Month: December 2017

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The SDGs and a Human Rights Framework

In 2015 the United Nations came up with the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs as a successor to the Millennium Development Goals. The SDGs are to be completed by 2030 and are far more extensive than the MDGs. There are 17 SDGs that include, health, gender equality, protecting the earth, and of course developing sustainably. The SDGs are very ambitious but not impossible and there is the High Level Political Forum or HLPF to help guide their implementation. Each goal has several targets and indicators which helps keep States and the United Nations on track to achieve the SDGs. While many activists and development theorists believe the SDGs are an improvement to the MDGs because they are more expansive and detailed, many feel like the SDGs missed the mark in a variety of ways. For example, while the SDG’s emphasize that the goals must be accessible to all, they do not provide specific targets or indicators to reach out to those populations. This lack of outreach makes the language that states “for all” in the SDGs seem like an empty promise.

Other activists are not satisfied with the SDGs because they believed that they missed an opportunity to focus on rights based approaches. With the ever looming threat of climate change and the potential for environmental conflict, many activists believe that it is necessary to state that things such as clean water are a right. Establishing clean water and clean air as a human right would align with the human rights framework that the UN is currently applying to treaties such as CEDAW and the CRPD. Applying a human rights framework to environmental issues gives the UN a framework with which to address these issue. There is already a special rapporteur who addresses human rights and the environment, but his suggestions were not applied to the SDGs. Activists argue that the UN should apply the human rights framework to the environment in all UN initiatives.

While the SDGs are far more extensive than the MDGs, they still have a lot of room for improvement. For the next set of goals, the UN should have targets and indicators specifically for marginalized populations. The UN should also apply frameworks that they are already applying in other sectors to the goals as well and put increased focus on protecting the environment, especially in light of the potential conflicts that could arise.

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The Grand Challenge of Inclusive Education

A very pressing Grand Challenge is inclusive education. Inclusive education requires the collaboration of many different disciplines because there are so many different aspects of making education accessible. Inclusive education is also a new frontier because the systems of education that exist are inaccessible and exclusionary, so drastic changes to the educational system must be made. One innovation that has drastically changed the educational system and made it far more accessible is technology. Technology makes it possible for educators and students to communicate even when they are not in the same place or even time zone. This is incredibly important for students with disabilities who may have mobility issues that prevent them from coming to a traditional classroom. Technology like blackboard collaborate makes it possible for students to attend a class without physically attending. In recent years there has been an increase in educational programs that allow students to participate remotely. One example is the IDPP international masters program which allowed students with disabilities from all over the world to participate and earn their masters without having to come to Washington D.C. Programs like this show the innovative role technology is playing in making education more inclusive.

There are many challenges to inclusive education, however. One is unequal access to technology and unequal technological capabilities. As seen with the Maitland Commission Report and Falling Through the Net, not everyone or every country has the same amount of access to technology. Non-reliable or no internet access can prevent potential students from participating remotely in educational programs. Lack of internet can also lead to a lack of information about these programs and opportunities. Equal access to technology should be made a priority, because without equal access, much of the world’s disabled population could be excluded from education. For places that currently do not have as much access to technology, traditional classroom settings must also be made to be more inclusive. More educational materials should be made available in braille and schools should provide a sign language interpreter to every student who needs one. All children should also learn sign language in school so that they can communicate with their deaf and hard of hearing classmates. Schools should also be physically accessible with ramps and elevators. Inclusive education is a grand challenge and incredibly important because education is the future. If people with disabilities are not getting the education they need, we are missing out on the hundreds of new ideas and innovations they could come up with.

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Intersectionality and the Major Groups

Intersectionality is a theory coined by race theorist and civil rights advocate Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, that states that related systems of oppression and discrimination intersect with multiple identities to create a whole that is different from the individual components. For example, if someone is a woman with disabilities, those two identities are compounded and the systems of oppression interrelate. This intersection of identity makes women with disabilities more vulnerable because they are doubly excluded from the economic sector, education, and health care, as well as doubly excluded socially. Because they systems of oppression interrelate, it is very hard to separate identities. The theory of intersectionality allows us to understand the additional challenges of persons with multiple identities that are discriminated against. However, though intersectionality is recognized as an incredibly important theory, many institutions have not put the implications of the theory into practice and tried to fight the interrelated systems of oppression. The theory of intersectionality has also been used by some institutions to marginalize some identities.

