It is designed to provide support to IPC-IG’s applied research and policy advisory services and to complement the interns’ practical experience in various issues related to South-South Cooperation, Social Protection and Inclusive Growth. The programme operates under the rules and regulations of the UNDP Internship Policy.

In 2013, we will host interns on a continuous basis in three different internship areas. Learn more about our programme and how to apply here.

Work with us! Support our efforts in promoting inclusive growth, Social Protection and South-South learning!

By Daniella Cambaúva – São Paulo

As a result of a partnership between the Brazilian government, the Institute of Applied Economic Research (Ipea) and the United Nations, the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth is a forum with a unique global agenda. It represents the recognition that countries like Brazil are undergoing successful processes of social transformation and therefore have much to share with the rest of the world.

Revista Desafios do Desenvolvimento, Ipea

Eight years ago, Brazil inaugurated – in premises provided by Ipea, the first International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth in the world as an unprecedented project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with a focus on South-South Cooperation. Known by the acronym IPC-IG, the Centre emerged with the aim of promoting and facilitating the exchange of innovative experiences among emerging and developing countries. Its guiding principle is that inclusive growth incorporates all in the process of economic development, sharing its benefits. IPC-IG is a global forum established on the basis of the decentralization process of UN organisations and facilities – historically based in New York, to strategic locations in the emerging economies.

South-South Debate

The pathway to knowledge exchange, according to the Centre, is the facilitation the dissemination of the experiences of public policies implemented in several countries. “This debate can inspire change based on models and perspectives born in the South: from the South, to the South and with the South,” said Francisco Filho, spokesperson of the institution. This work is based on networking with governments in the South, on technical advisory missions, and online capacity building and learning opportunities, such as those provided on the South-South Learning Gateway.

Currently, as reported by the spokesperson of IPC-IG, the activities focus on social protection policies and cash transfer programmes, rural and sustainable development strategies, and innovations in employment generation, use of natural resources and provision of health services.

There is also a programme of capacity building with policy dialogue events, which counted on the participation of government officials of various countries, such as Uganda, Indonesia and South Africa. The Centre has organised a number of Study Tours to Brazil, in which representatives of China, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Bangladesh, South Africa and Tanzania participated, among other countries. Francisco reports that Brazilian researchers at IPC-IG came also to work in countries like East Timor, Syria and Egypt.

The Centre has produced more than 250 publications, covering policies and programmes of more than 70 developing countries. Since 2004, it has offered capacity building and training opportunities to over 7,500 senior government representatives from over fifty countries.

For the representative of IPC-IG, in all these activities, it is essential to see “that our country is no longer the world champion of inequality.” Brazil is among the main references in the field of social protection, which seeks to combine economic development to social inclusion of those left out of the distribution of its fruits.

Between 2003 and 2008, poverty was reduced at 43.03% in Brazil. It is estimated that 28 million people were lifted out of extreme poverty from 2003 to 2009, a movement driven by increased labour income, pensions and social assistance programmes, especially the Continuous Cash Benefit (BCP) and the Bolsa Família. In relation to inequality in the country, the Gini coefficient fell from 0.59 in 2001 to 0.53 in 2007.

Focus on the emerging economies

IPC-IG’s work considers that the structure of the economies in developing countries can increase vulnerability to crises, particularly if the exports show a high level of dependence and concentration in commodities rather than manufactured goods and services. These factors impact the potential for job creation and the ability to promote sustainable patterns of production and distribution of wealth. “The structural transformation of the productive capacity must be integrated as a priority in development policy so that growth can be inclusive and resilient. We are observing a revival of the interest in industrial and structural transformation policies,” says Francisco.

The Centre’s work starts from the premise that countries with lower levels of inequality tend to have better performance in the development processes.

Functioning

IPC-IG already gained visibility during the first months of existence, when it launched an agenda of collaboration with intellectuals from all over the world around the definition and operationalization of the concept of pro-poor growth.

The Centre functioned on the premises provided by Ipea until 2009. With the creation of the Secretariat of Strategic Affairs (SAE/PR), the Centre moved to an office at the Esplanade of Ministries, following an invitation by the Presidency of Republic. In the same year, the institution started receiving financial support from the Federal Government – besides the UN funding, for the expansion of its activities and strengthening of partnerships.

There are also sporadic contributions from universities and international cooperation agencies. There is an active participation of civil society, mainly via the engagement of researchers and public intellectuals. NGOs, forums and associations also participate as “key partners in order to stimulate the debate,” says Francisco Filho.

