Presentation made to Randolph HS students on January 14, 2016.

2. Facilitated by
Martin S. Edwards
Associate Professor
Director, Center for UN
and Global Governance
Studies
martin.edwards@shu.edu

3. • The UN at 70
• Recapping the MDG
Experience
• From the MDGs to the SDGs
• Some Unanswered
Questions
• What Can We Do?
• Bigger Lessons
Agenda:

4. • Inspiring external evaluation:
• Integrated Commission on
Multilateralism
• Commission on Global Security,
Justice, and Governance
• Inspiring UN internal appraisals:
• 1325 Review
• HIPPO Panel
• Inspiring policymaking:
• Financing for Development (July)
• Post 2015 Development Agenda
Summit (September)
• Paris Climate Change Summit (Nov-
Dec)
• World Humanitarian Summit (May)
The UN at 70:

5. • Unveiled the Sustainable
Development Goals
• Goals and Targets
• Means of Implementation
• Follow-Up and Review Process
• The SDGs are the follow-up to
the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) which have been
completed
• The SDGs are intended to guide
global policymaking until 2030
The September summit

6. • Several places, actually!
• OECD DAC, which created
International Development
Goals in 1996
• UN, which held a Millennium
Assembly in September 2000
• Intensive follow-ups to
produce a composite list of
goals, targets, and indicators
Where did the MDGs
come from?

7. MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

8. • The UN at 70
• Recapping the MDG
Experience
• From the MDGs to the SDGs
• Some Unanswered
Questions
• What Can We Do?
• Bigger Lessons
Agenda:

9. • A good overview is at the link
below, but this is not without
problems:
• http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Res
ources/Static/Products/Progress20
15/Progress_E.pdf
Recapping the MDG
Experience

10. • Answering the “Did the MDGs
work?” question isn’t easy:
• Counterfactual: What would
countries have done had the MDGs
not existed?
• Respecting the baseline: These
goals were ambitious!
• Implementation: The pathway from
goal to outcome is complex
Recapping the MDG
Experience

11. • Whether targets were met varies
regionally:
• Target 1a (Halve, between 1990
and 2015, the proportion of people
whose income is less than $1 a day)
was met globally, but not in SSA
• Child mortality (Target 4a) has been
cut considerably, but progress in
Oceania has been especially
difficult
• Again, the target was a 2/3
reduction. We’re at more than
50% globally.
Here’s what we know:

12. • Domestic conditions matter:
• In conflict-affected countries, the
proportion of out-of-school children
has increased since 1999
• Urban-rural divides in developing
countries make progress on child
and maternal mortality difficult
• Progress on many targets hampered
by global recession
• Lack of data is also a barrier to
policymaking
Here’s what we know:

13. • More countries produce
better data:
• The percentage of developing
countries that had two or more data
points for at least 16 of the 22 MDG
indicators rose from 2% in 2003 to
79% in 2014.
• Domestic reforms do make a
difference:
• A forthcoming UNDP-commissioned
study of 50 countries found that 2/3
of them developed national
strategies for reaching the MDGs.
Here’s what we know:

14. • Need to change the process and
make it more inclusive
• Need to change the focus to the
world as a whole
• Need to change the goals
themselves to focus on improving
states too
• Need to rethink monitoring of the
goals to make sure they’re met
• Need to strengthen data
architecture so that countries
measure what counts
Lessons from the MDG
Experience

15. • The UN at 70
• Recapping the MDG
Experience
• From the MDGs to the SDGs
• Some Unanswered
Questions
• What Can We Do?
• Bigger Lessons
Agenda:

16. • Key Document: Rio + 20
Summit Declaration (2012)
• SD has three dimensions:
Economic, Social, and
Environmental
• Called for the formation of
an Open Working Group and
extensive civil society
involvement in creating the
goals
From MDGs to SDGs

