward locally driven solutions that are critical for the success of projects. How will we do that?
