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FMSMUN ST. PETE 7

UNITED NATIONS ENTITY FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND THE EMPOWERMENT

OF WOMEN

INCLUSIVE LOCAL AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING1

Authors: Sasha Ahles & Brian D. Sutliff

“Ours is the last generation which can head off the worst effects of climate change and the

first generation with the wealth and knowledge to eradicate poverty. For this, fearless

leadership from all of us is needed. “

Helen Clark, United Nations Development Programme Administrator.

Introduction

The United Nations System’s goal of strengthening capabilities and enhancing

opportunities to reduce poverty and marginalization, while focusing on the most vulnerable and

excluded groups, is a critical foundation to improving the status and treatment of women and

girls. Promoting an integrated approach, UNWOMEN is targeting multidimensional poverty,

inequality and exclusion, and sustainability by enhancing knowledge, skills, and production

technologies to reduce risk and sustain development gains.2 Working with its international,

regional, national, and civil society partners, UNWOMEN looks towards achieving sustainable

development which links policy with planning and programming for promoting results-based

management, instating quality safeguards, monitoring and evaluating impact, while learning

from both failures and successes.3 “Economic growth won’t reduce poverty, improve equality,

generate jobs and secure livelihoods unless it is inclusive and sustainable.”4 All groups must

contribute towards creating opportunities, sharing the benefits and participating in decision-

making.5

On 25 September 2015, more than 150 world leaders adopted the new 2030 Agenda for

Sustainable Development at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit. The 2030

Agenda for Sustainable Development included 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),

also known as the Global Goals. These build upon the Millennial Development Goals (MDGs),

which while there was great progress made towards achieving these goals, were not achieved.

With a more aggressive and grandiose plan to eliminate poverty, rather than just reduce it, the

1 Date of Publication: January 6, 2020. 2 Sustainable development, UNDP, 2016 3 Development impact, UNDP, 2016 4 Development planning and inclusive sustainable growth, UNDP, 2016 5 Development planning and inclusive sustainable growth, UNDP, 2016

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Sustainable Development Goals also include more goals directly targeting improvements in

health, education and gender equality.6

Scale of the Problem

During and immediately after the 2008-09 global economic recession, poverty in the

world reached an all-time high, particularly when measured in terms of sheer numbers. With

about 3.5 billion people, half the world population, living in urban areas7, the need for

development planning and inclusive sustainable growth has never been greater. According to UN

projections, the urban share of the population could reach 60% by 2030 and 67% by 2050. Most

of that growth is expected to take place in developing countries where the urban population is

expected to double from 2.6 billion in 2010 to 5.2 billion in 2050. By implementing inclusive

and sustainable development, with a focus on gender mainstreaming, in these areas, many

opportunities may arise including: broader economic development and competitiveness;

improved urban functions (i.e. transportation, circulation, accessibility, safety from and

resilience to natural disasters, urban ecology); increased social inclusivity; and reduction of

abject poverty and wealth gaps.8 To wit, over 600 million additional jobs are urgently needed

over the next decade in order to merely sustain growth and maintain social cohesion.9

Combating Inequality & Achieving the Global Goals

There was much progress made towards achieving the previous Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs), but there is much more work to be done. Worldwide, nearly 800 million people

are still living on less than $1.25 USD/day.10 Many of these people lack access to sufficient food,

clean drinking water and sanitation.11 As the global economy continues its uneven recovery from

the long-lasting impacts of the economic crisis of 2008-2009, there has been slower growth,

widening inequalities and employment not expanding quickly enough to keep up with the

growing labour force; furthermore, warning signs of an impending global economic slowdown

and/or recession are being increasingly highlighted.12 According to the International Labor

Organization (ILO), more than 204 million people were unemployed in 2015.13 Inequalities have

been worsening for some time, however, and is not just a result of the global economic crisis of

6 Anjali Kwatra, Wynne Boelt, World leaders adopt Sustainable Development Goals, UNDP, 25 September 2015 7 Eric S. Belsky, Nicholas DuBroff, Daniel McCue, Christina Harris, Shelagh McCartney, Jennifer Molinsky,

Advancing Inclusive and Sustainable Urban Development: Correcting Planning Failures and Connecting

Communities to Capital, November 2013 8 Eric S. Belsky, Nicholas DuBroff, Daniel McCue, Christina Harris, Shelagh McCartney, Jennifer Molinsky,