The Centre is directly linked to the Poverty Group of the Bureau of Development Policy (BDP), UNDP New York. IPC-IG’s Executive Council is composed of representatives of the United Nations and the Government of Brazil, represented by Ipea, the Secretariat of Strategic Affairs at the Presidency and the Ministry of External Relations. UNDP is present in 166 countries and works with governments, civil society and the private sector in providing solutions to national development challenges.

Source: Ipea

Would you like to get involved in our work? Refer to the following pages:

Submit a publication or an article 

Participate in our Internship Programme in Brazil

Join us for a Study Tour on Inclusive Growth (requests from national, regional and local governments in the Global South)

Make your registration to receive the Inclusive Growth Bulletin

Job announcements 

What is inclusive growth? How to achieve it? Refer to the following IPC-IG publications for new ideias:

Dimensions of Inclusive Development

Can Social Protection Help Promote Inclusive Growth?

The Role of South-South Cooperation in Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural Development: Focus on Africa

The MDGs and Beyond: Pro-Poor Policy in a Changing World

Rethinking Global Poverty Measurement

Development from Below: Social Accountability in Natural Resource Management

The Rio+ Centre will facilitate research, knowledge exchange and promote international debate about sustainable development. It will bring together a broad international consortium of partners, consisting of government agencies, United Nations agencies, local governments (including the state government and municipality of Rio de Janeiro), NGOs, universities, think-tanks and the private sector.

“For us it’s really important to have a legacy here after Rio+20, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Our universities, various sectors of society, the business community and everyone here wants to work hard for this legacy,’’ announced Minister Teixeira, and added that $5 million in seed money for the Centre’s operations had already been secured.

Humanizing Development Global Photography Campaign,IPC-IG 2009

UNDP Administrator Helen Clark, welcomed the partnership: “Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff has said that not only is it possible to grow and to include, protect, and conserve at the same time, but also truly sustainable development requires that we do so, and at UNDP we believe the same thing”, Clark said.

“Governments, private sector, and civil society actors will be able to use this centre to learn from each other’s experiences, identify people and partners with critical expertise, plan ahead, and design programmes and policies. UNDP can contribute with its extensive networks of experience and expertise to this new centre. We have a long history of capacity development support, and an established role as an impartial broker who can connect sustainable development initiatives that need to go up scale”, Clark noted.

The Rio+ Centre will facilitate research, knowledge exchange and promote international debate about sustainable development. It will bring together a broad international consortium of partners, consisting of government agencies, non-governmental organisations, universities, think-tanks and the private sector.

At the moment of its launch, the Rio+ Centre counts on the support of nearly 25 Brazilian and international institutions, which displays the success achieved by the initiative, as well as the inclusive and participatory nature of its conception.

Luciano Coutinho, President of Brazil’s development bank (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social,

Ugandan Ministers participate in IPC-IG Study Tour in Formosa, Goiás state of Brazil

BNDES) stated that “BNDES joins the Brazilian government in supporting the Rio+ Centre and welcomes the UNDP and other partner institutions in this important initiative arising from Rio +20. It will create a unique space for discussion of innovative ideas and actions for building a sustainable world.”

According to the official announcement of Brazil’s Ministry of External Relations, the Rio+ Centre “is born with the mission to be a main reference centre for the promotion of one of the defining debates of this century: the integration between the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.”

The objective behind the creation of the Rio+ Centre is to build on new and innovative mechanisms for engaging the participation of local governments, civil society, business and academia in knowledge exchange and discussions around the subject.

From the outset, the Rio+ Centre will provide continuity to the discussions launched by the Rio Dialogues for Sustainable Development. The Dialogues were launched by the Government of Brazil with the support of UNDP in the lead-up to Rio+20 as a way of actively ensuring inputs of civil society and experts worldwide.

Brazilian Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira and UNDP chief HelenClark sign into existence "World Centre for Sustainable Development" on 22 June in Rio de Janeiro

The new centre will build on the successful existing partnership between the Government of Brazil and UNDP: the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG), established in 2004, in Brasilia.  Since its founding, IPC-IG has been playing a key role in the dialogue between countries of the South on policies for social protection and inclusion, development innovation as well as rural and sustainable development issues.

