Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Global Push To Achieve SDGs Vision and Words with Action Agenda 26

ISPE       EAG
INTERATIONAL SOCIETY FOR POVERTY ELIMINATION                   ECONOMIC ALLIANCE GROUP

Achieving AAAA, SDG and COP21 Outcome Document Vision and Words with Action Agenda by 2030 in 306/193 Member States – Part 15

Commentary (2) on 6 May 2016 co-Facilitators Draft Resolution on Review of SG Report on Follow Up and Review: A New Landscape for Stakeholder Engagement in UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF?

We commend the effort of the co-Facilitators towards having a draft resolution on the follow up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the Global level ready for adoption by end May 2016.

We observe that Outcome of Consultation on Elements Paper on Follow Up and Review included regular consultation with co-facilitators of other processes, ensure coherent approach across the system etc that coincide with points we consistently advocate.

We observe the continuing improvement in language and text. This is good. However, we are concerned that the document remain Vision and Words without Action and will remain so for as long as clear and correct answers to How questions are avoided or evaded. It is not helpful to produce an impotent document that ensures past mistakes are re-occurring decimals.
We are in this paper making comment for improving the draft resolution. Commentary (1) addressed Gaps that need to be filled. This Commentary (2) suggests edits and comments for improving the draft resolution.

Vision and Words with Action

It is established that this review of SG Report on Follow Up and Review process like other ongoing processes, with exception on UNDP and UNDESA e-Discussion 2016 process, continue to avoid or evade finding clear and correct answers to How questions. The result is that these processes outcome documents remain Vision and Words without Action, that retain mistakes, flaws and failures of past outcome documents, some of which the processes were set up to correct.

We urge relevant authorities on UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF; UN Member States – Executive, Parliament, Judiciary and MGoS Member CSOs/NGOs and Non MGos Member CSOs/NGOs sides to recognize that if they do not know why UN Member States rejected or ignored SG Report on Follow Up and Review, SG Synthesis Report etc they will not know how to revise these SG Reports and produce New SG Reports that will be accepted by UN Member States, fully implemented by all UN Member States and also ensure that all UN Member States, UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF and MGoS each contribute its quota towards the effective monitoring and evaluation of this implementation.

