THE SUSTAINABILITY OF FREE TRADE

I am against the free trade for many the reasons some of which are perhaps not so obvious in everyday life but in the end will lead to what can be referred to as a ‘tragedy of the commons’ affecting the global community. From 1995 WTO has managed and supervised liberalization of international trade by working to reduce trade barriers. It provides the framework and the platform for member countries to negotiate and formalize trade agreements. It enforces compliance and regulates international trade between participating members. Under WTO the belonging 155 member countries have agreed to reduce and eliminate controls of products that are imported or exported by their countries. Members are obligated to sign and ratify all of WTO agreements. Removal of trade barriers and trade competition have led to environmental degradation caused by over exploitation and abuse of earth resources because while some WTO member nations are bound to reduce environmental degradation as signatories of i.e. The Kyoto agreement to reduce CO2 emissions, other WTO members are non-signatories of the Kyoto. One can use the current examples of China VS European Union members (EU). Under the Kyoto protocol the EU has been working to reduce CO2 emissions which impacts revenue and profit of the industries in the sense that companies have to face abatement costs during the time of the economic crisis. China on the otherhand, has had the advantage of being the non signatory of the Kyoto protocol and of being a member of WTO by ensuring exponential growth at the expense to the environment. Without the restrictions of trade, blatant exploitation of the environment will lead to major disasters that will pale in comparison to the damage done on the Ozone layer by the previous CFC productions. The externalization of costs to the environment and communities will exacerbate climate change as predicted by climate change scientific models (temperature rise of between 1.4 °C and 5.8 °C ) with the related impacts. If free trade is to be made sustainable there are some important steps that have to be done and that includes; 1. Centralizing Environmental governance policies i.e. The Basel convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, The convention on Biological Diversity, The convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) , The convention on Migratory Species (CMS) , The UN convention to combat desertification (UNCCD) , The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ,The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, The Vienna Convention to Protect the Ozone Layer and The Montreal Protocol of the Vienna Convention in order to avoid policies contradictions. 2. Building an ultimate global partnership for sustainable development by merging WTO trade policies with environmental governance policies in order to remove loop holes e.g. for WTO members who are non-signatories of the environmental policies. 3. Creating categories of WTO free trade products and thereafter indicating specific environmental policies that should apply for each category. 4. Embracing CSR matrix principles – People, Planet, Profit within WTO free trade rules. 5. Making side payments to WTO developing nations to meet the environmental standards required /or costs incurred while meeting the standards. 6. Agriculture is the backbone of the economy therefore agricultural subsidies to be given only on WTO level for the purpose of subsidizing farmers to meet the criteria for organic farming and other required environmental standards so as to promote sustainability for farmers as well as for the agricultural products ,instead of the current situation whereby subsidies are given in consideration of national interest. Immediate positive impacts will be reflected in public health and the environment. 7. Sponsoring institutional capacity building where knowledge is lacking. i.e. Sustainable farming, technology etc.

