As the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) reach their December 2015 deadline, a new set of transformative and universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be adopted by world leaders as a part of the Post–2015 Development Agenda at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015.These new global SDGs will lead policy formulation and funding for the next 15 years.Voices around the world are demanding leadership in 2015 over food security, poverty, climate change and inequality.
Experts in Delhi led Dr. Bibek Debroy Member, Niti Aayog and Dr. Jaco Cilliers, Country Director UNDP India, today deliberatedon the Emerging Perspective from the Global South: Promoting Employment, Education and Skills for Inclusive Developmentdiscussing an array of issues revolving around the Millennium Development Goals and provide certain essential insights into imperatives for the post 2015 Agenda.
“India has made notable progress towards reaching the MDGs but achievements across the Goals vary. While preparing for implementation of the development agenda post-2015, a key element for India is learning lessons from the previous approach it has taken towards meeting MDG targets and examining ‘what has worked’ and ‘what hasn’t worked’. The Knowledge Partnership Program has facilitated very wide-ranging consultations across all segments of Indian society and it is my expectation that the new development agenda will be more inclusive and sustainable,” said Dr Debroy.
The event was organized under the*Knowledge Partnership Programwhich is an initiative by the Government of UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and implemented by consortium led by IPE Global Private Ltd.
Commending India on its leadership role in global deliberations on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Jaco Cilliers, Country Director, UNDP India says, “As the country with the largest proportion of young people, India is putting in place ambitious programmes to skill its workforce and ensure employment for all, which is at the core of the global agenda to ensure inclusive growth for all countries in the world.”
The process to define the global post-2015 development framework, building on the Rio +20 commitments, is moving fast. However, a major cause for concern is the lack of effective participation from countries of the Global South. It is imperative that the Southern voices are heard and have a leading role in setting the new agenda.
“The global conversation is slowly crystallizing around a new set of goals which takes into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development. It is encouraging to see how some of the specific proposals advocated by Indian civil society are getting their due attention,” said Ashwajit Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, IPE Global.
At the event a publication, “Human Development in the Global South”was also released capturing development deliberations relating to poverty, inequality and exclusion, food security and nutrition, health care, employment and social protection, gender equality and education by the academic community.
Elaborating on what is the book about, Dr Tanuka Endow, the editor said, “This book highlights the concerns of the Southern countries regarding human development issues. It provides insight into common challenges such as increasing inequality and will be an invaluable addition to the international discourse around development issues in the post-MDG era. ”
The panel discussion was chaired byDr. Pronab Sen, Chairman, National Statistical Commission and Country Director, International Growth Centre India Central Programme. Other panelist part of the discussion were Professor Alakh N Sharma Director, Institute for Human Development, New Delhi, Mr. PawanAgarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development, Government of India, Dr. Jaco Cilliers, Country Director, UNDP India, Professor Jeemol Unni, Professor of Economics and Director, Institute of Rural Management, Anand, Gujarat, Professor R. Govinda Vice-Chancellor, National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA), New Delhi.