The Rio+ Centre facilities will be initially hosted by Federal University of Rio de Janeiro’s Institute of Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering (COPPE/UFRJ), at the Ilha do Fundão Campus. Rio’s Municipality has stated its willingness to provide a space for the future headquarters of Rio+ Centre.

The establishment of the Rio+ Centre initially received support from the following institutions:

• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG)
• United Nations Programme for Human Settlements (UN-HABITAT)
• International Labour Organisation (ILO)
• Institute of Advanced Studies, United Nations University (UNU-IAS)
• Regional Centre of Expertise in Education for Sustainable Development (RCE)
• Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil
• State Government of Rio de Janeiro
• Municipality of Rio de Janeiro
• Financier of Studies and Projects (FINEP)
• Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Economico e Social (BNDES)
• Center for Strategic Studies and Management (CGEE)
• Global Institute for Green Technologies and Employment (GIGTech, COPPE / UFRJ)
• Center for Sustainable Development at the University of Brasilia (UNB-CDS )
• FGV Network of Technology and Innovation of Rio de Janeiro (REDETEC)
• Technological Information Network Latin America (RITLA / UNESCO)
• National Confederation of Industry Brazil (CNI)

• Brazilian Service to Support Micro and Small Enterprises (Sebrae)
• Brazilian Business Council for Development (CEBDS)
• Brazilian Foundation for Sustainable Development (FBDS)
• BVRio (Bolsa Verde Rio)
• Reverurbano
• Pro-Natura Foundation

Would you like to learn more about sustainable development and inclusive growth? Refer to the following IPC-IG articles and publications for new ideas:

What do we mean by Green Economy?

Rio+20: Let’s prioritize Social Sustainability

Rio+20 meeting must focus on Social Equity

The Role of South-South Cooperation in Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural Development: Focus on Africa

Taking place on 19 June 2012, the IPC-IG side event will be organized in the form of a panel and will include time for an open discussion. The outcome of this dialogue will contribute to civil society and media capacity building activities being undertaken by IPC-IG, its broadening work on socio-economic governance frameworks of green and equitable growth as well as contribute to the trans-disciplinary knowledge activities undertaken by TERI.

Humanizing Development Global Photography Campaign, IPC-IG 2009

The broadening of public participation in decision-making and accountability and the empowerment of the poor and marginalized are fundamental prerequisites for achieving sustainable development. This implies a multidimensional process, in which civil society must be a full partner. Expanding the space for civil society and knowledge institutions to contribute to the design and implementation of Institutional Frameworks for Sustainable Development (IFSD) and related activities has already delivered positive results in a number of areas: the expansion of social guidelines and safeguards for REDD+, the expansion of debate on social dimensions of climate change,  UN Conventions on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Indigenous Peoples and the expansion of access to care and treatment for PLHIV.

While the civil society has been active in effective program execution and in ensuring transparency as watchdogs for the community, knowledge institutions have engaged in in-depth research activities contributing to the identification and adaptation of policy innovations within a trans-disciplinary and collaborative framework. Both play a key role in making and influencing policy locally and globally.

Humankind is building a mutual interest in the process, the results and the importance of clearly defining the changes that need to be achieved to ensure sustainable development. Defining such a future must be done with as diverse a membership as possible. It is usually in a complex multi-stakeholder, multi-tier and multi-sectoral sphere that CSOs and Knowledge Institutions can be most effective, and therefore, efforts must not shy away from this dialogue.

The IPC-IG side event will provide new thinking, highlight emerging tools and provide space for productive

Humanizing Development Global Photography Campaign, IPC-IG 2009

brainstorming by stimulating discussion and identifying lessons from previous experiences.  Clear elements for further research will be identified from the discussions, and an expanded partnership on research and dialogue on this theme will be formed. The outcomes of the event will inform IPC-IG’s research sub-theme on socio-political innovations for sustainable developments, giving support not only to further the discussions on the theme, but mainly to nurture substantial and practical projects to ensure a more inclusive sustainable development.

Presentations will be made on the following topics:

• Economic and ecological justice frameworks for sustainable development

• Effective governance for improved social inclusion

• Enhancing the role of CSOs and knowledge community for democratic participation in decision-making

• Role of CSOs in monitoring and ensuring the effectiveness of climate finance

• Governance of Biofuels: Lessons for the collective role of CSOs

“Finding sustainable solutions, which Rio+20 is about, requires a conscious effort of empowering and galvanizing civil society and knowledge communities, and tapping scientific as well as traditional knowledge, to identify, disseminate, and scale up `what works`. For this to happen, governments must ensure all members of society are able to exercise their rights and obligations, and uphold democratic values and principles.’’

Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, Director of the Democratic Governance Group at UNDP’s Bureau for Development Policy (BDP)

INFORMATION

Rio+20 side event on “Civil Society and Knowledge Community: Dialogues around Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development”
Date:  June 19, 2012

Time: 17:30-19:00 hrs

Location: P3-F Rio Centro

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Following the issues on the Rio+20 agenda? Refer to the following IPC-IG publications:

Green Equity: Environmental Justice for more Inclusive Growth

Dimensions of Inclusive Development

Mitigation of What and by What? Adaptation by Whom and for Whom? Dilemmas in Delivering for the Poor and the Vulnerable in International Climate Policy

Benefits Sharing: Blending Climate Change and Development in National Policy Efforts

Inclusive and Sustainable Development: For Whom?

Understanding the Socio-Environmental Policy Space

Climate Change in Brazil: Economic, Social and Regulatory Aspects

Cost–benefit Analyses of Climate Change

UNDP is pleased to be convening this Fifth Ministerial Forum for Development. For a number of years now, the Forum has brought together social policy ministers from across Latin America.

This year’s Forum breaks new ground in bringing ministers from this region together with ministers from the Caribbean and Africa for what promises to be a very useful South-South exchange of experiences and ideas about the interaction between fiscal and social policy.

We are therefore honoured to have with us today Brazil’s Minister of Finance and Brazil’s Minister of Social Development and the Fight Against Hunger. Brazil’s own success in turning the tide on both poverty and inequality provides inspiration to policy-makers around the world who are seeking to meet national development goals and the Millennium Development Goals too.

In Clarissa Hardy’s excellent concept note prepared for this Forum, titled “Fiscal Policies for Social Sector Development”, it is argued that a major strategic debate should be had on the types of social policies which are needed, and how they link up with economic policy which underpins the defeat of poverty. Fiscal policy, through which governments make choices about what to spend on and how much, also has a significant impact on social policy outcomes.

But there is also a third dimension of the fight against poverty and inequality which bears mention at this time in the run up to the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development which Brazil will host next month – that of environmental sustainability.

Last year UNDP devoted its annual global Human Development Report to the twin themes and linked objectives of achieving greater equity and sustainability, arguing that one objective cannot be achieved without progress on the other.

If the way in which both rich and poor nations develop is destructive of the very ecosystems on which life on this planet depends, then the burden will fall disproportionately on the poorest and most vulnerable people who depend the most on healthy ecosystems for their survival and have the least means to adapt to the challenges brought by environmental degradation.

Witness, for example, the increasing frequency and intensity of drought in the Sahel, or the extreme wet weather events seen not only in Asia and Latin America, but in Africa too.

These environmental pressures make it even harder to reduce poverty and inequality, and call for major responses from governments and development partners which will help build resilience and create the basis for sustained development.

The 2011 global Human Development Report looked at scenarios of what our world could look like in 2050. The “base case” scenario assumes limited changes in inequality and environmental threats and risks. It anticipates that the global HDI could be nineteen per cent higher by 2050 than it is today. That would represent a rate of progress in lifting human development similar to that achieved between 1990 and 2010.

Then an “environmental challenges” scenario was constructed, taking into account, among other things, the impact of global warming on agricultural production; challenges related to water, sanitation, and pollution; and growing inequality and its consequences – such as a higher probability of intrastate conflict. Under this scenario, the increase in the global HDI was predicted to be eight percentage points lower than in the “base case” scenario and twelve percentage points lower in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Under an even more adverse “environmental disaster” scenario which amplified the magnitude of the impacts modeled, the global HDI would be fifteen percentage points below the “base case” scenario in 2050. The most dramatic impact of that would be on Sub-Saharan Africa which would fall 24 percentage points below the “base case” scenario, and on South Asia which would fall 22 percentage points below.

Overall this worst case scenario sees human development progress slow to a crawl, and actually regress in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. There is surely a compelling need for action at every level to prevent this scenario materialising.

The insights gained from these scenarios and from decades of work alongside developing countries have encouraged UNDP to promote what we call “triple win” policies which simultaneously advance economic, social, and environmental objectives. We argue that it is not a question of either/or, but rather of how to move forward on all fronts.