It is against this background that we urge relevant authorities on UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF; UN Member States – Executive, Parliament, Judiciary and MGoS Member CSOs/NGOs and Non MGos Member CSOs/NGOs sides to consider the following points as basis for converting the revised SG Report on Follow Up and Review that could emerge from implementing these Resolutions, into Vision and Words with Action:-
1.      The Resolutions cannot replace revising SG Report on Follow Up and Review to produce Vision and Words with Action Document.
2.      Community to Global Engagement Mechanism on UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF; UN Member States – Executive, Parliament, Judiciary and MGoS Member CSOs/NGOs and Non MGos Member CSOs/NGOs sides needs to be strengthened and in ways that effectively link each Community in each UN Member State with New York.
3.      Community to Global Capacity Building on UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF; UN Member States – Executive, Parliament, Judiciary and MGoS Member CSOs/NGOs and Non MGos Member CSOs/NGOs sides needs to be strengthened. This calls for tackling Challenges of Education, Capacity Building, Pro Poor Institutional Reform, Pro Poor Economic Growth and related matters all structured within:-
a)     Inclusive EAT4SD: Education and Training for Sustainable Development – 5 Linkages: EAT4SD Theoretical and Practical Instruction; EAT4SD and Industry; EAT4SD at Different Levels – Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Vocational, Professional; EAT4SD at different Types of Institutions – Government, Private, NGO, Parochial, other’ EAT4SD and Extension – Government, Private, Pluralistic.
b)     Inclusive CAB4SD: Capacity Building for Sustainable Development – 3 Levels: Individual – Hard Competences: Learning and Skills and Soft Competences: Character, Courage and Mindset; Institution – Pro Poor Institution Reform Processes and Pro Poor Economic Growth Processes that Support Individuals practicing their Hard and Soft Competences in their Day to Day work and in ways that help achieve Corporate Goals and Vision and Society – Political & Cultural, Economic & Financial, Social & Environmental, Religious & Moral, Peace & Security Space for Institutions to Thrive on Chaos.
c)      3PI and 3PI Multidisciplinary Training, Research and Consultancy as One: Policy, Program, Project Intervention, 3PI and 3PI Training as One in each Action Agenda Item in AAAA, SDG, COP21 Outcome, Agenda 21 Aligned and Harmonized to National development Plans in 306/193 UN Member States, UN System including WBG and IMF and MGoS Member CSOs/NGOs and Non MGoS Member CSOs/NGOs in Developed and Developing Countries sides.
d)     Integrated Master Plans: Village to Global
e)     Internal and External Consultants Support System: Village to Global
f)       Correct Diagnosis, Prescription, Surgery and Recovery Management System: Village to Global
g)     One Worldwide Approach to (a) – (f) and earlier part of (1).
4.      Community to Global MSP for 2030 Agenda on UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF; UN Member States – Executive, Parliament, Judiciary and MGoS Member CSOs/NGOs and Non MGos Member CSOs/NGOs sides needs to be strengthened. MSP for 2030 Agenda that will be successful on sustainable basis need to focus on Action on three fronts:-
a.      Stakeholder Participation, Transparent and Accountable Action – All concerned Stakeholders National and Sub-national Governments: Executive, Parliament, Judiciary; Civil Society, Philanthropies, Multilateral Organizations, Businesses and many others including the Communities that are Target Beneficiaries of True Development Initiatives need to be meaningfully involved in an inclusive manner that is transparent. Each Stakeholder must be accountable to themselves and other Stakeholders for their action(s) or inaction(s) and in the later case accepting potential sanctions for lack of compliance with commitments. This call for Building Trust and Mutual Respect and in ways that ensure all partners are effectively represented in governance mechanisms and that all voices are heard.
b.      Cooperative, Collaborative, Cohesive, Coordinated, Effective and Efficient Action – With the increasing diversity of partners involved in sub-national, national, sub-regional, regional and global development cooperation, it is more important than ever to avoid duplication and repetition of effort and fragmentation – problems which FfD Forum Outcome and HLTD Outcome, once more, underline as re-occurring decimals. Achieving 2030 Agenda Vision Ambition by target date call for Effective and Efficient Action through focusing Partnerships on specific Disciplines – Evaluation, Procurement, Institutional / Policy Reform etc, Services – Water, Education, Police etc , Sectors – Power, Telecomms, Finance etc and Issues – Governance, Leadership, Anti Corruption etc this does not mean that more and bigger Partnerships are the best solutions. MSPs need to be streamlined, all relevant Stakeholders need to be encouraged to participate actively in finding sustainable solutions in pilot programs and taking sustainable solutions to scale at National level and committed Leadership from each Stakeholder Group in the MSP is required to give MSPs the momentum they need to tackle complex sub-national, national, sub-regional, regional and global development cooperation challenges on the ground within the specific location - Community to Global, in which the MSP operate, stay on course and mobilize the mandate, manpower, money, material, machine and other resources required to get the job done.
c.       Expertise, Exposure and Experience based Action - The reform of sub-national, national, sub-regional, regional and global development cooperation to meet today’s sustainable development challenges in each Community in each Member State call for changes in attitude, behavior, culture and mindset. Dialogue and learning from experience and exposure are essential to produce desired change. MSP for 2030 Agenda must emphasize the importance of learning from experience and exposure; building bridge between lessons learning and lessons forgetting; knowledge sharing, capacity building – individual, institution and society, patronage, standards, regulation and networking; enhancing the quality of development cooperation at levels appropriate for specific MSP as way of improving its impact, effectiveness and relevance; peer reviews that focus on how development cooperation is framed, managed and delivered; development cooperation – monitoring, reporting and  evaluation cycles that are used to support continuing adaptation etc.
The Development Cooperation Report 2015 proposes 10 success factors for MSPs that would have capacity to mobilize National and Global Collective Action for achieving SDG:-
1.         Secure High Level Leadership
2.         Ensure Partnerships are Country Led and Context Specific
3.         Avoid duplication of effort and fragmentation
4.         Make governance inclusive and transparent
5.         Apply the right type of partnership model for the challenge
6.         Agree on principles, targets, implementation plans and enforcement mechanisms
7.         Clarify roles and responsibilities
8.         Maintain a clear focus on results
9.         Measure and monitor progress towards goals and targets
10.    Mobilize the required financial resources and use them effectively

It is clear that promoters and members of MSPs need practical help and technical support if their MSP is to pass the 10 success factors. This once more underlines urgent need for relevant authorities to find clear and correct answers to MSP, Lobbying, AAAA, SDG, COP21, Agenda 21 aligned and harmonized with Community and Country Development Plans in 306/193 UN Member States How questions and in ways that effectively address fundamental issues of OH3A2T2LRSP - Ownership, Harmonization, Alignment, Accountability, Attitude, Transparency, Transformation, Leadership, Learning, Results, Stakeholder Participation as applicable to specific context (2030 Agenda in whole or part) of Thematic Interest to the MSP and specific Location – Community to Global where the MSP operate. These arrangements cannot be left to occur on their own but need to be negotiated, discussed and established and on time.