Advancing Inclusive and Sustainable Urban Development: Correcting Planning Failures and Connecting

Communities to Capital, November 2013 9 Livelihood and jobs, UNDP, 2016 10 United Nations Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DESA), “Sustainable Development Goals

Knowledge Platform: Sustainable Development Goal 1”, 2018. Found at:

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg1 11 Goal 1: No poverty, UNDP, 2016 12 Matt Phillips, “Investors Have Nowhere to Hide as Stocks, Bonds and Commodities All Tumble”, New York

Times, December 15, 2018. 13 Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth, UNDP, 2016

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the late 2000s. Income inequality increased by 11% in developing countries between 1990-

2010.14

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require far more accurate

reporting and analyses of relevant development statistics, particularly at the local level. Many

developing countries report development statistics sporadically; improving the timeliness of this

reporting is one critical step towards ensuring accurate and relevant data collection and analysis

to better inform policy-makers and related development partners. While increasing the frequency

of these reports is essential, data collection and analysis must reflect not merely the national

statistics but also examine the particularities of local communities. UNWOMEN, the United

Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and related UN agencies must work closely with

national and local governments, academic institutions, and nongovernmental organizations

(NGOs) and civil society partners to compile and analyze these vital local statistics. To

fundamentally reorient development policy to assist these local communities, these statistics

need to be directly integrated into national poverty reduction strategies.

Empowering local communities must become more than a convenient political mantra.

National governments, regardless of the political rhetoric espoused during campaigns, are typically

loath to relinquish control of public finances, although they often appear willing to devolve

responsibilities to local communities. As the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV) and the

UNDP note, “inadequate transfer of financial resources from the national to local governments can

undermine local governments’ capacity and legitimacy and, as a consequence, make citizens

reluctant to pay local taxes….In the absence of appropriate fiscal transfers, and with limited

opportunities for mobilizing funds locally, effectively implementing the MDGs [Millennium

Development Goals – recently replaced by the Sustainable Development Goals] at the local level

remains a challenge.”11 National governments, international development agencies, non-

governmental organizations (NGOs), and related civil society partners must not only be willing to

direct financial resources to local communities but also improve the absorptive capacities of those

local communities such that these financial resources fund sustainable development without causing

rapid inflation.

“High inequality undermines development by hindering economic progress, weakening

democratic life, and threatening social cohesion.”15 Its harmful reaches expand further as growth

and poverty reduction are affected, in addition to the quality of relations in the public and

political spheres of life and individual’s sense of fulfillment and self-worth. The increases in

inequality that have been witnessed over the last two decades were mainly due to trade and

financial globalization processes that weakened the bargaining position of relatively immobile

labour versus mobile capital. Additionally, skill-based technical change, skill premiums,

monetary policies that emphasized price stability over growth, labour market policies that

weakened the bargaining position of labour versus employers, and fiscal policies that prioritized

fiscal consolidation at the expense of social expenditure and pressure taxation all had a hand in

contributing towards income inequality. While income inequality is certainly a major factor of

inequality as a whole, other drivers such as governance, social spending, and social norms matter

as well.16

14 Poverty Reduction | Humanity Divided: Confronting Inequality in Developing Countries, UNDP, 2013 15 Poverty Reduction | Humanity Divided: Confronting Inequality in Developing Countries, UNDP, 2013 16 Poverty Reduction | Humanity Divided: Confronting Inequality in Developing Countries, UNDP, 2013

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Women in Politics

Women around the world are finding gender equality elusive, despite significant gains.

When asked about the biggest challenge facing women internationally today, Amy Klobuchar,

U.S. senator from Minnesota, said: “One of the struggles that underlies all of our policy battles is

the continued lack of women in positions of power. From corporate boardrooms, to the courts,

and political leadership around the world, the lack of women in senior positions continues to

stymie progress on issue from pay to humanitarian aid to discrimination in all its forms. The

sooner we understand that the lack of women in leadership roles holds back not only women, but

all people, the sooner we will be able to advance society as a whole.” 17

Women and girls need the support of their respective local and national governments to

ensure equality. Women have continuously expanded their political rights so that, by 2016, 43

countries have reached or exceeded the 30 percent critical mass mark for women in parliament18

and 26 women serving as elected Heads of State or Government as of November 201919. While

elected officials garner the most attention, women are frequently underrepresented amongst

senior civil servants and in other key governmental posts, “including chief statisticians,

governors and board members of central banks, ambassadors and permanent representatives to

the United Nations.”20 Alongside women’s greater political influence, there has been a growing

17 Politico Magazine (2019, March 08). What Are the Biggest Problems Women Face Today?. Politico Magazine.

Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/03/08/women-biggest-problems-international-

womens-day-225698

18 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, “The World’s Women 2015: Trends and Statistics,”

ST/ESA/STAT/SER.K/20, 2015, p. 121.

