Debt relief basically means the cancellation or rescheduling of the debt owed by developing countries to rich nations usually given to kick start their development.
A condition in which your body loses water. Serious dehydration can be fatal (deadly).
A system of government where people regularly elect their leaders and have a say in the way the country is run.
DFID is the part of the UK Government that manages Britain’s aid to poor countries and works to get rid of extreme poverty.
Nations with strong stable economies. Often these countries are in the west or north of the world.
The developing world/developing countries/less developed countries/developing nations are the poorer countries of the world. They include many of the countries of Africa, Latin America and Asia, which have less advanced industries.
A condition in which your faeces are very watery, which can lead to dehydration. Diarrhoea is one of the main causes of children’s death in the developing world.
Someone – a person, a company, an institution – who gives aid; in development terms, this usually refers to government agencies such as DfID or agencies such as the World Bank, but also includes NGOs who fund partner organisations on their projects.
The rapid and extensive spreading of a disease which affects many individuals in an area or a population at the same time
The act of mistreating someone by taking advantage of them, using them selfishly, or benefiting at their expense. Examples included making a child work to pay off their parent’s debts or making them do dangerous or illegal work, including prostitution or involvement in pornography.
An extended family is a family unit which includes grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts and uncles etc. in addition to parents and children.
A formal word for human solid waste.
An alternative approach to conventional international trade. It ensures producers are paid a fair living wage.
When international business is not regulated by government interference or regulation, such as duties, taxes or tariffs.
The G7 is a group of major industrialised democracies, comprising the US, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. The G7 meets periodically to discuss global economic and financial issues.
The G8 is an intergovernmental organisation including eight of the world’s richest nations. G8 stands for the “Group of Eight Nations”. Members include the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia. The G8 meet yearly and set their own agenda. They agree initiatives and follow up on these throughout the year. Key issues relate to trade, relationships with developing countries and economics.
A term used to refer to increasing international “inter-connectedness” within the world today – in other words, people are now much more aware of what is happening on the other side of the world. Mainly it refers to the widespread access to information made possible by new technology (such as the internet), and increased foreign trade and investment.
The gradual rise of average temperatures around the world. Many experts believe that human activity, and in particular the burning of fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas) for energy, is helping to warm the planet. This is because burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and this pollution acts as a kind of blanket or greenhouse, trapping heat. Although there is no doubt that the world is heating up, there is uncertainty about the extent that humans are to blame, because we know from geological evidence that the global climate has gone though periods of great warming and cooling without human intervention. The ice ages are an example of this.
The total amount of all goods and services produced within a country.