Where do things stand with the Millennium Development Goals?

On 20-22 September 2010, during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Ban Ki Moon will hold a high-level plenary session on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The United Nations Secretary-General is convening this meeting ten years after the eight MDG objectives were adopted, in order to take stock of the situation five years ahead of the 2015 deadline and to give a new thrust to the process.

The MDGs, together with their related indicators, constitute a shared framework that enables governments and donors to evaluate the effectiveness of the poverty reduction policies, beyond the funds mobilised in the North or the financial inputs received by the South. The MDGs act as a political reminder of the responsibilities of each of the public and private actors who are becoming increasingly involved in the field of development assistance.

Apart from recognising that achievement of the MDGs is behind schedule, this progress review must be taken as an opportunity to raise several questions: about whether it is compatible to pursue social objectives, on the one hand, and economic growth, on the other hand—a question that can also be asked in the framework of the Rio commemorative summit to be held in 2012; the question of global governance, which is evolving without there being any clear conceptual basis or historical background likely to guide its reform towards greater justice and effectiveness; lastly, about the question of financing development assistance and, more broadly, financing the provision of global public goods.

IDDRI is actively participating in these different discussions at several levels: in France, for example, where it is organising a conference on the topic "Preparing for the MDG Summit", in partnership with the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs, FERDI and the French Development Agency (AFD); at the European level, where it is involved in the Ermenonville Seminar, initiated by AFD and subsequently taken up by other European actors; at the global level, through its participation in side events in New York during the UNGA and by building up a network of think tanks working jointly on these issues (Overseas Development Institute, Center for Global Development, Brookings).

There is a clear need to develop a full-powered capacity for reflection and analysis of economic growth and global public goods in response to these challenges, to support research on the problems and issues at stake as well as on development practices that are often overlapping and/or contradictory, and to promote a renewal of scientific thinking in this field leading to new policy recommendations. It is with these aims in mind that IDDRI and FERDI have combined their think tank actions and launched the Initiative for Development and Global Governance (IDGM).

>> Find out more about MDGs

>> Find out more about IDGM

PUBLICATIONS

* Payments for Environmental Services (PES): A reality check (stories from Indonesia), by Romain Pirard and Raphaël Billé

This article outlines the results of field research in Indonesia about Payments for Environmental Services (PES), a mechanism for conserving biodiversity. The research evidences a wide gap between theoretical discourse on PES and their practical implementation; in reality, the application of PES on the ground can take many forms, and the balance between private actors and public authorities has still to be defined. [Find out more]

* Questioning the theory of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) in light of emerging experience and plausible developments, by Romain Pirard and Raphaël Billé

This article presents a study of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), and provides answers to the following questions: What are the economic and environmental principles underpinning PES? Which biodiversity conservation model(s) do they propose? How do they work, and with which kinds of actors? What are the limits, constraints and risks involved in their use? In the context of rapidly deteriorating ecosystems related to high economic growth, PES appear as a possible solution, yet one still subject to debate. [Find out more]

* The carbon market as a lever for change?, by Sophie Galharret

A review of the functioning of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM, a system of financial credits, or offsets, providing compensation for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions) provides an opportunity both to query the utility and feasibility of a change in scale and to examine what the carbon market injects into North/South relations, and particularly how developing countries are changing on a political and industrial level in line with an ambitious track to decarbonisation. [Find out more]


* An analysis of the short-term sectoral competitiveness impact of carbon tax in China, by Xin Wang, Ji Feng Li and Ya Xiong Zhang

Achieving greater energy efficiency is one of the political objectives of the Chinese authorities. In this case, a carbon tax seems to be one of the tools likely to encourage a reduction in emissions and a shift from a heavy dependence on coal, petrol and natural gas towards the use of renewable energies. However, few scientific studies have factored in the short-term impact of such a measure on the country’s sectoral competitiveness. This article describes different scenarios enabling the optimal rate of taxation to be set. [Find out more]

* Adaptation to climate change and industrial vulnerability, by Benjamin Garnaud and Céline Ferret

Created in order to tackle the issues of the climate-induced vulnerability of industry, the INVULNERABLe project brings together industrial stakeholders and climatologists. This article presents the main strands of their work and analyses the first findings, notably in terms of defining vulnerability indicators that would provide an informed basis for decisions on adaptation. [Find out more]

* Two key concepts of the society-climate change interface: vulnerability and adaptation, by Alexandre Magnan

Vulnerability and adaptation are two inseparable concepts. The risk incurred by a system—and the magnitude of this risk—is correlated to a system’s capacity to adapt. Building on this interdependent concepts, the article describes the major factors that influence both vulnerability and adaptability, and concludes with a presentation of their multiple dimensions: spatial, temporal, economic, social, etc. [Find out more]

* Migration, a possible adaptation strategy?, by François Gemenne

Climate change and some of its effects can cause migration flows: natural disasters, rising sea levels and scarcity of drinking water resources are likely to result in population movements. Will these necessarily involve mass movements, long-distance migrations or forced displacements? This article questions some preconceived ideas and considers migration not simply as a sign of failure but as an eventual strategy for adapting to climate change. [Find out more]

* 2009 Annual Report

The IDDRI 2009 Annual Report (available on-line in English and French) provides an overview of the organisation’s activities over the past year. The year 2009 proved to be a busy one for all the programmes—Governance, Climate, Biodiversity and Urban Fabric—, culminating with the 15th Conference of the Parties in Copenhagen. In his editorial, Michael Zammit Cutajar, who chaired the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Action under the Convention on Climate Change, reviews the impact of this highly mediatised international event, where the stakes went way beyond those of mere climate negotiations.
>> Download the 2009 Annual Report : en French version / en English version

>> The whole IDDRI team wishes you an enjoyable summer and looks forward to your involvement in its autumn activities and events.