POST 2015 - A STEP TOWARDS MITIGATION OF INEQUALITIES

POST 2015 - A STEP TOWARDS MITIGATION OF INEQUALITIES Indeed I am worried about the post 2015 agenda regarding all subjects. This is mostly because it is not possible to have a standardized solution that can solve all problems. Therefore the main place to start I suppose is to understand the roots of inequality before skipping to the stage of tackling inequality. In my opinion, inequalities result from non-sustainable policies that promote unequal division of goods and services. Inequality dis-empowers nations and individuals. When the situation continues for a long period it creates a feeling of helplessness and frustration. The results have many faces; economic depression, unrest, corruption, contests, protests, civil wars, migration, environmental degradation as well as health impacts. Neo-Liberalism – the main root for inequality: Neo- liberalism refers to a set of global economic policies. It is a new form of liberalism that has been revived by corporate elite as a result of the ongoing 25 years of what is framed as ‘the capitalist crisis’. Neo- liberalism advocates the following main points: Deregulation and freedom of markets: Cutting all ties from the government starting by reducing government regulation of everything that hinders profit making e.g. Environmental protection. Reducing public expenditure for social services: Cutting back government support of social services such as health care, education, child support, rent subsidy, social welfare, sanitation and other safety nets for the poor and blaming them if they fail to take ‘individual responsibility’ and find solutions for their problems. Privatization of formerly public services: Promoting privatization and competition as a way to foster economic development which is hereafter defined as maximization of profit. What neo-liberalism offers is to turn the world into a global shopping mall. Globalization of the capitalist economy have helped to spread neo-liberalism ideas across international borders. Neo-liberal policies are destroying safety nets for the suffering poor majority, compounding poverty , inequality and ex-acerbating environmental degradation. (E.Martinez , A.Garcia and the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights,2012). Case study: New-Delhi India; Inequalities between the high caste (Brahmin) and the low castes (Shudras, Harijans) results in the lower caste being forced to live in informal settlements. These settlements are marginalized and out of the formal networks which usually provide public services e.g. clean drinking water, sanitation and other. The low castes are forced into these conditions due to poverty compounded by lack of available opportunities to their caste. Governments refuse to provide formal public services to informal services as this will be condoning illegal temporary settlements. Lack of proper sanitation and clean drinking water results into environmental pollution and the related health problems. (Aradau Brown & Budds, 2009) Case Study: Tanzania Education system Inequalities between the high income earners and the majority of the citizens has caused the disintegration of the education system. Private schools which cost a school fee of more 500 EUR per semester can afford to recruit the best teachers for the privileged students. Students from these schools therefore acquire the best education. Public schools with basic salary of 15 to 20 EUR per month for a teacher remain with students from the majority of the low income earners. Schools lack the basic facilities such as libraries, books, school desks, electricity. Both teachers and students are demotivated and frustrated. The form 4 secondary school final exams results of 2012 have recently come out showing 60% of the students who completed their studies failed completely. The percentage refers to the whole country. This is the future generation, the future of the country. (http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/component/content/article/37-tanzania-top-news-story/28968-blame-game-as-form-4-results-sink-in.html). Even with the national outcry there is no possibility for the government to repair the damage that is already done, on it’s own. Case Study: India coffee farming units: All WTO members have to agree to the same rules of free trade and fair competition. However, some countries are less developed than others therefore abiding to WTO is an economic disadvantage to them. Sometimes this situation indirectly contributes to environmental degradation. I.e. In 1995 the committee on trade and environment (CTE) was established by WTO general council. CTE published the first report that underlines the rights of member country governments e.g. India, to formulate national environmental standards according to their development needs and priorities. With trade liberalization, the costs and responsibilities for export has fallen in the hands of coffee-farming units and private traders. In India, coffee-farming units are mainly concentrated in the South provinces of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which also happen to be biodiversity rich areas. Some farming units exists on the fringes of the forests or even within the forests and thus contribute to forests fragmentation. Nearly 75% of India’s coffee is exported to the west. Because of this economic dependence on international markets, coffee-farming units have to comply with quality and products safety standards i.e. the WTO environmental clause for sanitary and phytosanitary measure (SPS) by ensuring less use of pesticides, minimization of the sprayed