19 Theresa May’s prime ministership in the United Kingdom ended in June 2019 when she resigned. 20 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, “The World’s Women 2015: Trends and Statistics,” ST/ESA/STAT/SER.K/20, 2015, p. 129.

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recognition of women’s rights, not only political and civil, but also economic, social and

cultural.21 “Enabling governance systems are essential for the achievement of gender equality

and women’s empowerment.”22 In practice, an important basis for achieving equality is having

laws in place that establish that women and men have equal rights. These then become a “central

reference point for political and cultural struggles, driving changes in social norms and popular

attitudes, as well as policy shifts.”23

“International human rights treaties—such as the Convention on the Elimination of All

Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the International Covenant on

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)—are legally binding commitments that require

States to respect, protect and fulfil women’s rights. As such, they encapsulate a substantive

understanding of gender equality that can serve as both a vision and an agenda for action for

those seeking to advance women’s rights in today’s challenging context.”24 With the formalities

in place, it is important to ensure that the results of these laws actually eliminate disadvantages to

women. The achievement of substantive equality requires coordinated public action in three

interrelated areas: redressing women’s socio- economic disadvantage; addressing stereotyping,

stigma and violence; and strengthening women’s agency, voice and participation.25

Economic Empowerment of Women

Fundamental to realizing women’s rights and well-being, and boosting the productivity of

economies at large, is decent work and social protection. Women’s access to material resources

of their own can enhance their economic security while amplifying their voices in intra-

household decision-making.26 Despite this, women still occupy a disproportionate share of poor-

quality jobs, endure a long-standing gender pay gap, and shoulder an unfair burden of unpaid

domestic and care work.27 Only 50% of women of working age are in the labor force, compared

to 77% of men. The gender gap in labor force participation remains especially large in Northern

Africa, Western Asia, and Southern Asia. Overall, participation is only slightly lower in 2015,

compared to 1995.28

21 UNWOMEN, 2011-2012 Progress of the World’s Women – In Pursuit of Justice, page 8 22 United Nations, Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of

Women, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) Strategic Plan

2018-2021, 29-30 August 2017, page 14 23 UNWOMEN, Progress of the World's Women 2015-2016 - Summary - Transforming Economies, Realizing

Rights,

2015, page 3 24 UNWOMEN, Progress of the World's Women 2015-2016 - Summary - Transforming Economies, Realizing

Rights, 2015, page 4

25 UNWOMEN, Progress of the World's Women 2015-2016 - Summary - Transforming Economies, Realizing

Rights, 2015, page 4 26 UN Women (2019). Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020, pg. 109. Retrieved from

http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/library/publications/2019/progress-of-the-

worlds-women-2019-2020-en.pdf?la=en&vs=3512 27 UN Women (2019). UN Women Annual Report 2018-2019. Retrieved from http://www2.unwomen.org/-

/media/annual%20report/attachments/sections/library/2019/un-women-annual-report-2018-2019-en.pdf?vs=4621 28 United Nations (2015). Work – Chapter 4, The World’s Women 2015. Retrieved from

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/chapter4/chapter4.html

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Women are more likely

than men to be unemployed or to

be contributing family workers,

which usually implies that they

have no access to monetary

income. Women are also more

likely than men to be employed

part-time. However, while this can

help to better balance work,

household and childrearing

responsibilities, part-time jobs are

often associated with lower hourly

wages, less job security and less training and promotion opportunities than full-time

employment. Moreover, women are significantly underrepresented in decision-making roles

such as legislators, senior officials, and managers, but are overrepresented as domestic workers,

positions that are characterized by low pay, long hours and lack of social protection. Across all

sectors and occupations, women on average earn less than men; in most countries, women in

full-time jobs earn between 70-90% of what men earn. Many developed countries show a long-

term decline in the gender pay gap, but the trend has become more mixed in recent years.29

