Political leaders around the world could face growing citizen anger if they cannot re-engage with unhappy populations, a United Nations official said on Monday as heads of state around the world grapple with protests.
Demonstrations in Latin America and elsewhere are connected to impatience with leaders who need to address the inequalities of the 21st century, said Achim Steiner, administrator of the United Nations Development Program, in an interview.
"Those who hold the power … need to recognise that unless they can respond to the particular sense of grief that people feel, their legitimacy will be challenged," Mr Steiner said at the Bogota launch of the UNDP's annual report on human development. "My hope is that these protests are in many respects a wake-up call."
As countries rush to develop, the frustration of those who remain without access to higher education, the digital economy or services like broadband could fuel political tension, Mr Steiner said.
The report shows that while the gap in basic living standards has narrowed, countries with low development are struggling with a new generation of inequalities, with the proportion of adults in very highly developed countries entering tertiary education growing six times faster than in less developed countries.
Broadband subscriptions grew 15 times faster in highly developed countries than in less developed ones, the report said. Climate change will also contribute to inequality, as those with fewer resources struggle to protect themselves from extreme weather and natural disasters.
"It is no coincidence that this is not a phenomenon of Colombia or of Latin America; it is happening worldwide," Mr Steiner said. "The political polarisation and sometimes the explosion of protests is happening across the world."
Recent protests in the region have also rocked countries including Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia. Elsewhere, there have been mass demonstrations in Lebanon and Hong Kong.
In Colombia, protesters have organised a series of national strikes since late November. Led by trade unions and student organisations, protesters have laid out 13 demands to President Ivan Duque's government, including that it scrap plans to cut taxes on businesses.
"[Protests] are not born out of the moment but are more breaking out into the streets based on long-term developments and trends," Mr Steiner said. Though protests have been triggered by different issues in each country, he said they reflect a "underlying sense of concern, of frustration … a sense of a lack of fairness."
RESULT
Wolves 1 (Traore 67')
Tottenham 2 (Moura 8', Vertonghen 90 1')
Man of the Match: Adama Traore (Wolves)
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
England v South Africa Test series:
First Test: at Lord's, England won by 211 runs
Second Test: at Trent Bridge, South Africa won by 340 runs
Third Test: at The Oval, July 27-31
Fourth Test: at Old Trafford, August 4-8
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
Scoreline:
Everton 4
Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', Digne 56', Walcott 64'
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)