chemicals, and maintenance of appropriate environmental conditions in the coffee farm dictated by importing countries e.g. in Europe, Far East and North America, which are sensitive to sanitary and phytosanitary regulations and norms. In addition, India coffee farmers are forced to comply with water pollution laws as expected by the national government and sometimes compliance involves high capital investment. E.g. In south India, coffee- farming units had to install a water treatment system. In 1995-96 failure to comply with the pollution control law led to confiscation of coffee pulping machines from farmers in the district of Chikmagalur in Karnataka. At the same time SPS related market barriers threatens India coffee export trade as it increases the costs of production without the corresponding revenue realization. Because India coffee farmers suffer high incremental costs - complying to both the WTO SPS clauses ,the national water pollution law , as well as facing severe pressures to meet loan re-payment schedules- they are forced to neutralize their losses by practicing unsustainable exploitation of less regulated resources e.g. Biodiversity. (Damodaran.A ,2002). This case study indicates that although WTO neo-liberal policies have expanded to include environmental governance clauses, sometimes impacts on environments may occur due to social economic inequalities as well as different values and understandings. Case Study: International trade of hazardous waste: Hazardous waste is a direct result of the industrialization of the western countries as well as some middle east countries. It includes waste liquids, solids or gases that are harmful to the environment and human health. It also includes post-consumer goods e.g. packaging and products that are discarded after use i.e. e-waste which is electronic scrap that contains toxic chemicals and heavy metals. By 2000 it was estimated that industrialised countries produce over 300 million tonnes of hazardous waste per year. Hazardous waste disposal can occur either by dumping on landfills sites, by transfer from land to sea, by dumping at sea, and by transboundary shipment for dumping on land in another country(Blowers,1996). The greatest international concern in the recent decades has been the transfer of hazardous waste between countries because hazardous waste pollutes soils, water courses, air, food chains. The creation of international environmental agreements is one part of a wider range of responses to collective environmental problems at the international level. Since the 2nd world war there has been an increasing number of treaties between states designed for the governance of collective environmental problems. Some agreements are between two states (bilateral) and some between 3 or more states (multilateral). The treaties form the foundation of the international responses to environmental problems such as the problem of endangered species and disposal of hazardous waste. International trade of hazardous waste is one part of the broader concern with the environmental impacts of waste. The root cause and even the foundation for this trade is social economic inequalities. 1970-1980s tougher waste disposal domestic laws within industrialized countries stimulated an increase of international waste trade to developing countries with ‘lax’ environmental regulations. During this time many developing countries were suffering from low economic growth, a shortage of foreign exchange earnings and the consequences of debt repayment to i.e. IMF and The World Bank. The combination of these factors was a great incentive for developing countries to participate as hazardous waste importers, by allowing dumping in their countries. This was a way for developing countries to earn a substantial foreign income although at the same time costs were externalized to the environment and local communities. ( Aradau Brown & Budds) Through analytical lenses – National interest: The main obstacle to achieving collective action in reducing poverty and inequality is national interests. Industrial countries have taken advantage of the weaknesses of the developing countries for centuries. This is time for evolutionary ideas whereby national interest should not play the primary role in mitigating the impacts of inequality. Inequality and eradication of poverty should be tackled as a collective action problem. The bones, blood and muscle of neo-liberalism are the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also known as Bretton Woods institutions. By examining revising the policies within these institutions it may be possible to reduce inequality and to work on moving forward in a sustainable way - meaning, prioritising global welfare over national interest.

POST 2015 - HOW THE INTERNATIONAL GOVERNMENTS CAN DO A BETTER JOB OF TRACKING FOREIGN AID

Through commitment and structured cooperation, migrant NGO’s in the West can make an even more valuable contribution for the development of communities where they originate. The undeniable strength of the migrant NGO’s is their possession of local knowledge and networks from within their countries of origin. It is also an additional advantage that they are easily reachable by the donors and therefore they can be valuable coordinators for projects related to their interests and various knowledge. Support from willing donor organizations can ensure that the NGO’s install simple software for recording transactions therefore making the tracking that much efficient and transparent. For the post 2015, I also urge donors to be more aware of their administrative procedures which are becoming a crutch to motivated migrant NGO’s who are committed to making a difference where they come from. We all have a responsibility to make a contribution and reduce inequality which is a root cause of existing multidimensional problems including environmental degradation, conflicts, food shortage, health impacts and others. As descendants from developing countries we can’t always be dependants, but we can work together with international institutions to build a sustainable global community. I believe inequality can truly be reduced if migrant NGO’s and donor institutions work together towards a common goal. The post 2015 goal should put focus on making a structured cooperation between donor institutions and migrant NGO’s, within the countries . By Stella Evelyne Tesha, 2013, Rotterdam

