Day one of the international conference Combating Poverty in a Market-driven World got off to a great start yesterday with a spirited argument between the two speakers of the introductory session.

Arguing for Freer domestic and international markets as powerful instruments of poverty alleviation, Suresh Tendulkar, former Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Indian Prime Minister, made the point: “Markets do not recognise caste or religion, only economic skills… And rapid economic growth generates revenues, which results in government money going into social sectors.”

His points were countered by J. Mohan Rao, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts, USA, in a talk titled Is a market-driven world antithetical to poverty alleviation? Rao’s view was that world trade was not a level playing field as developing countries did not enjoy equal privileges. He called for… “A new kind of globalisation that aimed to a) Free labour b) Shackle capital c) Free knowledge d) Create a true world democracy.

People for people: Fair Trade
One of the afternoon sessions tackled the concept of Fair Trade with an overview of the movement by Carola Reintjes, CEO of WFTO, case studies presented by Johny Joseph of Creative Handicrafts and Fredrick Masinde of Undugu Fair Trade, Kenya. The session ended with a critique of the Fair Trade Movement by Ram Bhat, an Options and Solutions Consultant.

A key point raised by the audience was why there was a lack of a domestic market for fair trade, despite the Indian market being mature enough. Some of the solutions suggested were creating a conscious consumer market, marketing the concept of free trade and intervention to control prices.

Profits for people: Use of Corporate and Government Funds to Alleviate Poverty
In a session chaired by Chairman of Mumbai Smiles, Jaume Sanllorente, two speakers shared their experiences of fundraising and donors.

Alan Machin, Head of Fundraising, WaterAid, UK, talked about observing ethics in fundraising, emphasising that it was important to always talk to all kinds of people in order to change behaviours.

Ajit Kanitkar, Program Officer, Ford Foundation, India, discussed the challenges donor agencies face, saying, “Donors have lost patience and communities have lost patience, and people want to see results in one generation.”
Both speakers agreed on the point that we live in a world of instant results, but that this also placed pressure on civil society organisations to work towards real change.

To see the programme for Day 2, visit http://povertyconference2011.org/

For live updates on the event, follow the twitter feed at #POVCONF.

Photos: Snehala

Source: Mumbai Smiles