Friday, March 17, 2017

Global Push To Achieve SDGs Vision and Words with Action Agenda 38

Statement by Lanre Rotimi, ISPE / EAG,
co-Facilitators on Enhancing Synergies and Coherence and Reducing Overlap in the Agendas of the General Assembly, ECOSOC and their Subsidiary Bodies in Light of Adoption of the 2030 Agenda for World Sustainable Development
 Informal Consultation with Member States, Major Groups and other Stakeholders 11, April 2017

 “Rethinking  Development, Diplomacy, Defense, Democracy, Data and Digitization - Research: Research, Planning, Statistics/Data; Implementation; Evaluation: Monitoring, Evaluation; Success: Learning, Results, Success Policy, Program, Project Interventions, 3PIs and 3PIs Training as One”


My name is Lanre Rotimi and I am honored to make this Statement on the topic of  “Rethinking  Development, Diplomacy, Defense, Democracy, Data and Digitization - Research: Research, Planning, Statistics/Data; Implementation; Evaluation: Monitoring, Evaluation; Success: Learning, Results, Success Policy, Program, Project Interventions, 3PIs and 3PIs Training as One”on behalf of the International Society for Poverty Elimination / Economic Alliance Group.

We congratulate the co-chairs and all contributors to the first consultation on 7 February 2017 and second consultation on 6 March 2017.

We applaud the devotion of the 6 March 2017 meeting to finding clear and correct answers to 3 specific How questions:-
  1. How can we encourage the General Assembly Committees, the ECOSOC main segments, and the ECOSOC Functional Commissions to combine their efforts in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda?
  2. 2. How can the General Assembly Committees coherently embody the 2030 Agenda into their mandates and agendas? How can we improve their interaction?
  3. 3. How can our process take into consideration other reform initiatives in the General Assembly and in ECOSOC as well as implementation of the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review, and the efforts of the Secretary General?

Opening the meeting, Bird said the consultation process builds on the mapping exercise conducted during the 70th UNGA session. It does not aim to reduce the UN’s work, she stressed, but to facilitate interaction and joint work, and enhance synergies to “ensure the UN system delivers as one.” She also said the process is not meant to result in negotiated outcomes, but rather a summary of findings and possibly recommendations for next steps.

It was agreed that the process would produce a series of recommendations rather than negotiated outcomes; provide a roadmap of actions to better align work on the 2030 Agenda, serve implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the Country level, but avoid micro managing on the ground since UNGA and EOSOC are not “implementing agencies”; and result in a common understanding of the division of labour among bodies, so as to eliminate duplication including duplicating ECOSO Review process, UNGA Revitalization process and mandatory Reports set out in 2016 QCPR. This is to ensure that the UN does not have the same conversation in two or more different events.

As part of reducing “duplication and competition” among UN system entities, there was suggestion clarifying the roles of each entity in helping Member States to implement the SDGs, as follows: the UNGA’s role is to express the political will and guidance of Member States on priority issues; ECOSOC’s role is to follow up on specific conferences, oversee subsidiary bodies, and integrate the major dimensions of sustainable development; the role of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) is to hold the preeminent discussion on follow-up and review of the SDGs; and the UN development system supports countries in implementation under the guidance of QCPR and funds’ and programmes’ strategic plans.

Also there was call for:
  1. Several “practical suggestions” to avoid embarking on a complete overhaul of agenda items, while still ensuring that any overlap is not duplicative, and makes the UNGA agenda more “fit for purpose for our challenges.”
  2. Recognition that working on the same issue at different levels or by different entities does not necessarily amount to overlap or duplication.  
  3. There is need to safeguard “the essence” of existing mandates and functions.

The next meeting is scheduled for 11 April, and the co-facilitators welcomed input to determine the topics for discussion.

The outcome of the 6 March 2017 meeting once more provide evidence that UN Events set up to find answers to 2030 Agenda How questions end up avoiding or evading answer to How questions while over answering What questions and this include providing answer to What questions as answers to How questions. There is therefore urgent need for the co-Facilitators to ensure that the 11 April 2017 meeting and remaining meetings in this process provide clear and correct answers to How questions.

