Witnessing the latest developments in the world, I started to remember my medical education. One of the killer diseases which still haunts us and is part of a Millennium Development Goal is TB (tuberculosis). One way of preventing TB is by giving children the BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) vaccine.
I ask you: what is the relationship between BCG, the global financial crisis and governments? The answer is, from a humanitarian point of view, BCG gains a new meaning. BCG represents the pillars of any society: B- Business, C- Civil Society (represented by organisations) and G- Government.
In the past, B and C were completely under the rule of G. Nowadays we have to look objectively and analytically at the relationship between B and G, a partnership which could exclude C altogether. In the western world, C acts as a watchdog, ensuring the relationship between B and G remains transparent and accountable. Sadly, I cannot say the same about developing countries, where B controls G, which in turn ignores C.
The absence of civil society from the table of power in the developing countries had deadly effects, some of which we can see now if we switch our TV sets on.
What we need is a structure based on stronger, empowered and engaged civil society organisations to prevent the bad relationship between B and G lead to mutilated or stillborn societies.
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