We have been encouraged in our advocacy by the words of President Dilma Rousseff at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, when she said: “Not only is it possible to grow and to include, protect, and conserve at the same time, but also truly equitable and sustainable human development requires that we do so.”

We have also been inspired by countless examples of innovative triple win policies around the world, whereby governments have carefully designed sets of policies which meet objectives across the strands of sustainable development. Those examples include:

Brazil’s own Bolsa Verde (or Green Grant) programme, creating income transfers, targeted specifically for families in extreme poverty, which promote environmental conservation in areas where they live and work.
Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme which, to date, has provided income and predictable food supply to more than eight million beneficiaries in 300 food-insecure districts. Those participating in the scheme work on environmental conservation, water management, and terracing, building greater resilience to climate extremes for the future.
India’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which has delivered a minimum of one hundred days’ work a year to eligible rural poor, with a quota for women’s participation, on projects determined by village councils with a focus on environmental rehabilitation and water conservation. This scheme now benefits upwards of 46 million households.

There are many other such examples of policies which set out to target poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation simultaneously. Taken to scale, they have the power to transform the lives and prospects, of people, communities, and nations. It is to be hoped that Rio+20 will be a showcase for these innovative policies, and that post-Rio we will see knowledge sharing about and capacity building for such policies get a big boost.

The objective here is sustainable human development: how to create the conditions for every person on this earth to have a life free of hunger and want, to be able to be educated, have decent shelter and work, access to health services, and the genuine freedom to choose to live lives which they value.

This broader definition of human development is about far more than GDP per capita – that tells us remarkably little about the state of a society, particularly where gross inequity prevails. UNDP’s Human Development Index was devised to provide an alternative to the tyranny of measurement of progress by GDP alone, and thus incorporates indicators for health and education alongside that for income.

Even so, we are now challenged to incorporate the element of environmental sustainability in the Index – appreciating the relationship between human development and the ecosystem in which it occurs. Just as the Human Development Index has been able to be adjusted for equity and for gender equity, so it must be possible to adjust it for environmental sustainability. Debate around the issue of how to measure sustainable development will be the focus of UNDP’s major side event at Rio+20.

At the core of our approach is the belief that environmental unsustainability holds back the reduction of poverty and inequality. We also argue that the persistence of inequality at high levels in many developing countries has made it more difficult to reduce poverty.

A major essay on “Income Inequality and the Conditions of Chronic Poverty” in a recent UNDP publication (“Towards Human Resilience: Sustaining MDG Progress in an Age of Economic Uncertainty”, UNDP, New York, September 2011) brings together evidence for that proposition, asserting that “High and rising inequality also reduces the likelihood that economic and social policies fostering inclusive growth and human development will be delivered and implemented. For instance richer groups may secure economically inefficient advantages such as regressive taxes or an allocation of public funds for their own interest rather than for that of the country.”

Yet locking in high and rising levels of inequality in this way is to condemn communities and nations to higher levels of crime, disease, poverty, and even conflict than would otherwise occur. It is also linked to weak growth and to stalled progress on reaching development goals overall.

Our report further asserts that ‘for countries with chronic and extensive poverty and long-term anaemic growth, policies that address poverty reduction at the margins will be grossly inadequate. If growth is unable to generate domestic resources or make a dent in poverty, the prospects for MDG progress will be very uncertain. Further low growth is unlikely to generate the resources needed for measures which can protect economies against the effects of external or domestic shocks”.

That brings us back to the core question before this forum: how to link the social policy objectives of reducing poverty and inequality to the design of economic and fiscal policy. UNDP’s proposals for doing that fall into three categories and I will comment on each of them briefly.

(1) Inclusive growth and the expansion of productive employment.

Specific policy measures will need to:

identify new sources of growth and employment- intensive investments;
bring the poor and excluded into the economy through employment schemes – such as the “triple win” examples I gave earlier; and
invest in human capital, through education and skills training, health services, and nutrition.

(2) Redistribution of Income and Assets.

Special measures could include:

investment in social protection, because of its huge potential benefits in providing an income floor, access to opportunity and security, reducing inequality, and building resilience to shock; and
supporting asset building and protection and the provision of micro finance services. Social protection and employment schemes can open the door to financial inclusion of the poor – especially if the income transfers use the banking system or variations of it. Financial inclusion helps smooth incomes and facilitates savings.

