4747-Crisis in Development MDGs in Conflict and Disaster Settings - Individual Responses

8/12/2019 4747-Crisis in Development MDGs in Conflict and Disaster Settings - Individual Responses

1/44

Individual Responses:

e-discussion Crisis in Development? MDGs and CPR

Individual ResponseseDiscussion: Crisis in Development? MDGs in Conflict and DisasterSettingsJuly-August !!"Cross-posted #it$ MDG %et and C&R& %et

%ic' (artmann) *%D& Solomon Islands #rote:

Dear Colleagues,

We here in the Solomon Islands have been in the unique position of making some headway onthe MDGs in a post!onfli!t environment"

#he Solomons is !hara!terised by a fairly rapid movement to post!onfli!t development planningless than one year after the arrival of a multinational pea!ekeeping for!e led by $ustralia, alsoknown as %$MSI &%egional $ssistan!e Mission to the Solomon Islands'" %$MSI providedimmediate law ( order to a !ountry that had !ollapsed under the weight of armed violen!ebetween militia groups due to migrationindu!ed land and employment !onfli!ts, mismanagementand e)tortion national finan!es and natural resour!es, rampant !ronyism, and formal and

!ustomary inertia on !oming to any !entral or lo!al solutions"

In light of the signifi!ant law ( order, pea!e ( se!urity work that needs to take pla!e in theimmediate aftermath of signing a pea!e agreement, the MDGs may seem to be a rather esoteri!flag to wave" $fter all, few people are immediately in!lined to listen to the ar!hite!t and his longterm ideas when you have *ust put out the fire in the house and are busy !leaning out theashes" In the past, when our !lients then eventually were willing and ready to listen to thear!hite!t, +D- was too busy getting its boots ba!k on to be effe!tive"

In the Solomons, however, we managed to get into the game early by establishing an offi!eimmediately after the signing of the -ea!e $greement, and though there were signifi!ant se!urityproblems and bursts of armed violen!e still taking pla!e intermittently, we were able to beginsupporting the longterm re!overy and development pro!ess immediately after initiating the

demobilisation of violent groups and reintegration ofdispla!ed populations"

It is this early and still maturing transition period whi!h, if +D- is effe!tively present, !an makefor a very fertile ground for sowing the MDGs in the new national planning and poli!ies, and leadsto future pro*e!t and programme ob*e!tives by other partners to be defined within the s!ope andspirit of the MDGs"

#wo years after the establishment of the offi!e and the immediate post!onfli!t work, +D- wasthus able to take the lead on the !onsultation for, and formulation of, the ational .!onomi!%e!overy, %eform, and Development -rogramme &.%%D-' /001/002 whi!h be!ame the defa!to national guide on government strategies, priorities and a!tion, making referen!e tothe MDGs, and thereby sets poverty, health, edu!ation, environmental sustainability and women3sempowerment into the /045 timeframe"

#he fa!t that the MDGs were in!luded in this mediumterm development -lan in turn meant thatthe eventual ational .du!ation %eform -rogramme funded by the .+ and ew 6ealand,subs!ribing to the .%%D-, also makes !lear referen!e to the MDGs and the need to a!hieveuniversal primary edu!ation by /045" here are numerous e)amples, and we are !on!entratingon having the MDGs !as!ade down from the national planning to se!tor planning to thepro*e!ts themselves'

7ut herein lies a few issues, whi!h I will address through the questions you posed8

1


2/44



4" 9In your !ountry, how does progress, or la!k of progress, towards MDG se!tors and targetsaffe!t !risis and !onfli!t: In other words does poverty and la!k of progress on MDGs ignite and;orsustain !risis and !onfli!t:< #he MDGs in the Solomons are useful as a prioritysetting toolas they present a !lear international !onsensus on what needs to be a!hieved by /045" =owever,as you say, it is rather spe!ulative to say that the la!k of universal primary edu!ation 9ignites9!onfli!ts" #hese are not helpful !laims when in a post!onfli!t !onte)t almost all partners areinvolved in very diffi!ult, emotional and yet very spe!ifi! dis!ussions about infrastru!turerehabilitation for s!hools, pro!urement of new s!hoolbooks, restoring publi! finan!es in order topay the re!urrent !osts of tea!hers, et!" >ew will dispute that edu!ation &and the possibly ensuinggreater toleran!e and understanding' is desirable to prevent !onfli!t, but it provides little value tourgent dis!ussions with government, !ivil so!iety and donors when we have all agreed that thes!hools and students need attention" >or !onfli!taffe!ted families, pra!ti!al progress lies in beingable to send their !hildren ba!k to s!hool as soon as possible" #hese small steps are ne!essary,but far from suffi!ient, steps towards progress on MDG /, and saying that this is 9progresstowards MDG / and thus is in its nature preventing of !onfli!t9 may sound logi!al to + ears, butmost partners here will give you a blank look" In !risis settings, the feeling is that any form ofprogress is imperative, whether the /045 goal is a!hieved or not" #he /045 goal only be!omes apra!ti!al priority for poli!y makers and donors on!e there is a national !apa!ity make longer term

plans and !ommitments whi!h are affordable and !redible, whi!h in the Solomons took twoyears after the signing of the -ea!e $greement"

/" 9Does, and is, progress toward the MDGs seen as likely to !ontribute to resolution of!onfli!t;!risis and re!overy:< #his is a good question, and the answer in the Solomons is areserved yes" ?es, be!ause lo!al sentiment, and the way post!onfli!t programmes aredeveloped here, indi!ate that better s!hools, fairer regional trade regulations, more women inleadership positions &of 50 -arliamentarians, there is not a single woman' and ultimately lesspoverty will result in a lower propensity for !onfli!t as people develop their human and physi!alassets and wish to maintain growth and stability" o, be!ause people often measure theirsu!!ess against simple, shortterm, and tangible things in life, like in!ome earned, a !hildgraduated, a woman ele!ted" #hese all are progress towards the MDGs, but the MDGs as a

monitoring tool for progress against !onfli!t propensity would result in some interesting statisti!alwork to *ustify, and is probably largely a!ademi! and would have to make a number ofassumptions regarding the type and level of edu!ation, et!" he papers by -aul Collier of theWorld 7ank display some interesting statisti!al work on the propensity for !onfli!t whi!hpoli!ymakers often like to quote, so maybe why not engage in su!h analysis:' In brief, the beliefis there on progress towards the MDGs and !onfli!t, in the Solomons, but I would hesitate to tryto *ustify it empiri!ally"

1" Do national and international partners in your environment per!eive the MDGs as a relevantinstrument for !onfli!t resolution or re!overy: $re the MDGs pertinent to the work of +D- andpartners in these settings: #he -a!ifi! Island >orum leaders at their /001 $u!kland meetingre!ogni@ed the broad relevan!e of the MDGs to the -a!ifi!" #hus, there is !onsensus thatthe MDGs are an effe!tive rallying !ry for priority setting on health, edu!ation, et!" =owever, the

MDGs are largely indifferent to a !ountry3s development !ir!umstan!esA a universal primaryedu!ation goal for /045 is a universal primary edu!ation goal for /045 whether you are a nationmired in war, or a middlein!ome !ountry with a 2B growth rate" #hus the >orum asked that theybe made more relevant to the individual !ountries, and to do this one finds oneself rapidly movingtowards se!toral definitions and priority setting" #his has made some donors skepti!al of theMDGs, as while they may agree that they are useful in prioritysetting, they are loath to see anyre!ipient !ountry of theirs make a greater demand for donor resour!es be!ause of !ommitmentsto unaffordable and ambitious goals like the MDGs" I thus feel that one3s enthusiasm for theMDGs, in post!onfli!t or !onfli!t !onte)ts may be tempered by whether one is a donor or are!ipient !ountry" #he MDGs are very pertinent to the work of the +D- in the Solomons, but

2


3/44



given the !risis !onte)t one needs to know when to use the megaphone for them, when to do sosubtly, and equally when not to at all" &I should think that any offi!e that tells you that the MDGsare wholly unrelated to their !risis work should probably e)pe!t a letter from Mark:'

" What is the link between MDGs and human se!urity as outlined in the MillenniumDe!laration: 8 #here is no doubt about the potentially devastating impa!t of !onfli!t, !risis ornatural disasters on development gains, yet there are no MDGs that relate spe!ifi!ally to !onfli!t"+D-s work in supporting the MDGs should thus be grounded in se!tion II of the MillenniumDe!laration, E-ea!e, se!urity and disarmament


4/44



#his is largely be!ause of a la!k of data, espe!ially disaggregated data that are dire!tly relevantto prevention of potential !onfli!ts and addressing !onsequen!es of !onfli!ts"

#ake health, for instan!e, 7i= relatively en*oys availability of information on quite te!hni!almedi!al !ases on different diseases" Data on the number of hospital beds and physi!ians per4,000 populations are also availableA hen!e these have be!ome indi!ators under whi!h ea!htarget has been set by /00, /040 and /045" Granted, these are important indi!ators for humandevelopment to monitor what kind of diseases are affe!ting peoples lives" $t the same time,however, it &and often average figures' may mask health issues that were determined ornegle!ted by politi!al fa!tors" #hese in!lude road !onditions and distan!e to health !are servi!esas well as disparity of quality of medi!al fa!ilities between different ethni!;national !ommunities"Na!k of study on nephropathy to date may be a refe!tion of years of politi!al negle!t for minoritiesin the !rossborder -osavina region"

It seems that rightsbased indi!ators &a full spe!trum of them, in!luding so!ioe!onomi! rights'!ould be more relevant to !onfli!t prevention and re!overy" =uman rights are basi! rights, su!has a!!ess to the primary health !are and a!!ess to safe water &the nephropathy !ase aboverelates to water'" $nd the la!k of them is a !onsequen!e of !onfli!ts and;or may lead to !onfli!ts"MDGs are more oriented to human development, a step forward" Some MDGs are inherentlyhuman rights indi!ators, of !ourse" If we look at the nationally tailored indi!ators, perhaps less in

some !ases" 7ut it is still possible and rational to in!lude more rightsbased indi!ators intonationally tailored MDGs" 7y doing so, it will be more C-% relevant and will make more advo!a!yleverage where a Country is a State -arty of I=%C"

uestion 8 What is the link between MDGs and human se!urity as outlined in the MillenniumDe!laration:

