Bhutan

What percentage of income is owned by the least wealthy 20% of households?
The income earned by the lowest 20% of Bhutanesse households is 4.6 Ngultrum or Nu is 4.6
What are the recent achievements and challenges of our country?
The recent achievements are: Bhutan is gradually communicating with other countries and improving its economy while still being able to keep its culture intact and keeping the environment healthy. In the 1990s, the lack of political representation (and more focus on Buddhist culture) led to violence, many people in the ethnic Nepali community in the south fled to refugee camps and still have not returned.
How does poverty affect people in our country?
About one third of the population are below the poverty line
Affects: Women are equal to men but less mobile than men, and less active in social and economic life outside of their own villages. The poor people in Bhutan include, farmers, small traders, day labourers and their households.



How old can children expect to live? (What is the life expectancy at birth?
Life expectancy in Bhutan is 66 years.
How many mobile (cellular) phones are available per 1000 people?
There are 405 cellular phones are available per 1000 people
How many internet users per 1000 people?
66 internet users per 1000 people

What percentage of adults can read (adult literacy rate)?

52.8% of adults are literate
What percentage of people have access to clean water (access to improved drinking water source)?
81% of people in Bhutan have access to clean water.
What percentage of people have access to sanitation?
52% of people living in Bhutan have access to sanitation and toilets.

What is the average income [GDP per capita (PPP US$)]?
In 2011 Bhutan's gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was estimated at $2,042 (US)
What percentage of people live below the national poverty line?
23.2% is the estimated amount of people living below the national poverty line. That’s approximately 161,781 people
What percentage of children attend primary school?
At the last survey in 2010 approximately 41,000 students attended school to the nearest thousand so that is close to 25.3%

Eight Millenium Goals

In September 2000 Koffi Annan, former general secretary of the UN, suggested we could do something to end world poverty.

189 countries agreed that by September 2015 they would achieve 8 goals towards ending global poverty

The Eight Goals:

·         Eradicate extreme hunger and poverty

·         Achieve universal primary education

·         Promote gender equality and empower women

·         Improving maternal health

·         Combat diseases: AIDS/HIV/Malaria and others

·         Ensure environmental sustainability

·         Develop a global partnership for development

Poverty Cycle

What is the cycle of poverty?

The cycle of poverty has been described as a phenomenon where families become trapped in poverty for generations.

Because they have no or limited access to critical resources, such as

·         Education  

·         Financial services

Subsequent generations are also impoverished

These are multiple cycles of poverty – based on, among other things,

·         Economic

·         Social

·         Spiritual

·         Geographical factors

Many cycles overlap or perpetuate new cycles and therefore any attempt to depict the cycle of poverty will be far more simplistic than realistic.

The figure below shows – in very simplistic terms – how a cycle of poverty related to hunger keeps a person or household poor in one of the world’s developing countries.

Natural Disasters occur almost everywhere around the world. Whether it is a cyclone, electrical storm, or flood. In 2008 236000 people died in Natural Disasters. 260000 people were killed, just last year. The Indian Ocean earthquake killed 230 000 people, in 2004. The worst natural disaster in history killed 1 million to 4 million people. This was the Yellow River Flood, in 1931.

Natural Disasters occur almost everywhere around the world. Whether it is a cyclone, electrical storm, or flood. In 2008 236000 people died in Natural Disasters. 260000 people were killed, just last year.  The Indian Ocean earthquake killed 230 000 people, in 2004. The worst natural disaster in history killed 1 million to 4 million people. This was the Yellow River Flood, in 1931.

Human losses and destruction is avoidable, the impact can be lessened  through a device called the comprehensive risk reduction. They are expensive.

The only hope to lessen the death toll, is quick action. When any disaster strikes, the top priority is to save lives. This means search and rescue, access to food, water and shelter, etc.

In Australia we have the SES which stands for State Emergency Services; they are there for emergencies and rescue services.

Key Principles of Catholic Social Teaching

Human Dignity

Belief in the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all Catholic social teaching. Human life is sacred, and the dignity of the human person is the starting point for a moral vision for society.

The principle of human dignity is grounded in the idea that the person is made in the image of God. The person is the clearest reflection of God among us. We are require to honour the human person, to give priority to the person.

Community and the Common Good

In a culture driven by excessive individualism, our tradition proclaims that the person is not only sacred but also social. Human dignity can only be realized and protected in the context of relationships with the wider society.

How we organize our society –economics and politics, in law and policy – directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. Everyone has a responsibility to contribute the good of the whole society to common good.

Rights and Responsibilities

Every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things for human decency – food, shelter, clothing, employment, health care and education.

Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

A basic moral test of society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. The poor have the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of the nation.

The obligation to evaluate social and economic activity from the view point of the poor and the powerless arises from the radical command to love ones neighbour as one’s self.

The option for the poor is an essential part of society’s effort to achieve the common good. A healthy community can be achieved only if it’s members give special attention to those with special needs to those who are poor and on the margins of society. 

Participation

All people have a right to participate in the economic, political and cultural life of society. It is a fundamental demand of justice and a requirement for human dignity that all people be assured a minimum level of participation in the community.

It is wrong for a person or a group to be excluded unfairly or to be unable to participate in society.

Dignity of Work/Rights of Workers

The economy must serve people, not the other way around. All workers have a right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, and to safe working conditions. They also have a fundamental right to organize and join unions.

People have a right to economic initiative and private property, but these rights have limit. No one is allowed to amass excessive wealth when others lack the basic necessities of life.

Stewardship of Creation

Catholic tradition insists that we show our respect for the creator by our stewardship of creation.  The goods of earth are gifts from God, intended for the benefit of all.

We humans are not the ultimate owners of these goods, but rather, the temporary stewards. We are entrusted with the responsibilities of caring for these gifts and preserving them for the future generations.

Global Solidarity

Catholic social teaching problems that we are our brothers and sister keepers, wherever they live. We are one, human family whatever our nation racial, ethic, economic and ideological differences. Solidarity means that loving our neighbours has global dimensions is an

Constructive Role of Government

Because we are social beings, the state is natural to the person. Therefore, the state has a positive moral function. It’s an instrument to promote human dignity, protect human rights and build the common good. One of the key functions of government to assist.

Promotions of Peace Catholic Peace

Catholic teaching promotes peace as a positive, action oriented concept. In the words of Pope John Paul 2, “Peace is not just the absence of war. It involves mutual respect and confidence between peoples and nations. It involves collaboration and binding agreements”.

Brainstorm Social Justice

~Interests (Homosxual, Bisexual etc.)

~Poverty

~Religion

~Gender

~Race

~Class

~Past

Lady Justice

                                          

 

Blindfold: Lady justice wears a blindfold to representher impartiallity. She will only consider the evidence and not be ifluenced by gender, race, financial stature et cetera.

Scales: The swcales represnt how everyone is equal and how she carefully weigh the evidence and claims of both sides.

Sword: The sword represents her power and how she enforces the law