STWR - Share The World's Resources

Rajesh Makwana is the Executive Director of Share The World's Resources. All his articles and reports are listed below and he can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

An investigation into the common denominators behind the escalating environmental, financial and political crises, and an examination of how greater economic sharing can lead to a more sustainable world. 

Despite international commitment to the Millennium Development Goals, a recent UN report revealed that poverty will not be halved in any sub-Saharan country by 2015, indicating yet another failure of the system of aid and stregthening the call for a more robust international strategy to secure economic justice for developing countries.

A comprehensive proposal for how a system of economic sharing could function within a reformed world economy and the effect it would have on corporate trade, international finance and aid mechanisms.

Economic Sharing can mitigate the unsustainable aspects of the global economy, allowing essential resources to be distributed cooperatively under the democratic guidance of the global public and entirely for their benefit, thereby promoting peaceful international relations and rapidly relieving poverty.

A critical analysis of 'neoliberalism' - which is the ideology of economic growth, privatization and free-market liberalisation behind the phenomenon of globalization.

Together, the IMF, World Bank and WTO form the backbone of the modern world economy. However, these institutions are not democratic or representative of the global community, particularly the majority world which still lives in poverty. As a result, international trade, finance and development policies are skewed to benefit the economically dominant countries that represent a small minority of the global population.

Many Developing countries are left with little choice other than to compete for trade in international markets, leaving them trapped between a rock and a hard place.

"In order to tackle climate change it is necessary for policy makers to re-examine key aspects of the global economy such as the pursuit of economic growth at all cost; unhealthy export-orientated agricultural practices; biased trade and finance structures; unsustainable over-consumption; and the excessive influence of multinational corporations on the economic and social life of the global public" - Rajesh Makwana.

A detailed report examining the history, structure and motives of multinational corporations and their excessive influence over both governments and the general public. The report proposes a framework in which commercial activity can be significantly reduced so that corporations can primarily serve the global public good.

STWR joined over 100,000 members of the public filled the streets of central London on Saturday 5^th August, demanding an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, Palestine and Israel.

This report analyses the negative impacts of the IMF, World Bank and WTO on sustainable development and suggests an alternative mechanism for regulating the international economy which can allow these institutions to be progressively decommissioned. 

An overview of the issues surrounding the global commons, in relation to globalization, economic justice and the need to create a more sustainable world.

This short report presents a survey and analysis of inequality around the world, it's possible causes and consequences.

Share The World's Resources would like to express its absolute support for the Commission for Africa (CfA) report and its recommendations. The question that we address here is whether the UK government is in a position to implement the report's recommendations, many of which will entail a u-turn in current UK policies.

The new study, published in Nature by a team from the University of Oxford¹ is considered to provide the most comprehensive and realistic estimates on malaria to date. Researchers now estimate that there may have been up to 660 million clinical cases in 2002 alone (over 1 million new cases each day), doubling existing WHO estimates for Africa and more than tripling estimates for countries outside of Africa.

These are the words of India's Finance Minister, Palaniappan Chidambaram, as he unveiled this year's budget. In his previous budget, Mr Chidambaram pledged billions of dollars for the poor and to assist farmers. This year his budget continues to take an 'anti-poverty' approach as he provides a further boost to spending on primary education and heath care services.

Despite outright rejection by the Bush administration, the Kyoto treaty came into force this week. Altogether 128 member states have ratified the protocol to reduce greenhouse emissions over the next 7 years to levels below those of 1990.

STWR would like to express our deepest sympathies for all those affected by the Asian Tsunamis. We urge all individuals and governments to give generously to the relief operation and to maintain their levels of commitment to aid over the crucial months and years ahead.

This was the underlying message of a comprehensive speech delivered at the national seminar on "Alternative Strategies for Development" held in Bhopal, India last month, by one of STWR's contributing writers, Devinder Sharma.

There have been, and continue to be, many valuable analyses, reports and programs by the UN and other agencies, alongside calls for more aid, trade reform and debt cancellation by numerous NGOs. For the time being, the Commission for Africa's report seems to have outweighed them all.

A new UN report, entitled AIDS in Africa, was compiled over two years using more than 150 experts. It warns that 10% of Africans (an additional 90 million people) could be infected with HIV within the next 2 decades.