17. • Technology provided another
input to the goals
• World We Want survey: 7 ½ million
people voted worldwide on
priorities for their families
• Top two priorities: education and
health
• But note! The next two priorities
are not in MDGs:
• Better job opportunities
• Honest and responsive
government
From MDGs to SDGs

18. Does the MyWorld survey suggest the
US is different?
Top US Priorities
1. A good education
2. An honest and responsive
government
3. Access to clean water and
sanitation
4. Affordable and nutritious
food
5. Better healthcare
6. Freedom from
discrimination and
persecution
Global Priorities
1. A good education
2. Better healthcare
3. Better job opportunities
4. An honest and responsive
government
5. Affordable and nutritious
food
6. Protection against crime
and violence

19. • Open Working Group
• Originally had 30 members, then
moved to 70
• US shared a seat with Canada and
Israel
• 2 co-chairs appointed: Perm Reps
from Hungary and Kenya
• Civil Society offered advice
through 9 Major Groups and
other stakeholders
From MDGs to SDGs

20. Sustainable Development Goals

21. • Consistent Themes:
• Poverty, Hunger, Health, Education,
Gender, Environment
• Some New Wrinkles:
• Access to Energy
• Infrastructure
• Growth and Employment
• Inequality
• Cities
• Governance
• Climate Change*
Comparing the Lists

22. • The goals are more ambitious for
those that ‘carried over’
• Poverty: Eliminate extreme poverty
($1.25/day)
• Hunger: End malnutrition
• Health: End preventable deaths of
newborns and children under 5
• Gender: End discrimination, VAW,
and child marriage, forced marriage
and FGM.
Comparing the Lists

23. • MDGs had eight goals (such as
“Improve Maternal Health”) and
18 targets (“Reduce under-five
mortality rate by 2/3 between
1990 and 2015”)
• By contrast, the SDGs have 17
goals and 169 targets
• Put another way: the SDGs are
the MDGs on steroids!
Key Difference: Scale

24. • The sheer number of goals and
targets has invited criticism.
• It is hard to imagine the
alternatives.
• We committed to a public
process based on an expansive
view of SD, and this was the
outcome.
• The SG’s attempt to reframe the
goals by grouping them under six
headings failed to catch on.
Too Big to Work?

25. • The UN at 70
• Recapping the MDG
Experience
• From the MDGs to the SDGs
• Some Unanswered
Questions
• What Can We Do?
• Bigger Lessons
Agenda:

26. • Indicator Overload
• Follow up and review
• Footing the Bill for Post-2015
• Post-2015 in the US
Some Unanswered
Questions

27. • With more goals and targets,
there are more indicators,
which places a strain on state
capacity. Indicators are to be
completed next year.
• At present, only 17% of the
300+ proposed indicators are
feasible by National
Statistical Offices
Indicator Overload

28. • Needs to be substantive to be
consequential
• Example that’s often referenced
is Universal Periodic Review
• Three questions
• Is the review process going to name
and shame?
• How will it avoid burdening
countries?
• How will national and regional level
reviews work?
Follow up and review

29. • Financing for Development (FfD)
talks held over the summer in
Addis
• States are paying their own way
through creating stronger tax
systems
• Para 51: “We encourage ODA
providers to consider setting a
target to provide at least 0.20
per cent of ODA/GNI to LDCs.”
Footing the Bill
for Post-2015

30. • It’s not surprising that FfD
agreement was more ambiguous
than SDGs
• States negotiate harder over $!
Financing for
Development (FfD)

31. • Ambiguity!
• What makes the SDGs work is
their clarity.
• FfD outcome document far
from this standard
• Agreement language doesn’t
obligate states
• Doesn’t outline benchmarks
Key difference between
SDGs and FfD

32. • In the US, even soft forms of
governance like Agenda 21
have been portrayed as
threats to American
sovereignty.
• Some parts of the country
are not going to like the
SDGs. How can we fix this?
Post-2015 Agenda
in the US

33. • The UN at 70
• Recapping the MDG
Experience
• From the MDGs to the SDGs
• Some Unanswered
Questions
• What Can We Do?
• Bigger Lessons
Agenda:

34. • In covering all of this ground
this afternoon, it can be
daunting to figure out how
YOU can contribute to this
development agenda
• One way that you can make
a difference is by getting
engaged.
What Can We Do?