Multise!toral MDGs are relevant to human se!urityE human se!urity in a boarder sense as theGovernment of Oapan &GoO' defines, in!luding poverty and human rights"

=owever, I would also highlight a politi!al aspe!t of MDG and =uman Se!urity link"

=ow mu!h have been spent on Iraq: #he +nited State alone, it will rea!h +S P415 billion by the

end of September this year, if taking Congressional appropriations into a!!ount" +SP 1 billionswill be spended by the GoO" $ wrong politi!al de!ision by the !urrent +S administration !aused awaste of ta)payers money"

$s 7rian $twood, former +$ID administrator, mentioned at the =arvard InternationalDevelopment Conferen!e earlier this year, advo!a!y for MDGs is a way to prevent politi!aldiversion from development needs of $fri!a and other forgotten !ountries" #hus MDG advo!a!ywould be perhaps an in!reasingly important tool to get human se!urity agendas into politi!al andfinan!ial debates in as mu!h !ountry as possible, beyond what we may see in C" "

7est regards,

=ideko,

+D- 7osnia and =er@egovina

Ric$ard Mars$all) *%D& osnia . (er/egovina #rote:

Dear -eople,

I offer thoughts on question one and part of question three"

4


5/44



uestion 48 In your !ountry, how does progress or la!k of progress, towards MDG se!tors andtargets affe!t !risis and !onfli!t: In other words does poverty and la!k of progress on MDGsignite and;or sustain !risis and !onfli!t:

I think it is fairly selfevident that MDG fulfillment and poverty redu!tion !an play some role in thepro!ess of !onfli!t resolutionA indeed it would be perverse to believe that it !ould worsen thesituation" $nd moreover, I dont believe the !ontribution of e!onomi! !onditions is wholly neutralto the onset of !onfli!t, orthern Ireland has long been a deprived area of the +Q, and the moreradi!al elements of both !ommunities have e)ploited the issue of relative poverty to their ownadvantage" .qually, here in the former ?ugoslavia, the !ountry was e)perien!ing the destabili@ingpains of transition, privati@ation and stru!tural realignment, prior to the outbreak of !onfli!t"

=owever, these kinds of assertions, for me, miss the point" Su!!essful !onfli!t resolution requires!ommunities to address inequities head on" #oo often responses from the offi!ial se!tor, donorsand governments alike, tend to du!k the Rwi!ked issues that divide and foster !onfli!t, preferringinstead for better out!omes and time to !ontribute to the healing pro!ess" I dont deny this helps,and many MDG ob*e!tives, espe!ially those within edu!ation, offer real potential as Rsilver bulletsfor resolving a raft of problems, but basi! unfairness lies at the heart of grievan!es and feedsanimosities" #hey dire!tly aggrieve individuals and families, and provide ammunition for politi!alopportunists to pursue partisan agendas"

#hus we, governments, donors, + agen!ies, and !iti@ens, need to !onfront inequities" ot in anaggressive or belligerent way, but throughout all that we do, day in and day out, and not merelybetween those parties whi!h are in !onfli!tA we need to look at gender and the rights entitlementsof other minorities, in order that a !ulture of respe!t and *usti!e is fostered"

I agree at fa!e value, the MDGs dont offer anything substantively new but they do provide a setof basi! and universal issues to unite around, they have been authored by the global !ommunityand not one of the !onfli!tual parties or an e)ternal for!e thus they are something on whi!h are!on!iliation strategy !an be built"

In summary it is resolving the equity questions, and way that you use the MDGs in furtheran!e ofthis, whi!h matters"

uestion 18 Do national and international partners in your environment per!eive the MDGs as arelevant instrument for !onfli!t resolution or re!overy: $re the MDGs pertinent to the work of+D- and partners in these settings:

I am somewhat pessimisti! on the issue of mainstreaming the MDGs, whi!h the question appearsto point to" I think there has been some su!!ess, espe!ially with the World 7anks programme,but signing up to the Goals, is too often seen as de rigueur, and I doubt how mu!h the MDG-ro!ess a!tually shapes development planning in !onfli!t resolution situations or elsewhere" #hemain thoughts of donors and other partners are often elsewhere, and frequently on te!hni!almatters"

I think in 7osnia and =er@egovina &7i=' the best e)ample of this is the .uropean +nion mission,whose people are understandably fo!used on the pre!andidate !onditionality, and althoughrespe!tful of the MDGs they dont go looking for the !onne!tions" 7ut we also have ourselves&i"e" +D-' to blame here, we &and therefore I', ought to be out there selling and !a*oling otherplayers &espe!ially the most influential ones' to !ome to the MDG table, sin!e as I note above,the MDGs are far more salable to the publi! as a development and !onfli!t resolution agendathan say ma!roe!onomi! stability or .+ !onvergen!e or god forbid, stru!tural ad*ustment"

%i!hard Marshall-overty %edu!tion Spe!ialist

5


6/44



+D- 7i=

,mar %orman) *%D& %0 #rote:

$mina and Moises, thank you for initiating this !riti!al dis!ussion" I wanted to share re!ente)perien!es in $fghanistan, orth Qorea, epal, -akistan and a few others, rather than fo!us ona single !ountry"

In general terms one of the least e)amined features of e!onomi! development is the relationshipbetween the geography of !onfli!t and growth" If !onfli!t is !ontained in areas, whi!h are not!entral to the aggregate e!onomy say Qashmir in India regional !onfli!t !an be perfe!tly!onsistent with substantial a!!eleration in growth and ma*or a!hievements in MDGs"=owever if !onfli!t is !on!entrated in regions, whi!h are !entral to the e!onomy su!h as theprimary !ommer!ial !enter and port !ity of Qara!hi the e!onomy implodes" #hus it is notsurprising that sin!e Qara!hi e)ploded in the late 4TH0s, -akistan3s progress in poverty andMDGs has been, if anything, negative"

Une has a third !ategory of !ountries, su!h as orth Qorea, whi!h was arguably the se!ond moste!onomi!ally advan!ed !ountry in $sia, after Oapan, until 4T0" Nike $rmenia, orth Qoreare!eived a severe sho!k to a narrowly spe!iali@ed but highly engineering oriented e!onomy" #he

sho!k is similar to a !onfli!t and sends a wave of reversals through the whole so!iety" Goals 4and / re!ord the most severe, immediate de!lines" De!lines in other MDG goals follow, after thefamiliar lag, sin!e edu!ation and others take time for the reversals to show up in statisti!s and befelt a!ross so!iety" In !ases su!h as orth Qorea, mu!h of the MDG goals are about retainingprevious levels"

#he fourth !ategory are !onfli!t !ountries su!h as $fghanistan and epal" #hey start with ane)tremely low base in MDG attainment" #hese low levels are further de!imated by !onfli!t andideology" In su!h !ases, when the re!overy starts, the MDGs !an provide a framework for!onsolidated a!tions" $fghanistan3s MDG% is a do!ument full of hope, with the e)pli!it intentof providing the first generation of pea!e with the hope that MDGs embody" epal3s forth!oming=D% deals with pre!isely these issues"

$nother important feature of $fghanistan3s MDG% is the fa!t that for landlo!ked !ountries inparti!ular , an MDG strategy has to be very outward looking" Goals 4 are to be met within the!ountry but the route to their attainment do not imply a !losed so!iety;e!onomy"

Un the issue of human se!urity and MDGs in the Millennium De!laration, there are !lear parallelsbetween =uman Development as a wider !on!eptual framework and the =uman DevelopmentInde) &=DI'" #he =DI fo!uses on narrower so!ioe!onomi! targets but improvements in =DI maywell need addressing the governan!e issues, whi!h are !entral to the =D !on!ept as a whole"Similarly progress in MDGs frequently requires addressing se!urity issues, both in the traditionalsense, as well as within the e)panded human se!urity framework" #here is no better e)ample ofthis than $fghanistan" #he !ountry3s progress in MDGs will be heavily dependent on the provisionof se!urity" Without a more se!ure environment, neither $fghanistan, nor Iraq in the near future,have mu!h hope of serious progress in MDGs"

>inally, I had the privilege of spending a few months at -akistan3s $tomi! .nergy $gen!y, as partof a Commission on =uman Se!urity, whi!h argued that -akistan3s nu!lear weapons will notensure its se!urity, if the !ountry does not in!rease substantially investments in its people3sedu!ation and health" $s is the !ase with the $fghan MDG%, the =uman Se!urity Commissionargued that real progress !an be measured by *ust one indi!ator tra!king what is happening towomen, in terms of their health, edu!ation and opportunities"In brief, a typology of !onfli!t !ountries is useful to answer the probing questions you raised" Inea!h of the !ountries mentioned above, the answer was dependent on the type of !onfli!t and itslink to development at the aggregate and the lo!al level"


7/44



Ro1erto 2alent) *%D& Sudan #rote:

Dear Colleagues,

Congratulations to $mina and Moises for this interesting initiative"

#he relationship between MDGs and !risis, !onfli!t and re!overy is !entral to !ountries in spe!ialsituations, even more than to Enormal< settings"

#he Sudan e)perien!e shows !learly that linkage among MDGs, !risis;!onfli!t and re!overy arerelevant and provide for the operating interagen!y and multi partners !ollaborative framework inaddressing the MDGs"

+nderpinning the Sudans + approa!h to the organisation of its assistan!e programming inSudan are the prin!iples of national leadership, ownership, and parti!ipation" %e!ognising thepresently evolving and anti!ipated future !ir!umstan!es leading eventually to pea!e and stabilityin the Sudan, the +nited ations system is !ommitted to supporting the effe!tive and effi!ientorgani@ation of international humanitarian, re!overy, and development assistan!e asprogramming opportunities and !onditions permit" #he purpose of the assistan!e provided by and

through the +nited ations system in the Sudan is to promote a pea!eful environment thatenables the fulfillment of the rights of Sudanese people to survival and prote!tion, to be able toe)er!ise informed !hoi!es, and to en*oy equal dignity and development"

