INTERNATIONAL

The right to sustainable development

-Ignacy Sachs,Chairman, Discussion Packs for sustainable development, France

One would have thought that the phenomenal economic growth of the 20th century would have settled the social problems afflicting humanity once and for all. The global economy largely produces the means to satisfy the needs of its 6 billion inhabitants, provided that they are distributed fairly. This is not the situation at all. The century ended in frustration due to what the economists euphemistically call the “negative”, social and environmental “external factors”.

On a global scale, one billion men and women, almost one third of the working population, are affected by unemployment, acute under-employment and the casualization of labor. Event the rich countries do not escape this curse.

This disparities in the distribution of income between rich and poor continue to widen within countries and between countries. According to the Swiss historian Paul Bairoch, the disparity between the per capita income of the future countries of the Third World and that of the future industrialized countries was 1 to 3 in 1900. It has continued to widen since then, reaching a ratio of 1 to 7 in the middle of the 1990s. If the per capita income of the most developed country is compared with that of the least developed countries, the disparity was 1 to 8 in 1900, rising to 1 to 50 in the middle of the 1990s.

As regards the environmental costs of economic growth, according to Claude Martin, Director General of WWF International (World Wide Fund for Nature), one third of natural resources has been drastically cut in the course of the last twenty five years. To this is added the threat of disastrous climatic change due to the greenhouse effect, which is mainly due to the over consumption of fossil fuels.

In the course of the last century, the temperature of our planet has risen from 0.3 to 0.6 degrees Celsius and if gas emissions producing a greenhouse effect continue at the present rate, global warming could reach 1 to 3.5 degrees in the 21st century, which would cause the polar icecaps to melt and the level of the oceans to rise, causing flooding in may coastal regions.

Cultivating the “Global Garden”: We must therefore change course and ensure that the next century is not like the previous one. The touring exhibition “The Global Garden”, organized under the auspicious of the year 2000 celebrations by the Cite des sciences et de l’industrie museum at La Villette in Paris, asks us to emphasize nine principles: not to damage the earth, to welcome the gardener’s allies, to encourage exchanges between living beings, know how to handle water carefully, to build housing for mankind, to safeguard the gardener’s enclosure, to take care of the Earth, to give one’s share to nature and to produce without exhausting resources.

Gardening must be understood here in its literal and figurative sense. As a method of cultivating the soil, it teaches us to use nature properly, to take advantage of the biological diversity associated with cultural diversity, to prepare to change over to the civilization of the future based, to a large extent, on the use of renewable resources.

“Gardener Prometheus” is promised a wonderful future throughout the world, but it is the tropical countries that have the best climatic conditions for moving forward on the path of modern civilization based on the development of the bio-masses (total volume of living beings in a balanced existence over given surface) and exploring the bio-diversity-biomass-biotechnologies trinomial.

Metaphorically speaking, the global garden is the enclosed area represented by the biosphere as a whole. Ecological awareness is a very recent phenomenon. It is less than thirty years since the first United Nations Conference on the Environment in Stockholm (Sweden) in 1972. It nevertheless forces us to “ecologize” our way of thinking and acting. We now have a duty to introduce the long-term and the far-reaching effects of our thinking. Even when acting logically, we affect all the interconnecting areas of development (local, regional, national, transnational and global).

The objective of reconciling Mankind and nature cannot be achieved without at the same time reconciling human beings to one another. Development is a response primarily to a need for a social ethic, for solidarity with the present generation, expresses as a social contract. It appears inextricably linked today to all human rights effectively being taken over by all our fellow global inhabitants: political, civil and civic rights; and finally, collective rights such as rights to the town, the environment, childhood and development, the latter finally being approved by the United Nation in 1993. In this respect, the title of the book that recently appeared by Amartya Sen, an Indian scholar, who received Nobel Economics prize in 1998, is a complete program: Development as freedom.

Natural contract and social contract

Solidarity with future generations, taking the form of ecological caution written into a natural contract, constitutes an addition to – but in no way a substitute for – the social contract.

The concept of eco-development (or, if you prefer, sustainable development) is based on the simultaneous implementation of two contracts. It also introduces the notion of economic viability, purely instrumental in nature, but vital for promoting realistic solutions.

