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Historically, the World Bank’s development financing has consistently been under fire. Currently the Global South is demanding a greater say in financing matters. Where has the problem been up to now?

Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul: For a start, we faced the problem that the financing for the goals – and this is something the current Development Minister Svenja Schulze has also addressed – was not enough. That’s why it’s good that at the Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which have just taken place, they decided to top up the lending volume by 70 billion US dollars. That will help support the countries that want to invest in global public goods – meaning goods whose benefits and costs extend beyond national borders – but until now haven’t had the chance. Germany has already contributed to the funding by – as Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz already announced last year – providing 305 million euros in hybrid capital to the World Bank. That was the impetus, so to speak, for others to follow suit. It’s certainly a wise move – but still, at some point the question of further top-ups will raise its head.

The ability of the poorest countries to act has so far been very much restricted by the debt architecture. Why is that?

That’s a complex point. In the federal government we launched an initiative in the early 2000s which provided debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries in return for them using the freedom of action it gave them to invest, for example, in things like public health and education. The problem is – especially after the reversal in interest rates witnessed in the USA and the shock caused by the impact of the Covid pandemic – the level of debt of the poorest countries has risen drastically. Some of the countries have to spend almost 30 percent of their national budgets on financing their debt. And that means there’s nothing left over for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the issue of decarbonisation or restructuring the economy. When this is your starting point, I don’t think it’s enough to say: well we have the G20 Common Framework for debt treatments. Because when you look at how many countries have been able to benefit from it so far, it’s just not enough.

What could be done to change that?

Actually – and this something we also established in the RNE statements from June 2023 – we need more transparency around the questions: Who is in debt and who are the creditors? Apart from that, I think, we need new impetus among the traditional donors, but also China and the private stakeholders that are involved, to collectively enable debt relief and better debt management. In my opinion, that is absolutely essential today.

The World Bank now wants to reform itself into a “better bank”. Implementation steps were agreed at its Spring Meetings. What were they?

For one thing, the lending volume has just been extended and with it also the bank’s mandate. It’s not just a question of fighting poverty, but also of financing global public goods and, above all, adapting in the face of climate change. We at the RNE have been saying for a while now that the World Bank needs to become a transformation bank. Now they’ve taken a step in that direction, so from here on it’s all about the implementation. Apart from that, the indicators for measuring the impact have been reduced – although two new ones have been added: biodiversity and inequality. I think those are also important steps to stop the poorest countries worrying that any new missions will be charged to them.

Where do you think there might be room for improvement in this reform?

I would say, the most important thing is that it is implemented swiftly. Because I know what kind of processes these are and the devil is in the detail.

And if you now – with these reform steps in mind – reflect on the RNE’s statements from summer 2023, what progress do you see?

In relation to the World Bank, the points we mentioned back then really have come on better than I expected, after many years of hardly any progress at all.

Another point you already mentioned in 2023 is the question of the allocation of special drawing rights. What’s happened there?

So in 2021, 650 billion US dollars’ worth of special drawing rights were made available to help stabilise economic development – at the time it came from the IMF in light of the Covid pandemic. But the fact is that these rights are allocated based on the share of IMF quotas each country holds and not on anything to do with poverty or particular vulnerability. That has led, for example, to a situation where Germany received more than the entire continent of Africa put together. Of course for countries in the Global South that hardly seems reasonable. But now there are some interesting developments on that front – namely the possibility of special drawing rights basically being provided as hybrid capital for the African Development Bank. That makes sense whichever way you look at it, because the African Development Bank is a major player and that would boost the lending volume because its stability and security would, of course, improve. So I hope the IMF agrees to this. But it looks like there’s going to be a new German vote on it and our Finance Minister will not be supporting this initiative.

Germany is jointly responsible for drawing up the UN Pact for the Future. What role will this pact play at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Madrid in summer 2025?

That depends on how the decision-making pans out. So far, some parts of the draft are worded in very general terms, but with regard to the financing of the SDGs, it has sent out promising signals. Actually, the Pact of the Future signals that, in a world shattered by geopolitics, there is the will to reinforce multilateralism. And that’s why I feel it really needs and deserves to be given a lot more attention in Germany.

Is there any hope at all of agreement in the current geopolitical climate?

It’s absolutely possible, as we saw at the spring meeting of the Financing for Development Forum of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in April. Unlike with the two international financial institutions – the World Bank and the IMF – where geopolitics made it practically impossible to come up with a joint statement, at this ECOSOC meeting they even reached a consensus over their joint statement. That shows that the UN level is one that we need to beef up, because it helps boost cohesion and prevents unnecessary fragmentation.

What did they agree to there?

The document points out, for instance, that the funding gap – calculated at somewhere between 2.5 and 4 billion US dollars – has to be filled to deliver on the SDGs and the climate targets. This needs to come from various financing sources. Obviously that also means the private sector, but equally it is abundantly clear that some of it has to be covered by public funds too. That’s the challenge we are facing at the moment.

What approaches might be taken to close this gap?

One of the more interesting approaches – which we at the RNE have also been advocating – is to step up the establishment of their own tax systems in the countries of the Global South. This needs to be done as transparently and digitally as possible, which also helps against corruption. Another approach that tackles debt relief is through so-called debt swaps, whereby the funds owed are repurposed for, say, economic transformation or investment in renewable energy. But it’s also important to make the international financial institutions more inclusive. And there was an interesting proposal under the G20 presidency from the Brazilian finance minister to tax the 3,000 richest people in the world, which would bring in as much as 250 billion US dollars. Our Development Minister Svenja Schulze also supported this and has taken it up. These are all important perspectives with an eye to the conference in Madrid.

Germany was one of the initiators of the World Bank reform. Can the federal government sit back now or should it do more?

As far as the World Bank is concerned, I think the steps are laid out. But the question is, of course, what is the federal government doing at home? How are they behaving? And I’m amazed to notice – to put it diplomatically – that there are attempts to slash the development budget and also make cuts in the humanitarian aid from the Foreign Office. That is the absolute opposite of what we need if we want to form new global alliances and prevent new alliances involving states like Russia or China. Cutting the development budget risks provoking the next conflicts. Because then, not enough can be done to counteract climate change. If the finance minister now argues that there’s nothing more we can do, that would just stunt Germany’s role in the world. And we have learnt that we are not safe in the long run without greater global security – and not just military security: we must also be able to defend ourselves in the fight against climate change, against pandemics, against racism and inequality. This argument for saving is in stark contrast to what Olaf Scholz is envisaging on all his trips and his other endeavours.

How could we create more awareness for this vital topic at the national level?

Of course it’s important that civil society gets involved. But it’s also essential that those with political responsibility appropriately advocate the things they decide at international conferences, at home – with all their consequences.   [document id="96735"]" ["post_title"]=> string(71) "“Cutting the development budget risks provoking the next conflicts”" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(419) "There’s a gaping hole in global development financing – which means the poorest countries have nothing left to put towards the UN SDGs. This is partially due to the global financial and debt architecture, which is now set to change with, among other measures, the reform of the World Bank. We spoke to RNE member Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul to find out what this reform has in store and where even more needs be done." ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(65) "cutting-the-development-budget-risks-provoking-the-next-conflicts" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2024-07-02 14:19:02" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2024-07-02 12:19:02" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(114) "https://www.nachhaltigkeitsrat.de/aktuelles/wer-im-entwicklungshaushalt-kuerzt-provoziert-die-naechsten-konflikte/" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [1]=> object(WP_Post)#5684 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(98464) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "8" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2024-02-06 17:51:57" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2024-02-06 16:51:57" ["post_content"]=> string(6848) "Co-facilitators Germany and Namibia currently have the seriously tricky task of preparing the Summit of the Future, set for September 2024, for the United Nations (UN). On 26 January 2024, German representative Antje Leendertse and Namibian representative Neville Melvin Gertze also published the zero draft of the so-called Pact for the Future, which is due to be adopted by the Heads of State and Government in September. This draft forms the basis for all negotiations that will now follow, which will no doubt be lengthy and laborious, as the final version requires a consensus decision among UN members. The Pact for the Future inherently builds on the SDG Summit from autumn 2023 and as such is part of the United Nations’ Our Common Agenda process, which began in 2021 (see also RNE statement “Our Common Agenda – Impetus for an inclusive and networked multilateralism for sustainable development”). A key aim of the summit is to strengthen international cooperation, which has been manifestly weakened by numerous global conflicts and events. The task at hand now is to reverse this weakening and restore trust, but also to reinforce multilateralism and prepare it for future challenges. On this, the UN website says the following: “Unity around our shared principles and common goals is both crucial and urgent. The Summit of the Future is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enhance cooperation on critical challenges and address gaps in global governance, reaffirm existing commitments including to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Charter, and move towards a reinvigorated multilateral system that is better positioned to positively impact people’s lives.”