THE CHRONIC CASE OF INEQUALITIES

National and international inequalities result from non sustainable policies that promote unequal division of goods and services. Inequality disempowers nations and individuals. When the situation continues for a long period it creates a feeling of helplessness and frustration. The results have many faces; economic depression, unrest, corruption, contests, protests, civil wars and others. Tanzania, has always been one of the peaceful countries in Africa. A first stop for refugees from other parts of Africa when seeking sanctuary. Currently there has been several protests against inequality. In Masasi, Tanzania (26/1/2013) 20 vehicles burnt, 2 people dead, 7 houses and buildings burnt as a protest against existing inequalities http://instagram.com/p/U9MPdTjuqU/. Under the economic mode of ‘Ujamaa’ during the ruling of our father of the Nation Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, the nation enjoyed peace and no one went to sleep with an empty stomach. Now with unavoidable integration with the global economy what we see is an increased number of problems of which the main root is non sustainable policies promoting unequal division of good and services. Can these problems be handled by the nation alone? That is an impossibility because a poor nation like Tanzania has a very small voice in the international arena whereby the west is determine to promote policies that boosts their national interests. As an individual, what would you say or do if you were in a position to make a positive change? Afterall, we are all in this together … 'Everyone makes a difference' Mwl. J.K Nyerere 1977

Land contests in Tanzania

Dumila violence kills one, injures ten more By Ashton Balaigwa 26th January 2013EmailPrint Field Force Police (FFU) officers remove logs and other road blocks used by Dumila residents in Morogoro to block the Morogoro-Dodoma highway yesterday pressing their regional commissioner, Joel Bendera, to listen to their grievances. (Photo: Ashton BalaigwaOne person was yesterday killed and ten others injured when chaos erupted at rural Dumila in Kilosa district, Morogoro in region. Reports from the scene say police had to use live ammunition to contain the violence when some people decided to block the Morogoro-Dodoma highway. The Guardian on Saturday was informed that Dumila residents blocked the highway for five hours in a bid to register complaints that Maasai pastoralists had persistently fed their cattle on farms located at Mfuru Mabwegere in the district. The dead was identified as Mohammed Msigira, 60 – and the injured were rushed to the Dumila health centre for treatment. But it was not clear who exactly killed Msigira, with claims that he might have died from shock caused by gunshots. The incident held up traffic along the Morogoro-Dodoma highway for about five hours, forcing Morogoro regional Commissioner Joel Bendera to rush the scene and listen to their concerns. In the meantime, Kilosa District Commissioner Eliya Tarimo rushed to the scene, but ended up being roughed up by irate residents, who the district commissioner was the source of the problem. Braving live ammunition, the furious farmers stormed five guest houses allegedly smashed the windows of guest houses said to be owned by the pastoralists. The irate farmers also destroyed one car, Landcruiser, before making away with several belongings belonging to the pastoralists. Before the chaos erupted the residents held a procession along the Dumila township at around 8.30 am, paralyzing transport along the highway for more than five hours before police arrived. In the ensuing chaos, Maasai women and children ran to the Dumila police station to save their dear lives. Speaking to The Guardian, Omari Athuman and Mauya Hamadi, said they were forced to resort to violence because the Maasai had taken away their cattle. The two farmers said they had since reported the matter to the village and regional authorities but no measures had been taken, saying even the Morogoro regional Commissioner, Joel Bendera had failed to address the matter. They claimed that Mabwegere area was reserved for farmers, but Kilosa district commisoner Alias Tarimo had claimed that the area was allocated to pastoralists, a statement that was rejected by the farmers. Later, the farmers are said to have asked the regional commissioner to show them the area allocated for farming activities and pastures under the Land Use Plan (LUP), but the RC failed to do so. Morogoro Regional Police Commander Faustine Shilogile confirmed the incidence, saying several farmers had been arrested. On his part, the Morogoro regional commissioner said he had ordered that all local government leaders who caused the conflict, including Dumila division secretary, be arrested. SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS IN TANZANIA.

