Informal CODEV Meeting Jean Bossuyt –ECDPM Head of Strategy Vilnius, 3 October 2013

1. Exploring the key
implementation challenges
for the post-2015 agenda
Informal CODEV Meeting
Jean Bossuyt –ECDPM Head of Strategy
Vilnius, 3 October 2013

2. Structure of the presentation
Section 1: SETTING THE SCENE
 What is likely to change in the post 2015 POLICY
framework?
 What do we mean by “transformation”?
Section 2: THREE COUNTRY CASE STUDIES
 to illustrate the shift from the MDG paradigm to the
post-2015 agenda (including in terms of
“transformation”)
 to assess current donor (EU) responses and
challenges for future external action
Section 3: IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES
POST-2015
ECDPM
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3. 1)
SETTING THE SCENE
WHAT IS LIKELY TO CHANGE?
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY
« TRANSFORMATION »?

4. Why is change necessary for the post-2015
framework?
Lessons from MDGs



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
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Lack of participation in process –
post-2015 process more inclusive
Focus on social sector, reduced
attention to factors important for
structural transformation
This led to rather technical and apolitical approach
MDGs masked growing inequalities
Lack of commitments by richer
countries
Omittance of important
development issues
Go beyond MDGs, to fulfill vision of
promoting sustainable development
for all – Business as usual not an
option
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A changing context



Changing global patterns of
power – donor-recipient type
relationship of past
Changing in understanding of
global poverty – focus on
multiple dimensions
Future challenges
 Demographic challenges –
(growing world population,
ageing societies)
 Environmental challenges –
(climate change, unsustainable
consumption, loss of land and
biodiversity)
 Economic Challenges (growing middle class, increasing
trade and capital flows,
increasing South-South economic
relations)
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5. New elements in the emerging post-2015
agenda
Proposed new elements
Required policy developments
One overarching framework for
poverty reduction and sustainable
development.
Integrated approach towards tackling social,
economic and environmental dimensions of
sustainability, creating synergies between the
three dimensions
Inclusiveness
Structures that allow for active participation,
accountability mechanisms and empowerment
Transforming Economies
Focus on profound structural economic
transformation, decent job creation and
inclusive growth while ensuring sustainable
patterns of consumption and production
‘Leave no one behind’ and tackle
inequality
Ensuring that no-one is left behind and that
inequality does not widen requires addressing
structural power and socio-economic
inequalities. The HLP proposes to track progress
towards goals at all levels of income and
disaggregated by various groups.
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6. Proposed new elements
Required policy developments
Guarantee basic living standards
Provide access to quality health and education,
access to water and sanitation, food security,
establish social protection floors for all, …
No development without Peace &
Security
Address the root causes of conflict and violence
and build stable, honest, accountable and
responsive institutions, build stable and resilient
societies.
A rights-based-approach
Requires addressing justice, equality, equity,
good governance and power imbalances
impeding the delivery of rights. Empowerment
women, youth and marginalized groups
Accountability
‘Beyond Aid’
Policy Coherence for Development and Global
Collective Action, New partnerships in the spirit
of cooperation and mutual accountability, clear
responsibilities for all parties and a broader set
of means of implementation, such as new
financial instruments or dialogue and knowledge
sharing
Universal Agenda
Everyone shares responsibility towards
achieving the goals and creating favourable
environments for sustainable development
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7. The concept(s) of transformation in
the post-2015 debate
Transformations at national level
Social transformation
• Greater equity in
access to services
• Social protection
• Stability as prerequisite
for economic
transformation
Environmental
transformation
• Reduce unsustainable
use of natural resources
Economic
transformation
• Increase productivity
• Diversify economic
activities and
relationships
Global transformations
to support national level
transformation
Transformation in institutions
• Without sound institutions, no sustainable
development (HLP report)
• Transparency and Accountability, Openness
• Inclusive political processes
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9. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR
DEVELOPMENT PRACTICE?
POLITICS
POWER
RELATIONS AND
INCENTIVES
WHAT TYPE OF
EXTERNAL ACTION?
INTEGRATED
APPROACHES
(INTERNATIONAL)
DRIVERS OF
CHANGE
COLLECTIVE
ACTION
CITIZEN
ACTION
NEGOTIATION

10. Major change of “software” required

11. What “animal” are we talking about?
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12. Integrating politics into development:
an ongoing challenge

13. How much “leverage” the EU still has?
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14. What incentives for change?