Eco-development and the market economy, at least in its neo-liberal version, are not compatible. Market rationality is shortsighted by nature. Furthermore, it favors efficiency in allocating resources to the detriment of four others: macroeconomic efficiency (full employment of people and facilities), efficiency in distribution, efficiency in innovation and finally, eco-efficiency. The latter has set itself the target of the productivity of resources and not of labor: how to produce twice as much well being with half the raw materials and energy, as a recent work suggests.

In other words, eco-development requires skillfully action by the State based on the combination of the five areas of efficiency mentioned above. Responsibility for the long-term could not be achieved either without a degree of flexible planning based on negotiation between the main players in the development process (authorities, companies, trade unions and organized society).

The implementation of national eco-development policies must go hand in hand with the establishment of an international system for managing the biosphere as a global public asset. Some would like to subject the global garden to the grip of market rationality by excessively privatizing it. I think that there should be a flat rejection of such proposals. The future, to my mind, lies on the side of the citizen’s solutions and of setting up French-Style public services in the various countries and on an international scale.

Popular perception about SAARC oscillate between two extrems

NIHAL RODRIGO, SECRETARY-GENERAL SAARC,

A word about the theme of the Conference - "The Legacy of Mahbub ul Haq".  I see the Conference in relation to a word, Paramparawa, in my own language, denoting a concept difficult to translate but one which is common to many South Asian countries.   Legacy has a legal ring - a bequest from someone no longer with us, something from the past, handed down from predecessors and ancestors.  Paramparawa, on the other hand, denotes a sense of continuity, of living knowledge and skills like those of a physician, the messages of great leaders, and learning and wisdom moving on to the future from guru to shishya, teacher to student.  Paramparawa signifies a constant process of renewal and of vitality and continuity.  This Conference is not the first to be   built around Mahbub ul Haq's work and it will not be the last.  The development dialogue is not static.  It will need to absorb change and innovation as part of a dynamic continuum.

Mrs. Khadija Haq, in her introduction to the last Report on Human Development in South Asia initiated by Mahbub-ul Haq, modestly acknowledges the tentative nature of some of the results that have been derived in the Report.  Indeed many conclusions provoke further thought and help enlarge understanding of many complex development themes, keeping the dialogue dynamic and alive.  Revisiting the conclusions enhances rather than detracts from Mahbub's wide-angle total vision of human development. 

Given the wide range of concerns he brings to bear on human development, it to build housing for mankind, to safeguard the gardener's enclosure, to take care of the Earth, to give one's share to nature ans by the Cite des sciences et de l'industrie museum at La Villette in Paris, asks us to emphasize nine principles: not to damageonomic growth alone has distorted and de-personalized development and often side-lined the vulnerable in society.   Many have been by-passed in the heady rush for growth.

Mahbub ul Haq has sub-titled his last Report "The Crisis of Governance".  He sees most failures in governance as failures of implementation - of promises not kept and deliveries not made.  It has been seen in terms of the extent of the participation of people in a free, democratic environment which is inclusive and affords a place to all.   The Report has touched on examples of the other extreme, of exclusion.  Not infrequently reports in newspapers, which perhaps reflect just a part of the full reality, tell of tragedies, of deprivation and rejection in our region; of desperation caused by social and other injustices leading to the ultimate rejection, the destruction by people of their own lives.

The Report also touches on the larger virus of terrorism, spawning brutality and senseless violence which denies others their right to life and which exploits, for dubious sectarian causes, even children, who in their innocence, can barely understand the struggle to which they are held hostage.  The Report touches on specific developments in the region.   It refers to Sri Lanka for example where terrorism threatens to undo all of the major advances in education and health which it had won over previous decades.

Mahbub ul Haq's vision derives from wide international experience but his focus is deep rooted in this region.  A book, I understand, is being written on South Asia by a student of the region which has a curious alliterative subtitle : South Asia - Romance, Rhetoric, Rationale, and Reality.