Planning for Peace

Security Council resolution 1325 sets a clear agenda in order to measure the advancement

of women in all aspects of peace- building, which includes, but is not limited to, gender

awareness within peacekeeping initiatives, disarmament exercises, and women being visible

within “national and regional instruments and in bi- and multilateral organizations30.” This

specific resolution has been used to position the United Nations and other organizations involved

in DDR processes. The Security Council began addressing the concept of women, peace and

security more systematically in October 2000 when the Security Council unanimously adopted

resolution 1325 (S/RES/1325). Donald Steinberg, Deputy President of the International Crisis

Group (ICG), recently noted that “Resolution 1325 is, in effect, a game plan for ensuring gender

equality in political leadership, building gender-sensitive security forces, supporting women as

they return to their homes, ensuring safety for women in refugee camps and settlements, and

insisting on accountability for sexual violence and other abuses.”31 Over the subsequent 8.5

years, gender mainstreaming and addressing the problems posed by the treatment of women and

girls during and after armed conflict have been emphasized by the Security Council and the

international community, but perhaps not emphasized enough. “According to the United Nations

Office of the Special Advisor for Gender Issues (OSAGI), fewer than 15% of the 261 resolutions

adopted by the Security Council since 1325 contain specific language relating to women and

gender issues.”32 In 2013, the Security Council adopted resolution 2122 (S/RES/2122), which

29 United Nations (2015). Work – Chapter 4, The World’s Women 2015. Retrieved from

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/chapter4/chapter4.html 30 "Women, Gender and DDR." Women, Gender and DDR, August 2006, 1.

http://unddr.org/uploads/documents/IDDRS 5.10 Women, Gender and DDR.pdf. 31 Donald Steinberg, “Protection and Participation: Women and Armed Conflict” Presentation to the Salzburg

Global Seminar September 10, 2008 p. 3. 32 Chineze J. Onyejekwe, “Women, War, Peace-building and Reconstruction” Transnational Processes UNESCO

2005 p. 281.

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addresses the participation of women in all phases of conflict prevention, resolution, and

recovery. The Security Council followed up in October 2015 by adopting resolution 2242

(S/RES/2242) which both encompassed much of the work in the 15 years after the adoption of

resolution 1325 and provided further guidance about future UN System and global efforts to

integrate the roles of women more effectively in the pursuit and maintenance of peace and

security. Although at least seven texts related to the protection of women, peace and security

have been adopted by the Security council, it is still very clear that the United Nations, in

partnership with various non-governmental organizations (NGOs), needs to address the gender

dimensions of all situations of armed conflict. UNWOMEN delegates may also wish to examine

the impact and effectiveness of the Global Acceleration Instrument (GAI).

One traditional assumption is that women are uniquely qualified to resolve armed conflict

because of their maternal instincts and nurturing natures. These views can never be proved

conclusively although many analysts cite anecdotal evidence for these claims. If women are

more qualified to resolve armed conflict, or at the minimum have unique skills and talents for

resolving armed conflict, these skills and talents more likely stem from patterns of socialization.

Women’s participation in long- term conflict prevention and resolution has the ability to provide

a comprehensive understanding of the causes of and alternative solutions to conflict and

strengthen the actions that will lead to sustaining peace over time33. Chineze Onyejekwe asserts

that “women’s different skills, perspectives, and leadership styles acquired during war and

conflict situations can prove extremely useful in ensuring human security, by contributing to

changing perceptions, building relationships and developing common understandings and visions

that benefit families, communities and nations worldwide.”34 The international community must

integrate the perspectives and skills that women possess to bring about comprehensive peaceful

resolutions to situations of armed conflict and war.

When situations of armed conflict are being resolved, particularly through negotiations,

women must be actively involved throughout the resolution process. Without the inclusion of

women during the negotiations, it is very likely that the eventual peace settlement may neglect

the concerns and needs of women and girls, including land distribution schemes and judicial

hearings and trials for those accused of war crimes and atrocities. Armed conflict, especially

prolonged wars, frequently breaks down traditional social structures, including the accepted roles

for men and women. During armed conflict, women often create new civil society associations

and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to address immediate needs as well as to lay the

foundation for peace. Since women have assumed such critical and nontraditional roles in their

societies during the conflicts, it stands to reason that these changes in social roles need to be

reflected in the conflict resolution process.