Scepticism and goodwill

It is a major undertaking that is bound to be viewed with scepticism by some of the member states. After all, on the one hand, everything agreed in the Pact for the Future is only morally binding, and on the other, there are a great number of obstacles that have to be cleared at once, not least overcoming the rifts that have arisen through current conflicts. But one thing it is hoped will ease the scepticism is the fact that a follow-up process is already envisaged for the draft agreement. In other words, whatever is ratified in September cannot subsequently just fizzle out; instead, its implementation progress will be reviewed at the UN General Assembly in 2026. As well as a political chapeau, the zero draft has five chapters: 1. Sustainable development and financing for development, 2. International peace and security, 3. Science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation, 4. Youth and future generations, and 5. Transforming global governance.

Reforming global and regional financial institutions

“Many points in the draft are still quite vague and unambitious in terms of their purpose and target audience. It will now be the job of the countries to change that by September”, says RNE (German Council for Sustainable Development) member Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul. “From the Council’s perspective, three elements are particularly interesting: firstly, the suggestion to conduct a review of the so-called debt architecture – up to now, international financial institutions like the IMF had always bristled at the idea of the UN dealing with such issues. But now we can hope for better debt-relief proposals for countries in the Global South. Secondly, the multilateral development banks are also expected to deliver SDG reports moving forward – that is, on their progress towards realising the sustainability goals and the 2030 Agenda. And thirdly, a proposed UN sustainability council is to be discussed – that would be a powerful signal.” According to the zero draft, this council, even if it is not formally called that, will convene every two years, bringing together the G20 states and the financial institutions to keep the 2030 Agenda on track. The text also proposes that the Global South should have a say in financial matters, which have thus far been decided predominantly by the North. Furthermore, this will now allow regional development banks to play a greater role in the global financial architecture – a position that also chimes with the recommendations of the German Council for Sustainable Development (see also RNE statement Financing the Transformation and Sustainable Development). “Given its soaring debt, the Global South now needs an ambitious, global safety net for financing sustainable development”, says Wieczorek-Zeul: “A reform of the global financial architecture would certainly be in the interests of the developing countries.”

A shared platform for emergencies

The Pact for the Future also addresses the Emergency Platform proposed by the UN Secretary-General. This provides for a platform to be developed that can provide emergency plans in the case of major shock events affecting multiple regions – such as the Covid-19 pandemic – so that member states can enact a quick, organised and coordinated response. War and weapons, too, are given their share of coverage. “We recommit to the pursuit of a world free of nuclear weapons”, says the draft, while autonomous weapons systems are mentioned in more tangible terms: the draft declares the intention to “commit to concluding without delay a legally binding instrument to prohibit lethal autonomous weapons” – one of only a few very specific points in the zero draft of the pact. Rules governing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in military conflicts are also to be developed. So what happens next? Consultations with stakeholders from civil society are still underway until 12 February, after which the paper will be refined chapter by chapter with the involvement of the state actors. “The Council for Sustainable Development will now push for an ambitious German position with the federal government departments. Plus, we will try to secure some more specific wordings on individual points”, says Wieczorek-Zeul on the future work of the RNE – not least with a view to the Summit of the Future in autumn of this year." ["post_title"]=> string(21) "A pact for the future" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(262) "The United Nations has big plans for the Summit of the Future in September 2024. A Pact for the Future aims to smooth the waters between the member states and, above all, give the 2030 Agenda a boost. Now the first draft has been published and the tussle begins." ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(21) "a-pact-for-the-future" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2024-02-12 13:01:26" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2024-02-12 12:01:26" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(42) "https://www.nachhaltigkeitsrat.de/?p=98464" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [2]=> object(WP_Post)#5687 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(97506) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "5" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2023-09-28 09:35:41" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2023-09-28 07:35:41" ["post_content"]=> string(7233) "Speaking at the summit, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared: “Time to get to work”, with German Development Minister Svenja Schulze adding: “It’s high time we caught up.” For his part, UN Secretary-General António Guterres spoke of the “rescue plan” needed for humanity and the planet. As the international community gathered for the UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York on 18 and 19 September 2023, it had originally hoped to be much further along the path to sustainability. Reiner Hoffmann, Chair of the RNE, elaborates: “For all intents and purposes, the international community had been on course to achieve the 2030 Agenda since 2015. However, the multiple crises of recent years – the pandemic, the war of aggression on Ukraine, drastic changes in climate and biodiversity loss – have all seen the SDGs take a back seat. This has to change. It’s time for a rethink. It’s time for us to take widescale action. This fact was clear to all at the SDG Summit in New York.” Eight years ago, the 193 member states of the United Nations resolved to ensure a better life for everyone on this planet by 2030. For example, everyone should have access to sufficient food, reliable medical care and quality education, with women and girls enjoying equal rights to men across the board. In addition, the international community is also committed to limiting the global rise in temperature to 1.5 degrees, as agreed in Paris in 2015. Despite all this, progress on both the 17 goals set by the United Nations and the 167 subgoals for sustainable development, i.e. for social, environmental and economic development, contained therein has been sluggish. The global community is currently on track with just 12 percent of its development goals, while more than 30 percent of the goals have seen no change or even regression. Pandemics, wartime violence, floods and droughts have all left their mark.

Reforming the World Bank

Things are not going to plan. If nothing changes, the United Nations calculates some 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty by 2030 and more than 600 million people will go hungry. All of this, said German Chancellor Scholz in New York, is reason enough to “act now more than ever”. After all, the clock is ticking on 2030. What is needed now is new momentum, a new dynamic and, above all, money. “Putting the 2030 Agenda into practice lacks the large-scale funding it needs,” writes the German Council for Sustainable Development in its statement “Financing the Transition and Sustainable Development”, where it makes a series of recommendations on what needs to change. Against the backdrop of the 15 percent cut in development aid in the German federal budget, this is in part a matter of state development funds, but also increasingly of a structural reform of the international financial architecture, including reform of the World Bank. Founded in December 1945 and headquartered in Washington, the initial focus of the World Bank was the anticipated need for capital for reconstruction and economic development in the post-war period. Later, its work turned to developing countries and the promotion of their economic development in the fight against poverty. Now, it is time for a new direction. The Bank should, the RNE recommends, “establish business models that are committed to reducing poverty, but also make greater allowances for the impacts of global crises”. But this goes beyond concessionary loans to creating new incentives for private sector investment, i.e. new financing instruments. RNE member Kai Niebert elaborates: “We must succeed in remodelling the World Bank as a transformation bank and enabling sustainable economic activity in and with our partner countries alongside poverty and hunger reduction to at least come close to achieving the SDGs by 2030.”

