The constant marginalisation of some people have impeded the success of MDGs. If this problem is not addressed, the upcoming Sustainable Development Goals will also be negatively affected.

◗ MDGS’ SHORTCOMINGS

In spite of the widely held view that the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) have been significant in stimulating the progress made in sub-Saharan Africa, South East Asia and Latin America, in meeting the targets that were laid down in the year 2000, we note with concern the continuing marginalization of many groups on grounds related to race, colour, descent, language, religion, national or ethnic origin, or other markers of identity. This process of marginalisation damages not only these groups but also the society as a whole, socially, economically and politically. It has thus hindered and impeded the full achievement of the MDGs and we feel that if it is not addressed in the new set of Sustainable Development Goals that are being formulated, it will have similar negative impact on their achievement or implementation.

Moreover, the achievements of the MDGs have not benefited equally all people living in poverty and those experiencing the greatest hardships have been left behind. For instance, in Bangladesh where micro-finance has typically been showcased, nearly 20% of the people targeted did not actually benefit from such development programmes.

The UN Secretary General’s HLP on the Post-2015 Development Agenda in fact observed that the MDGs “did not focus enough on reaching the very poorest and most excluded people. They were silent on the devastating effects of conflict and violence on development.” The HLP report also recognizes that “the MDGs fell short by not integrating the economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainable development…The result was that environment and development were never properly brought together.” People and families in extreme poverty have already experienced the devastating consequences of a polluted environment and lack of clean water and sanitation, as they usually live in places prone to floods, landslides and other natural disasters or work in extremely precarious conditions.

◗ POVERTY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

On 22-27 March 2013, meeting in Quito, Ecuador, the Inter-Parliamentary Union affirmed that “Growth alone is not the answer to the social, economic and environmental challenges of our time….A different approach that focuses on well-being in all its dimensions is required if we are to evolve as a global community able to fulfil core human values of peace, solidarity and harmony with nature….The perennial cycle of increasing consumption and production that is at the heart of the current economic model is no longer sustainable.”

A new model should align development targets with human rights norms and standards. Such a development agenda would design cross-cutting goals, aimed at progressively eliminating disparities within the most marginalized groups and between them and the general population, as well as between countries in order to achieve more inclusive forms of development.

In this regard, the guiding principles on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, adopted by the Human Rights Council on 27 September 2012 are very relevant. They provide global policy guidelines that can help policymakers ensure that public policies, including poverty eradication efforts, reach the poorest members of society, respect and uphold their rights and take into account the significant social, cultural, economic and structural obstacles to human rights enjoyment. They also spell out the main obstacles to the enjoyment of the rights that are the most important to people living in extreme poverty such as physical integrity, access to justice, an adequate standard of living, adequate food and nutrition, water, housing, health, work, education and social security and the specific actions that should be taken to overcome those obstacles.

If I have laid more emphasis on the need for the elimination of extreme poverty – which as per the MDGs was to be halved by 2015 – more than on the other MDGs, it’s because extreme poverty kills every day.

Many of the deaths caused by hunger and malnutrition are not due to food shortage, but are the consequence of poverty and extreme poverty preventing people from accessing supplies.

Extreme poverty is also at the root of many deaths caused by easily preventable illness, unsafe practices and insanitary living conditions.

It is equally linked to deaths caused by criminal violence and overaggressive policing when people are trapped in extremely dangerous sites, unable to relocate to safer areas because of financial constraints. The unnecessary deaths caused by extreme poverty are an unacceptable breach of human rights. The violence of extreme poverty constitutes a massive waste of human resources and potential, causing people to be jettisoned by societies that exploit, stigmatize, discriminate against and ultimately abandon them.

Any future development framework that wishes to be sustainable must, as a matter of priority, address this huge waste of human resources and potential.

◗ SHARED SOCIETIES

Returning to the marginalisation of groups on the basis of identity (religion, race, ethnicity, language), that I referred to at the beginning of this paper, we feel that the issue of inter-group relations, overcoming divisions and hostilities and building positive relations must be raised during the discussion leading to the elaboration of the new set of Sustainable Development Goals. The costs of social divisions and economic and social exclusion are extremely high. This is why, in 2007, the Club de Madrid, of which I am a Board member, came up with the Shared Societies Project to provide current leaders and the wider society with greater understanding of the benefits of social inclusion and ways to bring it about. By including and respecting all communities (religious groups and ethnic groups) a society will emerge and develop that is at peace with itself and in which everyone feels at home and is able to contribute to the good of the whole society. We call it a Shared Society because it is one where everyone has a stake and everyone has responsibilities. But such a society does not come of itself. Political will is required since it has to be built, especially after a conflict or a civil war and thereafter nurtured.