When examining peacekeeping missions, female peacekeepers are increasingly

considered integral to the success of peacekeeping missions as they are often perceived as less

confrontational and much easier to approach for other women and girls. Women are deployed in

police, military, and civilian areas and have made a positive impact on peacekeeping

environments. Johanna Valenius further notes that “in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, in

Hebron, even the male population perceived female peacekeepers to be more approachable than

33 "Conflict Prevention and Resolution." Conflict Prevention and Resolution| UN Women. Accessed September 12,

2016. http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/peace-and-security/conflict-prevention-and-resolution. 34 Chineze J. Onyejekwe, “Women, War, Peace-building and Reconstruction” Transnational Processes

UNESCO 2005 pp. 279-280.

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male ones.”35 Other studies have confirmed many of these impressions about the relative

approachability of male and female peacekeepers but the international community must not draw

too many deep conclusions at this point as too few male peacekeepers still receive significant

training about gender issues and gender mainstreaming before being deployed in the field; as the

UN and the international community remedy this particular deficiency, it is likely that male

peacekeepers will be seen as more approachable in the future than they are currently.

The Impact of Post- Conflict Situations on Women

The dangers and insecurities that plague societies during armed conflict do not

automatically cease once the situation of armed conflict is declared to have ended. Secretary-

General Ban Ki-moon noted that “for women, the lawlessness of many post-conflict situations,

with its widespread violence, is as dangerous as a situation of armed conflict.”36 Commenting on

the specific case of Angola in the 1990s, but with lessons that are applicable for many post-

conflict situations, Donald Steinberg of the International Crisis Group (ICG) pointed out that

“the men were sent back to communities that had learned to live without them during decades of

conflict. The frustration of these men with no skills and no futures often exploded into an

epidemic of alcoholism, drug abuse, divorce, rape, and domestic violence. In effect, the end of

civil war unleashed a new era of violence against women.”37 Creating a post-conflict

environment that is safe and allows for sustainable human development as well as the

(re)establishment of effective systems of governance and justice requires the full and equal

participation of women.

One measurable aspect of post-conflict situations that has drawn considerable media

attention is the increase in the numbers of female parliamentarians and politicians in countries

such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Rwanda. Under the Taliban regime, Afghan women were

thoroughly excluded from political decision-making as well as the overwhelming majority of

economic activities. By 2008, women comprised 31% of the members of parliament, a much

higher rate than many wealthier established republics. In October 2008, Rwanda became the first

country to elect a female-majority parliament, with 56% of the parliamentarians being women.38

Liberia even elected the first female African president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and women

comprise 25% of the Iraqi parliament. While these accomplishments are laudable, conditions on

the ground, especially in Afghanistan and Iraq, are by no means ideal for women. In

Afghanistan, warlords guilty of war crimes, including rape and sexual assault, “have been given

positions of authority and power” and “the failure to build a modern justice system has left

women subject to the application of Shar’ia law, which in traditional Afghan society has been

highly discriminatory against women, especially in the area of family law. Further, women suffer

broadly from the lack of security, corruption, rights abuses and civilian casualties.”39 The UN-

Habitat has suggested that post- conflict settlement planning should include women grassroots

35 Johanna Valenius, “A Few Kind Women: Gender Essentialism and Nordic Peacekeeping Operations”

International Peacekeeping Vol. 14 No. 4, August 2007 p. 515. 36 Ban Ki-moon, “Women and peace and security: Report of the Secretary-General” S/2008/622

September 25, 2008 p. 2. 37 Donald Steinberg, “Protection and Participation: Women and Armed Conflict” Presentation to the Salzburg

Global Seminar September 10, 2008 p. 2. 38 Stephanie McCrummen, “Women Run the Show in a Recovering Rwanda” Washington Post

October 27, 2008. 39 Donald Steinberg, “Protection and Participation” September 10, 2008 pp. 2-3.

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organizations in the settlement planning, be integrated and link the livelihoods in a way that

recognizes both men and women, and be continuously monitored and evaluated, so that

conditions may be improved.40 Additionally, post-conflict settlements need to include provisions

guaranteeing gender equality as well as legal and financial components to address gender-based

violence (GBV) and property destruction committed during the conflict.