#he organising framework for + assistan!e derives from the Millennium Development Goalsthat in!lude agreed targets and indi!ators that span and !onne!t humanitarian, transitionalre!overy, and longerterm development a!tivities" #here is universal !ommitment to the MDGs,in!luding by the Sudan and donor !ountries" Guided by internationally agreed prin!iples as wellas emerging Sudanese poli!ies and priorities, the spe!ifi! approa!h that the + system seeks topursue are outlined in the Sudan $ssistan!e >ramework -aper &please refer towww"unsudanig"org" for further !ontent'

#he + in Sudan has put in pla!e a system of pra!ti!al + !oordination arrangements that

in!lude a network of field presen!es, as well as themati! strategi! groups linked to the MDGs"#his is important if we have to render operational our MDG strategy and analysis" Se!toralstrategylevel !oordination is !arried out in Goal Groups !onvened by nominated + andGovernment agen!ies in partnership with other agen!ies &in!luding interested GUs, bilaterals'a!tive in the delivery of parti!ular Millennium Development Goals"

Une thing that is important noting is that the MDGs served, initially, as a means to rally the +agen!ies around a !ommon programming and analyti!al platform" It has progressed, though in ase!ond instan!e, as means of gaining national involvement, ownership and a!tion"

$dvo!a!y efforts are being !oordinated in the waraffe!ted areas" %e!ogni@ing that the southernproblem is in essen!e the la!k of e!onomi! development in southern Sudan and la!k of goodgovernan!e, the MDGs have been used to advo!ate and engage national partners into an

integrated and holisti! planning pro!ess that provided strategi! options for short and long termtransformation in the lives of the waraffe!ted population guided by timebounded anddisaggregated data" #he !urrent Ooint $ssessment mission pro!ess builds on the MDG Groupswork, both in the Government and S-NM areas"

$hfad +niversity for Women and Ouba +niversity agreed to host programs for MDGs %esear!h"#e!hni!al assessment for Ouba +niversity revealed it needed more assistan!e in !omputertraining" $n MDG website was developed with the address8 www"sudanmdg"!om&interesting tohave a look at it' with the prospe!ts of !ompiling all the national data into it, informing aboutevents, global e)perien!es and updates"

!
http://www.unsudanig.org/http://www.sudanmdg.com/http://www.unsudanig.org/http://www.sudanmdg.com/


8/44



In short, MDGs are of signifi!ant relevan!e to !risis !onte)ts"

7est regards"

%oberto JalentDeputy %esident %epresentative &-rogramme'#el8 &FF /T 4H1' H 1H /0 e)t" /20Dire!t phone8 &FF /T 4H1' H 4/ T>a)8 &FF /T 4H1' H 1 2Mobile8 &FF /T T' 4/ 10 H0/.mail8 roberto"valentundp"org Kmailto8roberto"valentundp"orgL or rvalentundp"orgKmailto8rvalentundp"orgL

$ddress8 =ouse , 7lo!k 5, Gama3a $venue-"U" 7o)8 T41 Qhartoum, Sudan

Anisa Suces'a) *%D& osnia . (er/egovina #rote:

Dear $ll,

something regarding question 18 Do national and international partners in your environmentper!eive the MDGs as a relevant instrument for !onfli!t resolution or re!overy: $re the MDGspertinent to the work of +D- and partners in these settings:

Considering the fa!t that MDGs as a development !on!ept indi!ated in =D% /001 in 7osniaand =er@egovina, offered parti!ipatory approa!h to development so!ial e!onomi! poli!ies in 7i=,Civil So!iety in 7i=, first time got opportunity to substantively dis!uss spe!ifi! issues that are partof post !onfli!t 7i= situation with relevant Goverment representatives"

$s a result of !onfli!t in 7i= and postwar !risis, GUs often plays the role of Governmentalinstitutions in vulnerable lo!al !ommunities" #hey are at the same time a!ting as delivery servi!esorgani@ation in the area of =ealth, .du!ation, Gender in rural and vournable area whereGovernment doesn3t have !apa!ity or !apability to a!t due to politi!al settlement &areas with

returnees, rural areas'"So, the answer is yes, CSUs re!ogni@ed MDGs as instrument for advo!ating for developmentpoli!ies and ensuring Government a!!ountability in a!hieving MDGs relevant to 7i=" #hey alsoper!ept it as a way to implement the e)isting Naws and ensure prote!tion of =uman %ights, asa first step in ensuring !onfli!t !risis prevention and GU sustainability as a monitoring body toGovernment performan!e"+D- 7i= is fa!ilitating a pro!ess of building a partnership between Governments and CivilSo!iety and their !apa!ities on making a progress from !onfli!t influen!e that is still visible andpresent here, and supporting their interest and a!!ountability on implementing andmonitoring so!io e!onomi! development poli!ies in 7i=, !ollaborating MDGs and -%S-pro!esses"

Une of the immediate results was refle!ted on the passing of Gender Naw in 7i= and establishingCSU;Gov partnership on its implementation and monitoring in all levels of 7i= so!iety"

#he real !hallenge is now, how to ensure that lo!al !ommunities and grass roots levels per!eiveMDGs as a pro!ess in their ownership and overpass the !onfli!t influen!e that is mostlyrefle!ted "

$ll the best,

$nisa Su!eskaCivil So!iety Coordinator

"
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


9/44



+nited ations Development -rogrammeMarsala #ita H 4000 Sara*evoF1H &0' 11 /2H/ &Dire!t'F1H &0' 11 2252H4 &>a)'F1H &0' 11 /2H00 &Swit!hboard'asu!eskaundp"ba

Rossana Dud/ia' (ernande/) *%D& Colom1ia #rote:

#his is an interesting question that does not get suffi!ient attention in !risis !ountries" In the!onte)t of Colombias !risis, there is not an e)pli!it !onne!tion made between MDGs and !risis"Moreover, the two !an appear to be separate goals and !an lead to !onfusion Is the !onfli!t themain problem, or is a!hieving the MDGs the number one priority: Clearly, the two goals are!omplementary, however, few poli!y makers arti!ulate the relationship between la!k of MDGprogress and the !onfli!t, perhaps be!ause in Colombias !omple) politi!al environment, and 0year history of !onfli!t, few poli!ymakers view MDG progress as a dire!t fa!tor"

Colombias guerrillas were borne out of Mar)ist ideologies proposing agri!ultural reform, landreform and peasant mobili@ation and empowerment, whi!h would in theory indi!ate that redu!ing

poverty and a!hieving MDG4 would be a way of a!hieving their revolutionary goals" $fter 0years of war, however, the !onfli!t and its leaders have undeniably lost some of their idealism"#he degradation of the !onfli!t, the rise of drug traffi!kers, abdu!tions, and other illi!it a!tivitieshave lead to the la!k of a!knowledgement that the war was borne from poverty and inequality inthe !ountry" #he !urrent government refuses to engage in politi!al negotiations with theEterrorists< and will only agree to negotiations for demobili@ation with the guerrillas orparamilitaries" #herefore, although it !an be argued that poverty and inequality are the root of theproblem, most government leaders will no longer a!!ept that poverty redu!tion is a means ofresolving the !onfli!t"

In your country) $o# does progress) or lac' of progress) to#ards MDG sectors and targetsaffect crisis and conflict? In ot$er #ords does poverty and lac' of progress on MDGs

ignite and3or sustain crisis and conflict?

#he /001 =D% in Colombia unequivo!ally states that E#he armed !onfli!t is the biggest threat todevelopment in Colombia"< >or many years, the Colombian e!onomy !ontinued to grow despitethe !onfli!t, however, in re!ent years, there is a downturn in e!onomi! growth, in!reasedunemployment and in!reased poverty" #he !onfli!t has undoubtedly reversed some gains madein passed de!ades and eroded quality of life for millions of Colombians, in parti!ular, theestimated / million internally displa!ed persons that have been the most visible vi!tims of the warduring the last 40 years"In Colombia, la!k of progress on MDG4 sustains the !onfli!t in multiple ways" +nemploymentand la!k of opportunities in rural areas of Colombia &poverty in general' are fa!tors !ontributing tore!ruitment into guerrilla for!es" Similarly, poverty and la!k of edu!ation are two fa!tors that

en!ourage Colombians to parti!ipate in the entire produ!tion !hain of !o!aine or other illi!it !rops"Sin!e the drug trade is one of the ma*or sour!es of finan!ing for illegally armed groups, there is alink between poverty and !onfli!t sin!e the poor are frequently for!ed to work in drug produ!tion"

Does) and is) progress to#ard t$e MDGs seen as li'ely to contri1ute to resolution ofconflict3crisis and recovery?In the !ase of Colombia, it would be over simplisti! to suggest that MDG progress !an resolvethe!onfli!t" Une of the things the !risis prevention group in +D- is trying to emphasi@e is the fa!tthat employment generation and poverty redu!tion programs are a ne!essary but insuffi!ient

#


10/44



means to address !onfli!t prevention and need to be a!!ompanied by broader programs with afo!us on governan!e, inequality, land reform, human rights promotion, redu!ing domesti!violen!e, and *usti!e reform &none of these fa!tors have an MDG targetV'"-romoting poverty redu!tion and implementing programs to a!hieve MDG4 is !ertainly a strategyfor development within conflict@ones and for redu!ing vulnerability of population in disputedterritory" While it !an be argued that MDG progress and poverty redu!tion !an !ontribute to!onfli!tpreventionor mitigation of the effe!ts, in the !ase of Colombia it is not !lear that it !ould!ontribute to !onfli!t resolution4Do national and international partners in your environment perceive t$e MDGs as arelevant instrument for conflict resolution or recovery? Are t$e MDGs pertinent to t$e#or' of *%D& and partners in t$ese settings:#he international !ommunity is fo!used on !onfli!t prevention, humanitarian assistan!e andpea!ebuilding in Colombia, and MDGs are rarely used as a referen!e point when dis!ussingconflict resolution" ational partners frequently believe E#he MDGs were designed for $fri!a">ICI.# !ondition for =uman Development" We need to !ontinue ourefforts in integrating or Emainstreaming< C-% into +D-s longterm development interventions,su!h as demo!rati! governan!e, and poverty redu!tion, in partnership with other agen!ies"