5.      The AAAA is the Financial Dimension of all 17 SDGs. The COP21 and Agenda 21 are the Environment Dimension of all 17 SDGs and need to be integrated into a Single Document. We have identified 10 Dimensions of all 17 SDGs. These are: Economic, Financial, Environment, Justice, Humanitarian, Corruption, Political, Social, Security and Reform Dimension of all 17 SDGs. These 10 Dimensions of all 17 SDGs each has Advocacy and Lobbying, Development Communication and Development Research, Planning and Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation, Data and Digitization, Performance Management and Measures of Success Components that are interconnected, interdependent and interlinked. There are therefore 16 Cross Cutting Themes that each demands an SG Report. The revised SG Report on Follow Up and Review cannot stand alone but must be complemented by remaining 15 SG Reports. Some of these SG Reports exist and need to be revised. Others need to be produced.
6.      Creating Demand as basis for Creating Supply. To effectively and efficiently address crisis and challenges from Community to Global levels in each of the 16 Cross Cutting Themes, there is a need to Create Demand for required Professional Services as basis for Creating Supply of these Professional Services.
7.      Creating Learning Society. To effectively and efficiently address crisis and challenges from Community to Global levels in each of the 16 Cross Cutting Themes, there is a need to Create Learning Society for required Service Providers and Service Users to thrive on chaos.
8.      Reform MGoS. The MGoS Concept in SDG is borrowed from MG Concept in Agenda 21 and UNEP Vision. It is clear that without Reforming the MGoS, it cannot deliver on its duties and responsibilities in the work towards achieving 2030 Agenda by target date. It is not just MGoS that need to undergo Reforms, each entity in UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF as well as each entity in UN Member States – Executive, Parliament and Judiciary need to also undergo Reforms that produce National and International Development Cooperation Systems fit for the 21st Century.
The co-facilitators of review of SG Report on Follow Up and Review process are suggesting Observer Participant Status for MGoS. The co-facilitators of the HLPF Modalities process are suggesting Active Participant Status for MGoS. There is a need for all co-facilitators in all ongoing processes to be on the same page in suggesting Active Participant Status for MGoS.
9.      Reforming ECOSOC Accreditation. With over 4,000 ECOSOC Accredited NGOs, there should be no disconnect between each Community in each UN Member State and New York, if these NGOs were alive to their responsibilities and are operating at minimum certain levels of Capacity as described above. There is a need for a four tier ECOSOC Accreditation: Level 4 Open Virtual Participation in Global Consultations. Level 3: Closed Virtual Participation in Video Conferences, Conference Calls and related Global Consultations. Level 2: Physical Participation in Conferences and Seminars and Level 1 Physical Participation in Intergovernmental negotiations. 20% of bottom performers from Level 1 to Level 3 will be demoted yearly to next level. 20% of Level 2 and 3 Top performers will be promoted yearly to next level. The number equivalent to 20% of Level 3 will be promoted from Level 4. Each Region, Sub-region and Country will have specific number of CSOs’/NGOs allocated to it based on known formula that is subject to review based on known rules.
10.  If National Leaders and World Leaders are serious about achieving increasing convergence between Global Goals – AAAA, SDG, COP21, Agenda 21 aligned and harmonized with Community and Country Development Plans in 306/193 UN Member States, it is clear that current arrangement where all reviews in SG Report on Follow Up and Review are voluntary is unhelpful. There is a need for carefully calibrated balance between Voluntary and Legal aspects of each of the 16 SG Reports identified in (5).
11.  Pilot Program and Scale Up Program. Innovative and Creative Sustainable Solutions to root problems in specific Community to Global location, in each of the 16 Cross Cutting Themes need to be tried and tested in Pilot Programs before expanding to Scale Up Programs. The challenges for design and delivery of successful Pilot Programs are different from challenges for design and delivery of successful Scale Up Programs.
According to Johannes Linn; a systematic focus on scaling up successful development interventions could bridge gap between top down objectives and bottom up approaches necessary to achieve desired outcomes from AAAA, SDG, COP21 and Agenda 21. He has identified Eight Lessons for successful Scale Up that underline points made in MSP for 2030 Agenda set out in (4):
