NATIONAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
WORKING GROUP IAESCSI-ILO-UN
How to achieve a transmutation of the MDGs into
SDGs that could live up with the expectations of all
the countries ?
ALGERIA, JANUARY 2015-02-11
Table of contents
Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………….
Short reminder of the process and assessment of the MDGs ………..
Primary elements of a new agenda of developmental outlook to
2030…….
Key elements to operate the transmutation of MDGs into SDGs………….
1
Introduction
The year 2015 is on the verge of operating a number of ruptures
in the economic and social fields, both regionally and
internationally. On the economic plan, it shall experience the
start of a new step of the world crisis from 2008, with a light but
difficult recovery of the developed countries’ economies1, after a
long recession that lasted for about seven years and the negative
externalities that it produced2. The latter was followed by an
increased energy crisis in the second semester of 2014, with a
negative impact on the rest of the world, mainly developing
countries, inducing the risk of contaminating the great economic
powers for producing in fine a completely uncertain situation. (Cf.
perspectives de l’économie mondiale, of 10 December, 2014).
On the level of human development, this year shall be referential
for many years about global mobilization to fight poverty and
hunger within the framework of the MDGs’ universal plateform.
Those years during which the world countries, namely the
economically weakest ones, went into battle against this scourge,
having sometimes access to extremely limited resources.
This year will also be a transition point to a new vision of
development, a year that will meet more the demand of
sustainability of both achievements and actions. This refers to an
attempt of shifting the MDGs’ agenda into the SDGs corpus. The
strong signal wanted to be sent through this “fusion” consists of
the overwhelming necessity, for all countries in the world, to
adopt a same matrix for assessing development and submit it to
the principle of long term sustainability of the socio-economic
and environmental assets and achievements.
Besides, given the extreme ambition of the new agenda, we
cannot help having some apprehension about the possibility of
providing effective and sustained mobilization of all actors and
1
Wth a sharp demarcation of the US economy, in comparison to Europe.
2
Decrease in the purchasing power, therefore in the domestic consumption, with a decrease in
employment and the downward review of incomes, etc.
2
involved parties, considering the world economic situation that is
posing challenges to all countries, but also in regard to the
“inherited” pitfalls of the current development agenda3. Because,
if the MDGs’ agenda has been more specifically designed for poor
countries4, the new one concerns all world’s countries, including
the induced questions related to the universality of the fixed
objectives and the shared responsibilities of the countries.
This contribution suggests developing a reflection around this
question which is at present in debate at the level of UN bodies,
associating
States,
resource
persons
and
specialized
organizations. It is based on opinions expressed in various
released documents, and enriched by the vision of the Algerian
Economic and Social Council of which theme has been, for more
than a decade, the leitmotiv of its more remarked works.
It attempts to reconsider the minimal prerequisites able to
ensure such a transmutation of the MDGs into SDGs, without
increasing the so-called “outcast” regions, or worsen the
fractures that are prevailing throughout the world.
A brief reminder of the process and assessment of the
MDGs
To promote an integrated approach of development and break
away from the hegemony of the GDP per capita, especially under
cover of the Amartya Sen theory of “capabilities”, quantifiable
objectives of development were adopted in September 2000
Summit on the Millenium of the United Nations. The eight
objectives that were supposed to be reached no later than 2015
consisted in: (I) Eliminating extreme poverty and hunger; (ii)
Providing primary education for all; (iii) Promote equality of
genders and women’s autonomy; (iv) Reduce infant mortality;
(v) Improve maternal health; (vi) Provide a sustainable
environment; (vii) Set up a global partnership for development.
MDGs have then constituted a priority for development policies in
all countries of the world, and soon, this framework revealed to
3
This point will be dealt with further.
4
Except for the MDG 8
3
be a strong catalyst for development; public aid was also
identified as an essential lever.
Besides, the assessment of initiating the transmutation of the
MDGs into SDGs, has induced mixed results for many observers,
as all the objectives have not been reached, and those which
have been achieved are still marked by some regional and subnational disparities55.