By Stella Evelyne Tesha, 26th October 2012 The threat posed by climate change impacts in Tanzania is life threatening. The majority of the population rely on subsistence agriculture having no alternative opportunities to earn an income. Agricultural production has dwindled due to the change of weather patterns including prolonged seasons of draught followed by heavy rainfalls. It is not only the livelihoods that are threatened. Many lives are at stake from increasing poverty, increasing waterborne diseases, new viruses as well as increasing food prices to name a few. In Tanzania, agriculture is vulnerable to the changing weather conditions. Many farmers are forced to survive in extreme poverty conditions. Women are forced to travel long distances to fetch water for the basic household needs as well as irrigation. Children are forced to drop out of school before they should in order to help in household duties. More youth are moving to urban centers in search of alternative livelihoods. The biggest challenge for most Tanzanian’s , is to find new ways to adapt to climate change impacts. This includes finding alternative livelihoods apart from agriculture. Much as it has been argued that economic development does not go hand in hand with environmental sustainability, failure to invest in alternative activities within rural areas is leading to environmental degradation as scarce resources are depleted at an accelerated rate, while agricultural land is losing fertility. In other areas which are not yet suffering from climate change impacts, agricultural products are still being produced in a subsistence way without the benefits of sustainable supply chains leading to poverty stricken areas, and with accumulating waste from perishable products due to limited capacity for processing, storage, as well as lack of efficient energy. What I’m trying to point out simply is that, sustainable investments are needed in rural areas for climate change adaptation programs. These can be in terms of corporations offering alternative ways of earning an income, sustainable supply chains, small industries for processing and packaging fruits and other products depending on the regions, as well as substantial investment of alternative energy especially solar and wind energy. Private investors will be glad to know that Tanzania, being part of SADDC as well as a member of the East African community offers a huge market as well as investor friendly terms. In addition, investment can be made under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) program to which will enable the investor to gain emission credits (and reduce their green taxes) for their company as well as their country (if in EU). Projects which are setup with companies under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) missions in cooperation with foundations that do projects in Africa, will enable (e.g. Netherlands) companies to claim a tax refund of 69% (within the Netherlands). Furthermore, investors such as IFC (International Financial Corporation), which is part of the world bank, are investing in companies that are performing CSR missions. More benefits for investing companies are in building a positive image that holds their customers faith. Climate change impacts in Tanzania have the potential to have detrimental effects on the population, however cooperation can bring about sustainable development and grow more opportunities for both Tanzanians as well as the investing companies. Green Waters Foundation Netherlands www.green-waters.org

I have a W.I.S.E dream ............

My dream is to have a world whereby individual development is not defined as an economic achievement, and instead individual development is defined as a balance of good health, career satisfaction and happiness. I'll look at the case study of the Netherlands from my perspective, because this is a country I have grown fond of after living here 14 years. Currently the economic crisis has put all individuals into a tough spot. Employees are being over worked to the point that, having a job seems like having a penalty for an unknown commited crime. It is not so strange to see companies taking advantages of the situation while using the excuse of 'costs reduction' by cutting down head count and prioritizing economic gains over employees human rights. Cases of burn out, stress, RSI, ulcers, migraines, are getting to be as common as having a cold. Yet, because the root causes of these problems are not explored, companies can get away with it especially as there are plenty more individuals they can pick from the disempowered unemployed pool. On the other hand, the target group of the unemployed is getting bigger and bigger. The weight of financial responsibility is on the hands of UWV and SOZAWE, which in the past has been able to financially provide social welfare for the unemployed in the Netherlands without seeing the bottom of their financial pit. Now these organisationa are at the point whereby they have to scrap the remaining coins at the bottom and figure out how to share it as the unemployment pool keeps growing. From my perspective, the short term solutions that have been taken by SoZAWe are not sustainable in the long run. SOZAWE is now realizing that it does not have a