a.      Look into the “black box” of institutions. It is not enough to decide that an institution should focus on and support scaling up of successful development interventions. You actually need to look at how institutions function in terms of their mission statement and corporate strategy, their policies and processes, their operational instruments, their budgets, management and staff incentives, and their monitoring and evaluation practices.
b.      Scaling needs to be pursued institution-wide. Tasking one unit in an organization with innovation and scaling up, or creating special outside entities (like the Global Innovation Fund set up jointly by a number of donor agencies) is a good first step. But ultimately, a comprehensive approach must be mainstreamed so that all operational activities are geared toward scaling up.
c.       Scaling up must be championed from the top. The governing boards and leadership of the institutions need to commit to scaling up and persistently stay on message, since, like any fundamental institutional change, effectively scaling up takes time, perhaps a decade or more.
d.      The scaling up process must be grown within the institution. External analysis and advice from consultants can play an important role in institutional reviews. But for lasting institutional change, the leadership must come from within and involve broad participation from managers and staff in developing operational policies and processes that are tailored to an institution’s specific culture, tasks, and organizational structure.
e.      A well-articulated operational approach for scaling up needs to be put in place.
f.        Operational staffs need to receive practical guidance and training. It is not enough to tell staff that they have to focus on scaling up and then give them a general framework. They also need practical guidance and training, ideally tailored to the specific business lines they are engaged in. IFAD, for example developed overall operational guidelines for scaling up, as well as guidance notes for specific area of engagement, including livestock development, agricultural value chains, land tenure security, etc.  This guidance and training ideally should also be extended to consultants working with the agency on project preparation, implementation, and evaluation, as well as to the agency’s local counterpart organizations.
g.      New approaches to monitoring and evaluation (M&E) have to be crafted. Typically the M&E for development projects is backward looking and focused on accountability, narrow issues of implementation, and short-term results. Scaling up requires continuous learning, structured experimentation, and innovation based on evidence, including whether the enabling conditions for scaling up are being established. And it is important to monitor and evaluate the institutional mainstreaming process of scaling up to ensure that it is effectively pursued. I’d recommend looking at how the German Agency for International Development (GIZ) carried out a corporate-wide evaluation of its scaling up experience.
h.      Scaling up helps aid organizations mobilize financial resources. Scaling up leverages limited institutional resources in two ways: First, an organization can multiply the impact of its own financial capacity by linking up with public and private agencies and building multi-stakeholder coalitions in support of scaling up. Second, when an organization demonstrates that it is pursuing not only one-off results but also scaled up impact, funders or shareholders of the organization tend to be more motivated to support the organization. This certainly was one of the drivers of IFAD’s successful financial replenishment consultation rounds over the last decade.
By adopting these lessons, development organizations can actually begin to scale up to the level necessary to bridge the missing middle. The key will be to assure that a focus on scaling up is not the exception but instead becomes ingrained in the institutional DNA. Simply put, in designing and implementing development programs and projects, the question needs to be answered, “What’s next, if this intervention works?”
12.  Paradigm Shifts. Achieving increasing convergence between AAAA, SDG, COP21, Agenda 21 aligned and harmonized with Community and Country Development Plans in 306/193 UN Member States, Vision Intention and Reality by target date greatly depends on relevant National and Global Leaders on UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF; UN Member States – Executive, Parliament and Judiciary and MGoS sides making Multiple Paradigm Shifts including from Silos to Synergy; Business as Usual to Business Unusual; Parroting Change to Practicing Change; Academic Research to Development Research; Talking and Thinking to Action and Accomplishment etc and in ways that effectively deploy Whole of Bank / Institution / Government / Community / Country / World Thinking towards the sustainable solutions to Whole of Bank / Institution / Government / Community / Country / World Problems.
Suggested Amendments to Draft Resolution