The United Nations is an example of an institution that has used intersectionality in order to exclude some groups from participating. In the UN there are 9 major groups which are allowed to participate in sustainable development initiatives and the review and creation of those initiatives. The 9 major groups are allowed to participate in the high level political forum which was created to implement and review the SDGs. However, persons with disabilities and older persons are not part of the major groups which means they do not get a seat at the table. When activists brought this concern to the UN, the UN argued that due to intersectionality, the 9 major groups were already fighting for persons with disabilities and older persons because the women’s group would fight for women with disabilities and the farmer’s group would fight for farmers with disabilities and so on. However, the groups already have set agendas which may or may not include older persons and persons with disabilities. Relying on the groups’ intersectionality is not the most effective way to ensure persons with disabilities and older persons get a seat at the table. Intersectionality is a useful theory but it is not a silver bullet that automatically reduces oppression just by being mentioned or understood. Action must be taken to put the theory in to practice, but intesectionality should not be put into practice in such a way that it excludes already marginalized populations.

 

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Development Theory and Inclusive Sustainable Development

Development theory is critical to understanding development initiatives and how they are created. Development theory has evolved greatly throughout the years in response to research and a better understanding of the world around us. Development began as a separate discipline after World War II when many former colonies were gaining there independence and Europe needed to be rebuilt. One of the first theories of development was modernization theory, developed by Rostow. Modernization theory argued that the third world was not developing because they were clinging to traditional culture and they would develop as they began to adopt more modern practices. Rostow was criticized for ignoring how the devastating effects of colonialism impacted development in developing nations. Dependency theory arose as a direct response to Modernization theory and argued that underdevelopment was the result of an unequal flow of resources from the periphery to the core as a result of colonialism. Both these theories and many other that followed measured development in terms of economic; countries with a higher GDP were seen as more developed. However, in recent years development has started to be looked at in a new way.

One of the most prominent scholars of development, Amartya Sen, argues that development cannot simply be measured in economics. Development must also be measured in the opportunities or “freedoms” a population has. In order to measure the opportunities a population has, we must use other tools and not simply the GDP. The Human development index (HDI) is a better measure of development because it includes life expectancy, education, and per capita income which gives a better picture of the opportunities of a population. Sen argues that development and development initiatives must also include marginalized populations such as women and minorities because there can be no true development if a large percentage of the population is excluded. This point is critical to my project which deals with the sexual and reproductive rights of women with disabilities in Latin America. Women with disabilities make up 10 percent of the population but are often excluded from development initiatives which impedes development. The lack of sexual and reproductive health care for women with disabilities also works to exclude them from development. In order for countries to be truly developed, they must make sure they are allowing marginalized populations such as women and people with disabilities to have the same opportunities as those populations traditionally included in development initiatives.

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Grand Challenges and the SDGs

A “ Grand Challenge” can be described as a challenge that ambitious but achievable, captures the publics imagination, and requires many different disciplines to solve. Grand challenges currently include challenges of renewable energy, challenges of public health, and other challenges which have captured the imagination and labor of many people. Grand Challenges require “moonshot thinking” which describes taking a chance and trying to creating exploring new ideas even when nobody has tried it before. Moonshot thinking is named after one of the greatest examples of a Grand Challenge: the moon landing of 1969. No one knew how to get to the moon, it had never been done before, but they still attempted and worked across disciplines, and eventually we got to the moon. Moonshot thinking encourages people to try the impossible in the hopes that grand challenges will be solved. The concept of grand challenges is important for this class because many challenges in the realm of development such as ending poverty and hunger are possible but very ambitious. There are many different organizations working towards these goals in the hopes of making the world a better place.

The United Nations created the Millennium Development Goals as well as the Sustainable Development Goals to provide a framework for solving some of the most persistent grand challenges that exist today. The Millennium Development goals and Sustainable Development Goals s deal with such topics as health, education, equality, and protecting the environment. The goals are ambitious, but not impossible, and require new ways of thinking in order for them to be achieved. While the goals themselves are Grand Challenges, there is another challenge included within them: how to make the goals a reality for every member of the population, not just the populations that are usually included in development initiatives. In order for the grand challenges of the SDGs to truly be solved they must be solved for all populations including older persons and persons with disabilities. Including marginalized populations such as persons with disabilities is a grand challenge within itself because they have traditionally been excluded from many institutions and few institutions and systems have been built with people with disabilities in mind. However, through technological advances that allow for more participation, collaboration, and moonshot thinking, the achievement of the SDGs that include everyone, especially marginalized populations, are possible and within reach. Our projects will contribute to the moonshot thinking that is making these goals and the inclusion within these goals a reality.

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Habitat III and the New Urban Agenda: Transforming Cities

The New Urban Agenda (NUA) is a comprehensive agenda for sustainable urban development adopted in Quito, Ecuador during the Habitat III conference. The NUA sets forth a 20-year plan, or “roadmap” for achieving the goal of “making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” that is enshrined in Goal 11 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to most recent statistics, more than half of the worlds population now lives in urban settings, a trend that is predicted to continue. This statistic demonstrates the incredibly important role urban areas play in overall goals of development and sustainability. In order to achieve a sustainably developed world, a transformation of urban areas to be both inclusive and sustainably managed is crucial.