Development Planning & Inclusive Sustainable Growth Case Studies

“The complexity and multi-dimensionality of the drivers of inequality call for a complex

and multi-dimensional response.”41 One of many methods used to reduce and or alleviate the

impacts of poverty and people’s vulnerability to it is social protection. While the best social

protections will vary by country, there are a number of general guidelines that can and should be

followed in developing an overall social protection policy and strategy: (a) connects with and

benefit poor people first and the less poor later, (b) should be linked positively to the mottos of

pro-poor growth, (c) should be as internally coherent as possible, with its various components

adding up to more than a sum of its parts and do not work against each other, creating a mutually

supporting system, and (d) implementation requires careful planning including which institutions

should be involved, whether it is self-targeting and/or conditional, and which complementary

services may be provided along with the core ones. Additionally, economic and social policies

must produce a good rate and pattern of economic growth to reduce poverty directly; a well-

designed system of social protection to defend those still left in poverty, despite growth

achieved; and internal consistency between 2 broad categories of policy involved, such that

neither cancels out the positive effects of the other.42

The UNDP partners with many groups, organizations and projects working towards an

inclusive and multi-dimensional approach towards sustainable growth. “Inclusive growth is a

development progress sustained over several years which is environmentally sound and shared

across all individuals, regardless of circumstances.”43 Therefore projects such as these are

essential in order to get that development and growth started in the right direction.

In Uganda, the Palaro Owalo Growers Cooperative is a UNDP funded project which

develops access to markets and trade for small scale farmers. The agricultural development

organization, Kilimo Trust, is implementing this project jointly with the government of Uganda.

Together a study was conducted of the top 5 commodities in the country. Coffee, rice, honey,

beans and cassava were chosen for their market potential, inclusiveness of poor communities,

and division of labor among development partners. The project is implemented by local partners

with the government in order to help small scale farmers access international markets and

improve products. This is done so by improving the products through proper training techniques

in good farming practices, including post-harvesting techniques to ensure high yields and a fair

prices for those high yields. With 253 members, the US$2.6 million project has helped to shift

agricultural production from subsistence farming to commercialized, creating income generating

activities for the poor. It has also improved the competitiveness in markets by working for

40 UN-HABITAT. "Women in Post-Conflict Settlement Planning." UN-Habitat. 2014. Accessed September 12,

2016. http://unhabitat.org/books/women-in-post-conflict-settlement-planning/. 41 Poverty Reduction | Humanity Divided: Confronting Inequality in Developing Countries, UNDP, 2013 42 Jairo Acuña, After conflict functioning governments are key for peaceful and inclusive societies, UNDP, 20

January 2016 43 Inclusive growth: Addressing inequality and social exclusion, UNDP, 2016

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greater integration of producers, retailers, and consumers in value chain. As a result, 20 fully

functional business links have been created giving at least 200 small to medium enterprises

access to productive assets like finance, market information, extension services, and

technologies. Production has gone up and prices for products have gone up by about 300%.44

Projects such as these are essential for growth of a country as a whole.

In addition to agriculture and goods, businesses need help and guidance for growth. The

Dynamic Business Programme, funded by the European Union EU) and supported by UNDP’s

ART Initiative in Bolivia and local partners, works for just that. Supporting micro, small, and

medium enterprises (SMEs), the programme assists all people to launch businesses and develop

innovative products and services. It has trained more than 400 businesses, entrepreneurs and

enterprises on better business practices such as budget development, good presentation skills,

and product branding. By doing so, the programme has guided business, increasing awareness

around their brands, and therefore driving up their respective profits by as much as 200%. More

work needs to be done, however, in order to ensure continued growth. The growth potential of 72

enterprises has been assessed with 117 businesspeople and entrepreneurs who were chosen to

determine efficiency, enterprise potential, and allow for better collaboration among them. The

global ART Initiative, having started in 2005, is now active in 22 countries, and is tailored to the

local needs and priorities in each country. For Bolivia, those needs include multi-level

governance and coordination across regions and groups, in addition to identifying economic

potential of territories and supporting public policies for development. However, these needs can

and do vary from country to country.45 UNWOMEN’s recent initiatives in Bolivia to bolster the

national Economic Opportunities Plan (PIO)46 may be of interest to delegates and their societies’

national planning authorities.