bottomless pit of money and for this reason, they are now coercively allocating the professional and the educated unemployed work force on jobs such as street cleaning, catering, and other manual labour while they continue to pay ‘uitkering’. Individuals refusal or failure to accomplish these facts means that teh individual will lose rights to the welfare. So basically, what I'm trying to point out is that in the long run, this situation is not sustainable for many reasons. According to IMF reports, Netherlands unemployment rate is now 5.50& compared to ten years ago in 2002 when it was 3.8%. Radical solutions are necessary. Reference: IMF reports July 2012: http://www.statista.com/statistics/17321/unemployment-in-the-netherlands Unemployment on individual level: Unemployment on individual level creates stress for the individual and the family. It also creates disharmony in society, loss of skills and knowledge, melancholy and health problems. Furthermore, by reducing employees, it means that the work burden has to be shouldered by those remaining behind. It means that the amount of work done by one person increases, and in some cases doubles or triples. It also means reduced efficiency due to tiredness and long hours of work which results into reduced productivity, increased stress, and high potential health damage(mentally and physically). Unemployment on Business level: Reducing employees for businesses means reduced production and revenue, employees health problems caused by overwork, reduced purchasing power, increased stress at work as a result of over exploitation for the existing labour force. With each business that shuts down, the direct impact is felt on customers and vendors, on the unemployed, the shops, the tax office, the social welfare office, the health insurance branches. Walking down Rotterdam central from Weena- Stadhuis nowadays, is like walking through Ghost town from business past. Businesses like Studio Hergebruik and others which used to contribute to society both economically and culturally have been forced to close down or relocate to other cheaper locations. Unemployment on government level (National and city councils): Reduced revenue from individual taxes. Larger investment in safety nets such as child support, health insurance subsidies, social welfare. Loss of skilled labour after individuals have remained unemployed from their profession for too long, a society of people who are stressed to hang on to their jobs regardless of the overwork as well as those who are depressed from lack of jobs. Naturally, this is not what we want. We want to create sustainable social-economic development and solve the economic crisis that we are in. Having observed the current situation. I have developed a vision which I believe will solve the multidimensional problems that we are facing as a society. This is what project W.I.S.E (Winning Initiatives for Sustainable Economies) is all about. Vision: My vision for solving the economic crisis is to create job opportunities for the unemployed within existing job positions by means of reducing workload for the existing labour force and reducing work hours for the existing labour force(Public-Private partnership). What is new in Green Waters approach is that, this is a community development project and therefore the approach is different from the normal employment agencies. We will work to understand the wishes of the individuals within our target groups, before matching them with companies who agree to be our partners. We specifically aim to work in close partnerships with national departments which are now giving different sorts of social welfare support as well as the city council of Rotterdam, and eventually others. I am not an economist therefore I could be speaking utopian. However, from my perspective the strategy for implementing the vision seems quite straight forward. Mission: This current situation is not sustainable for a number of reasons including loss of skills, stress, depression and other psychological disturbance. The particular aim of this CSR mission for solving the economic crisis is to create job opportunities for the unemployed within existing job positions by means of reducing workload for the existing labour force and reducing work hours for the existing labour force. This can be considered as having a ‘work buddy’. For instance, if a person is unemployed and yet has experience, knowledge and passion in e.g. Finance, he/she can be ‘matched’ to work with someone who is already employed to do this job in a specific company. The mission can be implemented by means of the following strategy: 1st step: • Explaining the CSR mission to companies and agreeing to implement a CSR vision that focuses on human resources, the mission being to have 2 people( for each specified existing job) working together as ‘work twins’. • Instead of 40hour working week for 1 person, hours can be reduced to 32 to 24 a week e.g. with Wednesday as a ‘common day’ for the ‘work twins’ to come to work for hand over and issues discussion, or else with the current employee acting as trainer/consultant/or by working on process improvement (8-16 hours).  The work reduction will be done transparently and professionally without ulterior motives e.g. By doing an internal contingent valuation for current employees.  