{"id":2291,"date":"2013-11-25T11:39:42","date_gmt":"2013-11-25T11:39:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xsf.stakeholderforum.org\/2013\/11\/25\/analysis-of-proposals-in-the-sdgs-e-inventory-related-to-the-themes-of-the-fifth-session-of-the-open-working-group-on-sdgs\/"},"modified":"2013-11-25T11:39:42","modified_gmt":"2013-11-25T11:39:42","slug":"analysis-of-proposals-in-the-sdgs-e-inventory-related-to-the-themes-of-the-fifth-session-of-the-open-working-group-on-sdgs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sf.stakeholderforum.org\/index.php\/analysis-of-proposals-in-the-sdgs-e-inventory-related-to-the-themes-of-the-fifth-session-of-the-open-working-group-on-sdgs\/","title":{"rendered":"Analysis of proposals in the SDGs e-Inventory related to the themes of the Fifth Session of the Open Working Group on SDGs"},"content":{"rendered":"

By David Kroeker Maus and Jack Cornforth, Stakeholder Forum<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/span>November 2013<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span><\/span>Sustainable Development Goals e-Inventory<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/a>is an interactive online tool which <\/span><\/span>enables stakeholders to outline their visions for new post-2015 global goals<\/a>. This may be in the form of fully formed proposals, which include detailed targets and indicators, or simply principles and themes that should be applied to the goals. The e-Inventory also enables stakeholders to search existing proposals.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The UN General Assembly\u2019s<\/span> Open Working Group<\/a> (OWG) on SDGs was mandated by Member States at Rio+20 to propose a set of sustainable development goals (SDGs) by September 2014. <\/span>The Fifth Session of the OWG (November 25-27) will consider the thematic areas of:<\/span> Sustained and inclusive economic growth<\/span><\/a>, <\/span><\/span>Macroeconomic policy questions (including international trade, international financial system and external debt sustainability), infrastructure development and industrialisation<\/span><\/a> (all of which, for the purpose of this report, will be referred to collectively using the abbreviation, SIGMIDI); and Energy.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In order to inform the deliberations of the November OWG meeting, Stakeholder Forum has conducted an analysis of the proposals currently housed within the SDGs e-Inventory which relate to the thematic areas of the Fifth Session. For most of these topics, the SDG e-Inventory already contains a diverse range of proposals, from a wide variety of stakeholders from all global regions. It is hoped that this analysis will be a useful resource for the OWG members, as well other stakeholders involved in discussions on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, whether working specifically on the themes of this OWG meeting or otherwise.<\/span><\/p>\n

Methodology<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Using the search function of the SDGs e-Inventory, relevant proposals were identified using the thematic labels applied to the proposals when they were uploaded, and by conducting a search of relevant keywords contained within proposals. For example, proposals which were categorised under the thematic areas of \u2018Trade\u2019 and \u2018Economic growth\/development\u2019 have been analysed, along with those tagged with the themes of \u2018Energy access\u2019, \u2018Energy efficiency\u2019, and \u2018Renewable energy\u2019. Searches using keywords such as \u2018industry\u2019 and \u2018infrastructure\u2019 were conducted and proposals were then checked to ensure their relevance to the respective topics.<\/span><\/p>\n

Analysis<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Sustained and inclusive economic growth, macroeconomic policy (including trade, financial system and external debt sustainability), infrastructure development and industrialisation (SIGMIDI)<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The breadth of this thematic cluster meant that a diverse range of proposals were considered in the analysis. Infrastructure development was the area with the highest number of relevant proposals (probably due to the broad array of interpretations of the term ‘infrastructure’), followed by, in order, sustained and inclusive economic growth, industrialisation, trade, international financial system and finally, external debt sustainability. Although these thematic areas are being considered jointly by the OWG, there was less overlap than might have been expected among proposals in the e-Inventory (i.e. no proposals that addressed both industry and<\/i> inclusive growth for example).<\/span><\/p>\n

Undoubtedly, recent economic crises factored in the formulations of stakeholders\u2019 proposals. Thus, many proposals deal not just with increasing economic opportunities in \u2018developing\u2019 countries, but also with stabilising the economic and financial systems of \u2018developed\u2019 countries.<\/span><\/p>\n

Figure 1: Geographic distribution of proposals relating to SIGMIDI<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 \"e-inventory<\/p>\n

Figure 1 reveals that overall there is relative parity between the Global North and South with respect to the current number of proposals in the e-Inventory relating to these thematic areas, however there have been very few submissions thus far from the Americas or Oceania. Nearly a third of the proposals came from stakeholders were identified as \u2018international\u2019, which can include intergovernmental bodies, international NGOs, coalitions comprised of partners in multiple countries, and international membership organisations. The region with the largest share of proposal submissions is Europe, accounting for nearly a quarter. There is good representation from Sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for 21 per cent of the proposals, (despite comprising roughly 15 per cent of the global population). Although Asia accounts for 15 per cent of proposals, the continent is still quite underrepresented, given that Asia accounts for 60 per cent of global population.<\/span><\/p>\n

