High-level officials discussed the achievements and shortcomings of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) during a seminar as part of the 2012 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group.
Panelists considered elements of the post-2015 development agenda, recommending the inclusion of additional dimensions, and debating the practicality of universal, national and local goals.
13 October 2012: Seven panelists discussed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the post-2015 development agenda, addressing the question “Is There a Role for a Next Generation of MDGs?,” during a seminar at the 2012 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group, in Tokyo, Japan.
Panelists recognized the MDGs as an important catalyst in mobilizing global attention and support for poverty reduction and other goals. The MDGs also had demonstrated the usefulness of simple, clear, measurable goals, they noted. However, they noted that the world has changed since the MDGs’ formulation, with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia and co-Chair of the UN High-Level Panel (HLP) on the post-2015 development agenda, noting that the MDGs did not fully consider the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainable development.
Sirleaf expressed support for a set of universal goals, in order to gain needed global political will, but balanced with a focus on implementation and accountability for rich countries.
Panelists recommended continued efforts on the MDGs, with Helen Clark, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator, emphasizing accelerating progress. Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank, said ending extreme poverty must remain the primary goal, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Clark and Gunilla Carlsson, Minister of International Development Cooperation, Sweden, also stressed ending poverty, with Carlsson stating such a goal should go beyond eliminating hunger to encompass broader concepts of freedom. Akihiko Tanaka, President, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), also supported keeping some of the MDGs, including on child mortality and maternal health. Carlsson, Clark, Kim and Tanaka drew attention to challenges faced by fragile states, noting that they are unlikely to meet the MDGs.
On the post-2015 development agenda and future goals, Kim called for a multi-sectoral approach. Tanaka recommended clear, measurable and easy to understand goals while noting that the complexity of concepts such as economic growth and governance cannot easily be reduced to simple, single numbers. He proposed incorporating disaster prevention, energy, resilience, and sustainability into the post-2015 goals.
Sirleaf emphasized including climate change, gender equality, hunger, poverty, sustainable development, youth unemployment, and water and sanitation. Sirleaf and Miguel Castilla, Minster of Economy and Finance, Peru, supported addressing equity. Carlsson and Clark said good governance is critical, with Carlsson also stressing monitoring and accountability and Clark supporting leadership, rights-based approaches and political inclusion. Castilla said external conditions matter, citing weak institutions and weak government effectiveness as reasons why nations do not complete or achieve MDGs.
Panelists also discussed the practicality of universal, national and local goals. Sirleaf supported universal goals and shared responsibilities balanced across countries while noting that uniform global goals may not be practical. Noting differences between developed and developing countries, Homi Kharas, Brookings Institute, emphasized consideration of feasibility and practicality. He urged avoiding generalizations and bringing country specificity and global interconnectedness into the post-2015 dialogue. Tanaka said the international community should agree on basic goals applicable to all nations and then encourage the development of national goals based on specific conditions. Carlsson noted the challenge of identifying universal goals that the international community can rally around, while also ensuring that goals can be translated to the local level.
Several panelists noted the multiple processes underway to define the post-2015 agenda. Both Sirleaf and Kharas emphasized the extensive consultation process being undertaken by the HLP. Sirleaf said she and other panel members from Africa will convene a series of events to ensure a truly Pan-African perspective in the Panel’s work.
Clark described UNDP’s consultation processes and noted that the UNGA Open Working Group (OWG) on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the HLP have different timeframes. Kharas said the HLP will work closely with the UNGA on the development of the SDGs.
The session was jointly organized by the World Bank, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan, and JICA. Kaushik Basu, World Bank, moderated the panel. [Event Webcast]