Journal 38

Being able to do an internship at the United Nations on behalf of the Kygyz Republic has been nothing short of a once in a lifetime opportunity. Here in New York City, I have had the chance to meet Ambassadors from all over the world. These Representatives of State are leaders at the front of global change for the positive. Their ability to take on a wide range of issues, from nuclear disarmament to sustainable development to international space law, is nothing short of inspiring. I wanted to take a step back from the usual articles that I write and use this journal segment to talk about the amazing people that I am fortunate to work with.

Because of the lack of space at the Mission I represent I work in the UN Library or at the New York Public Library (where I am right now). But every time that I go into the office to meet with the Ambassador or his staff, I see individuals working their hardest to make a positive difference. What is truly impressive about the people that work at the United Nations is the time in which it takes them to work on so many different projects at once. This small group of individuals are required to work on items in a week’s time that would take most other people months to deal with. The best of the best work here at the United Nations. Not to be pompous or self-aggrandizing. But because it’s a fact and a necessity. The people that work here are forced to do more in less time and are required to have the same level of proficiency in representing their country at a global level as other Embassy’s do at the international level.

As my time is coming to a close here at the United Nations it has been tremendous to engage intellectually on such a fast paced level.

Journal 37

With the difficulties that women face in mountainous areas it is paramount that change be made. There is really only one way of allowing this change to be significant and permanent. That is education. By increasing access to the internet and allowing for young girls and women to continue their educations, the probabilities of increased awareness for equality and sustainable development is an unavoidable and welcomed conclusion.

There are several means by which this increased awareness can be achieved. The first is a general increase in spending on education in mountainous regions by local governments. This allotted amount can be found through increased taxes, for a short period of time. While general practices would seem to indicate that the current male ruled society would frown upon such a practice, by attaching increased tax breaks to other goods, such as commodities, for a short period of time, there is a high probability that the revenue required for additional education funding would re-balance itself in a matter of years. The then increased educated workforce revenue stream would then supersede the previously imposed taxes. This would then allow the taxes to be corrected to their original status quo and improve the overall quality of the economy.

Another means by which the funding for educational reform for women might be accomplished is to rethink the current classroom diagram. By focusing on wireless internet and live streaming. It is possible to have classrooms accessible in even the most remote of locations. In an earlier posting I mentioned a means by which information might be accessed to the general public. That is, establishing an internet connection at a permanent government location (i.e. post office). By having it in such a central location, the secondary purpose of using the internet for research could then take the foreground and be used as a means for remote education.

The last means by which funding can be assured for educational reform is to establish incentives for local businesses to sponsor women in education. For example, by increasing tax breaks for those companies that sponsor a woman or women, depending on the size of the company, there is the potential for growth at the local and, in the long term, national level. These companies can then utilize the situation by increasing worker loyalty or generating a positive work flow, or even grooming future women executives for their own business.

Journal 36

Yesterday I mentioned the difficulties of women in the mountains and the negative effect that culture has on them. What I did not mention was a solution, if in fact there is one. But before I go into that, I want to talk a little bit more about women and the role that they play in society. I do this to give a better background for the ideas that I present. I will only give two of a very long list of facts relating to women in LDCs, I will start with the fact I found most interesting; only 1% of the global ownership of land is held by women. That means that almost every women business owner is devoting a portion of their growth to men. So regardless of their success as business owners, men are still getting a hefty profit. Fact number 2, most cultures still in a 3^rd world local have women who are responsible for the equipment used by the men throughout the day. For example, fishers in a community are usually men. They go out every day to fish with nets and the nets get tangled as they are thrown out repeatedly throughout the day. These nets, made by women in the first place, are then brought back for the local women and children to untangle and mend, so that they may be used again the next day. In this particular example, women are the main resource for sustainable living yet they do not receive extended educations and are subsequently forced to the menial manual labor the men would never do themselves.

So what can be done about this? The answer is not an easy one. Especially in small undeveloped communities that require the manual labor of women in the day to day activities just to survive. But something can be done. The introduction of new types of fishing (traps, cages, other types of nets, nets made of more industrialized materials which require less maintenance) can free up time for some of the younger generations and allow them the opportunity to attend higher levels of education; is just one example.

With the advent of modernization and sustainable development into mountainous regions, more and more will be required to manage the inequality women face. And with that same introduction more and more of a positive impact will be made.

Journal 35

A major component in culture is women and their role. Women in mountain societies have different levels of equality but most are not as well educated and hold more minor roles in society. This issue is of serious concern because they are most affected by sustainable development and modernization. With the advent of technology and the importance of sustainable development being stressed, more opportunities are becoming available for women. If nothing is done for these women, the continued inequality of their lives will remain and their development hindered.

