5 October 2012: In the latest “Our Perspective” piece, UN Development Programme (UNDP) official Magdy Martinez, Bureau for Development Policy, calls for justice and legal empowerment to be addressed in the post-2015 agenda, highlighting issues of social inclusion and the need for legal empowerment of the poor.

Martinez writes that while the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) successfully presented clear, quantifiable and time-bound goals, development also requires governance values, systems and institutions. He highlights birth registration and legal identity as rights that hold the key to other development goals, including education, health and access to employment. He notes the situation of indigenous minorities, suggesting that social policies that provide secure property tenure, curb violent crime, and increase access to legal advice represent some of the dimensions that should be part of “the sustainable development equation.” Finally, he emphasizes that formulation of the “post-MDG” development agenda must be broad-based and inclusive, and reflect the demands and priorities of poor and marginalized groups. [Our Perspective]