15. Remaining relevant in the post 2015 era

16. 2)
THREE CASE STUDIES
Tunisia
Ethiopia
Ukraine

17. Tunisia
1) 2000s: Tunisia excels in
terms of MDG performance
Strong health, education and
extreme poverty eradication
indicators
2) 2010-11 reality check:
increasing pressure on elitist
and centralized development
vision  system crumbles
Missing dimensions: inequality,
employment, human, political and
civil rights, economic opportunity…
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18. Tunisia
3) Ongoing transformation processes in Tunisia:
High degree of navel-gazing; root causes of uprising remain
largely neglected:
1. Employment and social dialogue  decent jobs
2. Regional disparities and uneven economic opportunity
 inclusive growth
4) Current donor responses:
Support to democratization and political developments
Blind scramble for Tunisia’s civil society (5 different mapping
studies since 2011)
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19. Tunisia
5) Some implications for the EU
and development community
1.
Translating call for “dignity,
freedom, respect and social
justice” to cooperation
priorities  Agenda setting
2.
Act as a catalyst (EU and MS
by far the biggest donor) for
Member states and other DPs
 Coordination
3.
Invest in transfer of
knowledge
4.
Review relations with Tunisia
across European external
action  Testing ground for
Policy Coherence for
Development
ECDPM
Net ODA received in
Tunisia
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20. Ethiopia
1) Good student of the MDG
paradigm and longstanding donor
darling
Strong growth figures
MDG report 2013: “Ethiopia has made
tremendous strides in eradicating
extreme poverty, achieving universal
primary education, promoting gender
equality and empowering women and
improving maternal health”
Island of stability in the region!
2) Reality Check:
Deeply rooted inequality
Limited freedom of expression, consistent
human rights violations
Little respect for social and economic
ECDPMrights (labour rights!)
Very good on paper…
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21. Ethiopia
3) Ongoing transformation processes in Ethiopia
Development vision based on technocratic
modernization
Components: FDI, WTO integration and Massive
industrial and infrastructure projects
Omissions: governance, fundamental freedoms, socioeconomic indicators, labour rights… (=MDG
omissions)
4) Current donor responses:
Investments in infrastructure, rural development and
macro-economic governance and regional integration
EU: history of General Budget Support and preparation
of GGDC
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22. Ethiopia
5) Some implications for the EU and
development community
1.Redirect cooperation to include a real and inclusive
transformative agenda  contextualization
2.Focus on the neglected dimensions of development:
•
Inclusive growth
•
Tackling inequality
•
Political, civil and human rights  Rights-based approach
3.Need to move towards a realistic use of leverage
in cooperation with Ethiopia
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23. Ukraine
1) Performance from an MDG perspective
Adapted MDGs (7 goals, 15 targets, 33 indicators)
Uneven performance (below progress in region)
2) Reality check : key challenges for stability and
development (beyond the MDG framework)
Growing inequalities (not only economic but also along political,
social, ethnic-cultural lines)
Urban-rural divide
Deteriorating standards of democracy and rule of law
Addressing the challenge of climatic change?
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24. Ukraine
3) Ongoing/Planned transformations in Ukraine
Modernization of the economy
Unclear political reform agenda
Joining the “European club”
4) Adequacy current EU responses to support transformation
in Ukraine
Association Agreement as an incentive for reform
Use of leverage (conditionalities on democracy/rule of law)
New deals based on common interests (e.g. Black Sea
Cooperation)
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25. Ukraine
5) Implementation challenges Post-2015
Combining geopolitical, economy and security interests with
promotion of values (democracy, HR)
Effectively supporting institutional development and democratic
governance, provision of high quality public services
Inclusive dialogue to facilitate reduction of structural
inequalities
Technology and capacity transfer
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26. 3)
EXPLORING KEY
IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES
OF THE POST-2015 AGENDA

27. So far, much discussion on
‘What?’ but little on the ‘How?’
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28. Key implementation issues &
challenges
• Challenge 1: Recognizing and working with
complexity, uncertainty and dynamics in
socio-ecological, political and economic systems.
Post-2015 may prioritize areas where less
knowledge on how to make progress exists –
more experimental approaches necessary?
• Challenge 2: - Squaring the circle between
global goals and national targets: Global goals
are only effectively executed when resonating
with national plans and targets. Each country to
determine management of own transition(s).
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29. Key implementation issues &
challenges
• Challenge 3: Multi-actor approaches likely to
be come the norm. This will imply systematic
negotiations between actors with competing
interests. Mediation and brokerage roles.
• Challenge 4: Subsidiarity principle –
implementation important at the least centralized
scale in ways that are coherent with overall vision –
Are local structures/ leaders prepared to implement
new goals? How to support local activism to make
change happen?
• Challenge 5: Integrated approaches are
needed. Improvements in one domain may be
undermined by failures in others. Synergies need to
be sought. In this framework also need for PCD.
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30. Key implementation issues &
challenges
• Challenge 6: Value of financial transfers will
diminish. Growing importance of exchange of
knowledge on how to carry out major
transformations (potential added value of EU
experiences)
• Challenge 7: Crafting of the required
implementation and accountability framework to
monitor progress at national, regional and global
level through an inclusive process will take time.
• Challenge 8: Need for major overhaul
institutional set-up, processes, approaches, skills
and capacities of “donor agencies”
ECDPM
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31. Thank you
www.ecdpm.org
www.slideshare.net/ecdpm
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