They will be effected on many levels. Already, a lot of women are unable to advance further in education after a certain grade. In the case of my own grandmother this was the case. My grandmother, while not raised in a mountainous region was only allowed to go to school long enough to learn basic reading and writing abilities. Born in Mexico she was severely hindered by the times and regional and cultural attitudes of her local society. This is still the case in mountainous regions where technology and modernization are hindered by the difficulty mountainous terrain inherently causes.

Journal 34

About 2 weeks ago I mentioned religion and its impact on sustainable development in mountainous regions. Today I would like to talk more about culture and its impact. I have come to the conclusion that, although the survival of culture is being address in the sustainable mountain development agenda, it is sorely overlooked. In mountainous areas where mountains transcend boundaries, the major constant in a given area is the people. These people are, what most would consider, isolated from the outside world. So when an area that was isolated is introduced to modernization, a certain measure of caution must be made, in order to prevent a loss of the native culture. Unfortunately, in the search for sustainable development, culture often gets put on the back-burner and is not preserved to its fullest.

Additionally, with the advent of modernization a confluence of two or more cultures occurs. This can lead to loss of culture, conflict of culture, and the death of culture. With the increase in connectivity that modernization brings, it is important to use that same connectivity to implement a means or rules by which conflicting cultures might find some degree of co-existence. While, I do not disagree with the need for sustainable development and subsequently modernization, I do not think that it is impossible to maintain a progression of sustainable development without keeping culture intact.

One means of doing such would be to restrict the modes of transportation between sites A through Z. Then, introducing such things as wireless internet and appropriate means of renewable energy and sustainable development. After, it is then appropriate to introduce non-restrictive measures; allowing transportation to continue between sites. The reason for this is the cultivation of ideas. While it is easy to disagree with a new idea, it is much more difficult to introduce foreign concepts and then demand that, previously isolated, locals accept its recent indoctrination. After a reasonable amount of time, the removal of isolation and its associated risk is then reduced becoming more manageable.

Journal 33

Today I was able to go to several meetings on SMD. While this isn’t particularly a new thing, several interesting things happened. In the first session that I attended, the French to English translator forgot to turn her mic of after translating. What was so funny about this seemingly innocuous even was the mouth on her. She could have made a sailor blush, as the old saying goes. The second was in the second session. In this particular session, there were several policy briefs passed that caused serious agitation to the delegate from Israel. His Palestinian counter-part was equally vehement. The reason that I mention these is because of the following thoughts.

Concerning the woman who was caught on audio, I thought it relevant to remark on the similarities between getting caught speaking when you aren’t expecting to be over-heard and portraying an image that might not be in alignment with your personal opinions. What she said wasn’t as important as what is constantly portrayed in the media today. I thought it an interesting connection.

As with the second group of individuals, I was incredibly interested in their banter back and forth. One would openly condemn the votes of those who went against their opinion and the other mocked them for their ignorance. While I could see both of their arguments, I am more interested in how politically charged some of these policy briefs really are. It is important to understand that despite the good intentions of those here at the United Nations, the policies that are put up for ratification are still just politically motivated.

Just some food for thought for even the most well-intentioned.

Journal 32

Here is another revisiting of the MFG meeting I have been going over lately.

When I was invited to go, I was very excited to go to such a high-level meeting related to SMD. As an intern, it isn’t often a luxury given. What happened there though was something revolutionary, in my eyes. What others might have taken from it, I couldn’t say. But I had definitely taken much from it and have since written a half a dozen articles on the meeting.

As I was reviewing all the papers that I have written on the subject, I realized that I didn’t address the issue from my position as a member of the Utah International Mountain Forum. It is an issue of great relevance and one that I would like to address real quick. Of the several institutions present. The attendance of the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF) and its host educational institution Utah Valley University (UVU) was a truly important development. The reason being because they represent the community from a unique point of view. Fundamentally, educationally based, they represent a growing interest for SMD at the community level. Another way of looking at it is, the UIMF is a group of like-minded individuals (students) who, despite of being a more educationally based representation of SMD advocacy, represent a unique demographic (students). These proactive students are a representation of the growing need for SMD. And I, as a representative of this group of individuals at the meeting, was able to, in a small way, showcase our eagerness for change.

It was exciting to see community involvement. I hope that, if I ever get another chance, the next MFG meeting I attend will have these community based actors in the global spectrum, play a more significant role.

