New Moon, April 5th, 11:56 EST
Dear Sukunya,
Do you often suffer from boredom? Boredom is something that happens to all of us at one time or another in our life. When you were young, do you remember telling your mum that you were bored during your summer holiday only to have her tell you to go find something to do? As adults, we can usually attribute a period of boredom to something specific: a feeling of emptiness or frustration with a situation we can't seem to fix or get beyond.
When a client complains to me of boredom, I give them two options. They can either let boredom overtake them and allow themselves to become tired and jaded procrastinators, or they can use it as a kind of motivator to seek out a creative and inventive pastime. It is inspiring to know that many fabulous ideas and inventions have come as a result of someone's boredom and need to find something interesting to do.
On the other hand, Sukunya, one need never give in to boredom. We all possess a very powerful tool for fighting boredom, our imagination. I try to inspire my clients who complain of boredom to use their imaginations by visualizing what they would like to have happen in their lives. This is a quick way to put an end to boredom and to get creative juices flowing.
I also remind these clients to stimulate their routine activities by adding some variety to their day, especially when life seems to be stuck in a rut. While we may be creatures of habit, it is essential to have some variety. Achieving a balance between the daily grind and the spice of variety can sharpen our focus, while eliminating feelings of listlessness and boredom.
Sukunya, a big part of fighting boredom is opening your mind to all the possibilities around you. I hope you will consider my suggestions when you experience a listless or humdrum period. You can also turn to your Health, Wealth and Happiness forecast to light your imagination and chase boredom away!
Until next time,
P.S.: Please remember to add my email address Bethea@myhealthwealthandhappiness.com to your address book to ensure that you receive your forecasts on time.
Sukunya March 31 - April 6
On April 2nd, Pluto turns retrograde and slowly heads back for its last few months in Sagittarius. On the same day, Mercury moves into Aries, as does Venus on the 6th. The 6th is also the day of the Aries New Moon, Sukunya, so there is a real emphasis on Fire, the element of inspiration and faith. With Mars contacting and then passing the point at which it went retrograde way back in November on 5th, there could be a real "spring-time" feel about this week with everyone seeming optimistic and positive.
Recently the terms "governance" and "good governance" are being increasingly used in development literature. Bad governance is being increasingly regarded as one of the root causes of all evil within our societies. Major donors and international financial institutions are increasingly basing their aid and loans on the condition that reforms that ensure "good governance" are undertaken.
This article tries to explain, as simply as possible, what "governance" and "good governance" means.
GOVERNANCE
The concept of "governance" is not new. It is as old as human civilization. Simply put "governance" means: the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented (or not implemented). Governance can be used in several contexts such as corporate governance, international governance, national governance and local governance.
Since governance is the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented, an analysis of governance focuses on the formal and informal actors involved in decision-making and implementing the decisions made and the formal and informal structures that have been set in place to arrive at and implement the decision.
Government is one of the actors in governance. Other actors involved in governance vary depending on the level of government that is under discussion. In rural areas, for example, other actors may include influential land lords, associations of peasant farmers, cooperatives, NGOs, research institutes, religious leaders, finance institutions political parties, the military etc. The situation in urban areas is much more complex. Figure 1 provides the interconnections between actors involved in urban governance. At the national level, in addition to the above actors, media, lobbyists, international donors, multi-national corporations, etc. may play a role in decision-making or in influencing the decision-making process.
All actors other than government and the military are grouped together as part of the "civil society." In some countries in addition to the civil society, organized crime syndicates also influence decision-making, particularly in urban areas and at the national level.
Similarly formal government structures are one means by which decisions are arrived at and implemented. At the national level, informal decision-making structures, such as "kitchen cabinets" or informal advisors may exist. In urban areas, organized crime syndicates such as the "land Mafia" may influence decision-making. In some rural areas locally powerful families may make or influence decision-making. Such, informal decision-making is often the result of corrupt practices or leads to corrupt practices.
Good governance has 8 major characteristics. It is participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law. It assures that corruption is minimized, the views of minorities are taken into account and that the voices of the most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making. It is also responsive to the present and future needs of society.
Figure 2: Characteristics of good governance
Participation
Participation by both men and women is a key cornerstone of good governance. Participation could be either direct or through legitimate intermediate institutions or representatives. It is important to point out that representative democracy does not necessarily mean that the concerns of the most vulnerable in society would be taken into consideration in decision making. Participation needs to be informed and organized. This means freedom of association and expression on the one hand and an organized civil society on the other hand.
Rule of law
Good governance requires fair legal frameworks that are enforced impartially. It also requires full protection of human rights, particularly those of minorities. Impartial enforcement of laws requires an independent judiciary and an impartial and incorruptible police force.
Transparency
Transparency means that decisions taken and their enforcement are done in a manner that follows rules and regulations. It also means that information is freely available and directly accessible to those who will be affected by such decisions and their enforcement. It also means that enough information is provided and that it is provided in easily understandable forms and media.