(3) Pro-poor Macro-economic Policies

UNDP argues that:

monetary policy could pay more attention to growth and employment without jeopardising macro-economic stability;
careful steps should be taken to insulate countries from the contagion effects of financial crises elsewhere; and
tax systems should be progressive and public spending should be pro-poor – as for example on social protection, employment generation, health, and education.

Taken together, these sets of policies offer the prospect of broadening the base of the economy, thereby including more people more actively in it and spreading the benefits of growth more widely. That not only reduces poverty; it also reduces inequality.

To drive such policies successfully, the capacity of state institutions and their responsiveness are critical. Strengthening national policy-making, delivery, and accountability mechanisms is central to UNDP’s work around the world.

Over the next 48 hours, there will be many opportunities for ministers and other participants in this forum to exchange experiences on such issues. This is a South-South exchange, recognising that the best practice of and lessons learned by peers in the South may often be the most relevant for nations seeking policy solutions.

At UNDP we are dedicated to supporting South-South co-operation. This forum is but one of countless examples of our work to link people, ideas, innovation, and best practice across the Global South. We hope that the forum will be an enriching and a learning experience for all present, and that we will all leave with fresh insights into how to assemble the mix of policies and capacities to advance sustainable human development.

Muito obrigado!

Source: UNDP

16 May 2012

The growing visibility of the BRICS countries in international development cooperation has led to claims that they represent a challenge to the development paradigm, emphasising distinctive characteristics of horizontality, solidarity, mutual learning and partnership. Yet, beyond the political rhetoric, it is far from clear whether such a new approach is indeed emerging, and if so what it comprises.

At a recent IDS seminar, Professor Li Xiaoyun and Professor Qi Gubo of the Chinese Agricultural University in Beijing offered their perspectives based on the findings of their recently-published book, Agricultural Development in China: A Comparative Analysis. Focusing on China’s experience of supporting agricultural development in Africa, they argued that China has made massive strides in achieving food security and poverty reduction, feeding 20 per cent of the world’s population with only 8 per cent of the world’s arable land. Lessons from this experience are potentially important for Africa, they said. China has experience of labour intensive agriculture supported by locally developed appropriate technologies. China’s ‘green revolution’, they pointed out, was home-grown and based on long-term public investment in research, agricultural education and infrastructure, and was not reliant on market led development.

Both China and Brazil are becoming increasingly important players in agricultural development in Africa, whether through technical assistance or trade and commercial investments in land and agriculture. In the longer term, these new players may reshape the way agricultural development is thought about, financed and implemented across Africa. The implications of these new patterns of South-South cooperation are being discussed at a meeting in Brasilia this week, organised by the Future Agricultures Consortium in collaboration with the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

Rising Powers in African Agriculture

This meeting launches a new Future Agricultures Consortium research theme, allied to the IDS BRICS Initiative. An Economic and Social Research Council funded study on the ‘Rising Powers in African Agriculture’ will get underway later in the year. This will explore the links and disconnects between discourses, policies and practices in the agricultural development cooperation activities of Brazil and China as they take shape on the ground in Ghana, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Given the centrality of culture, history and experience to development cooperation interactions, these are conceptualised as ‘knowledge encounters’, shaped by cultural imaginaries, as well as technical understandings and political and economic interests. As new aid relationships are forged, understanding how these encounters create a new social and political dynamic on the ground will help us see whether the political rhetoric of a ‘new paradigm’ for aid is being created.

Clearly a diversification of support for African agriculture is a good thing. African countries have for too long been reliant on a narrow set of expertise channeled through aid and technical cooperation programmes from Europe and the US, or via the ‘international’ assistance of the global agricultural research centres (CGIAR) or the Gates Foundation, which replicate such perspectives. But with new players on the scene, does this now mean that African perspectives, local knowledge and located experimentation will have more chance of breaking through?

This remains an open question. As IDS Fellow Ian Scoones argues in a recent blog, there is a big danger that the top-down, expert-led stances of past development interventions – from colonialism to the western aid era – will be replicated. ‘Aid is about power, and sadly in Africa this remains skewed to the outsider, wherever they come from’, he comments.