Journal 31

Recently, I have been revisiting the Mountain Focus Group meeting that was hosted on the 17^th of October by the Permanent Mission of Italy. Aside from the usual countries (Italy and Switzerland) that were present and the influence that they brought to the conference. There were 2 groups there that I believe I did not give them the just recognition that they deserved; they were the UIMF and Vista 360.

The first is Vista 360, a Non-Governmental Organization situated next to and representative of the Rocky Mountains and Jackson, Wyoming and their contributions; which seeks the preservation of mountainous cultures worldwide. While their words were insightful and certainly appropriate to the meeting, of more significance was their presence. They, along with the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF – the other group), which was there representing the City of Orem, Utah and, the only educational institution, Utah Valley University, were a very minor yet truly significant representation of mountain-minded individuals. They represented a small yet fast growing group of concerned individuals who are interested in the outcome of sustainable mountain-development policy. Yet, despite their being there representing mountain development at the community level, they had an almost non-existent role in the meeting. This is not to say that they didn’t get a chance to speak or that their words fell on deaf ears. In fact, some of what they spoke of was the catalyst for other discussions.

The relevance of this though was lost in the grander scheme of things. The effort being put forth at the community level was almost overlooked by the emergence of ideas, brought forward by Governments, and the policies that they were pushing forward for sponsorship, in order for ratification. Personally, while I can understand the importance of these pushes for support, I, as a member of the UIMF and as an individual interested in sustainable mountain development, could see the huge whole in the meeting. The party for whom I was there as a representative of, had almost no relevant impact on the proceedings, nor was the significance of having community representatives truly utilized during the free forum portion of the meeting.

The lack of a meaningful contribution at the community level, was a glaring indictment of the lack of relevant communication between the national and community levels. But, as negative as all this might sound, the meeting was exciting, eventful, and filled with great ideas. There were just some things that might have been overlooked that didn't really need to be.

Journal 30

Yesterday, I mentioned religion as a potential catalyst for sustainable change. What I did not mention though was a means of implementation. It is easy to say that something is not being implemented it is another to suggest a plan of action. Religions usually have a religious center or a spiritual leader. This center or individual will typically have much sway in a given area. These individuals or centers are usually very community based, and as such they are less susceptible to greed. By aiding these individuals, as opposed to a community leader (usually a temporary position) or someone in a more temporal position (someone who has attained a certain level of respect and demands further acknowledgement accordingly), the overwhelmingly re-occurring issue of corruption may be stemmed before it becomes an issue. Additionally, by financing these institutions, a more collaborative effort may be put into cooperation between communities and businesses. This is due, in part, to the overlapping roles of individuals in both community and business sectors.

While not comprehensive, it is at least a beginning.

Journal 29

Recently I have been reflecting on the importance of NGOs that have a non-environmental motive. While not as limited as one might think, this pool of institutions is still a very small one. Most significant of them though is religion and its effect on mountainous populations. While I do not profess to be an educated source on religion, I do think that a lot of religions and their effects can be generalized. For example, religion and its effect on culture.

Most probably due to their relative seclusion, mountainous areas are much more impacted by culture and their regionally specific religions play a large role in how a community conducts itself. How this can be utilized though is of great significance. By attributing religion as a motivational factor in getting mountainous areas to a sustainable standard, it is potentially possible to revitalize the importance of Sustainable Development. This then would have a more radical and movement oriented sway of low-land populations.

This is currently being done through an organized effort of government and industry. However, because it does not take into account a more religious approach to development, it is fundamentally self-hindering. Working these three angles in an attempt to motivate community efforts concerning sustainable development could prove most effective.

journal 28

As I have been here at the United Nations, I have had the guiding influences of Prof. Baktybek Abdrisaev and Ambassador Kydyrov. They have constantly instilled into me a motto that has become very significant to myself and the subsequent subject of this journal entry; always take the initiative. While it goes without saying that inaction leads nowhere, it is easy to get caught up in the everyday routine. So eventually, just doing the same thing over and over becomes inaction, even if you are actually doing something productive. What can be done about this is simple, take the initiative.

Basically, and what I guess I am really getting at is, it is up to the mountain communities to make a change and it is up to the low-land areas to recognize that change. It would be easy to place all of the responsibility on to the mountain populations. The problem lies in getting the low-land masses to recognize the need for change. While the mountain populations continue to suffer and implement localized remedies for sustainable development, it is not wise to forget the needs of low-land populations to recognize their higher altitude neighbors’ need for assistance. This can be done by taking the initiative and making low-land populations realize that they are as responsible for and impacted by sustainable mountain development as their high altitude counterparts.