The UN System Delivery as One, DaO Initiative is over 10 years old. If National Leaders and World Leaders do not know why UN System DaO is not working, they will not know how to Reform the UN System to be fit for the 21st Century and in ways that ensure that UN System DaO will work and in ways that ensure 2030 Agenda Vision ambitions are achieved by 2030 target date in each Community in each of the 306/193 UN Member States.

It is pertinent to note that:-
1.       UN System is used interchangeably with UNO. The UN System goes beyond UNO to include WBG and IMF. UN System DaO therefore goes beyond UNO DaO to UNO, WBG, IMF DaO. It is clear that without achieving UN System: UNO, WBG, IMF DaO, it will be Mission Impossible achieving 2030 Agenda – AAAA, SDG, COP21, Agenda 21, Original PD/BD Vision ambitions in each Community in each of 306/193 UN Member States. The implication is that achieving 2030 Agenda driven by UN System: UNO, WBG, IMF DaO calls for “Rethinking  Development, Diplomacy, Defense, Democracy, Data and Digitization - Research: Research, Planning, Statistics/Data; Implementation; Evaluation: Monitoring, Evaluation; Success: Learning, Results, Success Policy, Program, Project Interventions, 3PIs and 3PIs Training as One”.
2.       UN Member States are looking up to UN System: UNO, WBG, IMF Entities for help to achieve 2030 Agenda in each Community in their Country but UN System: UNO, WBG, IMF Entities themselves need help before they can be in a position to provide the type of help UN Member States desire and deserve.
3.       The 2016 TI Corruption Perception Index shows that World Corruption is worsening with 2/3 of 176 Countries Surveyed falling below the Index mid point. The TI Corruption Perception Index is itself Corrupt as it is based on subjective methodology and it addresses Bribe Takers without addressing Bribe Givers. Also the WBG Governance Indicators is corrupt as it recognizes Legal Corruption such as Lobbying and it places undue focus on Bribe Taking while turning blind eye to many of the remaining 16 commonly occurring forms of corruption.
4.       There is a need for one official list of UN Member States instead of the current two; there is a need for adoption of the list of 193 UN Member States as the only official list; there is a need for New Corruption Perception Index based on objective methodology for two lists – Bribe Takers and Bribe Givers in which all 193 UN Member States are surveyed.
5.       It takes two to tango. While many Developing Countries, including Nigeria are high on the list of Bribe Takers; many Developed Countries are high on the list of Bribe Givers including US, UK, France, Germany, Russia.
6.       There is need for Multi Stakeholder Partnerships / Platforms, MSPs as Force for Good and Lobbying as Force for Good.
7.       There is urgent need to convert existing UN System: UNO, WBG, IMF Entities Study Reports especially WBG World Development Reports, WDR 2004 on Public Sector Management, PSM and its follow Up New PSM 2011 and 10 year review of PSM 2014; WDR 2008 on Agriculture; WDR 2014 on Risk Management, WDR 2015 on Attitudinal and Behavioral Change, WDR 2016 on Data and Digitization and WDR 2017 on Governance as well as Conferences and Meetings Outcome Documents especially AAAA, SDG, COP21, Agenda 21, Original PD/BD, Agenda 21 and HLM2 NOD into Vision and Words with ACTION; ensure full implementation of all Action Agenda Items with effective Monitoring and Evaluation of this Implementation as appropriate to each Community to Global location context.


https://ieg.worldbankgroup.org/blog/rethinking-evaluation-agility#comment-3288  Rethinking Development, Diplomacy, Defense, Democracy, Data, Digitization

8.       Achieving (1) – (7) greatly depends on selecting One Worldwide Approach to Benefits focused National and International Development Cooperation.
9.       Operationalizing (8) in Practice greatly depends on the appointment of Global Coordinating External Consultant and Global Coordinating Internal Consultant with minimum certain levels of Hard Competences: Learning and Skills and Soft Competences: Character, Courage, Discipline and Mindset to meaningfully support Community, Sub-national, National, Sub-regional, Regional and Global Stakeholders from UN Member States Governments: Executive, Legislature, Judiciary at all tiers; UN System: UNO, WBG, IMF Entities; CSOs/NGOs; Farmers and Processors Organizations; Private Sector: Micro, Small, Medium, Large and Multinational Enterprises; Academics and Researchers as they work jointly towards achieving 2030 Agenda within each Partners unique and specific location context.