Fairer wealth distribution

Furthermore, countries in the Global South should, in simple terms, have easier access to money from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to use for climate change mitigation and other global public goods. The IMF can come to the aid of countries in crisis, for example lending money where countries could otherwise only borrow on the international capital market at very high cost. More specifically, it can issue what are known as special drawing rights (SDRs), a kind of reserve holding that the IMF can use to counter short-term imbalances. To date, however, poorer countries have seen far less benefit from this. “The value of the SDRs provided to Germany in 2021 is higher than the value of the SDRs for the 46 poorest developing countries put together”, notes the RNE, for example. Accordingly, richer countries should reallocate their funds in favour of poorer nations, and the principles for the allocation of special drawing rights should be comprehensively reformed. At the same time, the RNE argues that some one trillion US dollars a year are needed in the developing and emerging economies for sustainable development, including implementing the Paris Agreement. RNE Chair Hoffmann explains that debt relief would play an “indispensable role in setting the course for sustainability and climate change mitigation, including in heavily indebted countries”. In New York, Chancellor Olaf Scholz committed Germany to making around 300 million euros of hybrid capital available to the World Bank with the aim of simplifying access to loans for sustainability projects for countries in the Global South. The 2023 annual meeting of the World Bank and the IMF autumn meeting are now scheduled to take place in Marrakech in mid-October. The many contributions from heads of state and government at the SDG Summit have highlighted the sectors and topics where there is a significant need to step-up implementation of the SDGs, for instance in reducing poverty and the fight against hunger. Next year’s UN Summit of the Future will focus on making the United Nations more robust in the face of the multiple crises of our time, a process that Germany and Namibia are currently jointly coordinating. The aim of the Our Common Agenda process is to make the UN “fit for purpose”, in other words, equipped to see through the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement as well as cope with future crises on a global scale. The run-up to the Summit of the Future will surely see civil society develop real-world solutions and political demands for implementation and present these to the global public and UN member states in Nairobi in May 2024. The decisive factor then will be the response from the international community. Brazil’s return to the world stage of sustainability along with its hosting of the G20 Summit in 2024 does, however, give cause to hope for an accelerated and cooperative implementation." ["post_title"]=> string(31) "SDG Summit: A question of money" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(257) "The world has some catching up to do, was the overwhelming takeaway from the sustainability summit in New York. So how do we get there? The German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) calls for urgent reform of the international financial architecture." ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(30) "sdg-summit-a-question-of-money" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2023-09-28 09:35:41" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2023-09-28 07:35:41" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(42) "https://www.nachhaltigkeitsrat.de/?p=97506" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [3]=> object(WP_Post)#5610 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(97042) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "8" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2023-07-21 18:05:57" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2023-07-21 16:05:57" ["post_content"]=> string(9183) "

“Halfway through, but nowhere near – we heard that time and again in New York to sum up the international community’s progress towards the global sustainability goals”, reports Kai Niebert, member of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE), who was at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York in mid-July: “One thing is for sure, it will go right down to the wire by 2030.”

We are already at the midway point in the 2030 Agenda. Eight years ago, with the Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the global community resolved not only to enable a decent life for all, but also to permanently protect the natural resources this would require. Ambitious goals that were set by the United Nations in September 2015 aimed at bringing together the economic, ecological and social aspects of sustainable development. Since then, all 193 UN member states have been called upon to act in accordance with this pledge. Because the 17 SDGs are indivisible – in other words, they must all be met by everyone, not just some of them by a few.

As things stand, we still have seven years to go. A fitting time, then, to take stock – even though it was already clear before the HLPF started that this mid-term review would be at the very least sobering. Because on the one hand, the multiple global crises of recent years have also set the world back in terms of sustainability and development, but on the other, countries are not doing enough as a whole. Thus far, most of the SDGs have seen little progress, as was also confirmed in the latest progress report of UN Secretary-General António Guterres. As such, Germany, too, is pushing for a redoubling of national and international efforts in a bid to deliver the 2030 Agenda in the second half.

A platform for dialogue and exchange

From 10–19 July, the HLPF saw representatives of the UN member states and civil society organisations gather in New York to discuss the most pressing issues around achieving the SDGs. A whole range of events and topic reviews took place, both in person and online, while 39 states presented their voluntary national reviews (VNR). These progress reports are not just made in a vacuum; the HLPF provides an opportunity for other member states and voices from civil society to comment on them directly. VNRs are normally preceded by a comprehensive one-year social consultation process with stakeholders at local and national level.

The HLPF is the central United Nations platform for reviewing the sustainability progress of the individual states. Although this year’s attendance was more or less back to pre-pandemic levels, many of the delegations, especially those from emerging and developing economies, were smaller than before the pandemic. This meant the respective national stakeholders were not as strongly represented as would have been necessary for an adequate global exchange and learning process between the various countries.

This year’s HLPF ran under the somewhat unwieldy theme of “Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels”. In this context, measures and successful examples for overcoming the impacts of the pandemic were presented. After all, even if we seem to have largely pulled through this emergency health situation, the economic consequences and a loss of trust have now come to the fore. Another reason why the debt situation of many countries in the Global South continues to escalate dramatically.

Normally the Forum ends with a political declaration, and there is indeed an initial draft which is still in negotiation between the UN member states, but this year the declaration will not be made until after the SDG Summit in September.

Topics for the SDG Summit

Following the HLPF, it is clear that one of the main topics for the SDG Summit will be financing the sustainable transition. As such, federal development minister Svenja Schulze had already called for a reform of the World Bank at the German Conference on the 2030 Agenda in May, where the German stance for the HLPF was developed. It must become a transformation bank, one which can not only combat hunger and poverty but also drive solutions for climate and nature protection.

The RNE, too, has already published a statement on the reform of the international financial architecture and during the HLPF was represented at an event on the SDG Summit and the Summit of the Future 2024 where positions in this statement were discussed. All in all, the RNE played an active part in New York with two of its own events and many discussions, says RNE Secretary General Marc-Oliver Pahl. “My main concern there was expanding our cooperations with African partners, the African Union and the African Peer Review Mechanism.”

Taking responsibility as a continent

One thing worth noting at this year’s HLPF was that the European Union gave its first voluntary review at continental level. It was a plea for multilateralism, which referenced the successes of international cooperation and the implementation of sustainable development in Europe. However, it also pointed out the external effects of European consumption in other regions of the globe.

“This first-time, but honest and ambitious review of the EU was impressive”, says Kai Niebert. “Team Europe” promised the international community it would step up the transition and extend its hand to the Global South as equals. “We, the RNE, with our European and international partners will do everything we can to ensure that we deliver in 2030 and sustainability becomes a reality.”

Another enduring topic in New York was the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and its impact on the global community. One of the biggest setbacks concerns the second SDG of ending hunger, as both Ukraine and Russia are major exporters of food, fertiliser and energy.

The necessary clout

The new Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) 2023, which is set to be published in its final version at the SDG Summit, was also the subject of debate at the numerous events. On this, the RNE held an event with application examples from Belgium, Tanzania, Finland and Germany to critically discuss how sustainable development reports can develop the necessary clout. But also how integrated action can be anchored in national governance structures. “An integrated view of the 17 SDGs allows coherent and targeted implementation. To still achieve the 2030 Agenda, we need this honest engagement to create the pathways for transition”, says Hannah Janetschek, head of sustainable development/international affairs at the RNE.

The global community has plenty of input as it looks ahead to the SDG Summit in the autumn. After all, even though there are still many unanswered questions, one thing is clear: this summit must be the launchpad for a phase of renewed urgency. Because the international community is still off track and 2030 is fast approaching.

