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Reading Essentials and Study Guide

Contemporary Global Issues 1989–Present
Lesson 2 Social Challenges in the Modern World

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What influences global political and economic relationships? How
do social and environmental issues affect countries differently?

Reading HELPDESK
Academic Vocabulary
migration the movement of people from one country, place, or locality to another

Content Vocabulary
pandemic a widespread outbreak of a disease
human rights rights regarded as belonging fundamentally to all persons
nongovernmental organization an organization that has no government ties and works to
address world problems

TAKING NOTES: Organizing

ACTIVITY As you read, use a chart like the one below to identify factors that can cause world hunger.
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World
Hunger

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Reading Essentials and Study Guide

Contemporary Global Issues 1989–Present
Lesson 2 Social Challenges in the Modern World, continued

IT MATTERS BECAUSE
More and more people realize that many of our current problems are global problems. These
problems include world hunger and the sudden spread of diseases. They also include issues such
as human rights and equality for women. Population growth and movements of population are
other issues. At the same time, new transnational social movements have arisen to try and
address the problems.

Global Poverty
Guiding Question What is the social impact of poverty, hunger, and health pandemics in
developing nations?
Developing nations face many serious problems, including extreme poverty. Global poverty has been
decreasing. However, the number of people living below the international poverty line is very large.
Around 900 million people live on less than $1.90 per day. This is mostly in developing nations. Poverty
can cause poor health, illness, and even death. Poverty is a difficult problem that creates many other
challenges for developing nations. Poverty often keeps children from attending school. It can limit
access to clean water and sanitation. It can lead to housing that is not safe. Poverty is one of the
important causes of worldwide hunger.

World Hunger
Many developing countries find it difficult to grow or buy food for more and more people. An
estimated 795 million people around the world suffer from hunger. This is slightly more than 1 in 9

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people. About 13 percent of the population is undernourished in developing regions.
The effects of hunger and malnutrition, or not having enough healthful food, are devastating. Every year,
more than 10 million people die of starvation and hunger-related diseases. More than 3 million children
under age 5 die from poor nutrition each year. The long-term health problems caused by malnutrition are
severe. Undernourished infants and children—those that are given too little food to support health and
growth—often suffer from blindness and intellectual disability. They are also more likely to get diseases.
Poverty and economic factors are by far the major causes of worldwide hunger. The poor do not
have enough money to grow or buy enough food to keep themselves healthy. Food costs a great deal
of money for those living in poverty.
Natural disasters can also bring about hunger. Droughts, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and
tsunamis (huge, destructive ocean waves) cause many to go without food, at least for a short period
of time. Poor farming practices, deforestation (cutting down the trees in a forest and not replacing
them), and overgrazing can also lead to hunger. These actions deplete land, or weaken its ability to
grow plants. As a result, the land can no longer produce as much food.
Food shortages can also result from war. War disrupts normal farming. Also, warring groups often try to
limit their enemies’ access to food. In South Sudan in 2015 around 2.5 million people were facing crisis
levels of hunger when conflict caused them to move around the country. This interrupted the food supply.

Global Health Pandemics

In 2009, the possibility of a global swine flu pandemic, or the widespread outbreak of a disease,
frightened people. People realized just how easily infectious diseases can spread in the modern world
in which international travel is common. Global infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, have raised
concerns in recent decades.
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Lesson 2 Social Challenges in the Modern World, continued

In 2010 nearly 1.8 million people died of AIDS. Another 2.7 million were newly infected with HIV.
Africa has been especially devastated. According to the UN, more than two-thirds of the 34 million
people living with HIV are in Africa south of the Sahara. Many children in Africa have lost one or both
parents to AIDS. Often, other relatives are too poor to care for these children. Many young children
who have lost both parents become responsible for their younger brothers and sisters.
There has been some progress. Global AIDS deaths have declined. Also, the percentage of the
world’s population living with HIV has stabilized. The decline of AIDS deaths is partly because of the
increased availability of antiretroviral therapy (ARV). This therapy has allowed people living with HIV
to live longer, productive lives. Organizations such as UNAIDS continue to work to educate the public,
prevent HIV infection, provide AIDS treatment, and search for a cure for the disease.

Reading Progress Check

Making Connections How are problems of poverty and world hunger related?

Human Rights and Equality for Women

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Guiding Question How have problems involving human rights and gender inequality been
addressed in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries?
The United Nations (UN) supports the basic human rights of all people. On December 10, 1948, the UN
General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was a set of standards for
government. Almost every country in the world has agreed to them. The declaration affirmed everyone’s
right to life, liberty, and security of person, or personal safety. It also declared the right to freedom of
movement and the freedom of opinion and expression.
Since the adoption of the UN declaration, the human rights movement has succeeded in freeing
political prisoners. It has also helped bring about economic and political change around the world.
Even so, human rights are still violated worldwide.