We have seen that some people argue that poverty and !onfli!t are not related ea!h other" 7ut!onsidering that most !ountries with high =uman -overty Inde) &=-I' are !onfli!t !ountries orC-% fo!us !ountries, it is no doubt that !onfli!t is related to human poverty" Confli!t may be aEC$+S.< of poverty, or poverty &deprivation of the poor' !auses !onfli!ts as the Confli!t andDevelopment $nalysis demonstrated in several !ountry situations"

I !on!lude that C-% interventions linkage with MDG is as follows8 first, the MDG is a Corporatepriority or even a priority for all a!tors" Uur poverty redu!tion poli!y;strategy gives us a pra!ti!alway to solve the deprivation and e)!lusion of the poor" 7y doing so, we !an a!hieve the trulyequitable and sustainable MDG goals" Similarly, C-% gives us an indi!ation on whi!h !ountry weneed to make our e)tra efforts, by establishing se!ure and !ondu!ive environment to a!hieveMDGs, as well as strategies for us to pro!eeding our effe!tive interventions" #he below is my

mental mapping showing my understanding the relationship between the =uman Development&MDGs' and the =uman Se!urity &in!luding my fo!us area, small arms problem'" -lease give mesuggestions for improvementV

11


12/44



$lso, I have noti!ed that other pra!ti!e areas, su!h as =IJ;$IDS, are showing, in a table format, alinkage between the MDG and the effe!t of =IJ;$IDS" In terms of small arms !ontrol, +D-spaper submitted to the Governmental .)pert Group Meeting on Disarmament and Developmentalso presents the linkages of S$NW impa!t with MDGs" I believe this kind of tale or !hart !ouldhelp us !larifying our points and I atta!h it to this email"

Mikiko S$W$IS=ISmall $rms and Demobili@ation +nit,7C-%

Mia Seppo) *%D& 7a+i'istan #rote:

Dear Moises, $mina and Colleagues,

-oliti!al stability is a key !onsideration in the post!onfli!t re!overy pro!ess in 7a+i'istan" -oliti!alstability !omes at some !ost, most notably in terms of politi!al !ompromises to keep potentialspoilers happy" $lthough delivering on the MDGs seems almost !ertain to improve stability,efforts to a!hieve the MDGs !ould run afoul of the deli!ate politi!al balan!e in the !ountry8 thegovernment is not truly free to pursue whatever poli!ies it likes in all se!tors where the MDGsrequire radi!al reforms if they threaten the interests of !ertain important a!tors in a !ompromise

pea!e"

-overty alone might not !ause !onfli!t, but deepening poverty, growing inequality or a!onsiderable de!line in living standards and e)pe!tations as e)perien!ed in #a*ikistan !onstitutesa !onfli!t trigger" 7reakdowns between different regions of the !ountry in poverty assessments or=D%s !an be used in une)pe!ted ways in the politi!al negotiation pro!ess in a !ountry wherethe !ivil war had some of its !auses in regionalism"#here is an important regional dimension to a!hieving MDGs and !onfli!t resolution" #a*ikistan isdire!tly affe!ted by stability in neighboring $fghanistan as well as its relations with its northernneighbor on whi!h the landlo!ked !ountry depends for transit and thus trade and development"

$!hieving the MDGs in neighboring states would provide very strong support for the same effortin #a*ikistan"

ational partners do not dis!uss !onfli!t resolution or re!overy issues under the rubri! of theMDGs" Nike international partners, domesti! stakeholders do per!eive e!onomi! and humandevelopment as a way of rela)ing domesti! and regional tensions" Domesti! players also drawthe link between in!reased international finan!ial assistan!e and development prospe!ts"7est regards from #a*ikistan,Mia Seppo

Se1astian 8evine) *%D& %ami1ia #rote:

Dear all,#his is an interesting and important debate" I only !ome in as the debate 9spills over9 from theC-%- net and onto MDG net" $pologies therefore for any dupli!ation"

#he introdu!tion to this dis!ussion stated that8 "We argue that there is no direct causal linkbetween progress on MDGs and the outbreak of crisis or conflict."#he e)perien!e in Southern

$fri!a suggests otherwise"I refer you to the re!ent paper on RUrgani@ing the + %esponse to the #riple #hreat of >oodInse!urity, Weakened Capa!ity for Governan!e and $IDS, parti!ularly in Southern and .astern

$fri!a, whi!h was prepared by the =igh Nevel Committee on -rogrammes" #he !ru) of the matteris well summarised in the following paragraph8

12
http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/0/0b1302fc76cb1b0bc1256e38005301a1?OpenDocumenthttp://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/0/0b1302fc76cb1b0bc1256e38005301a1?OpenDocumenthttp://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/0/0b1302fc76cb1b0bc1256e38005301a1?OpenDocumenthttp://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/0/0b1302fc76cb1b0bc1256e38005301a1?OpenDocumenthttp://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/0/0b1302fc76cb1b0bc1256e38005301a1?OpenDocumenthttp://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/0/0b1302fc76cb1b0bc1256e38005301a1?OpenDocument


13/44



"The HI epidemic! having reached hitherto unimaginable prevalence levels bordering on #percent of adults in some countries! is now entering the phase of massive death from $ID%&''!### people are d(ing ever( week in the mainland %$D) region. *uelled in part b(impoverishment and lack of essential public services! the epidemic continues to worsen! bringingin its wake new patterns of food insecurit(! destitution and vulnerabilit(. In '##' food insecurit(affected + million people in si, southern $frican states. )ommunities- abilit( to withstand shockshas been severel( compromised. *aced with the challenge of needing to do more to preservelives and livelihoods! governments of the region are finding their principal asset humanresources in their institutions is being eroded at an increasing rate."Nast week amibia hosted a mission by the SGs Spe!ial .nvoy for =umanitarian eeds inSouthern $fri!a, Oames Morris, who suggested that the largest humanitarian !risis in the worldtoday is the orphan !risis in Southern $fri!a" Mr Morris had re!ently !ome from Darfur" 7y the endof the de!ade we e)pe!t the number of orphans in SubSaharan $fri!a to rea!h /0 million" In a!ountry of less than / million people amibia alone has more than 4/0,000 $IDS orphansalready" $part from the immense tragi! human rights dimension of the orphan !risis, the growingnumber of !hildrenA destitute, e)!luded and unloved is also in!reasingly !onsidered a real risk interms of se!urity and in!reased !rime"

Stephen Newis, the SGs Spe!ial .nvoy on =IJ;$IDS in $fri!a, last year referred to the la!k of

resour!es and politi!al will to fight the =IJ;$IDS epidemi! as Rmass murder by !ompla!en!y andsuggested8 "There ma( (et come a da( when we have peacetime tribunals to deal with this

particular version of crimes against humanit(" &!li!k herefor full te)t'"In /001 Mr Morris reported on R$fri!a3s food !risis as a threat to pea!e and se!urityto theSe!urity Coun!il8 /0olitical structures at the national level in the worst affected countries ma(graduall( 1ust fade awa( and! along with them! the services and social order the( were intendedto provide. Man( of these governments grew out of the artificial political demarcations left b(colonial powers and as political cohesion loosens! the potential for civil conflicts along the lines ofthose we see toda( in the )ongo and )ote d2Ivoire grow more likel(.3

While the la!k of progress on MDG 2 thus is seen to have the potential for !ausing moretraditional !ivil !onfli!ts the =IJ;$IDS epidemi! in itself is fuelling a new type of humanitarian

!risis"

%egards,Sebastian Nevine.!onomist+D- amibia

&$ilip ro#ne) *%D& Sout$ Africa #rote:

Dear !olleagues

Some !omments with regards to uestion 48

I think that %i!hard is spot on in arguing that su!!essful !onfli!t resolution requires that weaddress the issues of inequity but whether the MDGs !onstitute the most effe!tive vehi!le fordoing this remains a moot point" My !on!ern is that equity issues tend to e)ist as impli!it featuresof the MDGs, without there being any real and !on!erted effort to foreground equity ; *usti!e ;rights issues in an e)pli!it way, or to see the MDGs as fundamental me!hanisms for dealing withimpediments &the 3wi!ked issues3' to the a!hievement of the MDGs, both nationally in developedand developing !ountries, and at the global level" I think in this sense we need to a!knowledgethat in its broadest sense the la!k of development in any given so!iety as a whole is an important

13
http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/s/B224ACF7158BA08E85256CA9006B42A1http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/s/5B9A0BD99B8800DEC1256D0500370C4Bhttp://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/s/B224ACF7158BA08E85256CA9006B42A1http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/s/5B9A0BD99B8800DEC1256D0500370C4B


14/44



determinant of the propensity to inse!urity and !onfli!t and that without addressing thefundamental politi!ohistori!al, stru!tural and !ultural roots of !onfli!t, and e)amining the waysthat they play themselves out in spe!ifi! !onte)ts, any lasting resolution of so!ial and politi!al!rises and !onfli!ts remains out of rea!h" David =eld re!ently !alled the MDGs 9the moral!ons!iousness of the international !ommunity9, but the problem is that the global mainstreamdevelopment agenda tends to be !onstru!ted on a bifur!ated morality that privileges !ertain !ore3development3 values amenable to prevailing e!onomi! orthodo)ies, while !losing down thedis!ursive spa!e available for alternative and more progressive visions of sustainable humandevelopment and it is within this ideologi!al !onte)t that the MDGs run the danger of be!omingdomesti!ated to parti!ular developed !ountry interests and !onsequently lose their power to!ons!ientise, to galvanise real development progress or to resolve !onfli!t over the distribution ofpower and resour!es"

-ost!onfli!t situations themselves may well be the prelude to new forms of later !onfli!t if theunderlying !auses of the original !risis have not been fundamentally addressed, and if the risks,ha@ards and vulnerabilities inherent in the original !onfli!t persist" I would argue that South $fri!a,despite having en*oyed ten years of postapartheid demo!ra!y and development, is situatedwithin a parti!ular kind of povertyrelated post!onfli!t s!enario in 4TT !oming out of what, to allintents and purposes, !onstituted fifteen years of lowlevel !ivil war and widespread so!ialdislo!ation" South $fri!a is a !ountry where the deep and entren!hed e!onomi!, ra!ial and