The relatively strong representation of Africa and Asia relates in part to the efforts of the<\/span> Initiative for Equality<\/a> (IfE), an e-Inventory project partner that continues to directly encourage its many<\/span> Field Hearings Partners<\/a> across these continents to submit proposals to the database. The low number of proposals on these themes from Oceania and the Americas is something that both civil society-led initiatives and official UN processes like the OWG will need to try and address if the large proportion of the global population that resides in these regions is to have its diverse interests and views on these topics heard.<\/span><\/p>\n

Figure 2: Distribution of stakeholder type for proposals relating to SIGMIDI<\/span> <\/em><\/p>\n

\"e-inventory<\/p>\n

By far, the largest share of proposals relating to SIGMIDI come from NGOs. It is difficult to determine exactly why there is such a large gap between NGOs and all other stakeholders, however, we identify a few possible explanations: It may be that NGOs see the SDG e-Inventory as a platform where their proposals are likely to influence the SDG process, whilst other stakeholders may have access to other venues for advocacy. Additionally, the \u2018NGO\u2019 category arguably covers a broader spectrum of actors than any of the others: whilst \u2018Think Tank\u2019 and \u2018Workers and Trade Unions\u2019 can only apply to a very specific group of stakeholders.<\/span><\/p>\n

Note that the sum of the stakeholder type totals displayed in Figure 2 will equal more than the total number of proposals relating to this thematic cluster, as several have been authored by coalitions that include more than one stakeholder-type, for example an intergovernmental organisation in partnership with academia.<\/span><\/p>\n

Infrastructure<\/span><\/p>\n

The UN Technical Support Team (TST)<\/span> Issues Brief on SIGMIDI<\/a> identifies a wide range of infrastructure that is critical to sustainable development, encompassing roads, dams, broadband, education infrastructure and health care infrastructure among others. For our analysis, we have used a similarly broad interpretation of infrastructure.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

29 proposals contain the keyword \u2018Infrastructure\u2019, of which 16 contain specific goals, targets and indicators (GTIs).<\/span><\/p>\n

Most proposals deal with infrastructure broadly (or even in the abstract), but a few focus only on a particular type of infrastructure, such as energy infrastructure or transport infrastructure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, some proposals discuss different interpretations of infrastructure \u2013 e.g. \u2018green infrastructure\u2019 used in the context of both ecosystem services and climate change adaptation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whilst most proposals focus on the expansion of infrastructure, the World Federation of Engineering Organisations discusses the trans-boundary social and environmental consequences of large-scale infrastructure processes and proposes the implementation of mitigation measures to deal with those effects.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is clear from the proposals that although \u2018infrastructure\u2019 is understood differently in different contexts, it is often identified as a cross-cutting issue<\/b>. For example, the need for infrastructure is noted in goals ranging from ‘Reinforcing community resilience to disasters and ability to adapt to climate change\u2019 to \u2018Health for all\u2019 to \u2018a decent, sustainable and connected living environment for all.’<\/span><\/p>\n

Inclusive and Sustained Economic Growth<\/span><\/p>\n

The TST Issues brief defines Inclusive Growth as ‘growth that generates decent jobs, gives opportunities for all segments of society, especially socially excluded groups, and distributes the income and non-income gains from prosperity more equally across society.’ In this context, we have considered proposals that relate to extending the benefits of economic growth to marginalised groups or more generally broadening the reach of these benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n

24 proposals fall under the Economic Development\/Growth thematic area, with 10 recommending goals that relate to inclusive growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many of the proposals engage with the concept of inclusive growth by expressing that any development must reach the poorest and most marginalised segments of society. Three of the IfE Field Hearings Partners in sub-Saharan Africa express that any development must reach poor and socially-excluded populations first<\/i><\/b>, implying that these groups must not just be indirect beneficiaries of growth, but actually empowered to become the agents of inclusive development.<\/span><\/p>\n

The majority of the proposals which advocate for inclusive economic growth do so by pairing a focus on economic growth with provisions for social protection<\/b>. For example, a goal put forward in the \u2018Civil Society Demands for the Post-2015 Development Agenda\u2019 proposal links inclusive economic development to inequality, and suggests targets for the creation of equal employment opportunities. In other proposals, social protection focused on groups ranging from ethnic minorities to migrants to populations affected by climate change. Several proposals also highlight the need for disaggregated data.<\/span><\/p>\n

Several stakeholders call for a stand-alone goal<\/b> on inclusive economic growth, including the NGO Saferworld, and Field Hearing Partners in Uganda and Cameroon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Industry<\/span><\/p>\n

Whilst the TST issues brief mainly argues for the benefits of increasing industrialisation, many of the proposals in the e-Inventory focus on mitigating the negative consequences of that industrialisation.<\/span><\/p>\n

