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Friday March 29, 2024

Global Development Initiative and SDGs

By Shakeel Ahmad Ramay
May 09, 2022

World is facing multifaceted problems including poverty, food insecurity, displacement, lack of safe drinking water etc. It has been estimated that 689 million people were poor in 2019 and World Bank has predicted that COVID-19 added another 88-115 million. Food insecurity is on constant rise since 2017 and now world is home to 811 million who are food insecure. There are 2.3 billion people who do not have access to adequate food.

Alarmingly, three billion people do not have access to healthy food. Energy crisis is even more severe in many parts of the world. It was pointed out by IEA that 1.1 billion people do not have access to electricity and 2.8 billion have no good quality cooking fuel. Education sector also presents a bleak picture as 263 million kids are out of school. On top of all, climate change is another issue which has put a question mark on the existence and future of planet earth.

The world is facing all these challenges despite the fact it has erected numerous development institutions like UN agencies and other organisations. Moreover, world leadership also has shown its strong political commitment by devising Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Paris Climate Change Agreement etc. Then, why problems are still haunting humanity in such severity?

The quick analysis of global dynamics suggests there are three major obstacles hindering the progress.First, Kindleberger trap has been applied by existing superpower US and its allies. It is an open secret that the US is on decline for some time.

Although, in late 90s and early 2000s, it showed some resistance, but the financial crises of 2007-2008 shaken it image and had a devastated impact on its economy. It impacted US’s ability to invest on global “Common Good” which is aggravating development challenges. China, as a responsible rising power, tried to help overcome the challenges. Unfortunately, US is not allowing China to invest on “Common Good” by erecting different hurdles e.g. slow work on the reforms of UN and Bretton Wood institutions.

Second, the investment gap is exhibiting rising trend due to severe shortage of financial resources. McKinsey Global Institute estimated that there would be an investment gap of $5.3 trillion till 2030. The situation has further aggravated due to scattered efforts and thinly spread financial resources. The worst part of the story is that no one is ready to pool the resources, not even UN agencies. Third, decision-making and implementation systems are extremely exclusive in nature like MDGs which were developed in isolation. Although, world tried to mend the mistake through SDGs, but in practice it is still exclusive as decision-making and implementation power is concentrated in few hands.

On the basis of above discussion, it can be inferred that there is need to reverse the process and look for new, durable and innovative solutions. In this context, rising power China will have to be more active and come up with ideas which can answer these questions. Good news is that China is cognizant of the fact and is taking practical steps.

Global Development Initiative (GDI) is one of such initiatives which can help combat development challenges and achieve SDGs. However, to make it more affective, China needs to learn from the shortcomings of existing initiatives and avoid mistake of existing superpower and allies.

First, China must focus on pooling its resources by creating linkages between GDI and other programmes including Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Six-100 Development Programmes, Digital Silk Road and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). To fulfil the objectives of economic growth and connectivity, GDI can benefit from BRI. The major goals of BRI have to improve economic growth, connectivity, infrastructure and digitalisation of economy.

BRI will also help achieve agenda of green growth through initiatives like Belt and Road Initiative International Green Development Coalition, Green Silk Road Envoy Programme, Big Data Platform, Belt and Road Environmental Technology Exchange and Transfer Centre etc.

Six-100 Development Programme is another excellent initiative by China which can help achieve development goals of GDI and SDGs. The six pillars of initiative including poverty alleviation, agricultural cooperation, trade-facilitative aiding, ecological protection and fighting against climate change, construction of 100 hospitals and clinics and construction of 100 schools and vocational training centers have direct relevance to GDI and SDGs.

Second, China can contribute to uplift the moral of less developed world by adopting inclusive approach. It is one of the most needed interventions to achieve the agenda of GDI and SDGs. Thus, China should focus on devising mechanisms which can ensure inclusion of all without any discrimination of economic status and power. For that purpose, China can introduce concept of Whole Process Democracy for inclusive decision-making and implementation of GDI programmes. It must follow principles of inclusion, merit, values and integrity.

Lastly, China must avoid mistakes made by US and allies and try to work for partnerships and share responsibility with no hegemonic aspiration. The slogan for the implementation of GDI should be “Let’s compete among ourselves to champion the cause of betterment of humanity not against each other for hegemonic power”.