!ultural inequities that have been shaped by the lega!y of three hundred years of !olonial andapartheid poli!ies are now being perpetuated and reinfor!ed by so!ioe!onomi! inequities thatare the produ!t of the prevailing global e!onomi! hegemony" Data from the re!ent ational =D%shows that South $fri!a remains one of the most unequal and polari@ed so!ieties in the world with huge in!ome disparities, high levels of poverty and unemployment and a relativelyimpervious en!lave e!onomy a situation that has been theorised by -resident Mbeki as a 9twonations9s!enario !hara!terised by a dual 9first ; se!ond9 e!onomy" .fforts by the governmentover the past ten years to transform the so!ioe!onomi! lands!ape have seen signifi!ant levels ofstate resour!es redire!ted to the poorest se!tors of the population, with signifi!ant governmentinvestment in housing, utilities and so!ial welfare, but despite these initiatives the government3sstaun!h adheren!e to orthodo) ma!roe!onomi! poli!ies have not resulted in the kind of growthlevels ne!essary or suffi!ient for any signifi!ant redu!tion in the rates of poverty, unemployment,inequality or !rime" #he more !omple) redistributive issues of land reform, wealth and asset

assymetries, a!!ess to natural resour!es and the regulation of market e)!esses have been lefton the margins of the poli!y dis!ourse, but there are in!ipient signs for e)ample with limited butgrowing resistan!e from so!ial movements !oales!ing around !alls for land redistribution,universal in!ome grants and provision of publi! goods and servi!es that indi!ate that the!ausative fa!tors for future !onfli!t remain uneasily unresolved"

#he deepest inequities, those relating to a!!ess to land, servi!es, employment and broadere!onomi! opportunity, are being perpetuated and reprodu!ed rather than redressed within theprevailing e!onomi! system and there is !ertainly no shortage of in!isive analysis demonstratingthis reality but too often !ritiques merely identifying the !ausative nature of the things that shouldbe addressed, without spe!ifying the me!hanisms for substantively dealing with the dis*un!turesbetween e!onomi! globali@ation and issues of so!ioe!onomi! *usti!e"

While the MDGs !onstitute a broad framework for development a!tion and undoubtedly lie atthe heart of the South $fri!an government3s development agenda there is a tenden!y for themto be seen within their normative and te!hni!al !apa!ity rather than as dis!ursive tools forde!onstru!ting the stru!tural and systemi! fa!tors that stand in the way of a!hieving !riti!alhuman development goals and for identifying workable and sustainable solutions" In the South

$fri!an !onte)t there is a need for the MDGs to be positioned far more strategi!ally in relation tothe hori@ontal inequalities that e)ist in a!!ess to politi!al, !ultural and e!onomi! resour!es and forthe MDG dis!ourse to grapple far more robustly with the ideologi!al ar!hite!ture of the globale!onomi! and finan!ial systems and the pressures pla!ed on national governments to !onform topoli!y pres!riptions that are at odds with a!hievement of equitable development out!omes, and

14


15/44



ultimately with se!urity" #he lessons of history should leave us in no doubt that when entren!hedinequities are left unresolved for long enough they will in!reasingly lead to a !risis of legitima!yfor the state that itself may be see the onset of repression, so!iopoliti!al instability and !onfli!t"

#he !omple)ities of the !urrent !risis in 6imbabwe serve as a salutory e)ample to South $fri!athat unresolved histori!al and !ontemporary inequities bear with them the seeds of future !risisand potential !onfli!t and la!k of progress in meeting the MDG targets is likely only toe)a!erbate su!h possibilities"

%egards

-hilip 7rowneational -rogramme Uffi!er MDGsUffi!e of the %esident Coordinator ; +D- South $fri!a#el8 04/ 15 H0T>a)8 04/ 15 H05TCell8 0H/ 5 51T

Maria-,lga Gon/ale/) C&R G2A #rote:

Dear !olleagues,I !ould not but parti!ipate in the most interesting eDis!ussion so far laun!hed via the C-% net" Iwill refer my thoughts and e)perien!es to the !onte)t of Guatemala, although I left the !ountryover 5 years ago"

(o# does progress) or lac' of progress) to#ards MDG sectors and targets affect crisisand conflict? In ot$er #ords) does poverty and lac' of progress on MDGs ignite and3orsustain crisis and conflict? 3 Does) and is) progress to#ard t$e MDG9s seen as li'ely tocontri1ute to resolution of conflict3crisis and recovery?#he -ea!e $greements that put an end to a !onfli!t of over 10 years in Guatemala were signed in

De!ember 4TT2" #hey established a development agenda and goals, attempting to address theroot !auses of the !onfli!t, whi!h were always !lear8 poverty, e)!lusion, inequality, hitting hardeston the indigenous population &almost 20B of the total' and living in the rural, sometimes remoteand ina!!essible areas" -artial a!hievement !an, at best, be reported in a few aspe!ts of theagenda established in the pea!e agreements" #he !ountry still !onsiders itself in a Rpost!onfli!tsituation"

#he MDG -rogress %eport /00/ states that poverty, as measured by the per!entage of peopleliving below P4 per day, has de!reased in the last de!ade" 7y this international measuringstandard &B of people living below P4', Guatemala would be on good tra!k" =owever, ananalysis of poverty in the light of other, more targeted indi!ators, reveals that inequality persistsas an eminent barrier to de!reasing poverty8

T1B of the people below the national poverty line live in the rural areas!lose to /B of these !orrespond to indigenous populationspoverty !on!entrates in the orthern &0B of the poorest' and the orthwestern &11B' regions,both of them with high !on!entrations of indigenous populationsIt is !lear that the root !auses of the !onfli!t have not even remotely disappeared, nor will theyever unless fundamental !hanges o!!ur in the overall governan!e stru!tures of the !ountry"While the a!hievement of the MDG3s is fundamental for a firm and lasting pea!e in Guatemala,they are only a statisti!al birds eye overview that may well hide the realities that lie beneath"#here is a !ertain level of danger here8 the !old hard statisti!s may be misleading and by basing

15


16/44



!on!lusions only on MDG progress, we may be en!ouraging the upkeep of a status quo that wasthe root !ause of one of the longest and deadliest armed !onfli!ts in Natin $meri!a"

7est regards,Maria Ulga Gon@ale@7C-% Geneva

Sangita $ad'a) *%D& %epal #rote:

I am indeed very please to parti!ipate in this dis!ussion and to share my views with you all84" -overty does ignite !risis and !onfli!t and epal has been a live e)ample of that" .)tremepoverty, e)!lusion, frustrated politi!al e)pe!tations, absen!e of so!ial servi!es, !orruption,inequality, dis!rimination has lead to the present !onfli!t situation the !ause for birth of Maoistmovement in epal" #hus poverty surely does ignite !risis and !onfli!t but la!k of progress onMDGs !an sustain this very !risis and !onfli!t in the present !onte)t" #he development works inepal are being !ontinued, the donors are yet funding their pro*e!ts and the government isseeking full support from all multilaterals and bilaterals whi!h means a substantial amount of work

is still under progress despite all !onfli!t and !risis situation this is surely a !ontribution towardsa!hievement of MDGs" 7ut if there was no development work towards a!hieving the MDGs the!ountry would be more stagnant e!onomi!ally thus fuelling more !risis and !onfli!t"

-rogress towards MDGs !an !ontribute to resolution of !onfli!t but unless there is resolution of!onfli!t there !an be no progress towards attainment of MDGs" #hus both fa!tors supplementea!h other" When the !risis situation emerged in epal it started with the issues very mu!h ofthose daily livelihood basi! needs regarding health, bread and butter issues &that the MDGs goalsare about' but there was no name given to it as MDGs and there was no time bound target toa!hieve these goals and now that these very basi! requirements have been given name and timehas been set for a!hieving the goals" #he !onfli!t in epal has gone far ahead to be resolved onlythrough the progress in MDGs, it also involves politi!al instability and struggle for power from allparties however MDGs are likel( to provide framework for actions when the recover( starts as

Umar says"

#he national partners have very well per!eived MDGs, they have taken full ownership of thegoals" #he advo!a!y of MDGs have started !oming out in all the spee!hes and statements of thebureau!rats these days, the IGUs too are !ommitted and the GUs have adopted a resolutionin the !harter of GU >ederation to monitor and tra!k the progress of MDGs" #hey are supposedto give wakeup !alls to the government" =owever at this stage, politi!al stability and restorationof pea!e are the most required elements through whi!h MDGs !an be attained" MDGs aredefinitely pertinent to the work of +D- and partners in these settings be!ause it outlines thetime bound targets, easy to measure development, easy to monitor and tra!k progress" It is a sortof systemati! approa!h to measuring development that !ould have been !ared less at the time of!onfli!t situation like this"

" =uman Se!urity is very mu!h important for the attainment of MDGs" Speaking in terms oflife and death, at present in epal, most of the !ountrys budget is diverted towards defense andse!urity that !uts off the development budget" epal depends heavily on foreign aid so whenthere is a threat in a parti!ular area the development programmes implemented by donors ormultilaterals are suspended for a !ouple of days, months and even a year" It has been admittedtime and again by the whole world and at present in the epalese !onte)t by the government aswell as donors and the people that nothing !an fun!tion without having =uman Se!urity first" oteven an individual working in a development organi@ation would like to budge from his seat andgo to the field if he knew of the threat to his life" Un the other hand when we talk of humanse!urity we should not miss out the most vulnerable ones during armed !onfli!t i"e" women and

1


17/44



!hildren" >or this reason there is a need to reposition the programmes in the present !onte)t ofepal if we are to a!hieve MDGs at all i"e"Is the programme based on strategi! analysis of !onfli!t:Does it deliver resour!es to marginali@ed groups and women:Is the allo!ation of resour!es within the programme proportionate to need:Does the programme have fle)ibility to adapt to !hanging !ir!umstan!es :Does it enable marginali@ed groups and !an women a!hieve positions of responsibility:Does it monitor ethni!ity, !aste and gender in all a!tivities

