ISPE EAG
INTERATIONAL
SOCIETY FOR POVERTY ELIMINATION ECONOMIC
ALLIANCE GROUP
Briefing # 8: 15th Anniversary of 9/11: Rethinking War on
Terror – Central Role for SDG Vision and Words with Action?
Global Call to US Leaders, Europe Leaders, World Leaders,
Representatives of 193 UN Member States, 9 Major Groups, other CSOs’ and other
Stakeholders.
By Lanre Rotimi and Peter Orawgu. 11 September 2016
15
years after the sad event of 11 September 2001, there is a need to reflect deeply
on root problems that led to this event and progress made finding sustainable
solutions to same. This is more so when this 15th anniversary coincide
with 135th Labor Day in US and 1st year after World
Leaders endorsed the SDG.
It
is pertinent to note that levels of poverty and inequality in US and across our
World are at appalling high levels; that inequality is a cause and product of
poverty and poverty is a cause and product of human rights violations,
therefore a human rights approach to implementing all 17 Goals of the SDG as
applicable to specific context – Community to Global can be very helpful.
It
is pertinent to note further that fundamental political and sensitive issues
that ought to have been settled 6 months before endorsement of the SDG are
still outstanding 12 months after endorsement of the SDG; that the US has spent
3 – 4 Trillion Dollars, yet the overarching lessons learnt in the War on Terror
in past 15 years is that no lessons have been learnt.
As
the 71st UNGA begin 13 September 2016, the appalling situation in Nigeria and Africa, UK
and Europe and US and rest of the World suggest urgent need for pause to
reflect on 71 years of UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF, to determine if the UN
System is fit for the 21st Century alongside reflecting on flaws and
failures in Development, Diplomacy, Defense, Democracy and Data with a view to
determining whether War on Terror could be won without sustainable solutions to
AAAA, SDG, COP21, Agenda 21 aligned and harmonized with Community Development
Plans and Country Development Plans in each of the 193/306 UN Member States How
questions, including the DOING of How.
Reconfiguring our
World
The World we have today is one in
which many countries – developed and
developing are experiencing hunger in all its forms – absolute, chronic and
hidden and poverty in all its forms – extreme poverty and relative poverty;
terrible human tragedies – civil wars and interstate wars. Europe is
confronting many challenges in asylum seekers and financial crises as well as
Brexit. Many Local Governments and State Governments in US are bankrupt. In
fact if the US Dollar is uncoupled from the World Dollar, the US National
Government will be bankrupt. Yet the US in seeking to Win War on Terror is
determined to embark upon another Arms Race that is a Luxury it cannot afford.
Today, National Economic Growth
largely does not trickle down to benefit the poor in the rural communities in
both developed and developing Countries. Can we get the World We Want, if
concerned Stakeholders do not jointly answer AAAA, SDG, COP21, Agenda 21 How
questions in ways that address these real and complex problems on the ground in
each Community in each of 193/306 UN Member States? Can this be achieved
without Fixing the UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF that is linked with
Reconfiguring our World?
A situation where a Cow in Europe
and US, is subsidized by about US$ 2 a day and over 2 Billion Poor People live
on less than US$ 2 a day is a Scar on
the Conscience of World Leaders. The Agriculture System in the US and
Worldwide is in decay and needs urgent overhaul and in ways that effectively
link sustainable solutions to Food, Agriculture, Nutrition, Heath, Lifestyle
and Wellbeing on one hand and Informality, Formality, Inequality, Inclusive
Growth, Poverty Elimination and Environmental Sustainability on the other hand.
A situation where Developed
Countries: seek contradictory political
and economic goals for the same US$ of Foreign Aid, as well as give US$1 of Aid to block US$10 of Trade
should no longer be tolerated, if we are to Get the World We Want. The Aid
System in US and Worldwide is in decay and needs urgent overhaul and in ways
that effectively link sustainable solutions to Aid, Trade, Debts, Corruption,
Terrorism on one hand and Development Effectiveness, Development Impact,
Development Results, Development Justice and Development Rights on the other
hand.