13 proposals contain the keyword \u2018Industry\u2019, all but two of which propose concrete GTIs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of the 13 proposals related to industry, nine deal with water, highlighting the important linkages between water usage and industry. The majority of proposals related to industry focus on treatment of industrial wastewater. After wastewater treatment, the most addressed issue in the industry-water nexus is efficiency of water use by industry. This suggests that any GTIs framework will need to consider the effects of industrialisation on water availability and supply.<\/span><\/p>\n

Three of the thirteen proposals related to industrialisation proposed a shift away<\/i><\/b> from industrial agriculture toward ecologically-sustainable agriculture. These proposals suggest that a GTIs framework could address such issues through targets related to agricultural diversity (# of crop varieties for example) or protection for smallholder farmers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trade<\/span><\/p>\n

The TST issues brief argues that: \u2018Trade liberalisation can contribute to increased growth through enhancing access to technology, intermediate and capital goods and increased competition, which in turn could reduce poverty through employment creation.\u2019 It acknowledges however that, \u2018the distribution of the gains (and losses) from trade remains a concern.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Proposals in the e-Inventory deal with both the liberalisation of trade and with targets to reduce the imbalances created by the global trading system.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is something of a North-South split regarding the language used to describe a desirable international trading system. Several stakeholders from the Global North use the language of \u2018free and open\u2019 trade relations, with the German Development Institute proposing a goal of \u2018Creating an open, rules-based and fair system of world trade,\u2019 and the Sisters of St Anne (SSA) Social Justice Office (Canada) proposing a target requiring that \u2018By 2025 Governments will develop and implement multilateral systems of trade and finance which are open, rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory.\u2019 Proposals from the South, on the other hand, tend to eschew the neoliberal language of \u2018open trade\u2019 systems. For example, the organisation Unnayan Onneshan (Bangladesh) calls for \u2018Equitable<\/i> market and trading mechanisms\u2019 and the target set by the Campaign for Peoples Goals for Sustainable Development (CPGSD) \u2013 which is supported by a diverse range of developing country stakeholders – is to \u2018Reform trade relations to promote equality among trade partners.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

International Financial System<\/span><\/p>\n

Proposals for GTIs relating to international finance within the e-Inventory can be roughly grouped into two categories: 1) Creating a financial system that supports sustainable development and 2) Regulations for macroeconomic stability.<\/span><\/p>\n

Within the former, there are several different types of proposed GTIs. For example, the CONCORD-European Task Force proposes the goal: \u2018Financial System serves people and respects resource thresholds,\u2019 and the International Expert Group on Earth System Preservation (IESP) propose the target: \u2018Enhancement of the resilience of economic systems through development of incentives favouring small and medium size enterprises (SMEs).\u2019 Finally, the \u2018Asia-Pacific Aspirations\u2019 proposal, submitted jointly by<\/span> ESCAP<\/a>,<\/span> ADB<\/a> and the<\/span> UNDP<\/a>, argues that new financial services should supplement traditional Official Development Assistance (ODA).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

There are varying levels of specificity on how a GTI framework could encourage financial stability. The International Poverty Reduction Center in China simply states the target: \u2018Stabilise developed nations’ financial systems.\u2019 Others target particular kinds of financial activities that create macroeconomic instability. For example, the Arab NGO Network for Development calls for policies that support a non-speculative commodity market, and the Civil Society Reflection Group on Global Development Perspectives calls for a target on a \u2018global currency mechanism to prevent volatile fluctuations and competitive devaluations.\u2019 The CPGSD calls for a target including \u2018improved regulation of banks, financial flows and financial activities such as derivatives trading.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

There are also a number of proposals related to the role of offshore tax-havens, tax evasion and illicit financial flows in hindering sustainable development.<\/span><\/p>\n

Debt sustainability<\/span><\/p>\n

The TST Issues Brief notes that: \u2018The inability of States with heavy debt burdens to access affordable credit during the current crisis has revealed problems with the existing debt framework.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

There are fewer concrete proposals that deal with debt sustainability than with the other macroeconomic issues being discussed at the fifth meeting of the OWG. Most that address debt just include a non-numeric target for ensuring debt sustainability. Research organisation Unnayan Onneshan proposed the novel indicator \u2018Debt service as a percentage of exports of goods and services.\u2019 One proposal that did go into greater detail was the CPGSD\u2019s goal for \u2018New Trade, Monetary and Financial Architecture.\u2019 Among other targets, the CPGSD calls for \u2018establishing a mechanism for sovereign debt renegotiation.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Comparison with official Post-2015 Development Agenda Process inputs<\/span><\/p>\n

As the post-2015 discourse has so far been primarily shaped by official UN process inputs, such as the High-Level Panel (HLP), the UN Global Compact, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and several UN Development Group (UNDG) consultations, a comparison between these official process inputs and proposals housed within the e-Inventory might be useful, especially, as the recommendations from these inputs have come to be viewed as a yardstick against which to measure other proposals.<\/span><\/p>\n