State-Sponsored Violence
Governments themselves often cause violence. Dictators and military governments punish people who
disagree with their views. In Cuba, Chile, Myanmar, Iraq, Iran, and other countries, people have been
persecuted, or treated cruelly, for opposing repressive governments. In other countries, such as Bosnia
and Rwanda, ethnic, religious, and racial hatred has led to mass murder. Hundreds of thousands of
people have been killed as a result.

Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is a human rights violation that has grown in recent decades. It has become a
growing concern of the international community and the UN. Those people who traffic in human

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Reading Essentials and Study Guide

Contemporary Global Issues 1989–Present
Lesson 2 Social Challenges in the Modern World, continued

beings use threats, force, deception, and an abuse of power to control individuals. Millions of people
are trafficked across international borders each year.
Most victims of human trafficking are women. These women are subject to sexual and other forms
of exploitation. This includes being forced into prostitution, forced into marriage, forced to work
without pay, and forced to have their organs harvested.
UN.GIFT, the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking, works to stop the problem.
There are many non-profit organizations globally that are also working to stop human trafficking.
They also work to give care to victims.

Gender Gap
The gap that once separated men and women in social and economic areas of the Western world has
been steadily declining. More and more women are joining the workforce. Now women make up half
the university graduates in Western countries. Many countries have laws that require equal pay for
women and men doing the same work. Some laws prohibit promotions based on gender. However,
women in many Western countries still do not hold many top positions in business or government.
Gender inequality is more noticeable in developing nations. Women in developing nations often are
not able to receive an education. They are often denied the right to own property and to hold decent
jobs. In fact, one the UN Millennium Development Goals is to promote gender equality and give power
to women. Despite these problems, some women have become leaders of their countries. They include
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who became president of Liberia in 2006, and Joyce Hilda Banda, who became
Malawi’s first female vice president in 2009.

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Reading Progress Check
Evaluating What effect has the Universal Declaration of Human Rights had on the movement
for human rights around the world?

Population and Migration Trends

Guiding Question How have population and migration trends affected developed and
developing nations?
The Population Reference Bureau put the 2015 world population at about 7.3 billion. Its projections
estimate that the world population could reach 9.8 billion by 2050. So, it is expected to increase
approximately by one-third over the next forty years.
Almost all population growth is happening in developing nations. Some most populous nations have
taken steps to decrease growth. By 2050, India will have more inhabitants than China. India will likely
remain the most populous country in the world from that time on.
At the same time, many wealthy regions have declining populations. In fact, by 2050, the United
States is expected to be the only wealthy nation with a growing population. The developed nations
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are also “graying,” or growing older. A larger percentage of the population is reaching retirement
age. In more developed regions, over one-fifth of the population is aged 60 or over. By 2050, it is
expected to reach one-third.
The global population is getting older for a number of reasons. Some are increased life
expectancies, lower birthrates, and lower death rates. The number of people the age of 80 and over
and those who live beyond 100 is rising. This trend places increased demands on the economies of
developed nations.
Developing countries face different problems. Between 2010 and 2050, the population in
developing countries is expected to grow from 6.8 billion to 8.1 billion. Also, cities are expected to
continue expanding. Many cities in developing nations lack the infrastructure, such as power and
water supplies, to support larger populations. As a result, concerns about future international health
and environmental problems are rising.
The issue of global migration is connected to population growth. Globally, there are about 232
million international migrants and another 740 million internal migrants. Most migrants move to
urban areas. This means international migration is also closely tied to urbanization.
People migrate for several reasons. Political persecution and brutal civil wars in Asia, Africa, the
Middle East, and Europe have led millions of refugees to seek safety in neighboring countries. Many
people move to new countries for economic reasons. Guest workers from Turkey, North Africa, India,
and Pakistan entered richer European lands. Foreign workers are often unfairly blamed when countries
face economic problems. For example, in the 1990s, French and Norwegian political parties called for
the removal of blacks and Arabs to protect the ethnic purity of their nations.
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Reading Progress Check

Contrasting How do population issues affect developed and developing countries differently?

Transnational Organizations
Guiding Question What role do transnational and non-governmental organizations play in
the international arena?
Global awareness has led to new social movements that focus on problems that nations share. These
problems include the environment, women’s rights, and child labor. Some movements support the use
of technology and the promotion of peace.
Groups such as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement get members from
different countries. Other groups have members in one country. Many individuals act at the grassroots
level. That is, they work in their own communities. A favorite slogan of grassroots groups is “Think
globally, act locally.”
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) also address world problems. NGOs are often represented
at the United Nations. They include professional, business, and cooperative organizations, as well as

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Reading Essentials and Study Guide

Contemporary Global Issues 1989–Present
Lesson 2 Social Challenges in the Modern World, continued

foundations. Religious, peace, and disarmament NGOs work to limit the size of military forces and
weapons. Other NGOs protect the welfare of women and children. Other NGOs work to protect the
environment or to support human rights.
American educator Elise Boulding promoted NGOs. She believed they can educate people to
consider problems globally. She said that NGOs should consider all people from every part of the
world and their needs. The number of international NGOs increased from 176 in 1910 to nearly 37,000
in 2000.

Reading Progress Check

Describing How are grassroots organizations related to NGOs?

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