" ["post_title"]=> string(52) "HLPF: The international community is still off track" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(293) "As every year, the High-Level Political Forum saw UN member states and NGOs convene in New York to discuss the lie of the land as the international community attempts to reach the global sustainability goals. We present the key topics that emerged for the forthcoming SDG Summit in the autumn." ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(51) "hlpf-the-international-community-is-still-off-track" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2023-07-24 18:39:28" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2023-07-24 16:39:28" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(42) "https://www.nachhaltigkeitsrat.de/?p=97042" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [4]=> object(WP_Post)#5685 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(96905) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "5" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2023-07-04 11:46:47" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2023-07-04 09:46:47" ["post_content"]=> string(4325) "Berlin, 21 June 2023 – In the lead-up to the summit for a “New Global Financing Pact” on 22 and 23 June in Paris, the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) is recommending that the federal government should advocate for a reform of the World Bank and the other international development banks into transformation banks, with more capital than before being funnelled towards climate action and sustainability. The banks’ reformed business models would lead to investments that ultimately benefit global public goods and the world’s population. Plus, countries in the Global South should be given an active role in the decision-making processes moving forward. In its latest statement, “Financing the Transition and Sustainable Development”, the RNE recommends that the German government be seen to argue for reforming the international financial architecture at the forthcoming Paris summit, but also at the UN General Assembly in September 2023 and at the reform talks of the World Bank. Essentially, Germany should lead the way at this year’s SDG Summit in the autumn by announcing ambitious measures for actioning the SDGs. “The financing gap for sustainable development is widening across the globe, while the multiple crises from climate change to the Covid-19 pandemic to the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine are only causing poorer nations in particular to fall further into debt. According to the latest calculations, some one trillion US dollars a year are needed to implement the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the developing and emerging economies. Debt relief, in our view, is essential to ensure that heavily indebted countries, too, can get in the right lane towards sustainability and climate action”, says Reiner Hoffmann, Chair of the RNE. RNE member Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul adds: “Given the drastic debt situation of countries in the Global South, it is imperative that we set up debt relief, something China must commit to as well. Besides that, we need a comprehensive reform of the special drawing rights (SDRs) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to provide liquidity where it is most needed.” The allocation of SDRs is a system of reserve holdings introduced by the IMF in 1969. It offers countries in crisis situations the opportunity to receive reserve currency, but so far has been based on the share of IMF quotas each country holds – which effectively means the poorer countries get little benefit. As such, the richer nations should redesignate these funds in support of the developing countries. Moreover, the instrument of debt swaps should be expanded. This enables indebted nations to invest repayment sums falling due in agreed projects, for instance for climate change mitigation and healthcare, instead of paying the amount back to the creditors. The RNE also supports the idea of a trust fund for the multilateral development banks as an efficient and targeted means to open up the prospect of sustainable development in heavily indebted countries in times of multiple crises. Among other suggestions, the RNE paper supports the proposals of the Bridgetown Initiative, launched by the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, in mid-2022. The plan calls for reform of the World Bank and the IMF, with more capital than before going towards climate action and sustainability. In parallel, Germany too has drawn up proposals with the likes of the USA aimed at boosting the mobilisation of funds for climate protection and sustainability endeavours. These proposals should form part of a comprehensive reform agenda for the international financial institutions by autumn 2023. In the meantime, French President Emmanuel Macron along with Indian Prime Minister and current G20 president Narendra Modi has invited numerous heads of state to a summit on the “New Global Financing Pact” in Paris on 22 and 23 June 2023. The goal is to agree the cornerstones for a reform of the international financial system to support a just social and ecological transition. [document id="96892"]" ["post_title"]=> string(56) "RNE calls for mobilisation of global capital to hit SDGs" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(141) "Further recommendations: reforming the World Bank into a transformation bank, debt relief and reforming the special drawing rights of the IMF" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(56) "rne-calls-for-mobilisation-of-global-capital-to-hit-sdgs" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2023-07-04 11:46:47" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2023-07-04 09:46:47" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(42) "https://www.nachhaltigkeitsrat.de/?p=96905" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [5]=> object(WP_Post)#5692 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(96476) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "5" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2023-05-31 10:47:19" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2023-05-31 08:47:19" ["post_content"]=> string(7635) "We’re now at the halfway stage in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development launched in New York in 2015. We still have seven years to achieve its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as unanimously agreed by all 193 UN member states. The Agenda’s core objective sounds simple enough, but making it a reality calls for a superhuman effort by the international community: “A good life for all within planetary boundaries”.

Sobering stock-take

As things stand, our progress on the goals does “not look good”, observes Imme Scholz, president of the Heinrich Böll Foundation and former Deputy Chair of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE). Scholz is co-chair of the group of independent scientists that drafted the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) on behalf of the United Nations and who give their expert assessment on the real-world progress every four years. Their conclusions are worrying: already the first SDG of ending poverty is way off target and the scientists expect to see an additional 75 to 95 million people slip into extreme poverty if nothing is done. UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed that, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, progress on development – some of it achieved over decades – has not only stalled but in some cases even gone into reverse. As such, the global community is only on track with twelve percent of the SDG indicators measured. But “also regardless of the Covid pandemic and its consequences, the global challenges for the economic, social and eco-systems are now more present than ever before”, according to Germany’s Voluntary National Review. The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine has exacerbated the situation further, especially when it comes to the second SDG of ending hunger, as both countries are major exporters of food, fertiliser and energy. This sobering stock-take begs the question of how we can achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda in the time we still have left. The answers are expected to come in September at the United Nations SDG Summit in New York, where the heads of state and government will issue a declaration. Preparation for the summit includes the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), also in New York, in July where the ministers will prepare the political declaration and 40 states will present their progress reports. Under the somewhat unwieldy title of “Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels”, participants will present measures and success stories aimed at supercharging our progress towards the SDGs.

German stance for New York

Germany’s stance for the HLPF was developed at the German Conference on the 2030 Agenda on 9 May. The meeting saw the federal ministers for development, Svenja Schulze (SPD), and the environment, Steffi Lemke (Alliance 90/The Greens), come together with representatives of civil society, academia and business as well as the Bundestag and the federal and Länder ministries to gather ideas for a more ambitious and accelerated implementation of the 2030 Agenda. “We need to step up our pace”, concluded Lemke, who also emphasised the correct handling of water as one of the keys to reaching the global SDGs. This year’s HLPF in July intends to review the progress on Goal 6, access to clean water and sanitation. It will also focus on affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) and global partnerships for achieving the goals (SDG 17). To avoid cherry-picking, the 2030 Agenda states that the 17 goals are indivisible. This led to the recommendation in the previous Global Sustainable Development Report from 2019 that governments should prioritise key policies that progress multiple topic areas at the same time. “The most important lever we have is to back women more”, believes federal development minister Schulze, who for this reason urged further expansion of feminist development policy. Another central lever is “social safety nets, which reduce inequalities and generally advance societies and make them more resilient”. Schulze is also keen to expedite the reform of the World Bank. This needs to become a real transforming bank, one which not only combats hunger and poverty but also drives solutions for climate and nature protection.

Reform of international financial institutions

The background to this reform is the Bridgetown Initiative launched by Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados. In light of the ever-increasing funding gap for sustainable development worldwide, the initiative calls for a reform of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to leverage capital and pour more of it than before into climate and sustainability. The ultimate aim of the Bridgetown Initiative is to stop the spiral of debt that developing countries time and again find themselves in when they are forced to borrow money due to natural disasters. While rich countries are granted low-interest loans at between one and four percent, the interest rate for poorer countries is closer to 14 percent (as at 2023) due to the perceived risk. These institutions dominated by the USA and Europe came into being at the end of the Second World War and are no longer suitable for the modern world. “When it comes to the grants and heavily reduced-rate loans for low-income countries, there must be no corners cut. This reform must serve the poorest countries”, was Germany’s position vis-à-vis the World Bank, represented by Parliamentary State Secretary Niels Annen (SPD). But unlike their forerunners, the Millennium Development Goals, the SDGs set out in the 2030 Agenda are not a programme that focuses on the so-called developing countries alone. “The rich countries must now shoulder both at the same time: the transition within their own country and the support for others”, spells out Imme Scholz. This calls not only for financial help, she continues, but also for the avoidance of imports from developing countries that harm their own environment and preside over increased poverty. The German supply chain act could potentially be used to support this, as could agricultural reform in the EU. Following the SDG Summit in September, the Federal Chancellery will set about revising the German Sustainable Development Strategy – a valuable opportunity to catch up. “At this critical moment, we’re standing on the brink”, is the dramatic verdict in UN chief António Guterres’s progress report on the SDGs. To make sure we still reach the goals, or at least make substantial headway on them, countries must turbocharge their efforts to achieve any progress worth mentioning for people and planet. In short, it’s time for the international community to move into overdrive." ["post_title"]=> string(64) "Midway through Agenda 2030: Global community must step up a gear" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(174) "The mid-term review from the latest Global Sustainable Development Report makes sober reading. Answers are expected at the United Nations SDG Summit in New York in September." ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(63) "midway-through-agenda-2030-global-community-must-step-up-a-gear" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2023-05-31 10:48:23" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2023-05-31 08:48:23" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(42) "https://www.nachhaltigkeitsrat.de/?p=96476" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [6]=> object(WP_Post)#5691 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(95138) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "5" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2022-12-12 11:45:32" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2022-12-12 10:45:32" ["post_content"]=> string(4959) "The end result was a joint call to action that doubled down on some of the proposals put forward by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in Our Common Agenda. These include systematically involving young people in political decision-making; improving protection of global commons such as the oceans, the atmosphere and the rainforests through a dedicated global fund; redirecting fossil fuel subsidies towards clean technologies; and making food systems more resilient. These are just some of the demands set out in the since published joint call to action which was drawn up by the councils and similar advisory bodies on sustainable development now established in many countries across the world – not least the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) – at their meeting in the South African capital Cape Town back in September. With the Global Forum, the bodies have formed a network to learn from each other and routinely share ideas on how to inspire and boost progress towards the 17 SDGs adopted by the international community in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Because the clock is ticking and the world is still a long way from achieving its goals. War, pandemic, hunger, inflation, energy crisis – only recently Guterres issued a stark warning: “Our world is in peril”. But it wasn’t too late to salvage the SDGs, he insisted. So what are our colleagues in other countries doing? What is working well? How can we recruit people to the cause?