By analyzing employment trends within departments 2nd Step: • Working as a link between businesses and organizations such as UWV/SOZAWE/Tax office agreeing the following: o Making agreements with companies to participate in the CSR Human resources project as described by ‘donating’ several work hours to the currently unemployed.  This may depend on open positions within companies which currently are not filled because of ‘cutting costs’  This can also depend on the willingness of the current individual employees to donate e.g. 8-16 hours from their contract. o If companies have open positions that are not currently filled, they can agree to employ the ‘target group’, which will be paid the standard Uitkering by UWV/SOZAWE for 3 months, including transportation costs. After 3 months the company can offer to employ the individual at agreed salary. o If 8-16 hours are donated by employees to the ‘target group’ who are currently being paid by SOZAWE/UWV, they will continue to receive the payment from SOZAWE/UWV without monetary contribution from the company for 3 months (or other specified period if the project is extended on mutual consent). o The Tax office will be responsible for subsidizing Taxes because this is a community development project coordinated by Foundation – Green Waters. NOTE: Alternative solutions can be found after discussions with tax office,UWV/SOZAWE, Gemeente and businesses that are interested in sustainable development. Conclusion: There will be long term repercussions within the society if all stakeholders don’t take the responsibility to make radical changes and even worse long term repercussions if companies continue to make the usual changes. The current situation has to be resolved so that the economy can be revived and development can be made sustainable by keeping the triple bottom line – People, Planet, Profit, during each step of operation. There are many individuals who will become graduates this year, next year, 5 years from now etc who may not be able to find employment, which means more taxes and knowledge lost. It is important to consider a number of aspects including senior members of society who are currently working and struggling to keep up with those half their age terrified of to lose their jobs a year before retirement after investing 40 years of hard work. We also have to consider those struggling to pay students loans, without having steady jobs, as well as to consider the negative atmosphere within homes that many children are being raised. To consider what it means for the many unemployed and those who are overworked, to be in this same current situation for years. To consider where businesses are going, as more of their vendors and consumers go bankrupt along the way. To consider taxes that are lost. The knowledge that is wasted. After taking time to make the considerations, please have another look at the possible advantages that can occur for society, individuals, companies and the government, if the vision to focus on Human resources as a CSR mission is successfully implemented. Individual level: • Reducing health risks • Ensuring skills are not lost • Health improvement • More time to invest in children care and nurturing • More time to invest in alternative activities e.g creativity, studying, leisure, volunteer work. • A permanent ‘back up’ person. • earning new ways of working – with a work position partner • Reduced unemployment • Less depressed people from lack of employment • Skills maintenance • Less stressed people from doing the work of 2+ people • Healthier families • 48 hours of work for the price of 40 hours • Less costs from health insurance companies • Increased purchasing power • Reduced social-economic inequalities • Revived economy. Business Level: • Reducing health risks • Ensuring skills are not lost • Healthier employees • Increased work production • Increased profit • Increased revenue • A permanent ‘back up’ person. • Earning new ways of working – with a work position partner • Skills maintenance • Acquisition of new skills • Less stressed people from doing the work of 2+ people • Healthier families • Subsidized taxes • Less costs for health insurance companies • Increased purchasing power • Reduced social-economic inequalities • Reviving the economy. • Sustainable re-investments e.g. cleaner technology. Government Level: • Reducing health risks • Ensuring skills are not lost • Healthier society • Equity in resources distribution within society. • More time to invest in alternative activities e.g creativity, studying, leisure, volunteer work. • Increased work production • Increased revenue • Increased profit • Less unemployed people/more taxes to collect • Less depressed people from lack of employment • Skills maintenance • Less stressed people from doing the work of 2+ people • Healthier families • 48 hours of work for the price of 40 hours • Increased purchasing power • Reduced social-economic inequalities • Reviving the economy. According to IMF reports, Netherlands unemployment rate is now 5.50& compared to ten years ago in 2002 when it was 3.8%. Radical solutions are necessary. Reference: IMF reports July 2012: http://www.statista.com/statistics/17321/unemployment-in-the-netherlands/