David Matan$ire) *%D& Sout$ Africa #rote:

Dear $ll,

$s I see it, the dis!ussion topi!8 9We argue that there is no direct causal link between progresson MDGs and the outbreak of crisis or conflict3 triesto foster a link between progress on onehand and retrogression on the other" #he per!eived progress on MDGs is the e)pe!ted thing thatshould take pla!e presupposing all things are equal there is a working system of governan!e,so!ial *usti!e and due respe!t of human rights that !reate an enabling environment for theprogress on MDGs" It is the la!k or breakdown of su!h a fun!tional system that leads to !rises or

!onfli!ts violent dysfun!tional disagreements politi!al, e!onomi!, maldistribution of resour!es,and =IJ;$IDS and other equally violent threats to the attainment of MDGs" #he !omparison in thedis!ussion statement is not fair" $ 9!ausal link9 would maintain that progress on MDGs !ould leadto redu!tion in !risis or !onfli!ts" $s a !orollary, la!k of progress on MDGs may lead to es!alationof !risis or !onfli!ts sin!e one supposes that most !onfli!ts or !rises emanate from a deprivationof so!ial and e!onomi! entitlements of one segment of so!iety by another"I hope my !ontribution has been worthwhile"David Matanhire,-rogramme Uffi!erSo!ial Development and =IJ;$IDS+D- South $fri!a

%eil oyer *%D& Gam1ia #rote:

Dear Colleagues,

In reading many of the !omments, although the fo!us is rightly on the !hallenges in reali@ing theMDGs in those !ountries affe!ted by !onfli!t, we must not forget that the MDGs in neighboring!ountries are affe!ted as well" #his is espe!ially the !ase in !ountries su!h as #he Gambia, whi!hhas hosted large numbers &relatively speaking' of refugees from !onfli!t areas in Niberia, SierraNeone and southern Senegal &Casaman!e'" In the !ase of areas bordering the Casaman!e,some of the highest =IJ @eroprevalen!e rates in #he Gambia have been re!orded"Coin!identally, Casaman!e has the highest @eroprevalen!e rates in Senegal" Within the regional

!onte)t, higher @eroprevalen!e rates in Casaman!e and northern Guinea7issau !an beattributed in part to !onfli!t and atttendant !ivil unrest, poverty and so!ioe!onomi! dislo!ation"#hus, as MDG 2 in the Gambia is adversely affe!ted by !onfli!t in neighboring !ountries, theinflu) of refugees also in!reases pressure on already overburdened health delivery systems, withimpli!ations for MDGs and 5 as well" In fa!t, it has been well do!umented in other parts of

$fri!a that the struggle over s!ar!e resour!es between established residents and newly displa!edpersons !an e)a!erbate ethni! tensions and !reate the !onditions for !onfli!t as well" #hus in!on!lusion, as we dis!uss this issue, we must be !areful to assess the impli!ations for !onfli!t ina holisti! manner, and not *ust limit it to national borders &however arbitrarily defined'"

1!


18/44



%egards,

eil 7oyer.!onomist+D-;#he Gambia

Casimiro Reis) *%D& #rote

Dear all,I only have a thing to also say regarding the MDGs and in the way as the underdeveloped and

*ust free !ountries, or same in *ustfree state of !onfli!ts they !an be benefited, basing on astrategy program the average stated period and also to one politi!s of the part of the demo!rati!Government, where all people has a!!ess and right to hear and of being heard" =e !an have verybeautiful te!hniques, programs and plans, but without the support of a demo!rati! lo!algovernment, he swims sera done" It !an be implementer the plans and the strategies dire!tly ofthe middle of the population !ommunity that this in la!k of everything, or to help inside of a shortterm period, but nothing it will go to de!ide the situation if the people and the regimen of thegovernment will not have the same ob*e!tive" We !an take off e)perien!es in !ertain !ountrieswhere it had some su!!ess to use in !ountries different, but who always determines the su!!ess

sera the population of this !ountry, or better, a su!!ess that will !ome to refle!t of inside for is" Ifnot it will have mutual and re!ipro!al !ontribution in the implementation of a program, either ofwhi!h organi@ation, to a nation in !onfli!t, or pos!onfli!t, I guarantee that the su!!ess will notarrive 50B"

Motselisi Rama'oae) *%D& 8esot$o #rote:

Dear all,In your country) $o# does progress) or lac' of progress) to#ards MDG sectors and targetsaffect crisis and conflict? In ot$er #ords does poverty and lac' of progress on MDGsignite and3or sustain crisis and conflictI would have to agree with Mr" Nevine that the =IJ;$IDS situation in Southern $fri!a is fuelling a

new humanitarian !risis"In Nesotho, =IJ;$IDS has been singled out as the greatest !hallenge to rea!hing the MDGs" Ithas been agreed by government, development partners and !ivil so!iety that la!k of progresstowards MDG2 will not only affe!t the progress towards other MDG goals but in !ertain !asesreverse their progress as the =IJ;$IDS pandemi! is affe!ting the produ!tive se!tor of so!ietyfurther e)a!erbating the food !risis and state of famine, and leaving a lega!y of orphans andyouth headed households" #he nationalised MDG% has therefore been ad*usted and GU$N4 hasbeen !hanged to Combating =IJ;$IDS"#his for!ed Nesotho and its Development -artners to !riti!ally assess the development paradigmand address how to effe!tively respond to the new vulnerabilities for the wellbeing of thepeople" #hrough the + .)panded #heme Group on =IJ;$IDS !haired by the +D- %esident%epresentative, e)tensive !onsultations were held with Government, !ivil so!iety, developmentpartners, and the private se!tor, in sear!h of viable strategies for s!aling up the national response

against =IJ;$IDS the result of whi!h is the book /Turning )risis into 4pportunit(& %trategies for%caling 5p the 6ational 7esponse to the HI8$ID% 0andemic3. #he do!ument has been adoptedas an offi!ial poli!y do!ument for the Government of Nesotho and it makes spe!ifi!re!ommendations on howto !reate an =IJ;$IDS!ompetent so!iety as well as whatnational,distri!t and lo!al me!hanisms would make that possible" $lso in!luded are spe!ifi! ideason whatea!h and every Government Ministry !an do immediately to make a visible differen!e, even asthey work on more !omprehensive se!toral strategies, plans and budgets" In essen!e =IJ;$IDShas been approa!hed as a governan!e issue to look at poli!ies, stakeholder responses and thedelivery of servi!es" #he do!ument is !urrently being distributed to all !ountry offi!es and will alsobe pla!ed on our website"

1"


19/44



In the /00 =D% flyers, espe!ially when looking at the =DI for the Southern $fri!an %egion it is!lear that all !ountries have dropped signifi!antly, the highest being Nesotho, whi!h has droppedfrom 41 in /001 to 45 in /00" Une !annot help but surmise that =IJ;$IDS is the ma*or!ontributory fa!tor to the drop in human development in the region"Qind regardsMotselisi %amakoae-rogramme Uffi!er .nvironment ( .nergy+D- Nesotho#el8 F/22 // 141T0>a)8 F/22 // 1400/Cell8 F/22 2/H5 4254

%ana'o 7su'a$ara) *%D& %epal #rote:

I am very happy to see su!h stimulating dis!ussions on this !riti!al topi!, as this is e)a!tly whatwe are struggling with in epal" I would like to respond to the questions 4, 1 and "

In your !ountry, how does progress, or la!k of progress, towards MDG se!tors and targets affe!t!risis and !onfli!t: In other words does poverty and la!k of progress on MDGs ignite and;orsustain !risis and !onfli!t:

epal has been e)perien!ing an internal !onfli!t between the government and the Maoist for thepast eight years, whi!h is affe!ting all development work to a signifi!ant degree" Manydevelopment a!tors are pulling out from the remote areas of the !ountry whi!h are worst affe!tedby the insurgen!y, due to the politi!al va!uum, e)tortion by the Maoists, and se!urity!onsideration" #hese are often the areas, whi!h are worst off in terms of the level of developmentin the first pla!e" #he !auses of the !onfli!t are !omple), as is usually the !ase, however it is welldo!umented today that absolute poverty, so!ial and politi!al e)!lusion, a!ute inequality andinequity in the distribution of resour!es and opportunities among different identity groups based

on gender, !aste and ethni!ity, and failure of politi!al stru!tures to address these issues havemade epal e)tremely vulnerable to the !onfli!t" I would say, rather than la!k of progress on theMDGs per se, but an e)tremely skewed distribution of the progress &or la!k thereof' on the MDGsis one of the ma*or fa!tors to ignite the !urrent !onfli!t in this !ountry"

1" Do national and international partners in your environment per!eive the MDGs as arelevant instrument for !onfli!t resolution or re!overy: $re the MDGs pertinent to the work of+D- and partners in these settings:It seems to me that the MDGs are still per!eived by many as a Eyet another + produ!t< to somedegree, although this per!eption is gradually !hanging" While the level of understanding among a!ertain part of the so!iety has been steadily in!reasing in the last few months, the linkagesbetween the MDGs and !onfli!t are mainly dis!ussed in a oneway dire!tion, i"e" it is imperative toresolve the !onfli!t first, be!ause violent !onfli!t hampers development and without pea!e there

will be no MDG a!hievement" #he other way of the linkages the potentiality of the MDGs to be apowerful tool to address the root !auses of the !onfli!t and thus !ontribute to !onfli!ttransformation is yet to be re!ogni@ed" In this !onte)t, the MDGs are still an addon, and untilre!ently they were simply not the government priority, either" Many a!tors both in the governmentand !ivil so!iety se!tor !laim that they are !ommitted to a!hieving the MDGs, but su!h!ommitment often sounds rhetori!al with no real a!tions" In my view, this is pre!isely be!ause thedebate on the se!ond linkage between the MDGs and !onfli!t is la!king" When there is so mu!hviolen!e, fear, and despair all over the !ountry, how good is it to say that the !ountry needs toa!hieve the MDGs without showing how that will help solve the !onfli!t:

1#


20/44



+D- has been promoting the MDGs so that some tangible results will be a!hieved even in thisvolatile situation" $s a result of our !ontinuous dialogue with the government, re!ently theational -lanning Commission has requested +D- support in !ondu!ting the MDG eeds