 

As a large portion of the developing world is undergoing rapid urbanization, the importance of the New Urban Agenda in promoting urban spaces that are inclusively designed for persons with disabilities is landmark. Within the document itself, the New Urban Agenda includes 15 explicit references to the importance of considering the needs and contributions of persons with disabilities in urban settings. The NUA does not only mention the importance of persons with disabilities as a consideration for urban development, but the document also clearly identifies actions that will help ensure that PWDs are not left behind in urban development. One of the opportunities for inclusivity necessary for implementing the NUA is in building the capacity of civil society groups, organizations of persons with disabilities in particular, so that their voice can be heard in urban development decision making process. Another strategy laid out by the New Urban Agenda for increasing inclusivity is in the designing of universally accessible buildings. By incorporating accessibility, inclusivity, and efficiency into city building codes and standards, urban spaces can greatly improve in their ability to serve all members of the city in the expansion of access to public spaces, government buildings, libraries, schools, etc. Finally, an important opportunity for expanding inclusivity in urban settings is through the use of information and communication technology (ICTs). Incorporating inclusive, accessible ICTs into city planning, political participation, community engagement can break preexisting barriers to participation for not only persons with disabilities, but along socioeconomic distinctions as well.

 

While only time will tell whether or not the worlds cities can become truly sustainable and inclusive by 2036, the New Urban Agenda is a landmark document that greatly informs the efforts of cities striving to become sustainable and inclusive for all.

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Multi-stakeholder Governance and the IGF

Technology can make the world a smaller place. With technology you can communicate with someone in another country in real time, as if they were sitting with you. With technology there is also more opportunity for multi-stakeholder global governance. One example of multi-stakeholder global governance is the Internet Governance Forum or IGF. The IGF was created after it became clear at the first phase of the WSIS conference in 2003 that internet governance was a key issue. The purpose of the IGF is to bring varying stakeholders together as equals and exchange information and best practices, as well as facilitating a common understanding of how to maximize internet opportunities and address risks. While the IGF does not directly create policy, the discussions that are had can greatly shape the international agenda and set the ground work for negotiations.

Multi-stakeholder global governance bodies such as the IGF have many strengths. One of these strengths is that when there are multiple stakeholders, there are more perspectives and more information. This is a key aspect of the IGF because the more information that can be obtained, the stronger the knowledge base, which benefits every participant in the forum. Another strength of multi-stakeholder global governance is it gives developing countries the same opportunities as wealthier countries that have established dominance in fields such as internet governance. Developing countries having these same opportunities are important because, as detailed in the Missing Link and Falling Through the Net, technology is crucial to development. Without technology, it is harder to develop agriculture, health care, education, and almost every other area that governments are responsible for. Because of the importance of technology, it is crucial that developing nations have the opportunity to participate in the IGF because through the sharing of information and best practices, those countries can start bridging the technological gap between them and wealthier nations.

Multi-stakeholder global governance also allows for stakeholders who wouldn’t normally be included such as NGOs and other organizations to take part in discussions. This is beneficial because it allows for different perspectives and different ideas to be included. However, there are till many barriers to participation such as cost, travel, and a lack of personnel. In order to make multi-stakeholder governance truly inclusive, we must take into account the costs that participating for stakeholders face, and make global governance more accessible for those organizations that may not have as much money or funding.

 

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Connection between Global and Regional Frameworks

Global strategic frameworks are goals that are discussed and set up by international organizations that should be realized on a global scale. They can be measurable goals with a concrete timeline. Some examples may be the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals. Some may find such frameworks unrealistic and ineffective since they are not legally binding. But their existence still matters to the global policy-making scene because it is through initiatives like these that reflect “moonshot thinking” that our society can move forward. While national or regional goals are more concrete and on a smaller scale, strategic frameworks at the global level demonstrate shared human experience, aspiration and responsibilities. What’s more, global strategic frameworks serve as a guide and model for strategic frameworks on other levels. Therefore, despite some drawbacks, they are still indispensible in global governance.