In order for there to be inclusive growth, regardless of business within a country, there

needs to be peace and a functioning government. The countries that need to meet the SDGs the

most are the same countries where implementing them will prove to be the most difficult as the

entire system is delicate, emerging after conflict. Core government functions, such as security

and justice, public financial management, civil service and government employment, are

essential for a functioning government, which is in turn essential for true inclusive growth and

sustainable development. Unfortunately, the focus has dwindled in relation to core government

functions in recent decades. However, the SDGs are bringing needed attention to the issue and

the benefits it can provide to states emerging from conflict. Two countries where there is great

opportunity for this are South Sudan and Libya, due to their recent peace agreements that were

made towards the end of 2015. Despite the vast differences between the two countries, both will

have a set of core government functions that determine levels of responsiveness and

accountability of the institutional structures. Public administration, for example, is political as

well as technical. Support for it is essential for delivering services, negotiating political

settlements and forming a government. However, these core functions need to be restored as

soon as possible. For a new government to truly have control over the peace and build the state,

these functions need to be quickly put in place. Therefore, development partners, donor agencies,

and the development community as a whole, need to work together to come to an agreement on

the steps needed to assess the core government functions and help governments better respond to

44 Value chains: Supporting inclusive markets in agriculture and trade in Uganda, UNDP, 2016 45 Gaming the education system in Bolivia, UNDP, 2016 46 UNWOMEN, “Inclusive National Planning”, 2020. Found at: https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-

do/governance-and-national-planning/inclusive-national-planning

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their citizens. The support should seek to alleviate tension between political settlements and the

administrative process.47

International and UN System Initiatives

A significant number of countries achieved considerable progress towards achieving the

Millennium Development DGs through a wide variety of initiatives but it is increasingly clear

that local participation and leadership combined with national and international targeted

investments and technical assistance. As the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) guide

current and future UN System initiatives, it is only natural that many UN agencies and

departments have developed, or will develop, specific programs designed to assist countries in

achieving the SDGs by 2030. National governments, academic institutions, and non-

governmental organizations (NGOs) also contribute critically to achieving the SDGs. Overall,

the two most important programs specifically targeted at achieving the MDGs by 2015 were the

Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI) and the Millennium Villages Program (MVP); while

delegates to the UNDP must focus their efforts on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,

most development efforts to date have focused on the previous Millennium Development Goals

and delegates may find important guidance and direction in these previous, and in some cases

ongoing, initiatives.

The Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI) is a program run by the Earth Institute at

Columbia University that works with 11 sub-Saharan African cities in 8 countries. While the

Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI) is specifically directed by the Earth Institute, the program is

designed to coordinate directly with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and

the Millennium Promise through the Millennium Villages Program (MVP). The MCI was

established in 2006 and it partners directly with the UNDP, including the MDG Support Team,

and “the MCI’s priority is to help create employment, stimulate enterprise development and

foster economic growth in the [then] seven [now eleven] cities, especially by attracting FDI

[Foreign Direct Investment].”48 Malawi serves as an excellent example of the bridges being built

between these complementary programs, the Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI) and the

Millennium Villages Program (MVP).

Malawi remains one of the world’s Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and one with

approximately 90% of its official labor force still employed in agriculture. In recent years,

Malawi has made strides in reducing poverty and food insecurity in specific regions, particularly

in the critical economic city of Blantyre and the village of Mwandama. Malawi needs to provide

low-cost electricity to its residents and solar lanterns have generated considerable interest among

the populations of Blantyre and Mwandama. Through the ongoing partnership of the UNDP,

Earth Institute, Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI), and the Millennium Villages Program

(MVP), private sector market development is occurring in a manner that provides low-income

people with the low-cost electricity that these residents need. “In the Millennium Village of

Mwandama in Zomba district, the MVP has successfully established a private sector-led solar

lantern project working with the supplier d. Light. A household survey showed that people in the

community saved an average of one hundred Malawian Kwacha (MWK) per week and were

highly satisfied with their purchases. The study also suggested that the lanterns pay for

47 Jairo Acuña, After conflict, functioning governments are key for peaceful and inclusive societies, UNDP, 20

January 2016 48 Karl P. Sauvant, “Africa: The FDI Opportunities are Local” International Trade Forum 1/2007.

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themselves in less than a year.”49 A further benefit of this solar lantern initiative is that a program

like this can be effectively scaled up once demand proves sufficient to induce suppliers to

increase production and/or expand to these emerging markets.