The "Romance" is easy to describe.  It is there in glossy tourist brochures, in lavish coffee-table books, in delicate miniature paintings, in fabled forts and mighty monuments, and in South Asia's spectacular scenery.  "Rhetoric", you all know.  Individuals like me, standing behind microphones, pounding the lectern and waving their arms about.  The "Rationale" for a South Asian approach to development which Mahbub ul Haq has striven to articulate is more complex and often submerged.  The rationale for a South Asian paradigm is rooted in a logic much deeper than the geographic proximity of the seven Member States of SAARC.  At the last SAARC Summit in Colombo, Heads of State or Government described the rationale in a broad conceptual sweep.  They identified the common civilizational continuum of South Asia which exists despite the wide diversity of languages, religions, cultures, life-styles and art forms the region embraces.  This was seen by Heads of State or Government as a historical basis for sustaining harmonious relations among the people of the region, one from which the SAARC process could draw more deeply as a source which could influence and enhance creative energies in all fields.

The Reality of South Asia embraces more than the sum of its Romance, its Rhetoric and the Rationale for thinking and working together as South Asians.  The Reality is also grimly described in the Development Report as follows :  "In South Asia, more than 500 million people live in a state of severe deprivation, lacking sufficient access to adequate nutrition, health, housing, safe water, sanitation, education and employment".

The potential and the promise of the region lies dormant, part-buried in that reality.   SAARC provides an institutional framework through which that potential can be awakened.  Popular perceptions about SAARC oscillate between two extremes : the first which is the sarcastic view, is that SAARC is impotent.  The other extreme is that SAARC is the answer to all of South Asia's problems.  The truth, as usual, lies between the two extreme views.  What is certain however is that the cumulative benefits of regional cooperation would be much more than the sum of the individual development efforts pursued separately by each of the seven countries in isolation.

SAARC has been in existence for barely fifteen years.  Each Summit since the first in Dhaka has woven strands into the fabric of South Asian cooperation. The current Chairperson of SAARC, Sri Lanka's President used another metaphor about the quality of its growth : SAARC as a tree that has taken firm root in the region with extensive branches spreading into diverse areas of activity.  She asked whether the tree has yielded enough fruit in relation to the extensive foliage.  She urged a frank examination of SAARC's performance, its potential and its priorities, calling for an exercise in pruning and for concentrated cultivation of essentials that would bear fruit.  The last Summit concentrated on consolidating the economic thrust of the Association.  It took significant decisions to consolidate and accelerate ongoing economic cooperation.   Progress in negotiations for tariff reductions was assessed and work has now been set in motion for a regulatory framework for a South Asian Free Trade Area.  The multi-faceted challenges of the volatile global economic environment were assessed.   The collective capacity of the region for informed policy study and analysis has been enhanced, as Prime Minister Vajpayee put it, to help the region "to face up" to global financial and economic developments affecting life in even the most remote villages in the region.  SAARC is presenting carefully formulated collective South Asian positions, on issues such as world trade, more cogently and coherently at international multilateral negotiations. The Association has also expanded mutually beneficial relationships with other regional organizations and UN and international agencies.  In the next two days, participants, including from the SAARC Secretariat, will expand on specific aspects of the SAARC economic agenda which is slowly but surely moving forward.

While the economic initiatives in SAARC are being developed, there is also the clear realization that social justice and equity which affect the very core of human life and the individual's wellbeing must not be neglected.  It is a sense of realism which has led to the conclusion that in a region of such immense asymmetry, common models for poverty alleviation to be uniformly applied throughout the region, for example, could not be stipulated.  National approaches reflecting national priorities need to be followed.   Equally, social indicators and other "measurements" of people's wellbeing vary considerably from country to country.  Economic growth and human development do not necessarily move in tandem.  It is the smallest economies in the region, for example, which have the most advanced social indicators like life expectancy, literacy, gender balance and so on.  Of necessity, different approaches, therefore, will need to be adopted in each of the countries to enhance what the Bhutanese call, gross human happiness.  Nevertheless, at the last SAARC Summit, reviewing progress made in the social sector in South Asia, the Heads of State or Government agreed to consider beyond their individual national plans, a regional dimension on social development, including a role for SAARC.  They agreed on the need to develop a Social Charter for SAARC which would help to underwrite and strengthen the economic imperative, perhaps serving as a gauge for corrective action by individual states.  The Social Charter will seek to determine targets, realistic rather than idealistic, on a broad band across the region in the areas of poverty reduction, gender equity, youth mobilization, human resource development, health and nutrition, the protection of children and population stabilization.