Four key elements are essential for a shared society: mutual respect, equality of opportunity, absence of discrimination and democratic participation. These principles reflect the values which the HLP too has placed at the heart of the process of framing the new Sustainable Development Goals. However, those principles are only aspirations and ideals. They need to be embedded in specific policies and practices and requires a new approach to governance.

There is today greater awareness in that social inclusion is not only intrinsically valuable it has also a positive impact on many other aspects of life. It can help the economy to flourish. If people are marginalised their potential contribution is wasted and they end up as a burden on the State.

Social inclusion can also help to ensure that development is sustainable and does not harm the environment. It does make sense because people closest to the environment have the biggest vested interest in its protection and conservation and it is important to involve them and listen to them. But, this doesn’t mean that they will not over-exploit or pollute the natural resources. Fishermen may overfish. Farmers may deplete the soil and urban dwellers may pollute their environment with waste and rubbish. When this happens it is most of the time because they have no alternative. They have insufficient land to survive, they have no access to proper waste disposal or they do not have the cash or the information which would allow them to introduce better methods. They all have a long term interest in good practices.

◗ THE POST-2015 AGENDA

A big challenge that we all face is how to incorporate our agendas into the Post-2015 Agenda.

We have identified 4 elements that would embed in the new goals the importance of inclusion of all identity groups. They are mutually supportive and will be more effective if they are all included and given due weight in the final set of goals.

1. It is important that the data which is collected in the future is disaggregated in terms of the impact of changes on different sections of society, including the ones I mentioned earlier that are often excluded. Otherwise we will have no way of knowing if new development has reached all sections of society.

2. It would be helpful to include references to inclusion of all identity groups within the statement of the specific targets in many of the Goals.

3. We also believe that if we could propose one specific goal or sub goal it would be to ensure participation by all sections of society and therefore the goal would be the establishment by government of consultative bodies for each identity group on matters that concern them.

4. It is also important to find ways to reduce inter-group tension and hostility and we would also call for the creation of channels of communication between identity groups and also with Government and other sectors of society, to develop mutual understanding, prevent conflicts, and facilitate crisis management when conflict arises

◗ NEED FOR A NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC SYSTEM

Finally, we also need a new global economic system which is more inclusive, accountable, fair and sustainable.

In a finite world, the current economic model based on plundering the planet is no longer sustainable. A different world is required, where each and every person can live in dignity and harmony with others and with the environment. Central to this is eradicating extreme poverty which, as we have seen, is a harsh violence inflicted on those who endure it, an unacceptable waste of human resources and a violation of human rights.

The world we want must be human rights based, meaning that it must promote ALL rights for ALL, since human rights are universal, inalienable and indivisible. It must be concerned about the state of the planet. We should pursue goals that are based on our common humanity and since no developed country have succeeded in addressing climate change or eradicating extreme poverty both developed and developing countries must pool their efforts and knowledge in order to fight poverty and climate change together.

In our constantly changing societies, the eradication of extreme poverty must take place in conjunction with the fight against inequalities and the indispensable transition to a more ecological economy.

 One of the MDGs’ main shortcomings has been their focus on questionable global targets and indicators and the complete absence of implementation guidelines and accountability mechanisms

Building on this experience, the post-2015 Agenda must shift its focus from expected outcomes that seldom occur in time, to implementation processes and accountability mechanisms that are consistent with the goals and rapidly put in place..

◗ CONCLUSION

I would like to end this paper with a quote from Professor Rehman Sobhan, Chairman of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh.

In his conclusion to a paper presented to the SAPRI inaugural conference of New Delhi in 2012 and entitled challenging the Injustice of Poverty: Agendas for Inclusive Development in South Asia, Professor Rehman Sobhan, while advocating a development process which is less dysfunctional, less unfair and more serviceable to the needs of millions of ordinary people goes on to say that:

“ A social order, where millions of people remain condemned to lives of insecurity, poised on the margins of subsistence, where the quality of their education condemns them to a life of toil, where an episode of ill health could drive their entire family into destitution is not sustainable.

An economic order where millions of young women are condemned to earn thirty dollars a month, whilst a handful of people can aspire to first world life styles, because such low wages make their enterprises more export competitive, is not sustainable.

A political order, where those with wealth can use it to capture and perpetuate themselves in power, while those millions who vote them to power have no opportunity to either share this power or to determine how its fruits are consumed is unsustainable.”

More than a paradigm shift, what Professor Sobhan is advocating is a revolution! This probably what the world needs today.