Download Speech - AICESIS

International Association of Economic and Social Councils
and Similar Institutions
(AICESIS)
INTERVENTION OF MR. VELIKHOV
President of the Russian Civic Chamber and
President of AICESIS
TO THE 2015 PLENARY ASSEMBLY
OF THE UN ECOSOC
(UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL)
ON THE THEME
How to achieve a transmutation of the MDGs into SDGs that could
meet the expectations of all the countries?
New York (USA) – July 2015
EN
Dear colleagues
Ladies and Gentlemen
The process globally initiated since 2012 that consists in implementing the transmutation of
MDGs into SDGs marks a new qualitative stage in the conceptualization of development on
the global scale.
The AICESIS, within the framework of its participation to the international community effort,
in accordance with its statutory duties, has taken this opportunity to develop and propose two
contributions: the first one, in July 2014, was dedicated to the assessing of the MDGs, and the
second one, object of this communication, presents the elements of a reflection about the
ways and means so as to ensure a transmutation toward a pattern of development capable of
meeting the legitimate welfare aspirations of the whole world’s populations.
The year 2015 is on the verge to mark a number of ruptures in the economic and social fields,
both internationally and regionally. On the economic level, it will experiment the start of a
new step in the crisis that the world has been living since 2008, with a light, but yet difficult,
recovery in the economies of the developed countries, after a long recession that lasted for
nearly seven years and the externalities that it induced. This recession has been followed by
an energy crisis, worsening since the second semester of the year 2014, with a negative
impact on the rest of the world, mainly the developing countries. If the crisis is to last longer,
it risks – by extension - to contaminate the great economic powers and produce in fine a
completely uncertain situation.
It is in such a sensitive context that the world is planning to change the paradigm of
development; the signal that we feel to be in favor of this “merger” of MDGs with SDGs is
translated into reality by the urgent need for all the world’s countries to be assessed on the
basis of the same matrix of development and submit the latter to the prism of long term
sustainability.
How shall it then be possible to guarantee for all the peoples of the planet a safety net for a
serene passage to SDGs, without taking the risk to create the so-called “left out regions” or
worsen more the fractures of exclusion, that can be seen now throughout the world ?
Besides, the assessment of the process consisting in initiating the transmutation of the MDGs
into SDGs, has revealed mixed results for many observers, as all the objectives have not been
reached, and those which have been achieved are still suffering some regional and subnational disparities.
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 situation. The research works, undertaken
by the United Nations, independent researchers and specialized research centers have revealed
the causes that produced those situations. It can be noticed that most MDGs have been based
on merely social results, and could not thus give enough interest to the factors likely to
produce the expected welfare throughout the world.
In terms of security and stability, which are a key element in any development process, the
world is experiencing during these last years a disturbing increase of violence. 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.
In reference to these contextual elements, it seems particularly sensitive to open up new
horizons for the world development while we have inherited a situation full of cumbersome
issues which have not been resolved yet.
In the same time, we are witnessing the emergence of new contexts promoting the converging
toward a sustainable development, just like the significant change occurring in the global
political and economic landscape, with the remarkable economic performances achieved by
the so-called South countries that have become real leading actors in the global growth,
increase in the gross national income per capita in a number of countries with medium
income, and which even exceeds that of some developed countries; and eventually, the
progressive role of the private sector that is becoming a credible partner to development.
It is only under these conditions that we could succeed in achieving the expected
transformations in the patterns of “consumption, production, protection and management of
the natural resources underlying the economic and social development.
Consequently, it becomes obvious that the MDG agenda needs a thorough 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 mentioned, 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.
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 countries. The evidence of this is the difficulty that faced the progress
achieved in the world and caused 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.
As practical proposals, the international community should – and this is our conviction in
AICESIS, ensure to redress disparities now existing between different regions of the world,
through a number of priority levers, such as (i) integrating the cultural dimension in the
projects of development; this can play a leading role in the mobilization of the concerned
actors; (ii) improving national tools and systems of statistics so as to monitor efficiently the
progress and assess performances and impacts; (iii) accelerating the digital connection of
which impact on the economic growth has become a matter of fact, throughout the world, and
namely in Africa; (iv) putting peace, security and integrity of sovereign territories above any
interest or consideration of development; and lastly, reinforcing participative democracy and,
particularly, the role of women and youth in development, by instilling the values/principles
of inclusive dialogue and exchange among all the living forces of society.
Consequently, the new post-2015 development Agenda would be more relevant in a context
of resource scarcity if the principles of equity, 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.
It is only under this condition, in our view, that it would be possible to conceive a newer and
better world on the outlook to 2030, that would enshrine the founding principles of individual
freedoms, democracy and good governance.