Some statistical references, released in the last UNDP report, are
very illustrative of this fact:
The first objective of the MDGs, which consists in reducing by
half the extreme poverty in the world during the period between
1990 and 2015 has actually been reached (36% in 1990 against
18% in 2010). Nevertheless, the situation in Africa is still
worrying, particularly in the Sub-Saharan region where the
proportion of individual living under the poverty line has just
shifted from 56% to 48%. Despite the progress achieved in the
world, there still remain about 842 million persons, i.e. one
person out eight, who are suffering from chronic hunger. Most of
these persons (827 millions) live in developing regions.
Moreover, as regards employment considered as an efficient
means of struggling against poverty and creating wealth, many
forms of precarity continue to dominate the market activities, as
60% of women and 54% of men declared in 2013 to have a
precarious employment (10% in developed countries). The
biggest disparities between genders are located in North Africa,
Sub-Saharan Africa, West Asia and in Oceania.
Concerning the objective related to education, the battle for
providing to all children the opportunity to complete their primary
education has not been won yet, as in 2012 the gross enrolment
ratio reached only 78% in Sub-Saharan Afrfica (52% in 1990),
while this rate increased from 80% to 90% in the developing
world. In this regard, the report of 2014 highlights three obvious
facts:
5
This should not, any way, reduce the merit of this agenda for having helped States to organize
their national programmes of development
4
-
The half of 58 million children not attending primary
school live in zones affected by conflicts;
More than one child out of four attending primary
school in developing regions will probably leave school;
781 million adult persons and 126 million young
persons in the world are illiterate; more than 60%
among them are women.
Infant mortality, which is the fourth objective of the MDGs,
even though it has been reduced to 6 million deaths in the period
between 1990 and 2012, remains one of the major challenges
that have not been met yet. Indeed, if the infant mortality rate
has reached significant levels in developed countries (6 for every
1000 in 2012 Vs 15 for 1000 in 1990), in the developing ones,
the average rate is 55 for 1000 (99 for 1000 in 1990). Among
these, only North African and East Asian coutries have been able
to achieve this objective. While maternal deaths have also
significantly decreased, passing from 380 to 210 for 100.000 live
births in the world between 1990 and 2013, there is no region
that is likely able to achieve the objective of reducing it by
three/quarters between 1990 and 2015, except, may be, for East
Asia. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the rates are in a much larger range
(990 deaths for 1000 in 1990 to 510 in 2013).
As concerns the HIV/AIDS infection, of which objective was
to reverse the trend of propagation, the incidence rate in 2012
was very high in southern Africa (1,02 for 100 persons aged from
15 to 49 years), by comparison with Latin America (0,03 for 100)
and North Africa and East Asia (0,01 for 100).
Concerning the preservation of environmental assets,
damage is still continuing: about 13 million hectares of forests
have disappeared in the world, under the combined effect of
natural catastrophies, urbanization and a large scale expansion of
agriculture. World CO2 emissions reached 32,2 billion metric tons
in 2011, i.e. an increase of 48,9% compared with their level in
1990, with a quicker rhythm after 2000 (35% from 2000 to 2011
Vs 10% from 1990 to 2000).
5
In the same time, the world consumption of ozone depleting
substances decreased more than 98% between 1986 and 2013.
Nevertheless, the average emissions per capita in developed
regions remained significantly higher than those in developing
regions (11 metric tonnes of CO2 in developing regions). This
poses the sensitive problem of equitable sharing of
responsibilities.
Basically, we can say that the world would have, in 2000,
accessed to the MDG monitoring framework in a disorganized
way in terms of base-line situation, and is about to engage a
Starting Block for post-2015 in a similar unequal situation6. The
research works, undertaken by the United Nations, independent
researchers and specialized research centres have revealed the
causes that produced those situations. It can be noticed that
most MDGs have been based on merely social7 results, and could
not thus give enough interest to the factors likely to produce the
expected welfare throughout the world8.
Besides, the indicators related to this framework and assessed on
the basis of national averages can surely justify the
governments’ records, but fail in hiding inequalities between
regions and population categories. In a word, the difficulties to
translate global objectives into specific national ones, and
therefore into action programmes, have generated a greater
influence by the donors on national policies.
Thus, we have today two concomitant situations: the first one
promises renewal, and the second acts as a brake. In other
words, persisting poverty with all its forms and increaing
inequalities between and within countries are a handicap to any
initiative of going ahead, while the emergence of new contexts
6
It is true that substantial gains have made everywher throughout the world, but failed in
reducing prevalent inequalities
7
Like the eradicating of poverty and hunger, healthcare, education, gender equity.