Getting trade unions on board

Take Mexico as an example. Felix Meyerhoff, responsible for international processes and the Global Forum at the RNE, believes that “In Mexico the local sustainability council has built up impressive ties with the trade unions”. It is crucial to have the workers and their representatives on side if the economy is to become climate-neutral and more resource-efficient. Although to begin with, Meyerhoff continues, the trade unionists were somewhat reticent. But the Mexican council kept plugging away, seeking talks, listening, not going straight in with demands, and insisting on adherence to the goals. That helped to grow trust and now the two sides are cooperating more and more. It’s the ‘don’t go in all guns blazing’ approach that helped cultivate the connection. Collaborations and inclusive partnerships are key, and in many countries religious communities also play a major role, explains Meyerhoff. One of the aims is to systematically engage first and foremost those in the sustainable development debates and processes who are particularly impacted by the necessary transformations – such as the younger generations. In Kenya, for example, they have a regular civil society caucus that brings together most of the relevant actors in the country to review progress, recognise champions and foster mutual learning. Originating at the UN SDG Summit in 2019, the Global Forum network gathers and explores ideas for strengthening societal discourse and finding consensus on sustainable development. Members also propose how this can be organised and what structures the national governments need to support for this to happen. As such, the final document also states, for example, that governments should have a sustainable development strategy or similar, create marketplaces for ideas and especially also promote local networks. These and many other ideas and projects were discussed at the networking event of the Global Forum from 5 to 7 September 2022. The gathering in Cape Town was attended by more than 30 members and affiliated organisations. Since the network was founded three years ago, the Forum’s administrative office has been run by the RNE, but this has now been handed over to its South African partner and a further organisation. The proposals of the Global Forum have come at a crucial time: after a four-year interval, September 2023 will see the next UN SDG Summit, where the roadmap will be updated. This will be followed a year later by the Summit of the Future, as proposed by UN chief Guterres in ‘Our Common Agenda’. [document id="95126"]" ["post_title"]=> string(36) "Global Forum: RNE in global exchange" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(372) "Engaging young people and getting trade unions involved: the Global Forum for National SDG Advisory Bodies brings together sustainability councils and similar bodies from all over the world to brainstorm the best ideas for giving fresh impetus to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – as at its recent network meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. " ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(42) "global-forum-rne-champions-global-exchange" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2022-12-19 09:06:58" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2022-12-19 08:06:58" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(42) "https://www.nachhaltigkeitsrat.de/?p=95138" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [7]=> object(WP_Post)#5695 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(91983) ["post_author"]=> string(1) "5" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2022-08-11 10:42:54" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2022-08-11 08:42:54" ["post_content"]=> string(8786) "Where does the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda currently stand? If we are to believe this year’s progress report on the 17 SDGs, the international community’s sustainable development goals, the answer is not a positive one: "Years or even decades of development progress have been halted or reversed", writes Ecosoc, the United Nations Economic and Social Council, in its latest progress report. Primarily to blame is the COVID-19 pandemic, but the growing number of conflicts and climate change are also responsible. Indeed, UN member state representatives expressed "alarm" in their closing declaration at the High Level Political Forum (HLPF), the annual UN sustainable development summit in New York in July. Women and children are disproportionately suffering the effects of the pandemic, writes Ecosoc, noting that more than 100 million children have missed key learning milestones and that this generation stands to lose $17 trillion in lifetime earnings. Similarly, women were more likely to experience job losses, provide unpaid care for children and the elderly and suffer domestic violence. Accordingly, the German delegation made SDG 5, gender equality, the focus of its appearance at the HLPF. "We will not, without empowering women and girls, be able to implement all the other SDGs", said German Ambassador to the UN Antje Leendertse at the start of a high-level panel discussion led by the German delegation. The side-event focused on three key aspects. First, that gender equality is fundamental. "Gender equality is not something [to] add on top, something [that’s] nice to have. Gender equality is all about human rights, and it’s about that all people – it doesn’t matter which background I have – that all people have the right to be treated equally regardless of their sexual orientation or gender", said Bärbel Kofler, Parliamentary State Secretary to the German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development. The second aspect is that women worldwide are disproportionately affected by poverty and violence as well as by the impact of climate change and biodiversity loss. Renata Koch Alvarenga, founder of Brazilian NGO Empoderaclima, illustrated why this is the case: if, for instance, schools suffer from a lack of clean water and toilets, which is a particular issue in poorer regions, girls are often forced to miss school when on their periods. As such, they receive a lower-quality education than boys. This example demonstrates how the different SDGs are nevertheless mutually dependent: without clean water and sanitation, SDG 6, there can be no gender equality, SDG 5. Alvarenga also drew attention to the aspect of intersectionality, namely that some women suffer multiple types of discrimination. For example, black or indigenous women are also affected by racism and structural, historic poverty. In Brazil, for instance, the percentage of black women living below the poverty line grew from 33 to 38 percent during the pandemic, while the share of white women increased from 15 to 19 percent. In addition, black and indigenous people are also less likely to have their voices heard. "We have a lot of amazing indigenous women and amazing black women who often don’t get to be a part of these stages because of educational barriers, language barriers", continued Alvarenga.

Women most affected by climate crisis

Indian publicist and environmentalist Sunita Narain underscored the interdependency between the different SDGs and showed how women in particular are suffering the effects of the climate crisis and the pandemic. Narain is Director General at the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi. In 2019, Time Magazine named Narain as one of the 15 most influential women worldwide in the fight against climate change. "Always think of the last person", she said, quoting Mahatma Gandhi. For her, when she imagines that last person, she sees the face of a poor woman, using her hometown of New Delhi to bring to life how the energy crisis affects the women living there. Many women living in poverty in the city cook with firewood or burn waste over open fires. The resulting smog is one of the primary culprits behind the city’s poor air quality. "[This woman knows] that it has a hugely bad impact on her own body but without any choice. What is the pathway in which her energy rights will be secured?", asked Narain. After all, affordable and clean energy, SDG 7, plays just as much of a role in gender equality. The transformation towards this must be pursued far more decisively, added Narain, explaining that climate change endangers the lives of the very poorest. "[They] already have no choice but to move, and they move from village to city to a different country, and that really is the crisis of migration today", she continued. Of course, this impacts poor men as well as poor women, but migration has led to a rise in human trafficking, with young women and girls particularly at risk. The third aspect as to why gender equality is vital in meeting the SDGs is that women will play a central role in achieving the transformation. "We would benefit so much if the experiences and priorities of women and girls were taken seriously and if women and girls from all countries were unhindered in helping us reach these goals", said Bettina Hoffmann, Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection. To her mind, men and women perceive and influence their environment in different ways. In Germany, for instance, Fridays for Future are largely shaped by women, while in other countries too, women are taking centre stage in fighting for the very basis of existence for future generations. Take Brazil, for example, where, as Ana Toni, director of environmental protection organisation Instituto Clima e Sociedade, explained, eighty percent of environmentalists are women.