In a second initiative in the village of Mwandama, UNDP and its partners in the

Millennium Village Programs (MVP) provided initial loans to purchase needed seeds and

fertilizer for all of the households in the village at a cost of $110,000 USD. In the past five years,

this initial investment of $110,000 USD has generated $155,000, permitting the village’s

residents to build a village grain bank to provide emergency food relief for families that are

struggling to feed themselves, to purchase sugar, salt, and even iron sheets for roofs.

Additionally, each farmer provides 2 50 kilogram (kg) bags of corn each year to the school

feeding program, thus ensuring that fewer children face malnourishment and/or starvation. These

targeted investments at the local level are producing dramatic results for some of the world’s

poorest peoples and illustrate very clearly that achieving the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs) must be viewed through the prism of local development and not strictly at the national

and international levels.

Since the UN System emphasizes comprehensive solutions involving multiple UN

agencies, member states, and civil society actors, it is only natural that efforts to achieve the

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) must involve multiple UN bodies. The United Nations

Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) recently established its Local Development

Programme (LDP) which is designed to “respond to emerging needs and challenges facing local

actors in the effective implementation of sustainable urban development and provision of basic

services for all.”50 UNITAR’s Local Development Programme (LDP) works closely with

interested civil society partners through its International Training Center for Local Actors

(CIFAL) centers to provide international knowledge-sharing platforms for sustainable urban

development. UNDP frequently collaborates with the United Nations Environment Programme

(UNEP), UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), and

international financial institutions, including the World Bank Group.

Conclusion

“If the global community collectively is prepared to step up to the challenge of achieving

the Sustainable Development Goals, then there’s a chance of achieving sustainable

development – and with it better prospects for people and our planet.

Helen Clark, United Nations Development Programme Administrator.”

“Only a genuinely holistic approach can fully address the multiple factors that cause

inequality and create the condition for a truly inclusive society.”51 With the Global Goals in

place, the stage has been set for combating inequality and moving towards a more inclusive

society in which poverty and social marginalization can be completely reduced and eradicated.

If the global community were to come together, providing support for states, the effects would be

grandiose. Between programs and efforts such as those found in Bolivia, Libya, Malawi, South

49 Erica Brailey, Raquel Fernandez, Ed Martin & Natalia Sguerra, “MCI and VCC Working Paper Series on

Investment in the Millennium Cities: Solar Lanterns in Blantyre, Malawi” No. 11/2010 October 2010. 50 UNITAR, “What is a CIFAL?” 2010. Found at: http://www.unitar.org/ldp/what-cifal 51 Poverty Reduction | Humanity Divided: Confronting Inequality in Developing Countries, UNDP, 2013

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Sudan and Uganda, the international community is moving towards a more inclusive global

society.

Guiding Questions

1. How is development planning currently conducted in your country? Which stakeholders

are consistently involved in planning discussions and which stakeholders are

underrepresented? Has your government undertaken any recent steps to make

development planning more inclusive? Does your country enshrine (equal) participation

for women in local and national planning initiatives?

2. How might international organizations, including the agencies and bodies of the UN

System, regional organizations, international financial institutions (IFIs), and related civil

society partners most effectively ensure that development planning to achieve the

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) becomes, and remains, a truly inclusive process?

Do private sector actors, including businesses and nongovernmental organizations

(NGOs), ensure (equal) participation for women in local and national planning

initiatives?

Resolutions:

United Nations General Assembly resolution 74/205 (A/RES/72/206), “Financial Inclusion for

Sustainable Development”, December 19, 2019.

United Nations General Assembly resolution 74/142 (A/RES/74/142), “International Equal Pay

Day”, December 18, 2019.

United Nations General Assembly resolution 74/126 (A/RES/74/126), “Improvement of the

situation of women and girls in rural areas”, December 18, 2019.

United Nations General Assembly resolution 74/120 (A/RES/120), “Promoting social integration

through social inclusion”, December 18, 2019.

United Nations General Assembly resolution 72/234 (A/RES/72/234), “Women in

development”, December 20, 2017.

United Nations General Assembly 72/142 (A/RES/72/142), “Promoting social integration

through social inclusion”, December 19, 2017.

United Nations General Assembly resolution 71/165 (A/RES/71/165), “Inclusive development

for persons with disabilities”, December 19, 2016.

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