The current situation wherein too many CSOs are antagonistic stakeholders focused on government flaws and failures must change to a new situation in which the greater majority of CSOs are Active Participants focused on working jointly with Stakeholders in remaining 6 Blocks on Global Goals – AAAA, SDG, COP21, Agenda 21, Original PD/BD aligned and harmonized with Community and Country Development Plans Action Agenda Items in ways that accomplish targets and on scheduled time.

To make this and related paradigm shifts, such as silos to synergy; business as usual to business unusual; parroting change to practicing change; academic research to development research greatly depends on effectively deploying competences identified above and in ways that effectively deploy Whole of Bank / Institution / Government / Community / Country / World Thinking to bear towards the sustainable solutions to Whole of Bank / Institution / Government / Community / Country / World Problems. This underlines need to recognize that Good Communication Strategy is not Razzmatazz and Sensation focused on Shadow but Connection and Understanding focused on Substance.

It is pertinent to note that many ECOSOC accredited CSOs are not aware of the Communication Resources available at UNDPI; that many of these CSOs that are aware, are not able to effectively utilize the Communication Resources due to Competences and Capacity issues and that many of these Communication Resources may not meet the unique Communication Needs of particular Communities in Specific Member States. This underlines the magnitude and complexity of the challenge facing UNDPI in the Design and Delivery of effective and efficient Global Goals – AAAA, SDG, COP21, Agenda 21, Original PD/BD Communication Resources that help to effectively link each Community in each of 306/193 Member States to UN Headquarters New York and also help to achieve increasing convergence between Global Goals – AAAA, SDG, COP21, Agenda 21, Original PD/BD aligned and harmonized with Community and Country Development Plans in 306/193 Member States Vision Intention and Reality by scheduled target date.

We urge the UN Security Council Members and Developed Countries that can influence them to recognize that it is in their enlightened self interest to Drive Reforms to Create New Sub-national, National, Regional and Global Development Cooperation Systems fit for the 21st Century and the starting point is to revert to Original UN System Vision, Original Agenda 21 Vision and Original UNEP Vision as Foundation upon which Global Goals – AAAA, SDG, COP21, Original PD/BD Vision will be built. 

The answer to 2030 Agenda How questions is in the DOING and this is in Pilot Program and Scale Up Program.  This DOING could start from converting the UNSG Statement at his swearing in ceremony on 12 December 2016 into Vision and Words with Action; ensuring the UNSG regain lost time and deliver on responsibility to produce Report by end second quarter 2017 set out in Paragraph 19 QCPR 2016 and ensure New FAO End Poverty, End Hunger and End Malnutrition, EPEHEM Comprehensive Approach is adopted by each of the 306/193 UN Member States as each seek to achieve 2030 Agenda Ambitions by 2030 target date.

The co-Facilitators, UN Member States, SOs/NGOs and other Stakeholder Blocks participating in this process need to recognize that pour World is accelerating on MADning (Mutually Assured Destruction) Road to DOOM and achieving 2030 Agenda greatly depends on our World hanging to and accelerating on MAPing (Mutually Assured Prosperity) Road to BOOM.  There are Bright Prospects of Success, if National Leaders and World Leaders Chose Road to Boom and recognize that One Day delay may be One Day too late.

Our suggestion: UN Security Council Members and UN System take decision on the sustainable solutions set out in Statement to Informal Informal Consultations of 11 April 2017 and as soon as possible.

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to towards achievement by scheduled target date, of the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda, a once-in-a generation agenda that is truly transformative, visionary and inclusive, to guide our valuable efforts in the Global Partnership for World Sustainable Development.

Contact:
Lanre Rotimi - International Society for Poverty Elimination / Economic Alliance Group

nehap.initiative@yahoo.co.uk