Feminists in power

So how can the situation be improved? A key factor here is education. But this is about more than just giving girls the same schooling as boys. Gender parity does not equal gender equality, explained Antara Ganguli, Director of the UN Girls’ Education Initiative. In many countries where the number of girls in school is equal to that of boys, many students report in surveys that they still consider it normal for men to be allowed to beat women. "[Schools must become] places where children learn to become adults different from what we are today", said Ganguli. What is needed is feminist education, the teaching of fundamental values. This includes people who define themselves outside the male-female gender binary. Ganguli described how their rights, too, are the focus of efforts to include them in curricula across the globe. "This often does put us in a difficult position", she added, continuing to relate how many states still fail to recognise the rights of these people. In her view, this is where leadership from influential figures is needed to make a difference. For women in business or politics, the same is true as in schools – ticking boxes does not cut it. "It’s not enough to have women in power. It is important to have feminist women in power", stated Anita Bhatia, Deputy Executive Director, UN Women. For this to work, men need to be involved too – they need to be just as committed to gender equality as women. "What we are really lacking there is political will to declare violence against women a public health crisis", added Bhatia. She urged countries around the world to focus on targeting women with their stimulus packages. In her opinion, the private sector too must change, adding that if companies were making larger profits than the GDPs of entire nations, those companies’ actions on gender equality needed to be measured, monitored and reported. The groundwork is in place, writes Ecosoc, but the world is still not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030. Instead, it is moving backwards. Against this backdrop, one thing above all remains a priority, said moderator Pamela Chasek, a politics professor at Manhattan College: we all need to work hard for change. That goes for women and men alike." ["post_title"]=> string(43) "No sustainable development without feminism" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(227) "A failure to empower women and girls will see the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) come to nothing. This was the core message from the German delegation at this year’s UN Sustainable Development Summit. " ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(43) "no-sustainable-development-without-feminism" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2022-08-11 10:42:54" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2022-08-11 08:42:54" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(42) "https://www.nachhaltigkeitsrat.de/?p=91983" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [8]=> object(WP_Post)#5696 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(53529) ["post_author"]=> string(2) "17" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2021-09-24 12:27:51" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2021-09-24 10:27:51" ["post_content"]=> string(4252) "

"We must safeguard the future of our planet and the future of younger generations," said Angela Merkel in her two-minute video message. „This task should be the highest priority for us all”, she said. The occasion for the Chancellor's appeal was the SDG Moment, an event launched by the United Nations in 2020, which took place this year on the 20th of September. The event is designed as a virtual meeting of heads of state and government.

The aim of the SDG Moment is to reinforce the continued relevance of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and build momentum in advance of major summits – currently also against the background of the pandemic and its consequences. In her welcome address, Angela Merkel emphasised: "We, the international community and the United Nations, must now do our utmost to work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.“ She called on the audience to continue to work together to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Neither helpless nor hopeless

UN Secretary-General António Guterres had already stressed in his opening speech of the SDG Moment that the world had never faced such a challenge. It would be easy to lose hope. But people are neither hopeless nor helpless, he said, there is a path to recovery with the 2030 Agenda – "if we choose to take it".

In addition, Guterres had published the long-awaited report "Our Common Agenda" a few days before. The report emphasises the challenges of multiple crises and is a call for a new global solidarity and a strengthening of multilateralism. It provides concrete recommendations for action on how the global community should adapt its global governance to emerge from the crisis.

The SDG moment also marked the start of the 76th United Nations General Assembly. More than 30 participating heads of state and government shared their statements via pre-recorded video messages – with the exception of Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, who joined in live.

German Chancellor Merkel was joined by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, a second representative of a G20 nation and also an important climate financier. He emphasised that the Covid-19- pandemic has had a severe impact on various SDG areas. To achieve the SDGs by 2030, he said, all countries need to develop creative strategies and work together to accelerate their efforts. "As a country that attaches great importance to multilateralism, Japan is determined to lead the efforts of the international community to achieve the SDGs," Suga said.

A to-do list for the planet

Suga called for equitable access to vaccines and other tools in the fight against infectious disease – this was "essential". It is also crucial to build a more resilient global health system to prepare for future crises. Lastly, he emphasised gender equality, which promotes innovation and drives social transformation: "The SDGs are the compass to overcome the current crisis."

The SDG moment was also closely watched because it came just weeks before the COP26 international climate conference in Glasgow in late October/early November, for which Angela Merkel announced an "ambitious target" in her video message. "It is clearer than ever that we must implement the 2030 Agenda more swiftly," she said. "We will not be able to make up for our shortcomings now in a few years down the line."

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Berlin, 15 July 2021 – Today, the German Government presents its second Voluntary National Review (VNR) on Germany's sustainable development policy at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) at the United Nations. The report takes stock of Germany's sustainable development policy, based on its own national indicators for sustainable development. It identifies priorities for action to ensure that Germany achieves the goals it has set itself and thus makes an ambitious contribution to achieving the Global Goals.

The Chairman of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE), Dr Werner Schnappauf, welcomes the fact that the Federal Government focuses on six major transformation challenges in its VNR report. "We consider it necessary to re-arrange Germany's entire sustainable development policy-making along these six transformation areas to set clear political priorities. It requires joint and inter-ministerial coordination efforts by all ministries. This is where I see large potential for the incoming federal government in the years to come."

Prof. Dr. Imme Scholz, Deputy Chair of the Council, adds: "The pandemic is massively exacerbating global inequality. The HLPF has persuasively demonstrated that solidarity and cohesion of the global community will be the yardsticks of achieving the SDGs in the coming years. In order for the countries of the global South to be able to tackle their transformation challenges alongside the pandemic, we must strengthen international cooperation immediately and at an immense scale."

Council member Prof. Dr. Cornelia Füllkrug-Weitzel, former President of Brot für die Welt (“Bread for the World”), comments: "In the report, the German government self-critically acknowledges implementation deficits. We observe a neglect of the negative effects that Germany has on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Global South countries. The perspective of the German Sustainability Strategy must therefore be expanded immediately to include the international spillover effects of German consumption, German production and German trade policy."

Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, also a Council member and former Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, identifies room for adjustments at the United Nations themselves. "We consider the current HLPF to be too weak and hence developed a proposal for a strong UN Council for Sustainable Development. The Corona pandemic has set the global community back severely in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Overcoming the pandemic and making substantial progress in sustainable development can only succeed with structural reforms at UN and national levels and a strong mobilisation of new financial resources for transformation in the Global South."

At the initiative of the RNE and in the run-up to the HLPF, the German Federal Government announced that it would launch a systematic follow-up process with all stakeholders after the VNR presentation in New York today. This process should evaluate the national and international reactions to the German Voluntary National Review as well as good practices from other countries. In the Council’s view such a systematic dialogue can close the publicly acknowledged gaps in action in the forthcoming legislative period.

Further information:

German VNR report

RNE recommendation “A sustainable recovery from the coronavirus crisis”

RNE Policy paper "Reform options for effective UN sustainable development governance"

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COVID-19 has had the world on tenterhooks for months. Some states seem to have contained the pandemic, while others are desperately fighting the virus as their infection rates soar. Yet others are already in the midst of a second wave. Most countries in the Global South imposed lockdowns very early on and are now dealing with the pandemic’s devastating indirect social and economic consequences. Coronavirus is battering the community of states at a time when it needs to be focusing all of its energy on achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN). By 2030, hunger and poverty should be eliminated around the world, climate protection targets should be reached, education should be accessible for all, and gender equality should be achieved.