Related Projects

• Rising Powers in International Development - Poverty reduction in low-income countries is increasingly influenced by the Rising Powers, a category that includes the BRICS grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as well as regional powers such as Mexico and Indonesia. (Ongoing)
• Future Agricultures Consortium - The DFID funded Future Agricultures Consortium aims to encourage critical debate and policy dialogue on the future of agriculture in Africa. The Consortium is a partnership between research-based organisations in Africa and the UK, with work currently focusing on Ethiopia, Kenya and Malawi. (Ongoing)

Source: IDS

See Garden in Zanzibar - Humanizing Development Global Photography Campaign, IPC-IG, 2009

The event will take place on the 17 and 18 of May at the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) auditorium in Brasilia, and will be opened by Minister Marco Farani, Director of the Brazilian Cooperation Agency at the Ministry of External Relations (ABC/MRE) and by Mr. Jorge Chediek, Interim Director, IPC-IG/United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Brazil. The Forum is being organized by the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) together with the Future Agriculture Consortium (FAC) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID), Articulação Sul, the International Cooperation Centre in Agronomic Research for Development (CIRAD), and UNWomen.

Among the participants of the Forum are representatives from African countries including researchers, civil society, government representatives and regional organisations;  specialists from the United Nations System, particularly Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP),  as well as authorities from various departments, offices and ministries of Brazil’s Federal Government and civil society and the private sector in Brazil.

Main themes

Among the main themes of this international discussion, we highlight the following:

• Brazil as an actor in international cooperation for development: principles, policies and practices;
• Agricultural development and inclusive growth inBrazil: what are the lessons forAfrica?
• Agriculture, climate change and inclusive growth inAfrica: what are the perspectives for South-South cooperation?
• The role ofBrazilandChinainAfrica: what are the similarities and differences in South-South exchage?

Expectations

The main goal of the forum is to identify priorities to inform an action agenda for South-South cooperation for agricultural development inAfrica.  It will explore the challenges and opportunities in promoting inclusive and sustainable development, and consider how more recent cooperation actors likeBrazilcan play an enhanced role in pushing the agenda forward.

The event represents a unique space for debate on agricultural development, bringing perspectives from central governments, demands from civil society organizations, and experiences from local managers and international organizations as well as results from recent research and analysis from the United Nations.

INFORMATION

The Role of South-South Cooperation in Agricultural Development in Africa

Venue: Auditório da Organização Mundial da Saúde (OPAS/OMS) – Setor de Embaixadas Norte (SEN), Brasília – DF

Date: 17 May

Forum Websites: IPC-IG and FAC

Press Information:

Francisco Filho, IPC-IG

E-mail: francisco.filho@ipc-undp.org Telephone: 61 2105 5036

IPC-IG/UNDP Humanizing Development Global Photography Campaign

UNEP has launched an occasional series of articles by politicians, businessmen and women, scientists, and civil society, drawing upon their unique views on the upcoming Rio+20 conference in June 2012

Ready for a Commitment – A View from the Regions – Suzana Kahn

Brasilia,16 February 2012-Much has been said about the cost of inaction related to climate change. Today we face an even broader cost, one that has to do with our current development path.  It is widely acknowledged that our current model is unsustainable. However, in spite of well-known facts such as the unsustainable use of natural resources, biodiversity loss, a changing atmosphere and intractable poverty, the world continues to pursue the same pattern of growth. Rio+20 is an opportunity to promote a shift to a new development paradigm.

With this in mind, green economy is a framework used to build this new way forward: growing and developing with quality. The identification of the paths towards this new paradigm should be done in a case by case basis. The recognition of the peculiarities of each region is a key aspect of the green economy. This mindset leads to specific solutions to local problems, taking into account circumstances that range from climate to culture. Therefore, it is impossible to set up a single framework and criteria that will define what green economy is.

Due to this heterogeneity of challenges, problems, and solutions, it is hard for a group of countries to determine what the best path is. There is no “one size fits all” new development model, but a mix of possible solutions and tools for overcoming barriers to sustainable development.

Within this new paradigm, regional governments have a particular and relevant role in promoting a transition to a green economy. The ability to implement local and regional solutions in an efficient way, coupled with the agility and flexibility of their governance structures, gives regional governments an advantage in leading this transition process. Several regions have already shown strong leadership within this movement. If some of these regions gathered themselves in a strong coalition, aimed at issuing a joint green economy commitment, it would be possible to start a movement to a better development pattern. In order to display a strong pledge, these regions must go beyond recognizing the difficulties at hand and propose well defined targets and deadlines.  In broad terms, it is possible to identify some fundamental steps this global coalition of regions can agree upon.

