Mit der Agenda 2030 und den SDGs hatten die Vereinte Nationen 2015 einen (relativ) ambitionierten Rahmen für nachhaltige Entwicklung geschaffen. Doch die Realität zeigt: Viele Ziele sind außer Reichweite, globale Krisen verschärfen bestehende Ungleichheiten und die politische Bereitschaft zur Zusammenarbeit bröckelt. Viele der versprochenen Verbesserungen sind nicht realisiert. Kritische Stimmen weisen schon lange darauf hin, dass die…
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Redressing hyper-globalisation and the inequities systemically generated in GVCs: Multilateral efforts at the UN
Hyperglobalisation – unfettered capitalism – causes multiple, interlinked economic, social, environmental, climate and gendered inequities, harming norms of social justice, at times outright ignoring human rights and agreed labour standards. Business activities can have harmful effects – the Rana Plaza factory collapse and Brumadinho dam breach are two well-known examples. TNCs argue that these were…
Read MoreTowards a truly transformative development agenda
The 2030 Agenda – “transforming our world “- with its 17 SDGs is meant to be accomplished by 2030. Half of the SDGs’ targets are off track and several regressing. In terms of geopolitical constellations, a large number of UN member states have turned authoritarian and enamoured by austerity. In terms of ability to advocate…
Read MoreEco-social contracts: Reflections on India and Nepal
The volume Eco-Social Contracts for Sustainable and Just Futures. Mobilising Collective Power to Deal with the 21st Century Polycrisis brings together the research and insights of activists, politicians, academics, artists from around the world. Our discussion on Contestation Movements and the Emergence of Eco-Social Contracts in India and Nepal demonstrates the immense challenges for progressive…
Read MoreKickstart? Imaginings towards a beyond-2030 “development” agenda
The 2030 Agenda and recent follow-ups As is well-known, in 2015 the UN General Assembly adopted, by acclamation, an Agenda for sustainable development (2015 to 2030). The 2030 Agenda followed a continuous series of development decades, since 1960 in fact. Since 2015, the UN secretariat itself launched follow-on processes, such as Our Common Agenda which…
Read MoreAfter the World Social Summit: Where are we and what can we do?
“In rich countries, floods mostly destroy property. In poor countries, floods mostly kill people.” (Sham Jaff in her Newsletter #373) Where are we now? We are shocked by the horrifyingly accelerating aggressions against the human rights of the peoples in Afghanistan, Myanmar Iran, Sudan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gaza, Ukraine, Greenland, Venezuela, Minneapolis,…
Read MoreNaveen Gautam: Onwards from the World Summit for Social Development – A CDWD Youth Vision
Author: Naveen Gautam For centuries and ages, Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (CDWD) have lived at the harshest edges of social and economic exclusion. Yet across regions, from Dalit and Burakumin communities in South Asia to Roma settlements in Europe, from Haratin groups in Mauritania to Palenque and Quilombola territories in Latin America, youth…
Read MoreTwo Summits – two dynamics – social development and climate justice
The city of Doha, its glass skyscrapers rising overwhelmingly, and menacingly, from desert lands, hosted the 2nd World Summit for Social Development (3 to 6 November). Belém, at the mouth of the lush green Amazon river, was the site for the 30th Climate COP (10 to 22/23 November). The venues of the two Summits obviously…
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The roadmap for eradicating poverty beyond growth
To eradicate the many forms of poverty and inequalities, to ensure human rights, labour rights, decent work, gender equality commitments, and climate and environmental justice in global value chains, we need the international community to adopt a binding treaty on business and human rights. In fact, UN member states have been negotiating such a treaty…
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