The World Is Getting Better

And yet, I believe that the world is getting better. For the first time in the history of humanity, ending hunger is a realistic goal; we can be the generation that does so. I once read an interesting definition of optimism: An optimist is not someone who believes that everything will turn out well but rather someone who does everything possible to make things turn out well.

Optimism does not mean that the world is good. It means that it is getting better. Both statements are true: The world is bad, and it is getting better. Or, in the words of my community pastor from Hamburg, Martin Hofmann: Desperation is easy; hope takes a little effort.

The World Has Gotten Better:

• Two hundred years ago, nearly nine of every ten people in the world lived in extreme poverty; today, it is only one in ten.
• According to Welthungerhilfe’s Global Hunger Index, rates of hunger have decreased in all countries surveyed during the past 15 years, for example by an average of 30% throughout Africa.
• Since Welthungerhilfe was founded more than 50 years ago, the child mortality rate in developing countries has fallen from above 20% to below 5%.

Naturally, each child's death is one too many. In a world of plenty, every instance of a person forced to live in poverty is truly a travesty. Nonetheless, there are great successes and examples of the world getting better.

Global Success Despite Population Growth

But that is only because of China’s development, and population growth will soon consume these successes in any case—this is often the reflexive answer to such a world view. However, the fact is that a similar, if less dramatic, picture can be seen outside of China as well. In 1981, 29% of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty; by 2013, this figure had decreased to around 12%, and before you ask: These figures already exclude China, otherwise the decrease from 42% to less than 11% would be even more drastic. The trend continues: Today, this figure—including China—is under 10%.

And although population growth is a real challenge, birth rates have been falling throughout the world since the 1980s. The trend is the same the world over: When incomes rise and children are no longer the only form of pension planning, birth rates fall. With fewer children dying, the population grows for a while. However, birth rates fall after a few years, and a new equilibrium is reached.

Development Cooperation Has Contributed to Reducing Poverty

Where can we find the source of this progress? Firstly, we find it with people who take their fate into their own hands and demand a place at the table. However, it can also be found with development-focussed governments and effective institutions that have taken up the cause of fighting poverty, and it is precisely here that development cooperation has played an important role and contributed to these successes.

Of course, it is no cure-all and should not be swamped with excessive expectations, but it works—under certain conditions.

First of all, success depends on whether the objective is humanitarian assistance, reconstruction, or long-term development cooperation. For an aid organisation, the priority during crises is to save lives. Every child who does not starve to death is a credit to our work. However, our goal is help for self-help. Real, lasting success for us is, for example, if improvements are made in the food and nutrition situation and are not lost when we withdraw.

It often takes years for positive effects to become apparent. It is in looking at longer periods of time that successes become visible. According to the FAO, the number of undernourished people rose by 38 million to 815 million from 2015 to 2016. Over the past 30 years, however, the number of people suffering hunger has been halved.

Development Assistance Produces Success—If Framework Conditions Change

The bottom line is: The world is not good, but it is getting better. Development assistance works, but only if the framework conditions change too. We need more fairness between north and south in terms of trade; between city and country in terms of rural development investment that African countries promised in the amount of 10% but which figure they are still far from reaching; between young and old with jobs for the 20 million young Africans who are joining the labour market every year; and between people and the environment, since we in the north act as though there were four planets instead of the one on which we all live. The answer to questions about corruption, population growth, and suffering in the world is always the same: Development.