$ssessment in epal with an aim to strengthening the linkages between the MDGs and the-%S-" #he e)er!ise will !ommen!e shortly, and it is envisaged that this longterm a!tion plan fora!hieving the MDGs will be based on the two s!enarios one is a normal growth s!enario, andthe other is a lower growth s!enario in !ase of the worsening !onfli!t" We are hoping that makinga longterm national plan for a!hieving the MDGs, whi!h !an be broken down to the mediumterm-%S-;national development plan periods with realisti! assumptions, will !ontribute to addressingthe root !auses of the !onfli!t"

$nother dimension I would like to highlight regarding promotion of the MDGs in a !onfli!t settingis that the MDGs !ould be used as a politi!al tool" We should be aware that the governmentwhose legitima!y is being threatened !ould use the MDG a!hievement to regain their legitima!y"#he government !an say to its popula!e, we promise to in!rease the health fa!ilities, or toin!rease the number of kids in s!hool from disadvantaged !ommunities by !ertain per!ent in thene)t five years" If su!h a promise is ba!ked by !ommitment and !on!rete strategies andresour!es, it is a very powerful statement" So far, in epal, this type of !ommuni!ation strategyon the MDGs has not been formulated or dis!ussed in a systemati! manner" =owever, it seemsthat espe!ially the politi!al appointees in the government have reali@ed that their interest in

strengthening the linkages between the MDGs and -%S- appeals to the donor !ommunity and!ould be useful for gaining donor support"" What is the link between MDGs and human se!urity as outlined in the MillenniumDe!laration:

#he link between the MDGs and human se!urity or !onfli!t is not very e)pli!it *ust by looking atthe De!laration itself, be!ause Epea!e, se!urity and disarmament< and Edevelopment and povertyeradi!ation< are listed as separate key ob*e!tives, without e)pli!itly mentioning their inter!onne!ted nature" #his, in my opinion, has !reated a phenomenon that the MDGs are advo!atedin isolation from the other issues, with more emphasis on their se!toral a!hievements" =owever,the De!laration !learly states that all these key !on!erns of the new !entury in!ludingdevelopment and se!urity are based on the si) fundamental values &freedom, equality, solidarity,

toleran!e, respe!t for nature, and shared responsibility'" #hus, development and se!urity need tobe ree)amined from these !ommon lenses, whi!h is something that all of us need to remindourselves of when we work on the MDGs" In parti!ular, the first value of freedom spe!ifi!ally saysthat EMen and women have the right to live their lives and raise their !hildren in dignity, free fromhunger and from the fear of violen!e, oppression or in*usti!e


21/44



I want to thank eil for noting !onfli!t and !ivil unrest in subSaharan $fri!a" #hus far, many ofthe !ountries listed in this dis!ussion are post!onfli!t s!enarios" Jiolen!e in $fri!a sin!e thelaun!h of the Millennium De!laration in /000 has resulted in nearly 40 million refugees andseveral million dead &over three million in the D%C alone sin!e 4TTT'" Many refer to the re!entevents in Darfur as geno!ide &aside from the already 100,000 murdered, up to one milliondispla!ed Sudanese !ould die this year in !amps'" #hese are figures of astounding and tragi!proportion" $nd, as aptly noted by eil, the !orrelation and !ausality between !onfli!t and otherdevelopment goals is !lear as well as the !rossboarder realities"

So how to respond to the diffi!ult question number three 9$re the MDGs pertinent to the work of+D- and partners in these settings:9 perhaps in pra!ti!e"""yes, in theory"""no:

Can we !all for dysfun!tional Governments to !ampaign on behalf of the MDGs, to prepareMDG%s, to establish MDG monitoring systems when the Central Stats Uffi!e has been looted oftheir !omputers: I don3t know" It is worth noting, however, that even in diffi!ult !ases, efforts !anbe made" Somalia is preparing a baseline MDG and the Sudan $ssistan!e >ramework &S$>' isguided by the MDGs"

Stress must also be pla!ed on Goal .ight" Uften !onfli!t in other !ountries &perpetuated by

Western ations' has lead to a diversion of aid to fo!us on overe)tended military budgets" #he+S is the worst!ase offender, parti!ularly in the !ase of spending in Iraq" >or a good a read onthe topi!8 -oliti!s and -overty8 $id in Cold War &Christian $id, May /00'" #his report points out,for e)ample, that the +S government diverted a P/"/ billion aid program for $fghanistan in /00to military pro*e!ts and emergen!y relief" #he report !an be found at8Khttp8;;www"!hristianaid"org"uk;indepth;0!aweek;L

%egards,

Geoff

;rancesca Coo') ,slo Governance Center) #rote:

4" In your !ountry, how does progress, or la!k of progress, towards MDG se!tors and targetsaffe!t !risis and !onfli!t: In other words does poverty and la!k of progress on MDGs ignite and;orsustain !risis and !onfli!t"

I am not in a !ountry, but as a poli!y advisor on governan!e and !onfli!t prevention, I would makethe following general points8

#he lower the s!ore on the =DI, and the lower the s!ore on the MDGs, the more likely a !ountryis to e)perien!e mass violen!e and war" Generally speaking, the enabling environment needed inorder to a!hieve the MDGs is the same enabling environment needed to have pea!e, se!urityand stability &within demo!ratisation'" 7y this I mean that when governan!e institutions are fragile,weak and unable to fulfill their !ore fun!tions and responsibilities, the e!onomy is likely to be

!rippled and the a!hievements of the MDGs likely to be low" In this !ir!umstan!e the likelihood ofin!reased violen!e and other nondemo!rati! ways to resolve !onfli!t is high" Jiolent !onfli!t is, inmany ways, the result of weak and bad governan!e, and poor a!hievement of the MDGs" Weknow that with in!reased edu!ation, violen!e redu!es" Na!k of progress in the MDGs ignites,sustains and provokes !risis and !onfli!t"

/" Does, and is, progress toward the MDGs seen as likely to !ontribute to resolution of!onfli!t;!risis and re!overy:

If the governan!e institutions and priorities required to a!hieve the MDGs are well an!hored into

21


22/44



pla!e, it is likely that pea!eful dispute me!hanisms for resolving !onfli!ts as they arise, a normalpart of free so!ieties, open e!onomies and vibrant !ivil so!ieties" =owever, this does not happenon it own" >o!us on a!hieving the MDGs must in!lude a deep fo!us on how to strengthengovernan!e and !ivil so!iety me!hanisms in su!h a way as to ensure that the fo!us on the MDGsbuilds in !apa!ity to deal with !onfli!t"

In terms of !risis re!overy, again, if basi! needs are not met &the MDGs' it is very hard to !reatevibrant !ivil so!iety able to parti!ipate and demand a responsible, demo!ratised government andgovernan!e system" $gain, fo!us on the targets needs to in!lude fo!us on the governan!e andse!urity9enabling environment9" #he two are inseparable"

1" Do national and international partners in your environment per!eive the MDGs as a relevantinstrument for !onfli!t resolution or re!overy: $re the MDGs pertinent to the work of +D- andpartners in these settings:

In my e)perien!e, the MDGs are not seen as a relevant instrument for !onfli!t resolution norre!overy" Do you mean something different by 9resolution9 than by 9prevention9:

" What is the link between MDGs and human se!urity as outlined in the Millennium De!laration:

#his is the !hi!ken and the egg no MDGs, no human se!urity, no human se!urity, no pea!e, nopea!e, no se!urity, no se!urity, no MDGs" #he link is !ru!ial, and requires mu!h thought andeffort to link the approa!hes and issues bindingly"

Une small point about the MDGs, the De!laration and the #argets"

When the whole idea was !reated to distil all the various + Summits, their De!larations and-lans of $!tion into a short set of workable targets and goals Xthis was started in the D$C with the+D- and World 7ank, and initially known as the International Development Goals &IDGs'Y a lotof dis!ussion took pla!e around violent !onfli!t and governan!e" Dis!ussions struggled to find anumeri!ally based 3measurable3 9target9 and 9goal9 for violent !onfli!t and for governan!e that9stood up9 and was politi!ally viable" #his proved to be a diffi!ult affair, and so instead, theDe!laration &and its equivalent when the MDGs were *ust the IDGs in 9Shaping the /4st Century

Strategy9' mentions these and the !ru!ial need for an enabling environment for the MDGs,in!luding human se!urity"

In view of the Summit F5 dis!ussions, your initiative to think through how to make sure the linksare made !on!retely is a fabulous one" X$t the risk of opening up a highly politi!al and thornydebate, is it impossible to find meaningful targets in these areas: Y

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ>ran!es!a CookConfli!t -revention and Governan!e $dvisor+D- Uslo Governan!e Centre &DGG;7D-;UGC'Inkognitogt" 4H, Uslo, orway 0/52

#el8 &F' // 4/ / 45fran!es!a"!ookundp"orgwww"undp"org;oslo!entre


23/44



+nfortunately I !ant speak from the vantage point of having worked in a +D- !ountry offi!e[however, I do have several !omments to share that are based on my perspe!tive as a poli!yadvisor in the 7ureau of Confli!t prevention and re!overy"

In !onsidering the question EIn your country) $o# does progress) or lac' of progress)to#ards MDG sectors and targets affect crisis and conflict? In ot$er #ords does povertyand lac' of progress on MDGs ignite and3or sustain crisis and conflict45 I think it isimportant that we highlight that the method by whi!h or the pro!ess by whi!h the goals area!hieved !an have as mu!h impli!ation for !risis prevention and or !onfli!t ignition as attainingthe goal itself" #here is a danger that in the enthusiasm to rea!h MDG goals, me!hanisms andpoli!ies may be adopted that are likely to ensure progress on the goals but that as a sideeffe!twill e)a!erbate lo!al !onfli!t" $ good e)ample would be pro*e!ts that involve in!reasing !hildrensa!!ess to s!hools" $ set of initiatives may in aggregate form indi!ate movement toward Goal /but may also give rise to inequalities a!ross, for e)ample, different ethni! groups" #he latterpoint, also highlights the !omments made by anako in epa where he underlines that skeweddistribution of progress &or la!k thereof' on the MDGs !an be one of the ma*or fa!tors that ignite!onfli!t"

