Niiobli Armah IV, The Obama Foundation:Catch up on our most recent efforts to build safe and supportive communities

 

Hi there, It’s hard to believe it’s almost the end of the year! This fall season, we’re continuing our work to expand pathways to opportunity for our boys and young men of color. Below you’ll find news from the MBK Network, including how local governments and nonprofits have sprung into action to reassess their outreach programs and policy priorities in response to the pandemic. You’ll also hear from dynamic leaders about innovative approaches to create systems change from our Reimagine Policing Workshop and find opportunities to get involved and take action. — Niiobli   MBK COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT MBK Communities are Filling the Gaps During the COVID-19 Pandemic The impact of the pandemic has hit us hard, but MBK Communities have met the moment by stepping up their work and implementing proactive solutions to meet the needs of boys and young men of color. Using local funding and assistance from MBK, individuals and organizations are urgently making a difference   LEARN MORE What Works: The Center at Sierra Health Foundation New Financial Assistance Program Jumpstarts Higher Learning for Students in California MBK Impact Community partner, The Center at Sierra Health Foundation, recently launched the “Improve Your Tomorrow College for All” initiative. Upon enrollment to the University of California, Davis or California State University, Sacramento, students who opt into this program will be eligible to receive a $3,000 scholarship, paid fellowship opportunities, and potential educational awards to supplement the costs of college tuition. 170 young men of color will make up the first cohort of this campaign starting this fall.   LEARN MORE CNN Feature on My Brother’s Keeper President Obama Chats with Five Young Men President Barack Obama and CNN's Anderson Cooper joined a group of young men in Chicago to discuss their experience with our Becoming A Man program. Watch their full conversation and learn more about the potential we’re seeing through programs like these.   LEARN MORE MBK YOUTH SPOTLIGHT MBK Young Leader Spotlight: Thaddeus Jones Jr. Finding Restoration and Brotherhood in Big Sky Thaddeus Jones Jr., a C.H.A.M.P.S. Male Mentoring program participant and incoming sophomore at Columbia College in Chicago, traveled to Big Sky, Montana with four other young men from MBK Chicago partner organizations to participate in Capital One’s The Match, a premier live golf event. Watch Thaddeus speak with Good Day Chicago about how the opportunity provided a chance for him to learn new skills and gain new mentors from an extended network.   LEARN MORE MBK Alliance Curated Funding Opportunities Visit this new page for MBK Community leaders or anyone seeking funding for their work. Funding opportunities are from a diverse array of funders from across sectors, as well as tools, grant maker profiles and tips that can help enhance your work. Opportunities are updated monthly, so check back often.    LEARN MORE “We often say people closest to the problem should be closest to the solution, but imagine if you're trying to solve something with the same tool, over and over again. What we need to do is equip our communities with more tools, and then give the money to actually solve the problem.”   —James Brodick Director of Community Development and Crime Prevention at the Center for Court Innovation Our recent Reimagine Policing Workshop, “Money for Change,” provided a forum for mayors offices and partners to hear from leading practitioners on how they can find dollars to support all aspects of policing and public safety reform—from planning and data collection, to pilots and staffing. This virtual event was part of our ongoing series hosted in partnership with Cities United and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights to provide educational tools and analysis on the spectrum of policing and public safety options, alternative public safety models, and community-centered review processes.   LEARN MORE

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT     MUST READ: The 2020 Obama Foundation Annual Report is here.  Enterprise supports MBK Alliance and nearly 700 other like-minded organizations with $20M as part of their commitment to young people of color in underserved communities.  We Are Hiring! Learn more about MBK Alliances’s open roles and apply today to join our team. Educators open the doors of possibility to our children. Check out this inspiring video about Chicago Public Schools teacher Monique Thorpe, who got a surprise call from President Obama. ​Explore how you can help build the Obama Presidential Center, including construction job and training opportunities.   If You Want to Stand for Something, Stand for Someone Sign up to become a mentor.   BECOME A MENTOR

"Βάρβαρη εποχή γιά συνταξιούχους...."

Βάρβαρη εποχή γιά συνταξιούχους....

