NGO "ANOTHER WAY" (STICHTING BAKENS VERZET), NETHERLANDS, SUSTAINABLE INTEGRATED SELF-FINANCING DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS AND ADVANCED DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGIES

As Carla Koppell, USAID’s chief strategy officer unambiguously puts it : “Partnerships (MDG 8) will be key to success [to the achievement of the Millennium Goals] across the board.” (Millennium Development Goals : Interconnected Web of Individual Goals, Impact Blog, USAID, Washington, 22 September, 2014.)

The entire section V of the Plan of Implementation of the Millennium Goals (articles 47-52) is dedicated to Millennium Goal 8, under the title «Sustainable Development in a Globalizing World » .

It reads :

“47. Globalization offers opportunities and challenges for sustainable development. We recognize that globalization and interdependence are offering new opportunities for trade, investment and capital flows and advances in technology, including information technology, for the growth of the world economy, development and the improvement of living standards around the world. At the same time, there remain serious challenges, including serious financial crises, insecurity, poverty, exclusion and inequality within and among societies. The developing countries and countries with economies in transition face special difficulties in responding to those challenges and opportunities. Globalization should be fully inclusive and equitable, and there is a strong need for policies and measures at the national and international levels, formulated and implemented with the full and effective participation of developing countries and countries with economies in transition, to help them to respond effectively to those challenges and opportunities. This will require urgent action at all levels to:

(a) Continue to promote open, equitable, rules-based, predictable and non-discriminatory multilateral trading and financial systems that benefit all countries in the pursuit of sustainable development. Support the successful completion of the work programme contained in the Doha Ministerial Declaration and the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus. Welcome the decision contained in the Doha Ministerial Declaration to place the needs and interests of developing countries at the heart of the work programme of the Declaration, including through enhanced market access for products of interest to developing countries;

(b) Encourage ongoing efforts by international financial and trade institutions to ensure that decision-making processes and institutional structures are open and transparent;

(c) Enhance the capacities of developing countries, including the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, to benefit from liberalized trade opportunities through international cooperation and measures aimed at improving productivity, commodity diversification and competitiveness, community-based entrepreneurial capacity and transportation and communication infrastructure development;

(d) Support the International Labour Organization and encourage its ongoing work on the social dimension of globalization, as stated in paragraph 64 of the Monterrey Consensus;

(e) Enhance the delivery of coordinated, effective and targeted trade-related technical assistance and capacity-building programmes, including taking advantage of existing and future market access opportunities, and examining the relationship between trade, environment and development.

48. Implement the outcomes of the Doha Ministerial Conference by the members of the World Trade Organization, further strengthen trade-related technical assistance and capacity-building and ensure the meaningful, effective and full participation of developing countries in multilateral trade negotiations by placing their needs and interests at the heart of the work programme of the World Trade Organization.

49. Actively promote corporate responsibility and accountability, based on the Rio principles, including through the full development and effective implementation of intergovernmental agreements and measures, international initiatives and public-private partnerships and appropriate national regulations, and support continuous improvement in corporate practices in all countries.

50. Strengthen the capacities of developing countries to encourage public/private initiatives that enhance the ease of access, accuracy, timeliness and coverage of information on countries and financial markets. Multilateral and regional financial institutions could provide further assistance for these purposes.

51. Strengthen regional trade and cooperation agreements, consistent with the multilateral trading system, among developed and developing countries and countries with economies in transition, as well as among developing countries, with the support of international finance institutions and regional development banks, as appropriate, with a view to achieving the objectives of sustainable development.

52. Assist developing countries and countries with economies in transition in narrowing the digital divide, creating digital opportunities and harnessing the potential of information and communication technologies for development through technology transfer on mutually agreed terms and the provision of financial and technical support and, in this context, support the World Summit on the Information Society.”

The meaning of this is clear from Malig, M.L., Tailored for Sharks : How rules are tailored and public interest surrendered to suit corporate interest in the WTO, FTAs and BITs trade and investment regime, Serikat Petani, Indonesia, with Transnational Institute (TNI), Amsterdam, 2013. The author concludes at p. 21 :

“As more and more cases are filed the governments have had to surrender substantive sovereignty every time they withdraw national public interest policy measures in favor of corporate interest global trade rules,…. In this global trade and investment regime, whether multilateral or bilateral, governments have not only failed to protect humanity and the planet from corporate abuse, they have aided and abetted corporate economic and ecological crime. Through trade and investment agreements, governments have been complicit in facilitating the expansion of corporate power and weakening the overall capacity and responsibility of states to regulate corporations in the public interest.”

In the course or your work on Section 1 of Block 1 you made a detailed analysis of the causes of poverty. Re-read your work on Section 1 of Block 1 carefully to better understand the importance of Section V «Sustainable Development in a Globalizing World » of the Plan of Implementation of the Millennium Goals.

1. Opinion.

Prepare 2 pages : On the first page make a list of the main causes of poverty. Next to each cause, write, where applicable, which of articles 47,48,49,50,51,52 of the Plan of Implementation of the Millennium Goals you think are relevant. On the second page, draw your conclusions.

Economic globalisation tolerates concentration of financial power in the hands of a small elite of unelected persons. The instruments they use to concentrate their power include debt-creation, the application of interest to the debts, and the accumulation of interest along industrial production chains. The system tolerates the operation of subsidies in the benefit of operators in industrialised countries. For example, these subsidies amounted in 2001 to US$ 350.000.000.000 just for agricultural subsidies alone. (US$ 350 billion in 2001). (Eight Broken Promises, Watkins K., Oxfam briefing paper 9, Oxfam International, Washington, 2001) .