Between 7 and 16 July, state representatives and experts – primarily from non-governmental organisations – met at the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). The annual event is the United Nations’ most important platform for reviewing progress in implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the run-up to 2030. This year’s forum focused on initiating a decade of action in which the implementation of the SDGs should be accelerated. The meetings were held virtually this year to prevent spreading coronavirus. Experts believe that this also made the forum more inclusive: the virtual format enabled a large number of players to take part who would otherwise have been unable to attend due to the expense associated with travelling to New York.

47 states presented their voluntary national reviews (VNR) setting out their progress with regard to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Coronavirus dominated the debates concerning action plans and the way in which the international community of states can respond to the pandemic while remaining on course for 2030.

COVID-19 thwarts the fight against poverty

There is great concern that the progress made to date will be undone by the spread of coronavirus. In particular, the number of people living in poverty is expected to rise. Experts in development policy and healthcare expect the impact of the pandemic to be visible for generations to come. Measures to restrict the spread of COVID-19 and long-term development plans must go hand in hand to end poverty and hunger around the world, urged delegates at the UN forum. Efforts to ensure access to good healthcare, protection from fatal diseases, and high-quality education must be stepped up, they said. Cristina Duarte, the UN’s Special Advisor on Africa, emphasised that cooperation and dialogue between various stakeholders were needed to achieve this. “It is time political decision-makers set priorities for the development of humanity.”

In her contribution to the UN forum, Imme Scholz, member of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) and Acting Director of the German Development Institute (DIE), highlighted the direct link between tackling poverty and protecting the climate.

As the population grows, emissions of carbon dioxide also increase. At the same time, a large number of people are living in poverty. To become more sustainable, rich states need to reduce their consumerism and switch to recycling or renewables, said Scholz.

An analysis by the German Development Institute examined 53 developing countries. Although 70 per cent of these states improved their poverty rates within a 15-year period (2000 to 2015), this was done at the expense of climate protection. Uruguay and Costa Rica achieved the best results. Both countries focused on education and health programmes, as well as investing in renewable energies. Scholz called for others to follow these examples to avoid pitching poverty eradication against climate protection in the 21st century. There is a risk of precisely this happening: due to a lack of consensus among the states, there will be no political declaration by the HLPF this year. This means that there may be no declaration on the 2030 Agenda – in the UN’s 75th anniversary year. That would be a sorry sign for multilateralism.

Vulnerable health systems

COVID-19 showed how susceptible health systems are, all around the world. Vulnerable groups in particular – especially children, women, elderly people and the disabled – were not protected sufficiently, said Githinji Gitahi, Global CEO of AMREF Health Africa, an organisation dedicated to improving healthcare on the African continent. Gitahi called for not just general health systems to be strengthened, but also individual communities and prevention programmes. “Health starts at home,” said Gitahi.

The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals were adopted in 2015. They now form the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and can be traced back to the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro 1992. The goals apply equally to all states around the world and give equal weight to the three aspects of sustainability, i.e. social, economic and environmental considerations. In Germany, the National Sustainable Development Strategy is the framework for implementation of the Agenda.

In September, the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) will discuss the state of implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in an online forum with RNE members and other experts. Germany is expected to publish its voluntary national review with respect to the 2030 Agenda in the coming year. Furthermore, the German Sustainable Development Strategy is currently being revised, with the RNE recommending that it should also include Germany taking greater international responsibility for global sustainability policy.

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How is progress being made with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) around the world – who monitors them in the individual countries, and who advises political leaders on their implementation? It is virtually impossible to give a universal answer to this question, says Dr Hannah Janetschek, Project Manager for International Partnerships at the office of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE). However, sustainable development advisory councils and similar organisations which are working to implement the 2030 Agenda at national level play an important role.

For this reason, from 17 to 20 February, the Global Forum for National SDG Advisory Bodies will meet in the Colombian capital of Bogotá for the first time. The network was established last September at the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Summit in New York. “The actors involved are incredibly diverse,” says Janetschek. There are approximately 70 participants in all. Only about a quarter come from Europe or North America, with the remainder hailing from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

The network is particularly important for developing and emerging countries. While Europe has had a network of sustainability bodies – the EEAC (European Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils) – for quite some time, similar organisations have only been set up in many other countries since the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda in 2015. Implementation of the Agenda is currently proving difficult, as the UN pointed out last year. This is primarily due to the global crisis of multilateralism. The network sets out to counter this by advocating partnerships for progress. “We cannot overload advisory councils and other sustainability actors in autocratic countries with a democratisation mandate, but they can of course still make valuable contributions towards fostering sustainable development within these societies,” says Janetschek.

With this in mind, the aim is to take concrete steps to strengthen organisations and enable projects to be implemented. “As of result of the Voluntary National Reviews introduced by the United Nations, numerous ‘SDG Units’ have been created in recent years which are either very close to or part of their respective governments. This begs the question of how these can be incorporated into the institutional sustainability architecture of the respective countries as constructive advisory bodies to support implementation of the SDGs long-term,” Janetschek explains. In other countries, she adds, the opposite applies, with political leaders barely aware of the multi-stakeholder platforms for sustainable development which have emerged from civil society. There, the question is how to establish them permanently as sustainability advisory councils.

Diversity is fruitful

The Forum describes its members as generating a wide range of knowledge stemming from their extensive experience of promoting sustainable development, which is shared and built upon between the individual countries and institutions. The actors’ diversity is precisely what makes the dialogue so fruitful. For example, Vietnam’s business council has been holding a National Conference on Sustainable Development since 2018, which is also attended by high-ranking politicians such as the deputy prime minister. Meanwhile, in South Africa, an alliance has formed between civil society and trade unions which were involved in producing the country’s first Voluntary National Review (VNR) on implementation of the SDGs. The review was differentiated. Although it cited progress in gender equality, for instance, with 41 per cent of members of parliament being female in 2016, the country remains blighted by substantial social inequality and violence against women.

One of the objectives of the inauguration meeting in Bogotá is to now reinforce a multi-stakeholder approach in other countries of the kind which is currently being established in South Africa. This means that sustainability advisory councils should comprise as many actors as possible as this is the only way to promote dialogue within the societies. The advisory councils or similar bodies should neither nod through the government’s agenda nor limit themselves to strong criticism from civil society. Instead, the objective is to foster constructive participation and measures to bring about sustainable development.

In concrete terms, the meeting in Bogotá could give rise to the first partnerships between countries, for example on projects to establish renewable energies or to examine how cities and local governments can produce sustainability plans. Another point is set to address the question of how individual countries can have their sustainability policy scrutinised independently, for instance via peer review processes. By the end of the meeting, a work programme covering the period to the end of 2021 should have been agreed.

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Historically, the World Bank’s development financing has consistently been under fire. Currently the Global South is demanding a greater say in financing matters. Where has the problem been up to now?

Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul: For a start, we faced the problem that the financing for the goals – and this is something the current Development Minister Svenja Schulze has also addressed – was not enough. That’s why it’s good that at the Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which have just taken place, they decided to top up the lending volume by 70 billion US dollars. That will help support the countries that want to invest in global public goods – meaning goods whose benefits and costs extend beyond national borders – but until now haven’t had the chance. Germany has already contributed to the funding by – as Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz already announced last year – providing 305 million euros in hybrid capital to the World Bank. That was the impetus, so to speak, for others to follow suit. It’s certainly a wise move – but still, at some point the question of further top-ups will raise its head.

The ability of the poorest countries to act has so far been very much restricted by the debt architecture. Why is that?

That’s a complex point. In the federal government we launched an initiative in the early 2000s which provided debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries in return for them using the freedom of action it gave them to invest, for example, in things like public health and education. The problem is – especially after the reversal in interest rates witnessed in the USA and the shock caused by the impact of the Covid pandemic – the level of debt of the poorest countries has risen drastically. Some of the countries have to spend almost 30 percent of their national budgets on financing their debt. And that means there’s nothing left over for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the issue of decarbonisation or restructuring the economy. When this is your starting point, I don’t think it’s enough to say: well we have the G20 Common Framework for debt treatments. Because when you look at how many countries have been able to benefit from it so far, it’s just not enough.