The effective answer to AAAA, SDG, COP21 and Agenda 21 How questions
should address these and all related real and complex sub-national, national,
sub-regional, regional and global problems on the ground, if we are to Get the
World We Want. As long as US Leaders and World Leaders fail to learn lessons of
history, they will continue to make mistakes of history. Progress can only be
made in the work towards rescuing our fragile Planet if US Leaders and World
Leaders recognize that should they continue to reject Ordered Change, they
certainly make Disordered Change Inevitable.
US Leaders and World Leaders need
to recognize that in working HARDER doing the same old things in the sale old
ways, they are in reality creating favorable climate for Terror to Thrive and
for Poverty, Hunger, Inequality, Injustice, Impunity, Corruption and related
problems to thrive within and between Countries both Developed and Developing
in our World today.
US Leadership
The US Presidency is said to have
3 Offices – Office of President – White House; Office of Parliamentarian – American
Congress and Office of Public – American Citizen. Our study finding is that
there is a 4th Office of Security – High Command in Pentagon, FBI
and CIA.
It is worrisome that these 4
Offices in deploying Vengeance and Injustice rather than Forgiveness and
Justice are unknowingly helping the Enemy to Win the War on Terror as well as
accelerating US Decline. Should the 4 Offices change Strategy to work SMARTer
doing new things in new ways; establishing new partnerships to drive new collaboration,
new cooperation, new cohesion and new coordination from Community to Global
levels within New US National Development Vision and New US International
Development Vision, real and complex US internal problems as well as World
problems that appear to be Mountains will suddenly become mole hills.
Food for Thought
Brookings Institute
released this Paper about 10 years ago:
The fundamental
issues raised then are still very relevant now. These two articles underline
urgent need to Rethink War on Terror, if US Leaders and World Leaders are
serious about avoiding World War III.
Re-establishing Country Led Monitoring
and Evaluation Systems
The Country Led
Monitoring and Evaluation Systems on both Developed and Developing Countries
sides are is a State of Decay.
There is a need
for New Monitoring Systems that promote and protect Quality of Service in each
Duty Bearer through identifying:-
1.
Increase in
convergence between Projected Results and Actual Results and How it could be
sustained or improved.
2.
Increase in
divergence between Projected Results and Actual Results and How it could be
corrected.
The System will generate
Monitoring Reports on Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Half Yearly and Annual
basis. Once Professionals know that their work will be objectively measured
through credible Monitoring Reports; then What gets Measured Gets Done.
There is a need
for New Evaluation Systems that promote and protect Organization Learning in
each Duty Bearer through identifying:-
1.
What is done
correctly and How it could be improved.
2.
What is done
wrongly and How it could be corrected.
3.
Best Practices and
How it could be Benchmarked and Scaled Up.
4.
How to Build
Bridge between Lessons Learning and Lessons Forgetting
The System will
generate Evaluation Reports:-
1.
Short Term: 1
year; 3years; 5 years
2.
Medium Term: 7
years; 10 years; 15 years
3.
Long Term: 20
years; 25 years; 30 years
Once Professionals
know that their decisions will be Objectively Assessed in the Short, Medium and
Long Term, with reward or sanction as appropriate, even post humus; they will
reflect more before taking any decision today.
The Design and
Delivery of these New Monitoring Systems and New Evaluation Systems will be
based on One Worldwide Approach to Evaluation that is an Integral Part of One
Worldwide Approach to achieving AAAA, SDG, COP21 and Agenda 21 in each
Community in each of 193/306 UN Member States.
Conclusion
These are indeed trying times. There is
need to address fundamental issues of Denial, Deception and Delusion if
sustainable solutions are to be found to War on Terror. There are bright
prospects of success, if the right thing is done and on time.
God Bless UN. God Bless our World.
Contact:
Lanre Rotimi
Director General,
International Society for Poverty
Elimination / Economic Alliance Group,
Akure – Nigeria, West Africa.
Email: nehap.initiative@yahoo.co.uk
M: +234-8162469805