Όσοι (& όσο) επιβιώνουμε από τον ιό μας περιλαβαίνει η κυβέρνηση Μητσοτάκη & η... ανεξάρτητη δικαιοσύνη! Η πρώτη μας ζητάει τα μισά αναδρομικά πίσω ! Η δεύτερη με αμφίσημες & αντιφατικές αποφάσεις , ΣΤΕ & ΕΛΕΓΚΤΙΚΟ ΣΥΝΕΔΡΙΟ , γιά να το πούμε κομψά , πυροβολούν τη νοημοσύνη μας ....& τα πόδια της δικαιοσύνης ! Και οι 2 εξουσίες μαζί έχουν βάλει στόχο τους …


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IMF New Chart of the Week: The Unequal COVID Saving and Wealth Surge

 

Dear maria, We just published a new blog—please find the full text below. The Unequal COVID Saving and Wealth Surge By Cian Allen and Cyril Rebillard Household saving increased sharply during the COVID-19 crisis in many countries. Lower consumption, both as a result of lockdowns or precaution, combined with an increase in disposable income from government transfers allowed households to put more money into their bank accounts, buy shares, a house, or pay back their debt. Along with saving, surging equity and housing prices also made certain households a lot wealthier. In our latest chart of the week, an analysis of US data as part of our recent External Sector Report found the bulk of the increase in saving and wealth occurred at the top of the wealth distribution. Indeed, while recent research has documented that household saving has historically been very unevenly distributed in the United States, very little is known of how the increase in saving or wealth since the beginning of the pandemic was distributed. Our chart, based on data published by the Federal Reserve, tries to answer this by plotting the changes in household net wealth by percentile (expressed as a ratio of total nationwide personal disposable income) during the pandemic and during a period of time before the pandemic we refer to as “normal times.” What we found is the net wealth of the top 1 percent richest households rose by nearly 35 percentage points of the economy’s disposable income compared to a modest 5-percentage-point increase for households in the bottom 50 percent. The chart unveils four key points: The overall increase in net wealth, in percent of disposable income, was considerably larger during the pandemic (between the end of 2019 and the second quarter of 2021) than during normal times (between the end of 2014 and end of 2019). It was driven mainly by valuation changes (due to booming equity and housing prices) as well as, to some extent, by the “COVID saving surge” (with a jump in “other assets,” including bank deposits). This overall increase in net wealth was also unevenly distributed, with much of it accruing to people at the top of the distribution. Indeed, the equity price boom mostly benefitted the rich, while lockdowns more heavily affected spending on dining and travel, which make a larger part of wealthier households’ consumption habits. Additionally, government support, in the form of direct stimulus or support to firms, also benefitted the saving of wealthier households compared to poorer households that were more likely to spend the extra cash. At the same time, the distribution of wealth across groups did not change much, as the increases in net wealth were relatively in line with the pre-pandemic shares in the wealth distribution. ***** Related links: How the Rich Get Richer How COVID-19 Will Increase Inequality in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies When Inequality is High, Pandemics Can Fuel Social Unrest Glenn Gottselig Managing Editor IMF Blog ggottselig@IMF.org

ΙΜF:What climate negotiators need to know – a playbook of pathways to 1.5-2 degrees

 

Dear maria, To keep warming to 1.5-2 degrees, we need to cut global emissions by 30-55 percent below business-as-usual levels by 2030. It’s up to negotiators to agree how cuts should be balanced across countries. Under revised plans, advanced economies have committed to reduce emissions rapidly—with collective pledges of 43 percent below projected 2030 levels (up from 21 percent in 2015 pledges). Higher-income emerging market economies have together pledged a 12 percent cut (up from 3 percent in 2015), and lower-income emerging market economies, 6 percent (up from 4 percent). But everyone needs to do more. Now, the IMF has identified multiple pathways to keep warming contained. These are feasible, affordable and—arguably—fair, since they place a bigger burden of cuts on richer countries. And the costs are manageable. To stay within range of a 2 degrees target would cost 0.2 to 1.2 percent of GDP—again—with the biggest burden of costs on richer countries. And of course these costs pale in significance compared to the huge costs and risks from not acting and allowing temperatures to rise out of control. Want to know more? Download the new IMF Staff Climate Note: “Not Yet on Track to Net Zero: The Urgent Need for Greater Ambition and Policy Action to Achieve Paris Temperature Goals” Further reading: IMF Staff Climate Note series Finance & Development magazine: the Climate Issue          Recent speeches

 

ΓΡΑΦΕΙΟ ΤΥΠΟΥ ΔΗΜΟΥ ΜΑΡΑΘΩΝΟΣ Απολογισμός έργου Δήμου Μαραθώνος 2019-2021 Ο διετής απολογισμός έργου της δημοτικής αρχής "Πορεία Πράξης" και σε ηλεκτρονική μορφή στο : https://poreiapraxis.gr

APEC update

 

Prime Minister Ardern Calls for Cooperation to Achieve Recovery

Issued by the 2021 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting Chair
Auckland, New Zealand, 11 November 2021  

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has called for political and business leaders to work together to build a strong, equitable and sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Delivering the keynote address to a global business audience at the 2021 APEC CEO Summit, the largest business conference in the Asia-Pacific region that runs adjacent to APEC Economic Leaders’ Week, Prime Minister Ardern acknowledged the scale of the pandemic’s impacts and the varied challenges economies have faced.