35. • Secretary General’s Envoy on
Youth:
• un.org/youthenvoy
• @AhmadAlhendawi
• UNA-USA:
• genun.unausa.org
What Can We Do?

36. • Another way that you can
make a difference is by writing
about it.
• It’s imperative that we create
new voices to take part in the
global conversation
• Can’t create the world we
want without better informed
citizens!
• …
What Can We Do?

37. • Helps you practice writing
clearly.
• Helps get your ideas into the
public sphere.
• Helps your resume/college
application stand out.
• Simple writing sample for
employers.
Why do this?

38. • A = Argument
• B = Brevity
• C = Current Events
• H = Humility
Some ABCs (and an H)

39. • The “Op” is for OPINION.
• So you need an argument!
• And you need to put it
simply in a sentence.
• “I argue that….”
• Make sure this is in your
submission. It makes life easy
for an editor.
A is for ARGUMENT

40. • “We should do something about
Syria/ISIS/Ebola” is NOT a
compelling argument!
• We should create a no-fly zone
and deploy troops to guard new
refugee settlements east of
Damascus IS an argument!
To be clear:

41. • Aim for an informed, but not
expert audience.
• Keep in mind it’s your job to
persuade, and you need to
educate first!
• Need to explain your argument
simply. There is NO SHAME in
this.
On “Voice”

42. • Get to the point. Immediately.
• Review the writer’s guidelines for
the publication. You probably
have 800-1000 words maximum.
• Make certain your argument is in
the FIRST paragraph. Not the
last!
B is for BREVITY:

43. • It had better be about them!
• Think about this broadly:
• How much was written on
the 100th anniversary of
WWI?
• How much is written on
every single anniversary
of 9/11?
C is for Current Events:

44. • Remember that you are
learning to do this.
• Accept rejection gracefully.
• Editors will make edits. Learn
from them.
H is for Humility:

45. • Writing an op-ed about the SDGs
can be a bit of a challenge.
• A simple idea is to structure the op-
ed around 5 key points.
• Washington Post 5 Myths Column
• Edwards US-UN column
• Edwards and Kotlow 2015 UN Preview
column
• You could use the theme “Five
reasons why the SDGs are
important”
So How Can I Do This?

46. • Allows you to organize your
thoughts
• Makes sure that you have an
argument (“I argue that…”)
• Allows you to address potential
objections
• Also keeps the total document
short!
Why does 5 points
work?

47. • We also have just the
thing for that too!
• Take a look at our SDG
Scholarship Challenge!
• Deadline is March 27th!
What if I have an idea
about the SDGs?

48. • The UN at 70
• Recapping the MDG
Experience
• From the MDGs to the SDGs
• Some Unanswered
Questions
• What Can We Do?
• Bigger Lessons
Agenda:

49. • Post-2015 agenda is packaged
as a done deal, but it still a
work in progress.
• International cooperation is
always a difficult balancing act
of reconciling different
interests. This is as true today
as when the UN was founded.
Bigger Lessons

50. • Involving civil society in the
development of SDGs has been
a game-changer.
• The future of the Post-2015
agenda, though, turns on how
much civil society can help
turn pledges into action.
Bigger Lessons

51. • Check out our Library Resource
Page!
• http://library.shu.edu/sdg
• Check out the writings of my
students on the Center blog!
• http://blogs.shu.edu/unstudies/t
ag/sdgs/
.
For more information

52. THANKS SO
MUCH!
For more info:
@MartinSEdwards
martin.edwards@shu.edu