8
Such as decent work, economic growth, equity, social protection, governance, demographic
trends and environment
6
encouraging the convergence toward a sustainable development
gives the hope of a more equitable world framework9.
In terms of security and stability, which are a main element in
any development process, the world is experiencing during these
last years a disturbing increase of violence, sometimes presented
under the banner of democratic revolutions, claims for the right
of freedom, and other times on the basis of economic crises
working for the reconfiguration of the geopolitical world map. The
same is true for situations of violations of human rights , namely
in terms of freedoms, in many places of the world, while the
latter is willing to reach a qualitative higher degree for assessing
its own development.
Premises of a new development agenda to 2030
During the two last years, two parallel conceptual processes have
emerged within the context of global discussions about the new
post-2015 development framework. The first one consists of a
work plan implemented by the United Nations in order to achieve
a new post-2015 framework for the MDGs, including the post2015 Special Team of the United Nations System and the Highlevel Panel of Eminent Personalities. The second one is related to
the Rio+20 conclusions, and more particularly the working group
of the United Nations General Assembly on the Sustainable
Development Goals. The AICESIS contribution to this initiative
was a remarkable one, especially through the report prepared by
the working group with the title: “Further steps to achieve
sustainable development through green economy”.
In its conclusions, the working group has identified the main
objectives consisting in the “eradication of poverty, the modifying
of non-sustainable patterns of consumption and production
followed by the promotion of sustainable patterns and the
protection and management of natural resources basic to the
social economic development”. It also enhances the necessity to
“[…] take into account the intergenerational equity in terms of
9
Just like the significant change of the political aneconomic context with the emergence of
economic performances coming from the so-called South countries.
7
access to resources so that today’s decisions will not harm the
future generations”. The High-level Panel of Eminent
Personalities insisted in its report on the fact that the post-2015
development agenda should be “focused both on populations and
the state of the planet”.
Hence, even though they are separate, these two processes have
recognized the intrinsic link of interdependence between poverty
and sustainable development, advocating thus for the fusion of
both processes and the creation of a single development agenda.
A first list of the objectives assigned to the new development
agenda has been established. This list highlights a profusion of
objectives in comparison with the current MDG framework (from
8 objectives to 17):
1. Put an end to poverty in all its forms and everywhere.
2. Put an end to hunger, ensure food security and adequate
nutrition for all, and promote sustainable agriculture;
3. Reach a healthy living for all people of all ages;
4. Provide equitable and inclusive quality teaching and
opportunities for lifelong learning.
5. Achieve gender equality, women’s and girls’ empowerment
everywhere;
6. Provide water and sanitation for all, for a sustainable world;
7. Ensure access to energy services for all, that are modern,
affordable, sustainable and reliable;
8. Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth and
decent work for all;
9. Promote sustainable industrialization;
10. Reduce inequalities between and within the countries;
11. Build cities and human settlements that are inclusive, safe
and sustainable;
12. Promote sustainable patterns of consumption and
production;
13. Promote actions at all levels to fight climate change;
14. Manage to achieve a conservation and a sustainable use of
the marine resources, seas and oceans;
15. Protect and restore the terrestrial ecosystems and put an
end to the biodiversity loss;
16. Manage to set up efficient societies, legal systems,
institutions, in peace and inclusive;
8
17. Foster and improve the means of implementation and world
partnership for a sustainable development.
Key elements to achieve the transmutation of MDGs into
SDGs
In reference to the context briefly described above, it seems
particularly sensitive to open up new horizons for the world
development while we have inherited a situation full of
cumbersome issues whicn have not been resolved yet.
Otherwise, how can we succeed in achieving the expected
transformations in the patterns of “consumption, production,
protection and management of the natural resources that underly
the economic and social development” if we start up with the
same actors and operate, in the same ways of intervention?
Consequently, it becomes obvious that the MDG agenda needs a
thourough review on the paradigmatic plan so that we can take
into account the new contexts and be able to meet the new
demands conveyed, especially, by the new technologies of
information and communication. However, for all the reasons
above mentionned, without a complete revision of the way in
which
the
international
community’s
commitments
are
implemented, particularly toward the territories with numerous
risks and vulnerabilities, it will be difficult, even impossible, to
project a new vision of development that is supposed to be fair,
and supported by more demanding criteria. This would probably
widen more the gap between the different regions of the world.