One specific way global strategic frameworks can lead policy-making on the national and local level is through adopting spirits of other international documents. An example of inclusion of legally binding international convention is the intersection between the SDGs and the CRPD. The SDGs were adopted after the CRPD so they do a better job of including persons with disabilities than the MDGs and were able to shift the debate from only focusing on poverty reduction to a more inclusive development strategy. We can observe this trend from the five SDGs that directly refer to persons with disabilities. The SDGs can be better connected with regional and national policies in this way. The case of UNESCAP is an example of this better connection. The Incheon Strategy of UNESCAP successfully facilitated implementation of the CRPD in its member states in Southeast Asia. As the member states of UNESCAP incorporate CRPD into their national policies, they are also contributing to the SDGs. UNESCAP can also use this contribution to further encourage its member states to make progress in the area of inclusion of persons with disabilities. So the implementation of CRPD and the SDGs enhances each other.

The case of UNESCAP demonstrates advantages of overlaps between global strategic frameworks and international conventions. Policies and efforts that are separated and disconnected before can be integrated into the same system by adopting the same language as global guidelines like the SDGs. This is one of the reasons why global strategic frameworks are valuable.

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Increasing Efficiency of the High-Level Political Forum

The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) that will take place in 2018 will review Goals 6, 7, 11, 12 and 15 of the Sustainable Development Goals. While Goal 11 of the SDGs is about inclusive and sustainable city, the theme of the Ninth World Urban Forum (WUF9) in 2018 will be “Cities 2030, Cities for All: Implementing the New Urban Agenda.” WUF9 is not only taking place in the same year as the HLPF 2018 on the same theme, it will also examine how implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) can contribute to realization of the Sustainable Development Goals. This is why the HLPF is an important platform to assess and evaluate the SDGs: It examines a different set of goals each year and encourages other global strategic frameworks to connect with the goals. In order to address “Grand Challenges” that are faced by the global community, effective coordination of resources, efforts and information is vital.

The HLPF can become a more effective platform for sustainable inclusive development if it can take the initiatives to include other global strategic frameworks as part of the discussion. It is true that the SDGs may be seen as an overarching document that leads the direction for global policy-making. So the other international documents about specific aspects of development, such as the NUA, would follow the lead of the SDGs. It is not surprising that WUF9, which will be held to evaluate implementation of the NUA, tries to meet spirits of the SDGs. NUA and SDGs can complement each other and help move each other forward. But the initiatives of recognizing the overlap need to be mutual. Since HLPF 2018 will take place in July after WUF9, HLPF can incorporate discussion on NUA and SDGs into its examination over Goal 11.

While the NUA pertains to a specific goal of the SDGs, other international documents might have less focused and specific connections with the SDGs. Outcomes of World Summit on the Information Society are connected to SDGs in many ways, although they are hard to be narrowed down to one goal like the link between Goal 11 and NUA. The International Telecommunication Union has created the WSIS-SDG Matrix to present importance of ICT in inclusive sustainable development. This is a tool that can be utilized by the HLPF to evaluate progress in implementation of SDGs and to provide suggestions for next steps.

Both WUF9 and WSIS present opportunities of effective coordination of resources and knowledge across frameworks. Whether it’s a framework that can be applied to one goal or one that can be applied across all 17 goals, HLPF can become a more efficient process if it also takes the initiatives to include work of other global strategic frameworks and actors.

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The Importance of the SDG framework in informing the work of civil society

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are a crucial framework adopted to address some of the worlds most pressing development dilemmas. The SDGs, which expanded upon the priorities highlighted in the Millennium Development Goals, identify 17 specific goals that would result in a more sustainable world if achieved by 2030. For example, the ambitious set of goals include No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Climate Action, to name a few, as key areas for achieving a more sustainable and equitable global society. While the SDG framework is certainly crucial in its establishment of both goals and indicators, the SDG framework has also been extremely influential in shaping the way governments, civil society, and individuals understand the field of development generally.

In my own internship experience, I have seen firsthand the capacity that the Sustainable Development Goal Framework has in not only serving as an action plan for development, but also in focusing the efforts of actors across sectors and focus areas. At EcoAgriculture Partners. where I currently serve as communications intern, we work to reduce hunger, increase agricultural production, improve rural people’s lives and conserve biodiversity using an innovative whole landscape approach. At EcoAgriculture Partners, I had the opportunity to attend a roundtable discussion hosted by the organization in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Entitled Advancing Integrated Landscape Strategies for the SDGs, the roundtable discussion brought together professionals working across sectors of conservation, sustainable agriculture, and development to discuss the opportunities for furthering integrated landscape approaches through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal framework. The roundtable discussion highlighted the ways in which the SDG framework can serve a variety of functions. For some attending the discussion, the SDG framework proved useful in providing a monitoring framework for their own initiatives. Others saw the SDGs as valuable for contextualizing their initiatives within the realm of policy advocacy. In addition to this, panelists at the discussion underscored the way in which the SDG framework can be useful in expanding cooperation to un-silo efforts within individual organizations while also serving as a common language for encouraging private sector partnerships.