[IIED press release] New ‘sustainable
development goals’ for all nations to adopt in 2015 could deepen
problems in the least developed countries (LDCs) if they fail to take
account of these nations’ priorities and the international
nature of challenges they face.
So say the
organisers of a high-level meeting next week that will enable frank and
open dialogue between, on one hand, those in the political process of
setting the goals and, on the other, those in LDCs who
will need to implement the goals if they are to have any impact.
The meeting, on 29-31 January at Wilton Park
has been organised by IIED and the UN Office of the
High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked
Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS).
It will bring
together politicians, diplomats, civil servants and representatives of
UN agencies, research institutions and nongovernmental organisations to
explore how the needs of the LDCs can be put at
the heart of the post-2015 development agenda. The delegates will
include members of the LDC Independent Expert Group, which has
published a new position paper to coincide with the meeting.
The UN aims to
enable agreement on a single set of universal goals. It is inevitable
that tensions will arise at the negotiating table, but until now the
post-2015 conversation has been dominated by the UN
development agencies and New York-based diplomats tasked with drawing
up the goals.
“There is a danger
of these agencies steamrolling ahead with their own agendas, while
drowning out the voices of countries that will be most heavily impacted
by the new goals,” says Tom Bigg, head of partnerships
at IIED. “The process has assumed – wrongly – that all nations share
the same set of values and it has failed to demonstrate what’s in it for
the LDCs.”
The views of the
LDCs should be central to the debate. As deprived nations that are
vulnerable to environmental threats, they are among the biggest
stakeholders in the process, with the most to lose. Yet,
as a paper IIED published this week shows, there is little evidence of strong LDC perspectives in the process so far.
The meeting at
Wilton Park comes at a crucial time as the post-2015 process will soon
move from general discussion to formal negotiations. It will give LDC
representatives an open floor to challenge assumptions
and push their case for a set of development goals that will tackle the
real issues that hinder their development
These include
unsustainable consumption in industrialised countries, exposure to
climate change threats created beyond their borders, and access to food,
water and sanitation — all of which directly impact
the lives of their citizens.
“Having witnessed
the positives and negatives of the Millennium Development Goals, the
LDCs have first-hand understanding of what is needed in a post-2015
world,” says Tom Bigg. “They are in a strong position
to take a lead in the debate, but until now their views have been too
marginal to challenge the UN thinking that has settled into a
comfortable groove focused around aid, technology transfer and capacity
building. There is a danger that these elements will
occupy centre stage and dominate the negotiations to the exclusion of
newer, equally important issues.”
“The LDCs need to
capitalise on this precious opportunity for off-the-record, frank
conversations,” says Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre
for Climate Change and Development, in Bangladesh.
“This is a chance to lay bare to key influencers the real issues that
will impact their development, and to probe and challenge those agencies
who are dominating the conversation.”
“It is in the
interests of the LDCs to have an integrated set of goals that make
demands of the richer nations to address ways their consumption patterns
and use of natural resources affect poverty and people’s
vulnerability to a changing climate,” says Huq. “It is vital that they
use this meeting to push their biggest priorities with strength,
conviction and leadership to steer the agenda in their direction.”
Download the conference papers
Read more about IIED’s
work on the post-2015 ‘sustainable development goals’
Contacts for interviews:
Tom Bigg (tom.bigg@iied.org)
Saleemul Huq (Saleemul.huq@iied.org)
ENDS
Mike Shanahan, PhD
Press officer
International Institute for Environment and Development
80-86 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8NH, UK. Tel: +44 (0)20 3463 7399; Fax: +44 (0)20 3514 9055
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