Responsiveness
Good governance requires that institutions and processes try to serve all stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe.
Consensus oriented
There are several actors and as many view points in a given society. Good governance requires mediation of the different interests in society to reach a broad consensus in society on what is in the best interest of the whole community and how this can be achieved. It also requires a broad and long-term perspective on what is needed for sustainable human development and how to achieve the goals of such development. This can only result from an understanding of the historical, cultural and social contexts of a given society or community.
Equity and inclusiveness
A society’s well being depends on ensuring that all its members feel that they have a stake in it and do not feel excluded from the mainstream of society. This requires all groups, but particularly the most vulnerable, have opportunities to improve or maintain their well being.
Effectiveness and efficiency
Good governance means that processes and institutions produce results that meet the needs of society while making the best use of resources at their disposal. The concept of efficiency in the context of good governance also covers the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of the environment.
Accountability
Accountability is a key requirement of good governance. Not only governmental institutions but also the private sector and civil society organizations must be accountable to the public and to their institutional stakeholders. Who is accountable to whom varies depending on whether decisions or actions taken are internal or external to an organization or institution. In general an organization or an institution is accountable to those who will be affected by its decisions or actions. Accountability cannot be enforced without transparency and the rule of law.
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion it should be clear that good governance is an ideal which is difficult to achieve in its totality. Very few countries and societies have come close to achieving good governance in its totality. However, to ensure sustainable human development, actions must be taken to work towards this ideal with the aim of making it a reality.
RELATED LINKS
* Read more about governance from the Human Settlements Section website (not updated)
* Regional Consultative Meeting on Good Urban Governance
Download this article in PDF file
New Study:
Good governance and access to basic services for the poor
Governance is the process whereby public institutions conduct public affairs, manage public resources, and guarantee the realization of human rights. Good governance accomplishes this in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption, and with due regard for the rule of law.
read more>>
Good governance at the national level
There is a wealth of UN human rights standards of direct relevance and applicability to questions of good governance.
read more>>
Good governance at the international level
In a globalizing world, national and international governance are inextricably linked. International institutions of governance will be in a better position to respond to the needs of the developing world once national institutions meet the test of good governance.
read more>>
OHCHR and good governance
As mandated by the General Assembly, OHCHR is the UN’s system-wide focal point for human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Under the Secretary-General’s reform programme launched in 1997, OHCHR has also been charged with facilitating the mainstreaming of human rights in United Nations development programming.
read more>>
Assistance for good governance
In 2000, policy measures, core elements and areas of programmatic collaboration for the United Nations system were established.
Today's youth will one day lead societies in various countries, build their economies, and make decisions that will have an impact in the lives of future generations. A series of international conferences have been devoted to various themes analyzing and highlighting the plight of war-affected children and the need to protect them from all forms of abuses. However, one area that has most often been overlooked and/or minimized in the agenda of these international conferences is one of the fundamental causes of some of these conflicts - the result of poor governance in affected countries.
*
Program Objective
*
Did you know?
*
Defining Corruption
*
Measuring Corruption
*
Costs of Corruption
*
Causes of Corruption
*
Fighting Corruption
*
Role of Youth in Fighting Corruption
*
Course Content
*
Online Survey for Youth
*
Governance Maps
*
Previous Learning Events (listed on a separate page)
Program Objective
The aim of the Youth and Good Governance program is to stimulate a dialogue on governance issues among youth by emphasizing the role they can play in demanding accountability from their government. Youth can be resilient, resourceful and responsive, and there is a need to encourage and establish mechanisms in countries to involve youth in playing a role in addressing corruption and consequently improving governance in their countries.
Did you know?
* In countries with high levels of corruption, the infant mortality rate is about three times higher and average income is about three times lower than in less corrupt countries (for example, the difference between Ukraine and the Czech Republic, Indonesia and South Korea, Nicaragua and El Salvador, or Chad and Namibia).
* In high corruption countries, business would be willing to pay a tax equivalent to ten percent or more of their income to eliminate corruption.
* Within a country, some government agencies are considered quite honest, while others are considered quite corrupt, often the customs authority, judiciary, or police.
* Corruption tends to be more of a problem in developing and formerly communist countries than in high-income countries. Africa and the successor states to the Soviet Union are the regions considered to have the worst corruption problem.
back to top
Defining Corruption
Corruption is the misuse of public office for private gain. This includes a public servant accepting, soliciting, or extorting a bribe as well as instances where no bribery occurs but public office is still misused, such as nepotism, patronage, theft of state assets, and diversion of state revenues.
Corruption is not a western concept. In any society, there is a difference between practices that are acceptable and those that cause outrage.
://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=rQaXZM5iswk&bids=7097.2289&subid=0&type=4&gridnum=-1">!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
my building project 
my future changer 
i need big tree for my cute girl.. 
Good governance
No comments:
Post a Comment