$mina and Moises raise the question under what !onditions are MDGs pertinent to +D- and itspartners in !risis !ountries and when are they less soor in another !ut on this question[when

should a megaphone by used and when should the approa!h be more subtle" I am not sure thatone !an !ome up with a definitive response" =owever, I would think that MDGs would be moreuseful in !ases where there is a va!uum in terms of an arti!ulated !ommon national agenda forre!overy"

In some of the responses to date, we have seen people fo!us their analysis on spe!ifi! goals"."g, the dis!ussion on Goal 2 in my view is very helpful" My question is , of the H goals is theview that they are equally important in their impa!t on !onfli!t or should some, like Goal 2 beprioriti@ed:

I think that -hilip 7rowns observation8 E the problem is that the global mainstream developmentagenda tends to be !onstru!ted on a bifur!ated morality that privileges !ertain !ore development

values amenable to prevailing e!onomi! orthodo)ies, while !losing down the dis!ursive spa!eavailable for alternative and more progressive visions of sustainable human development< is aninteresting one" #he solution, is of !ourse, to ensure that the voi!es of those not as!ribing toe!onomi! orthodo)ies are heard and promoted in the debate on MDGs" Su!h an attempt wasmade in headquarters re!ently where members of the CSU $dvisory Committee to theadministrator were en!ouraged to give their views on MDGs" Une theme that emerged at thismeeting was that +D- should use the MDGs as a tool to 8 a' !reate a poli!y spa!e not providedby -%S- b'support innovative ideas that provide alternatives to IM>;W7 poli!ies for e!onomi!relief" Some parti!ipants in parti!ular emphasi@ed that MDGs should be push for debt relief"

7est wishes,.va"

Dr" .va 7us@a-oli!y $dvisor7ureau for Crisis -revention and %e!overyStrategi! -lanning +nit, +D-Une +nited ations -la@a, DC4/02ew ?ork, ? 4004#el8 &/4/' T0250HH>a)8 &/4/' T022H

23


24/44



Cat$erine &iloto) *%D& %0 #rote:

Colleagues,

$dding my voi!e to !omments from -hilip, eil, and Motselisi, it is glaringly !lear that advan!ingMDGs in a holisti! and not too te!hni!ally oriented manner is an indispensable approa!h" #he!hallenges go beyond simple MDG advo!a!y, as well e)pounded by -hilip for South $fri!a and6imbabwe" I have the 6imbabwe e)perien!e where government fo!us was on land redistributionas a measure to redress inherited imbalan!es on a!!ess to e!onomi! assets, and efforts on MDGadvo!a!y were e)pe!ted to fall within this broad interpretation of poverty eradi!ation" $!!ordingto government, MDG 4 was equivalent to land redistribution be!ause it was land that would allowthe population to engage in agri!ulture for subsisten!e and !ommer!ial purposes" #his isgovernment attempt to address the real issue after two de!ades of seemingly good e!onomi!performan!e, !onfirmed by huge gains in the e!onomi! and so!ial se!tors" #he same e!onomi!and so!ial stru!tures and approa!hes to development that e)isted prior to independen!e be!amethe modus operandi, with some ad*ustments in some areas, but these were not solid enoughdrasti!ally sustain progress, until the !ra!ks began to show" #he !ountry today has an in!reasingrefugee population, =IJ;$IDS issues, deteriorating so!ial servi!es and a weakened !ivil servi!e,

politi!al disagreements and massive brain drain due to the harsh e!onomi! realities et!" all thesefounded on deep rooted inequalities that have gone unattended for a long time" Crisis and !onfli!t!annot but be ignited or sustained in su!h a situation" We saw what started off as simple breadand butter issues es!alate to !risis and !onfli!t" $ !y!le developed where in sear!h of livelihoodand improved living !onditions, population !ollided with state se!urity organs and the relationshipgradually degenerated into mistrust and all sorts of interpretation by either side" =uman se!uritywas threatened, parti!ularly so when !onfiden!e in state institutions was slowly being eroded,e!onomi! !onditions deteriorating and no outlets out of poverty were readily available"

Would MDG !ampaigns and efforts remain pertinent in su!h a situation: $ simple answer will beyes, be!ause there has to e)ist at least some framework within whi!h the development agendawill be !arried forward, 7+# without a multipronged approa!h, fle)ible enough to a!!ommodate!on!rete realities on the ground, &whi!h has to tou!h on sensitive politi!al issues', MDGs may

remain a bu@@ word" #his multipronged approa!h in my view !alls for mu!h stronger globalpartnerships in the !onte)t of goal H, but in a more politi!al than te!hni!al tone when the situationrequires it, then the way will be paved for the te!hni!al dimensions to be founded on firm ground,be!ause for !omple) politi!al situations, global partnerships at the politi!al level are essentialbefore we !an even engage in issues of debt redu!tion and fair trade" >or !ountries failing evento feed themselves, what fair trade will there be to talk about: Diffi!ult issues to address, but allthe same !annot be wished away"

Catherine -iloto-oli!y Spe!ialist &+DGU'ew ?ork

8aura Rio) *%D& */1e'istan #rote:

Dear parti!ipants in the dis!ussion,I am impressed with the level and depth of this dis!ussion and would like to !ontribute to it"I believe that it is important to highlight the role played by the !on!ept of human se!urity inshaping our understanding of the links between MDGs !risis and !onfli!t at national;subnationaland regional levels"

24


25/44



-rogress on MDGs or la!k of it may affe!t &but also may not dire!tly' !risis and !onfli!t" #he leveldepends very mu!h on the !ountry national !onte)t, the degree of internal inequalities and how a!ountry is pla!ed &e!onomi!ally and politi!ally' at regional level" #he !ausal;fun!tional linkbetween MDGs and !risis;!onfli!t also depends on how MDGs are per!eived both at top andgrass root level, how they are integrated in;are part of the national poli!ies, how targets aremeasured and how mu!h politi!al will and understanding;ability there is to link !onfli!t and !risis"

$lso, those who measure may be those who benefit from !onfli!t and !risis or are untou!hed bythem and this !an !ompromise measurement"In your !ountry, how does progress or la!k of progress, towards MDG se!tors and targets affe!t!risis and !onfli!t: In other words does poverty and la!k of progress on MDGs ignite and;orsustain !risis and !onfli!t:

I would like to !ontribute the e)perien!e of my !ountry" +@bekistan is not !ountry in !risis or in!onfli!t" #he !ountry is mainly !on!erned with issues related to living standards and has identifiedtheir improvement as a prerequisite for a!hieving national priorities and the MDGs"Despite the !ountrys e!onomi! a!hievements during the period 4TT/ to /004 the e!onomy hasbeen fa!ing a number of !hallenges, in!luding8 high rates of unemployment and

underemploymentA a high degree of inequality in the distribution of in!ome with signifi!ant partsthe population e)perien!ing little or no improvement in material !onditions and underutili@ation ofprodu!tive !apa!ity" #hese fa!tors, together with a still fragile regional se!urity have !learly hadan impa!t on human se!urity, have a potential destabili@ing influen!e in so!iety and mayaggravate se!urity problems" #hus, deprivation of so!ial and e!onomi! entitlements of onesegment of so!iety by another &as already said by David Matanhire' !ould lead to !onfli!t and!risis"#o !ountera!t these trends and a!t as a preventive measure against !onfli!t and !risis,+@bekistan has laun!hed its first ever strategy to improve living standards i"e" ComprehensiveStrategy for Improving the Niving Standards of the -eople of +@bekistan< &de fa!to the nationalpoverty redu!tion strategy', a step that will support the !ountrys e!onomi! and so!ial reformagenda" #he Government is !ommitted to a!hieving the goals of the strategy and has taken the

MDGs as the re!ogni@ed framework for monitoring and implementing the NSS for mediumtermplanning, budgeting and monitoring" #he + C# and +D- are at the forefront in assisting the!ountry in promoting dialogue on MDGs"In +@bekistan spe!ifi! !ase and within its present poli!y setting, it may be well argued that MDGsand prevention of !risis;!onfli!t deriving from stagnating or worsening living standards !an &andshould' be linked" #hus, national efforts to !ombat poverty and linking them with MDGs mayprevent possible future !risis or !onfli!t" #he MDGs !an !ertainly a!t as the re!ogni@edframework for monitoring and implementing poverty redu!tion and all national developmentstrategies, in!luding !risis and !onfli!t prevention" Whether there is a dire!t !ausal;fun!tional linkbetween MDGs improvement and !risis;!onfli!t prevention in the !ountry spe!ifi! !onte)t, this issomething that requires more study at !ountry level"

Do national and international partners in your environment per!eive the MDGs as a relevantinstrument for !onfli!t resolution or re!overy: $re the MDGs pertinent to the work of +D- andpartners in these settings:Generally speaking I believe that the answer to both these questions is yes" ational andinternational partners work with and around MDGs is a relatively re!ent development" #here is agradual move however, from the MDGs seen as a + produ!t to MDGs as a means to a!hievedevelopment and measure progress" #he shift is parti!ularly evident in the nationali@ation andlo!ali@ation of MDGs"

25


26/44



If the question refers to !onfli!t prevention too and with the spe!ifi! !ase of +@bekistan in mind, itseems to me that the present interest of national and international partners is indeed on the linksbetween poverty redu!tion &also as a means for !risis prevention' and the MDGs" -overtyredu!tion is thus seen as linked, through the MDGs, to a number of issues su!h as environmentalsustainability, edu!ation, gender parity, maternal and !hild health and =IJ;$IDS redu!tion dire!tlyimpa!ting on human se!urity" MDGs are at the !entre of +D- work in +@bekistan and provide asolid and widely re!ogni@ed entry points in supporting initiatives related to poverty redu!tion &and!risis prevention'" $t +D- level this is done amongst other, through !reating an enablingenvironment that supports sustainable mi!rolending and selfemployment as well as

4747-Crisis in Development MDGs in Conflict and Disaster Settings - Individual Responses

Documents

Transcript of 4747-Crisis in Development MDGs in Conflict and Disaster Settings - Individual Responses