The first step could be the articulation of an inter-regional panel to elaborate common metrics for key indicators of green economy. A new development model must redefine what it understands by success and, as a governance tool, develop new measures that will complement traditional metrics, such as economic output, with measures of resource stocks and well-being. This panel has to have a strong linkage with an international platform of “knowledge sharing” that might be established during Rio+20. This initiative will serve as a “think tank” of important issues related to this new economy and also work to channel international efforts towards theoretical as well as practical aspects of the green economy. This panel & platform could start their activities by 2013.

IPC-IG/UNDP Humanizing Development Global Photography Campaign

For the following year, 2014, a green accounting system has to be in place.  Each region would define what their main environment and social assets are, so they can be measured and, whenever appropriate, valued. The next step of this coalition, to take place in 2015, would be the report of “green GDP” and other green economy indicators, considering their stocks and natural capital. At this stage green jobs should also be defined and accounted for. A monitoring system for their main environment assets should be implemented. 2016 would be the last year of this commitment and would be the year of the evaluation of the results from the coalition. At this date, Regions would reconvene and then present their Regional Green Development Plans which would consider directives such as the increase of the use of renewable energy, green buildings, and job creation among other targets that could be included in the coalition commitment.

So, if we, as regions from the world are ready to commit ourselves to a shift to a more sustainable development model, we need to promote the transition in our own backyards.  The best way to start this process is through setting common methodologies and accounting and monitoring systems, sharing experiences, adding efforts, and showing results so that we can build a green economy strategy for the world using a bottom up approach.

In a four year period the regions of this coalition could show the world how they achieve their sustainable development goals and give an example of an alternative way of international cooperation.We are ready to do so and ensure that Rio +20 becomes a landmark event for bridging the gap between economy and environment, theory and practice and promotes innovative international partnership towards global sustainable development.

Suzana Kahn- is the President of the Scientific Committee of the Brazilian Panel on Climate Change.

Source: UNEP.org

How to advance the rural and sustainable development agenda at Rio +20,refer to the following IPC-IG resources:

Dimensions of Inclusive Development[Poverty in Focus #23]

Bringing the Social to Rio+20: New film on Green Economy and Sustainable Development[IPC-IG Article]

Green Economies with Social Futures [IPC-IG in the Media]

Interview with Leisa Perch on Rio+20 [IPC-IG Article]

Mitigation of What and by What? Adaptation by Whom and for Whom? Dilemmas in Delivering for the Poor and the Vulnerable in International Climate Policy  [IPC-IG Working Paper]

Submissions on all topics related to poverty and inequality in Latin America are welcome, although we particularly seek papers on two broad subjects: “Financial Systems and Poverty” and “External Sector and Poverty”. We especially encourage papers that address the effects of recent growth and the impact of economic crises throughout its main channels on poverty. The transmission channels can be financial or real (remittances, foreign direct investment, employment, tourism etc.).

Papers will be selected on the basis of academic merit. Submitted papers will be reviewed by a program committee made of members of the Executive Committee of the Network. Authors of the selected papers will be notified by e-mail. Every accepted paper will be included in the program and will have a discussant.

Papers (in Word or PDF) should be sent to: Miguel Jaramillo (mjaramillo@grade.org.pe) and Eduardo Ortiz-Juarez (eduardo.ortizj@gmail.com or eduardo.ortiz@undp.org) by March 2, 2012. Strict compliance with this deadline is required.

The NIP may offer partial funding for travel expenses for those participants who are not able to obtain full financial support from their institutions or other sources. If authors require financial support, they should indicate it at the time of submission of the paper. In order to receive funding from NIP, authors whose papers were accepted must be members of LACEA and current on their membership dues by the time of the meeting.

Contact information:

Mr. Eduardo Ortiz-Juarez, NIP Secretariat

Economist, RBLAC-UNDP

E-mail: eduardo.ortiz@undp.org

Website:   www.lacea.org/nip; www.nip-lac.org/

Interested in policy innovations towards Inclusive Growth in the South? Refer to the following IPC-IG resources: 

Lessons from Brazil [IPC-IG in the Media]

South Africa’s ‘Food for All Campaign’: A promising new plan to tackle hunger and malnutrition? [IPC-IG Article]

East Africa Food Crisis: Understanding the importance of smallholder agriculture [IPC-IG Article]

Learn more about our main policy areas:

Inclusive Growth

Rural and Sustainable Development

Social protection

Development Innovations

South-South