We are suggesting amendments to existing paragraphs in the Draft Resolution as well as new paragraphs.

Existing Paragraphs

Paragraph 12

Reiterates its decision in Resolutions 67/290 and 70/1 that the forum shall be open to the major groups and other stakeholders (MGoS) in the meetings of the HLPF and other UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF Entities. In accordance with paragraph 15 of resolution 67/290, representatives of the major groups and other relevant stakeholders will be allowed to attend all official meetings of the HLPF and other UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF Entities; to have access to all official information and documents; to intervene in official meetings; to submit documents and present written and oral contributions; to make recommendations; and to organize side events and round tables, in cooperation with Member States and the Secretariat and further decides in this regard that in the organization of the HLPF and other UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF Entities meetings, innovative and inclusive arrangements including web based interfaces shall be deployed so as to support the effective, broad and balanced participation of all MGoS by sub-national, national, sub-regional, regional location and by type of organization within all aspects of the Cross Cutting Theme under discussion at the specific HLPF or other UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF Entity meeting.

Paragraph 14
... and further underscores the need for MGoS, UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF and UN Member States – Executive, Parliament and Judiciary to build Capacity on three levels – Individual Hard Competences: Learning and Skills and Soft Competences: Character, Courage and Mindset; Institution and Society - to enable them deliver on their duties and responsibilities.

New Paragraphs

Paragraph
Reiterates the call to UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF; Member States and MGoS to establish MSPs that is sufficiently all inclusive, all embracing and ambitious to effectively address challenges in specific Cross Cutting Theme in 2030 Agenda and further decides that these MSPs must be sufficient to ensure that development interventions in all Cross Cutting Themes in 2030 Agenda – AAAA, SDG, COP21, Agenda 21 aligned and harmonized with Community and Country Development Plans in all Member States are well designed and delivered from Community to Global levels.

Paragraph
Reiterates the call to UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF and Member States to ensure that they Create Demand for Data, Digitisation, Planning, Implementation, Monitoring, Evaluation, Performance Management and Measures of Success as basis for Creating Supply for Data, Digitisation, Planning, Implementation, Monitoring, Evaluation, Performance Management and Measures of Success.

Paragraph
Reiterates the call to UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF; Member States and MGoS to create Engagement Mechanism fit for the 21st Century and further decides that ECOSOC accreditation needs to be reformed to effectively support MGoS Active Participant Status that effectively link each Community in each Member State to New York; MGoS Concept needs to be reformed to set out clear rules for creation of new MGs to ensure that all traditionally excluded groups are not left behind

Paragraph

Reiterates the call to UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF; Member States and MGoS to recognize that War on Corruption in all its forms - Political, Economic, Financial, Moral, Cultural, Religious etc need to be more tactically, strategically and professionally fought and in ways that effectively address curative and preventive dimensions from Community to Global levels.

Paragraph
Reiterates the call to UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF; Member States and MGoS to recognize that Resolutions cannot replace revised SG Report on Follow Up and Review and further reaffirms that revised SG Report on Follow Up and Review cannot stand alone but needs to be complemented by other revised SG Reports as well as new SG Reports.

Paragraph
Reiterates the call to UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF; Member States and MGoS to recognize that avoiding or evading answer to AAAA, SDG, COP21, Agenda 21 aligned and harmonized with Community and Country Development Plans of Member States How questions is not helpful and further reaffirms that clear and correct answer to How these How questions are best found in Doing and this involves Pilot Programs and Scale Up Programs that are well designed and delivered.

Conclusion

If all ongoing processes are to effectively and efficiently deliver Outcome Documents that is each Vision and Words with Action; if all National and Global Leaders on UN System – UNO, WBG and IMF; 306/193 UN Member States – Executive, Parliament and Judiciary and MGoS Member CSOs/NGOs and Non MGoS Member CSOs/NGOs sides are to jointly focus on Action and Accomplishment in the work towards achieving increasing convergence between AAAA, SDG, COP21 and Agenda 21 aligned and harmonized with Community and Country Development Plans Vision Intention and Reality target date, then they individually and collectively can no longer afford to keep avoiding or evading finding clear and correct answer to AAAA, SDG, COP21 and Agenda 21 aligned and harmonized with Community and Country Development Plans How questions; fully implementing these answers with effective monitoring and evaluation of this evaluation from Community to Global levels.

It is pertinent to note that clear and correct answer to these How questions ought to have been found before end first quarter in 2015 Year of Decision. It is sad that in this second quarter of 2016 Year of Implementation these clear and correct answer to How questions are yet to be found. As long as clear and correct answers to these How questions are not found, the probability is high that SDG will like MDG fail to achieve Vision ambitions by 2030 target date. However, there are bright prospects of success in the work towards achieving 2030 Agenda Vision Ambitions if National and Global Leaders face new direction and adopt new priorities underlined by clear and correct answer to these How questions. It is our hope that these bright prospects of success will not be squandered. Should this be the case, the ultimate consequences could be catastrophic.


We are willing to offer a more detailed information / clarification on any of the points made in this Paper.


Contact:
Director General
International Society for Poverty Elimination / Economic Alliance Group
5, Moses Orimolade Avenue,
Ijapo Estate, Akure,  Ondo State,
Nigeria.
M: +234-8162469805

Email: nehap.initiative@yahoo.co.uk                                                           16 April 2016.

No comments:

Post a Comment