SOCIAL WATCH E-NEWSLETTER - Issue 128 - May 3, 2013

Unlike many developing countries, India’s economy has been growing at a fast pace, enabling the government to mobilize the necessary resources internally for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. Its dependence on international aid, especially for financial resources is minimal; in fact it has declined bilateral aid from many countries. Despite this, however, the country has failed to achieve most of the goals and targets. The main reasons for this are inadequate funding, inappropriate administration and ignorance of policy and governance issues.

Ultimately however, the failure is due to the absence of inclusiveness in the development model. Instead of enabling people to acquire basic needs such as food, sanitation, water, health care, the government is promoting ‘non-inclusive growth’ and has sought to provide basic services through subsidies with the associated problems of inefficiency and corruption.

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This publication analyses the role gender equality plays in the post-Rio+20 process for a new development agenda centered around a set of SDGs. It looks at proposals and efforts to integrate gender equality and women's rights into efforts to define the SDGs and argues that a new global women's coalition of committed advocates and women's rights activists to focus more aggressively on governance and policy reform in the post-2015 development agenda, particularly on macro-economic policy reform.

The post-2015 Development Agenda and the SDGs have potential to make a positive, long-lasting difference in addressing today’s myriad of challenges. Whether they will is another story - and there is room for skepticism.

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Last week, three influential think tanks released a jointly-authored report on European development policy. The  European Development Report 2013, called “Post-2015: Global Action for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future,” focuses on how global collective action can help developing countries achieve development.

The report establishes a link between achievement of development goals and reforms of the international financial system, thus helping raise pressure for inclusion of financial regulation issues in the new development framework.

The European Commission should take credit for having commissioned the report. However, it would be even better if it were to actually benefit and take advantage of it to shape its policy positions.

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Representatives of civil society organizations; the signatories of this appeal, condemn the assassination in Basrah on 26 April 2013 of the activist, Jalal Dhiyab; the President of the Supporters Humanitarian Liberty Association, one of the outstanding defenders of human rights in Iraq, who has devoted much of his life to defend black rights for full citizenship, and his legitimate claim to address the culture of discrimination and the rights of black citizens in political representation and participation in public life, draw a road map for the achievement of equality and the promotion of political representation and participation in public life, draw a road map for the achievement of equality and the promotion of citizenship rights for all components in the process of building a democratic system in Iraq.
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