This is more than three times the amount of US$ 103.900.000.000 (including an amount of about US$ 19.000.000.000 for debt relief) in development aid contributed by all of the OECD countries in 2006. “Development Aid from OECD countries fell 5.1% in 2006”, OECD Paris, 3 April 2007.

For details on the World Trade Organisation’s disputes settlements mechanism (DSM), widely considered the “crown jewel ” of global control by transnational corporations see M.L.Malig, Big Corporations, the Bali Package and Beyond : Deepening TNCs Gains from the WTO, The Transnational Institute (TNI) with Serikat Petani Indonesia (SPI), Amsterdam, November 2014.

The report by Koplow D., Nuclear Power : Still not Viable without Subsidies, Union of Concerned Scientists, Cambridge (Massachusetts), February, 2011, was already discussed in 03. Debts and subsidies of part 1 : Introduction to the causes of poverty. Subsidies for nuclear power stations are itemised on p. 131. For existing nuclear power plants, the lowest estimates range from 152%-168% of the value of power generated, the highest from 209% - 240%. For new power plants, the lowest estimates range from 74% to 88%, and the highest from 152%-200%. Subsidies on existing plants were slightly lower for private stations than for publicly-owned ones. Subsidies for new plants are expected to be slightly higher for privately owned plants than for publicly-owned ones.

pp. 129-132. “And once again, [ as in the past] these subsidies to new reactors—whether publicly or privately owned—could end up exceeding the value of the power produced (4.2 to 11.4 ¢/kWh, or 70 to 200 percent of the projected value of the power).” (p. 3)

One of the slogans in favour of economic globalisation is the “public-private partnership” which has given multinational corporations access to and monopolist control of certain public services with disastrous consequences throughout the world, above all for the poorest and the least protected members of the societies in question. (Review your work on the privatisation water in Section 1 of block 2, 07A. Targets 10 and 11 : Water, sanitation and slums).

Millennium goal 8 targets include for example :

Target 15 : Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable over the long term.

Target 16 : In cooperation with developing countries, develop and implement strategies for decent and productive work for youth.

Target 17 : In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries.

Target 18 : In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications technologies.

With regard to target 16 :

“Unemployment and underemployment plague the lives of people in poverty around the world. In developing countries, many work in insecure informal jobs as waste pickers, street vendors, water carriers, shoe-shiners and labourers. Vulnerable employment, comprising unpaid family workers and self-employed workers, accounted for an estimated 58% of all employment in the developing regions in 2011. Informal workers lack adequate social protection and suffer from low pay and poor working conditions. Whether in formal or informal jobs, many are exploited. Their insecurity is increased by the lack of legal identity, as one participant from Burkina Faso described: “Before I had an identity card, I was scared to go into the offices, to enroll my children in school. When I worked as a street vendor, I sold at a low price since I was scared. With my identity card, I'm not scared anymore, I have more confidence.” (Coyne, B. et al (ed.), Towards Sustainable Development that Leaves No-one Behind : The Challenge of the Post-2015 Agenda, Working Paper, International ATD Fourth World Movement, New York, Pierrelaye and Geneva, June 2013, p. 12.)

The inclusion of these targets in a goal entitled “Develop a global partnership for development » appears to allow the principal causes of financial leakage back in through the service door that the Millennium Development Goals are supposed to combat.

Specific targets are even dedicated to sectors such as the pharmaceuticals, information and communications sectors which, together with the water and energy sectors are the ones mainly responsible for financial leakage, the main cause of poverty.

Openings to global partnerships and to «public-private » cooperation are systematically introduced in the descriptions of other goals, targets and indicators too.

In “Public Private Partnerships” “governments run the risks and companies collect the profits. As is common to other processes of wealth concentration, governments will be called to invest as much and as long as is necessary to take the big risks, as long as important processes of research and development are necessary or while the start-up investment costs and needs remain high. Private enterprises will be the ones to carry out the work paid for by state investors and they will cash in at rates they consider acceptable. Hundreds of research projects, infrastructure construction projects, insurance schemes, consumer control systems and other projects have been built up with government money. If a government does not have money, the World Bank and other agencies are available to ensure indebtedness. However, the government's presence is not a long-term guarantee. As soon as conditions become clearer and more favourable, good business opportunities are transferred over to the private sector. If such opportunities do not turn out to be promising, governments must bear the costs.” (Behind the “Green Economy” : Profiting from environmental and climate crisis, GRAIN, Allianza Biodiversidad, WRM, ATALC, grain.org website, Barcelona, 11 September, 2012.)

Review your initial analysis of the Millennium Goals in this Section 1. Analysis of the Millennium Goals.

2. Opinion.

On one page make two columns. In one column make a list of the Millennium goals, targets, and indicators. In the other, write the references to public-private partnerships, industrial activities, technology transfer etc. described in them.

3. Opinion.

On two pages draw conclusions on the contents of your list. Are development problems an issue of unlimited consumption on the part of industrialised countries ? Are we in the presence of an effort in good faith to improve living conditions in the least developed countries or do we face a smoke-screen which covers intentions to create incentives for an even more exaggerated consumption on the part of rich countries ?

Proceed with the drafting of your report on the Analysis of the Millennium Goals.

◄ ►

◄ Second block : Problems to be solved.

◄ Index : Diploma in Integrated Development (Dip. Int. Dev)

◄ List of key words.

◄ List of references.

◄ Course chart.

◄ Technical aspects.

◄ Courses available.

◄ Homepage Bakens Verzet.