On this matter, issues related to governance and finance are
essential; they are at the core of any strategy of development.
These issues have become significant for both developed and
developing countries. Concerning the financial aspect, as an
example, the public aid for development which reached 134,8
billion dollars in 2013, is less and less aimed at the poorest
countries (LDCs) which receive only the third of it. In terms of
consistency, the net bilateral aid for Affrica where are located 34
from the 48 LDCs, decreased to 56% in 2013 ! The same report
predicts for the next few years the possibility of an additional
“[…] 5% continued decline in the country programmable aid
(CPA) for LDCs and low income countries, namely in Africa”.
9
This shift of interest for the benefit of the middle income
countries at the expense of the least developed ones could be
explained by the translation caused by the extreme poverty to be
substantially concentrated in those coutries. New forms of aid
could be granted in the medium term; they would be based on
“ low interest loans ”.
Beyond the symbolic nature of global solidarity contained in the
principle of the international mutual aid, such as it is explicitly
conceived as regards Goal 8 of the MDGs, and renewed as such
in goal 17 of the new project, this principle carries a compelling
meaning that is justified by the fact that the economic, food or
climate crises when they happen, question the improvement of
populations’ welfare and affect in a structural way the sustainable
development of all coutries. The proof of this is the difficulty that
faced the progress achieved in the world by the world economic
crisis in 2008, and the precarious situations worsened by the
demographic growth, increase of inequalities, reduction of
natural resources and climate change.
Moreover, despite all the controversy on the nature of the links
that could exist between a sustainable economic growth and the
reduction of inequities, the latter should be detected by the radar
that the new agenda is planning to set up in order to account for
progress achieved by societies, because it is the guarantor of
stability and balance in societies. Taking into account the concept
of equity needs inevitably the coordination of actors and a fair
distribution of charges and responsibilities at the core of
development strategies.
This new agenda would be more relevante in a context of
resource scarcity if the principles of solidarity, knowledge
sharing, structural transformation of international trade so as to
hand over market shares to weaker economies, and finally
support to the diversification of the weaker economies and the
so-called extractive economies, were massively supported by the
international community.
10
In this spirit, some lines of thought can be more deeply explored
with the aim to set up the basic core that could provide the whole
planet with a serene way to SDGs:
a) Support the main levers able to reduce the gaps existing
between the major world regions, namely:
 integrating the cultural dimension in the projects
of development; this could play a leading role in
mobilizing the different actors;
 developing national statistical tools and sytems
necessary to monitor efficiently the progress and
assess its impacts, and;
 speeding up the digital connexion throughout the
world, particularly in Africa10.
b) Place peace, security and integrity of sovereign
territories above any interest or consideration of
development;
c) Reinforce the public aid for development by giving
priority to projects based on equity and local initiative
capacities, including public and private actors and civil
society;
d) Reconcile economic growth and equity of access to
development:
 Support for the creation of spaces for monitoring
and orienting public policies;
 Support for acquiring tools helping to produce
evidence concerning public policies’ impacts;
 Strengthening human capacities in the fields related to
inclusive development;
e) Support the combination of efforts made by national and
local-regional actors likely to serve stakes of equitable
sustainable development:
 Support the strengthening of the participative
democracy and the role of women and youth in
development;
10
Many studies made a positive link between access to digital opportunities and development,
among these is the World Bank report which shows that the 10% increase in the rate of high
speed internet would increase by 1.4 the GNP of low income countries.
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 Instil further the values/principles of dialogue and
exchange with the dynamic forces of the society.
Raised within this approach, the problem has no relation with the
relevance of the decision consisting of reviewing the global
framework of development after 2015; in contrast, it requires
adequate tools, mechanisms and processes that would allow the
achievement of this transmutation in an optimal way, taking into
account the contexts and difficulties inherent to the current MDG
agenda.
Such is in essence the problem raised today to States and
institutions representative of development issues. These are
introductory elements, supported by opinions contained in the
various consulted references, that should quite logically form the
basis designed to contribute to the conception of the next
framework of development.
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