Post 2015: Global Action for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future

e added later. Equally it would be desirable to
provide space for both global and national targets
so as to increase the flexibility of the framework,
allow for diversity and maximise national
ownership.
10.5.3 Framework for whom?
the mDGs were never a truly global framework.
Human development trends were not monitored
in developed countries, partly because the targets
set were not particularly relevant to them. the
mDGs implicitly promoted a dichotomy 154 between
developed and developing countries and cemented
uneven power relations between donors and
recipients.
In a changing global landscape there is no place for
such a divisive construct. the rapid rise of emerging
economies such as brazil, china and India, blurs
the conventional boundaries of the development
sector and renders the donor–recipient model
outdated and increasingly unhelpful. Developing
and emerging economies are likely to be reluctant
to make specific commitments to achieve certain
targets if advanced economies are not also required
to do so. this should be taken as an opportunity
to build a post-2015 framework that is broader in
scope and more inclusive in membership.
Some experts have called for a universal framework
rather than one that is focused on developing
countries. this can be defended on three main
grounds. First, a set of universal goals would clearly
have immense political value. Second, some of the
most pressing global challenges affect all countries
to varying degrees. poverty, inequality, employment
and the environment are all shared concerns,
irrespective of a country’s level of development.
third, addressing certain development challenges
requires global collective action, for instance to
ensure environmental sustainability. In principle it
is possible to design a new global framework that
speaks to the concerns of and challenges facing all
countries.
although a universal framework has an instinctive
and obvious appeal, it is likely to be very difficult
to devise and negotiate goals and targets that
would be both universally acceptable and relevant
for diverse contexts. certain goals would have to
be more challenging for some countries than for
others 155 . While absolute poverty eradication would
be particularly relevant for the poorest countries,
targets on relative poverty and inequality could
be more pertinent for emerging and advanced
economies, and environmental targets for advanced
and fast-industrialising countries. all countries
should ideally be challenged by a post-2015 agenda,
albeit not evenly across all areas. Such an approach
would be compatible with the view that poverty
permeates all countries and is multi-dimensional
in nature. In whatever formulation, emerging
economies would play a central role in brokering
such a post-2015 development agreement.
obviously, the challenges and needs of developing
countries vary considerably according to their
economic structure, human capacity, political
situation, geography and inherent vulnerabilities.
mDG8 made specific references to africa, lDcs,
landlocked developing countries (llDcs) and
small island developing states (SIDS). a post-
2015 framework will need to adequately reflect
such differentiated contexts. While this report
has highlighted the challenges facing the poorest
countries, box 10.4 discusses some of the specific
challenges facing SIDS. these include high
vulnerability to economic and environmental
shocks, as well as inherent structural constraints
that impede inclusive and sustainable development
154 the ultimate responsibility for achieving the first seven mDGs fell to developing countries, while developed countries had a vague and poorly
specified list of commitments in mDG8, which were meant to support those national efforts.
155 another approach would be to work with standards that gradually increase over time. For instance the Ilo uses the principle of a basic floor
of standards (the ‘core labour standards’) which is then improved on over time with the gradual realisation of higher standards.
poSt-2015: Global actIon For an IncluSIvE anD SuStaInablE FuturE
All countries
should ideally be
challenged by a
post-2015 agenda,
albeit not evenly
across all areas.
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