The process of working towards a Social Charter in a sense puts into practice some aspects of Mahbub ul Haq's approach.  The Government of Sri Lanka which presented a concept paper on the Social Charter to the SAARC Council of Ministers last year left the drafting of the paper largely to members of civil society under the coordinating guidance of a respected non-governmental institute, the Marga Institute in Colombo.  The concept paper looks at a wide range of areas integral to human development and suggests possible means for a regional approach to social issues. It is expected that the first meeting on the Social Charter would take place in Colombo early next month.

While SAARC is a governmental organization, it has in recent years, following Summit directions, helped facilitate greater involvement and interaction among representatives of civil society throughout the region.  It has helped to bring the private corporate sectors of South Asia together by linking national Chambers of Commerce and Industry into an apex SAARC Chamber which provides pertinent practical inputs to the Association's economic agenda.  SAARC has encouraged and recognized a number of professional groups and specialists in different fields.  These include Accountants, Architects, Town Planners, Cardiologists, Management Development Institutions and University Women.

In addition, SAARC has established a working relationship with South Asian advocacy groups such as the Coalition for Action on South Asian Cooperation (CASAC) which brings together eminent  South Asian personalities from allwalks of life. CASAC has been privileged to benefit from the active participation of the former Prime Minister of India , the Hon. I.K. Gujral. CASAC brought forth the Kathmandu Statement, consolidating valuable comments on SAARC supplementing the official review and implementation of the Report.

Cumulative changes, accelerating in the last quarter of the twentieth century, have affected the nature and the role of the State in South Asia as elsewhere.     Globalization is feared inter alia because it would contribute to the erosion of sovereignty.  The State has certainly tended to move away from its more pervasive role of say, half a century ago.  Although it has abdicated many of its earlier functions, the State yet remains the decisive apex in the structure of governance.   At the same time, more actors have appeared on every national stage.  While the State or the Government in South Asia will continue to play the lead role, the supporting cast has increased remarkably and plays a more assertive part.  The people, no longer content to be "Extras" are now increasingly vocal, demanding speaking roles - millions of them in fact wanting to be heard, and more important, to be heeded.  If there can be no "Hamlet" without that Prince of Denmark, it is equally true that the Prince cannot walk the stage alone, by himself.  Governments need to and do acknowledge this.

The role of the people in the process of development cannot be over-emphasized in that ultimately they are the central subject of the total process. Responsible individuals find identity and organize themselves to better advocate their views through associations such as political parties, trade unions, professional organizations, social groups, research institutes, advocacy groups, academic groups and other associations.  The responsibility of the media in informing, and in channeling and articulating opinion is immense and is very much an essential part of what is known as civil society.  Apart from presenting impassioned, often cogent, sometimes awkward, views on environmental issues, the concerns of economically or socially vulnerable groups or even on the moral issues, civil society has also been able to provide object lessons in effective social mobilization.  In many SAARC countries, much success has been achieved in community-based poverty alleviation programmes, even with limited resources.  The Mahbub-ul Haq Center estimates that there are 25,000 community-based organizations in India, 30,000 in Sri Lanka, 19,000 in Bangladesh and 10,000 in Pakistan.  Some may tend to reflect foreign donor interest while others are deeply-rooted in the national ethos.  Some work with Governments : others do not or in fact oppose them.  Not many can be ignored.

Initiatives of civil society pursuing particular objectives through informal consultations, advocacy and even performing mediatory roles are also referred to as the second track or the parallel track.  What is important is that these informal channels should not forever run parallel with official channels, because parallel tracks never meet.  It is important that there be greater interaction between organs of the State and responsible groups in civil society which have serious views to contribute.  I am glad, therefore, to be associated with this current Conference whose contribution, across a range of concerns, would serve as a valuable supplement to official thinking and action.

More than a word of appreciation is due to the Institute of Social Sciences for sponsoring this Conference, bringing together political leaders, policy makers and thinkers on the development process not only from South Asia, but also from outside the region.  The interaction over the next few days will, I am certain, provide a significant impact at different levels on the central theme of development.

The current strife in Sri Lanka has compelled, at least, for the time being, a diversion away from the Government's primary focus on development priorities.  Beyond Sri Lanka, in any situation of terrorism, aside from the loss of life, the effect is massive on resource allocations for development and poverty alleviation.  SAARC has adopted a Convention on the Prevention on Terrorism.  The international community has addressed the issue including at the United Nations as the fight against terrorism is one which needs to be approached through decisive collective action.