December 2010
The United Nations (UN) is an international organization that was officially founded on October 24, 1945 after World War II to stop war between countries and provide a platform for dialogue. Now the UN facilitates cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights and the achievement of world peace. To do this the UN contains multiple subsidiary organizations. The subsidiary organizations that pertain most to our goal of eradicating poverty are the Economic and Social Council (for assisting in promoting international economic and social cooperation and development), the UN Development Program (UNDP), and the World Food Program (WFP).
Specifically, the UN Development Program is reducing poverty and making growth and trade work for everyone. By putting systems in place in poorer nations and protecting the advances that have been made this organization is helping to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MGD’s). There are many examples of different ways that the UNDP is working. One example is their work with African farmers; over 80 percent of Africans are small-holder farmers and the UNDP is working with governments to design and provide agricultural subsidy programs. In Malawi, for example, the UNDP helped the government to enable Mawai’s maize production to increase from 1.2 million tons in 2005 to 3.2 million tons in 2007. This growth affects the entire nation economically, as well as meets its estimated maize needs of 2.2 million tons a year.
The United Nations promotes collaborations and support in furtherance of the MGD’s and new initiatives. Because of this, Work for All has initiated a partnership with the United Nations through which we will work in collaboration towards our mission to alleviate systemic poverty.
Millennium Development
The Millennium Development Goals (MGD’s) are concrete, numerical objectives aimed to tackle extreme poverty that were laid out by the world’s leaders in 2000, to be achieved by 2015. The eight goals break down into 21 quantifiable targets that are measurable by 60 indicators. These goals are interdependent and work together to achieve the overall intention to eradicating extreme poverty. If these goals are achieved, poverty will have been cut in half in the fifteen years; ten of millions of lives will be saved and billions more people will have opportunity.
The Millennium Development Goals
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development
Investologist Prognostication
Jeremy LeonardI have just come back from a Forbes Investment Cruise, and it was a very rewarding experience. I got to know Richard Kalgaard, (the publisher of Forbes Magazine). Richard had the following to say about how to identify companies to invest in:
What characteristics to look for in a Growth Company:
1. Design: easy, simple. The design leader is the margin leader.
2. Speed: ability to get the product into the marketplace. Speed is margin.
3. Cost: (Google uses off the shelf parts in its server farms).
4. Riding the Moore curve: (new companies get to start with all new stuff)
5. Supply Chain leaders: (Dell)
6. Analytics: (Company leaders need to know the numbers)
7. Life Extension Business: (Company is in the business of giving people more time, product saves time or extends life)
8. Smart Industry: (energy drinks=smart drinks, smart phones)
9. Communication Inside a Company: (US Navy aircraft carriers the best example of communication)
10. Communication Outside a Company: (Facebook, Twitter)
11. Branding: (must be able to get inside a BMW blindfolded and know you are in a BMW, Disney is consistently Disney)
12. Purpose: (Bill Gates – a desktop computer on every desk, Google – information available to anyone)
I found this very useful and have applied these ideas as a metric for my companies, Pacific Pump and Power and Canada Pump and Power, which are certainly growth companies that I am heavily invested in.