“But there is now little doubt that staying on top of the virus provides options when it comes to responding to the economic challenges before us,” Prime Minister Ardern said.

“As we prepare for the post-pandemic era, we need to continue to strengthen the partnership between government and business,” she said. “Together, we need to set the stage for an equitable, inclusive and sustainable recovery that invests in people and planet through fresh ideas and renewed resolve.”

Watch: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s welcome speech at the APEC CEO Summit 2021

There were three areas where political and business leaders could work together to achieve an economic recovery to weather future economic shocks.

“We must unlock efficiency and productivity gains that digital innovation offers. After years of talking about the digital transformation, COVID-19 has accelerated progress by years,” stated Prime Minister Ardern.

“Workplaces and businesses must be inclusive of everyone across our communities, particularly women and indigenous peoples,” she added.

“These groups have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic’s effects but they are an engaged and productive labor force that have much to contribute. In New Zealand alone, the Māori economy is now worth NZD70 billion.”

Environmental sustainability was the third area for increased political and business cooperation, the Prime Minister said.

“I’m proud of the progress APEC has made this year, including in beginning to turn the tide on the adoption of fossil fuel subsidies which have created devastating environmental degradation by masking the true cost of fossil fuels and inhibiting the transition to adoption of renewable alternatives.”

Prime Minister Ardern acknowledged that addressing such systemic issues would demand a new model of political and business cooperation.

“We have been dealt an opportunity to strike an economic reset on a scale we haven’t seen since World War II. Implementing this level of change during such challenging times will require real courage from all of us, political leaders and business leaders alike,” Prime Minister Ardern said. “APEC Leaders stands with the business community to ensure we all pull through the pandemic stronger than we were before.”

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Make Decisions with the Next Generations in Mind, Urges Prime Minister Ardern

Issued by the APEC Secretariat

Wellington, New Zealand, 11 November 2021

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has accepted the APEC Voices of the Future 2021 youth declaration in her role as APEC 2021 Chair on Wednesday. She has acknowledged the work of young people around the region to join together and produce a declaration that projects a vision of hope for our future.

“You have reminded me, reminded us all, that we must always look forward, and make decisions with the next generation in mind,” Prime Minister Ardern said. “As we stand in the face of monumental challenges, young people must be part of the debate about our future.”

Remembering her first APEC experience, not as prime minister but as an 18-year-old youth delegate to an APEC science event in Korea, Prime Minister Ardern said: “I saw firsthand then how vital it is for young people to have a voice on global issues. Today’s declaration to APEC leaders clearly contains many creative and insightful ideas for leaders to consider in order to respond to the concerns of nearly one billion young people around the APEC region.”

The Voices of the Future youth event takes place annually during APEC Economic Leaders’ Week and this year, for the first time, all 21 APEC member economies were represented, with the online event generating the largest turnout in the event’s 23-year history.

The delegates, aged 18 to 24, heard from a wide range of speakers on the event’s four key themes—"International Co-operation to Combat COVID-19,” “The Digital Future,” “A Greener Future,” and “A Future for All”—before presenting their vision in a formal declaration.

“These themes of the declaration align very closely to the overall themes of APEC 2021 and demonstrate clearly that the issues that worry the current generation will also impact greatly on generations to come,” Prime Minister Ardern said.

“Today’s Voices of the Future Declaration shows how much these issues matter to young people, and why they must be involved to help ensure the best outcomes now and for the future.”

Dr Rebecca Sta Maria, the APEC Secretariat’s Executive Director, highlighted the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on the youth.

“One of the more concerning consequences of the extended pandemic is its effects on the youth,” Dr Sta Maria said. “Their education and early careers are facing wholesale disruption because of lockdowns.”

“It’s our duty to go the extra mile for them,” she said. “Close the digital divide, nurture their ability to innovate—everything to ensure they are given the means to reach their full and exciting potential.”

To read the 2021 Voices of the Future Declaration, visit this link.

For further details, please contact:

Cas Carter +64 21 341 509 at cas.carter@mfat.govt.nz (in New Zealand)
Sidah Russell +64 21 359 235 at sidah.russell@mfat.govt.nz (in New Zealand)
Masyitha Baziad +65 9751 2146 at mb@apec.org
Michael Chapnick +65 9647 4847 atmc@apec.org