What could be done to change that?

Actually – and this something we also established in the RNE statements from June 2023 – we need more transparency around the questions: Who is in debt and who are the creditors? Apart from that, I think, we need new impetus among the traditional donors, but also China and the private stakeholders that are involved, to collectively enable debt relief and better debt management. In my opinion, that is absolutely essential today.

The World Bank now wants to reform itself into a “better bank”. Implementation steps were agreed at its Spring Meetings. What were they?

For one thing, the lending volume has just been extended and with it also the bank’s mandate. It’s not just a question of fighting poverty, but also of financing global public goods and, above all, adapting in the face of climate change. We at the RNE have been saying for a while now that the World Bank needs to become a transformation bank. Now they’ve taken a step in that direction, so from here on it’s all about the implementation. Apart from that, the indicators for measuring the impact have been reduced – although two new ones have been added: biodiversity and inequality. I think those are also important steps to stop the poorest countries worrying that any new missions will be charged to them.

Where do you think there might be room for improvement in this reform?

I would say, the most important thing is that it is implemented swiftly. Because I know what kind of processes these are and the devil is in the detail.

And if you now – with these reform steps in mind – reflect on the RNE’s statements from summer 2023, what progress do you see?

In relation to the World Bank, the points we mentioned back then really have come on better than I expected, after many years of hardly any progress at all.

Another point you already mentioned in 2023 is the question of the allocation of special drawing rights. What’s happened there?

So in 2021, 650 billion US dollars’ worth of special drawing rights were made available to help stabilise economic development – at the time it came from the IMF in light of the Covid pandemic. But the fact is that these rights are allocated based on the share of IMF quotas each country holds and not on anything to do with poverty or particular vulnerability. That has led, for example, to a situation where Germany received more than the entire continent of Africa put together. Of course for countries in the Global South that hardly seems reasonable. But now there are some interesting developments on that front – namely the possibility of special drawing rights basically being provided as hybrid capital for the African Development Bank. That makes sense whichever way you look at it, because the African Development Bank is a major player and that would boost the lending volume because its stability and security would, of course, improve. So I hope the IMF agrees to this. But it looks like there’s going to be a new German vote on it and our Finance Minister will not be supporting this initiative.

Germany is jointly responsible for drawing up the UN Pact for the Future. What role will this pact play at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Madrid in summer 2025?

That depends on how the decision-making pans out. So far, some parts of the draft are worded in very general terms, but with regard to the financing of the SDGs, it has sent out promising signals. Actually, the Pact of the Future signals that, in a world shattered by geopolitics, there is the will to reinforce multilateralism. And that’s why I feel it really needs and deserves to be given a lot more attention in Germany.

Is there any hope at all of agreement in the current geopolitical climate?

It’s absolutely possible, as we saw at the spring meeting of the Financing for Development Forum of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in April. Unlike with the two international financial institutions – the World Bank and the IMF – where geopolitics made it practically impossible to come up with a joint statement, at this ECOSOC meeting they even reached a consensus over their joint statement. That shows that the UN level is one that we need to beef up, because it helps boost cohesion and prevents unnecessary fragmentation.

What did they agree to there?

The document points out, for instance, that the funding gap – calculated at somewhere between 2.5 and 4 billion US dollars – has to be filled to deliver on the SDGs and the climate targets. This needs to come from various financing sources. Obviously that also means the private sector, but equally it is abundantly clear that some of it has to be covered by public funds too. That’s the challenge we are facing at the moment.

What approaches might be taken to close this gap?

One of the more interesting approaches – which we at the RNE have also been advocating – is to step up the establishment of their own tax systems in the countries of the Global South. This needs to be done as transparently and digitally as possible, which also helps against corruption. Another approach that tackles debt relief is through so-called debt swaps, whereby the funds owed are repurposed for, say, economic transformation or investment in renewable energy. But it’s also important to make the international financial institutions more inclusive. And there was an interesting proposal under the G20 presidency from the Brazilian finance minister to tax the 3,000 richest people in the world, which would bring in as much as 250 billion US dollars. Our Development Minister Svenja Schulze also supported this and has taken it up. These are all important perspectives with an eye to the conference in Madrid.

Germany was one of the initiators of the World Bank reform. Can the federal government sit back now or should it do more?

As far as the World Bank is concerned, I think the steps are laid out. But the question is, of course, what is the federal government doing at home? How are they behaving? And I’m amazed to notice – to put it diplomatically – that there are attempts to slash the development budget and also make cuts in the humanitarian aid from the Foreign Office. That is the absolute opposite of what we need if we want to form new global alliances and prevent new alliances involving states like Russia or China. Cutting the development budget risks provoking the next conflicts. Because then, not enough can be done to counteract climate change. If the finance minister now argues that there’s nothing more we can do, that would just stunt Germany’s role in the world. And we have learnt that we are not safe in the long run without greater global security – and not just military security: we must also be able to defend ourselves in the fight against climate change, against pandemics, against racism and inequality. This argument for saving is in stark contrast to what Olaf Scholz is envisaging on all his trips and his other endeavours.

How could we create more awareness for this vital topic at the national level?

Of course it’s important that civil society gets involved. But it’s also essential that those with political responsibility appropriately advocate the things they decide at international conferences, at home – with all their consequences.   [document id="96735"]" ["post_title"]=> string(71) "“Cutting the development budget risks provoking the next conflicts”" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(419) "There’s a gaping hole in global development financing – which means the poorest countries have nothing left to put towards the UN SDGs. This is partially due to the global financial and debt architecture, which is now set to change with, among other measures, the reform of the World Bank. We spoke to RNE member Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul to find out what this reform has in store and where even more needs be done." ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(65) "cutting-the-development-budget-risks-provoking-the-next-conflicts" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2024-07-02 14:19:02" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2024-07-02 12:19:02" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(114) "https://www.nachhaltigkeitsrat.de/aktuelles/wer-im-entwicklungshaushalt-kuerzt-provoziert-die-naechsten-konflikte/" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } ["comment_count"]=> int(0) ["current_comment"]=> int(-1) ["found_posts"]=> int(13) ["max_num_pages"]=> int(2) ["max_num_comment_pages"]=> int(0) ["is_single"]=> bool(false) ["is_preview"]=> bool(false) ["is_page"]=> bool(false) ["is_archive"]=> bool(true) ["is_date"]=> bool(false) ["is_year"]=> bool(false) ["is_month"]=> bool(false) ["is_day"]=> bool(false) ["is_time"]=> bool(false) ["is_author"]=> bool(false) ["is_category"]=> bool(false) ["is_tag"]=> bool(true) ["is_tax"]=> bool(false) ["is_search"]=> bool(false) ["is_feed"]=> bool(false) ["is_comment_feed"]=> bool(false) ["is_trackback"]=> bool(false) ["is_home"]=> bool(false) ["is_privacy_policy"]=> bool(false) ["is_404"]=> bool(false) ["is_embed"]=> bool(false) ["is_paged"]=> bool(false) ["is_admin"]=> bool(false) ["is_attachment"]=> bool(false) ["is_singular"]=> bool(false) ["is_robots"]=> bool(false) ["is_favicon"]=> bool(false) ["is_posts_page"]=> bool(false) ["is_post_type_archive"]=> bool(false) ["query_vars_hash":"WP_Query":private]=> string(32) "92b693d635266a95edfb9e56b8ca854d" ["query_vars_changed":"WP_Query":private]=> bool(true) ["thumbnails_cached"]=> bool(false) ["allow_query_attachment_by_filename":protected]=> bool(false) ["stopwords":"WP_Query":private]=> NULL ["compat_fields":"WP_Query":private]=> array(2) { [0]=> string(15) "query_vars_hash" [1]=> string(18) "query_vars_changed" } ["compat_methods":"WP_Query":private]=> array(2) { [0]=> string(16) "init_query_flags" [1]=> string(15) "parse_tax_query" } }