Author: Lia Beyeler

civil space co-operation concept
Africa

The Narrative of Development Has Changed

This interview, with Mario Pezzini, former Director of the OECD Development Centre, first appeared in “Digital Development Debates” on October 14, 2015. Click here to read it anew.  Interview by Frederik Caselitz and Prisca L. Watko The OECD Development Centre serves as forum where policymakers can find solutions to pressing development questions. We met Director Mario Pezzini on the occasion of the Africa Forum held in Berlin this year, where … Continue reading The Narrative of Development Has Changed

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Africa

Opinion: Starting with Africa

By Erastus J. O. Mwencha, Deputy Chairman of the African Union Commission, and Mario Pezzini, former Director of the OECD Development Centre As world leaders prepare to gather in New York to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), leaders and citizens across Africa already have outlined bold goals for the continent’s economic and human development. Africa’s Agenda 2063 sets out an ambitious vision. It reflects … Continue reading Opinion: Starting with Africa

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Africa, Food security, SDGs

World Food Day 2015: Building Resilient Societies and Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty in the Sahel and West Africa Region

By Ousman Tall, Sahel and West Africa Club (SWAC) Secretariat The official programme marking World Food Day takes place today at the Universal Exposition in Milan, under the theme, “Social Protection and Agriculture: Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty”. This theme underscores the role of social protection in ensuring that food and other basic needs of the most vulnerable individuals and households are addressed. Furthermore, embedded … Continue reading World Food Day 2015: Building Resilient Societies and Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty in the Sahel and West Africa Region

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New social contract, Social Protection

The EU Social Protection Systems Programme – a joint effort towards the SDGs

By Stefano Signore, European Commission, Head of Unit Migration, Employment, Inequalities within the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) Adoption of the SDGs – the new development agenda In September 2015, the world celebrated the long-awaited adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the UN General Assembly. The endorsement serves as a starting point to a new development agenda for the next … Continue reading The EU Social Protection Systems Programme – a joint effort towards the SDGs

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Migration

Is migration good for development? Wrong question!

By David Khoudour, Head of the Migration and Skills Unit, OECD Development Centre

This summer’s conference in Addis Ababa acknowledged migration’s positive contribution to development. The newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) now take the next step of announcing migration-related targets. The SDGs recognise the need to protect the rights of migrant workers, especially women migrants, adopt well-managed migration policies and reduce remittance fees. However, international migration remains a very sensitive issue for most countries, as the current refugee crisis reveals. Such apparent schizophrenia between the international development agenda and the national policy one raises one important question: Can migration be good for development in countries migrants leave behind? Continue reading “Is migration good for development? Wrong question!”

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Africa, Food security, Gender, Women and Girls, SDGs

Women’s empowerment in West Africa: Increasing access to reproductive health services and rights is crucial

In this guest blogpost Marie Stopes International (MSI) responds to our call for contributions on the state of women’s empowerment in West Africa. We asked: What specific aspects of the gender agenda are identified as priorities in the region? Susan Sandars, MSI West Africa Policy Advisor, emphasises how universal access to reproductive health services and rights is essential for women’s empowerment and gender equality.

MSI counselling West AfricaLast month in New York representatives of 193 countries met to agree 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that aim to end poverty, fight inequality and promote prosperity, while protecting the environment, by 2030. Whilst praising the agreement reached, the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, highlighted that these goals could not be achieved without ensuring gender equality and women’s empowerment.[1] Continue reading “Women’s empowerment in West Africa: Increasing access to reproductive health services and rights is crucial”

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Building resilience, Development finance, Latin America and the Caribbean

How the private sector can advance development

By Lorenzo Pavone, OECD Development Centre EMnet Co-ordinator; Kate Eklin, Policy Analyst; Myriam Grégoire-Zawilski, Programme Assistant; Josep Casas, Trainee

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) launched in 2000 centred on addressing basic human needs throughout the developing world. The recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the post-2015 era focus on economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection as interconnected dimensions of broader global development. Unlike the MDGs, achieving this new set of ambitious goals calls for bolder action from diverse actors across society, whose collective efforts outweigh what they could deliver individually. And the private sector is not least among these actors. Why? Business-led initiatives, such as research and development partnerships, knowledge-sharing platforms, technology and skills transfer, and infrastructure investment have the potential to kick-start development, enable productivity gains, generate better quality jobs, strengthen skills and promote technological advances. Continue reading “How the private sector can advance development”

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Gender, Women and Girls, SDGs

The SDGs call for a revitalised global partnership: What should we do differently this time?

By Nicola Harrington, Deputy Director, OECD Development Centre

Partnerships were central from the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000.  Public, private and civil society entities forged ties, leading to some outstanding results. This was notable in health, where path-breaking co-operation across governments, companies and foundations improved millions of lives through medicines and vaccines. Given this track record, why do the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 15 years later require revitalising global partnerships? What was missing the first time, and what should be different now? Continue reading “The SDGs call for a revitalised global partnership: What should we do differently this time?”

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Building resilience, Latin America and the Caribbean, Policy

Industrial Policy: Not a bad word

By Annalisa Primi, Senior Economist and Head of the Policy Dialogue Initiative on Global Value Chains, Production Transformation and Development at the OECD Development Centre

Today, economic transformation is a concern in OECD and non-OECD countries alike. The Action Plan for Accelerated Industrial Development in Africa, included inAgenda 2063 or the Africa Union’s vision for the continent’s development, states that:”No country or region in the world has achieved prosperity and a decent socio-economic life for its citizens without the development of a robust industrial sector.” Similarly, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean has long called for diversifying production and promoting innovation to achieve higher equality in the region. Chile, an OECD country, is aiming at raising productivity by promoting the creation of domestic innovative enterprises. The national corporation for industrial development (CORFO) is investing in improving technology transfers, start-ups and social innovation. Continue reading “Industrial Policy: Not a bad word”

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Gender, Women and Girls

Measuring discrimination will bring the gender equality global goal a step closer

By Keiko Nowacka, gender coordinator at the OECD Development Centre A warning often repeated since the Rio+20 summit is that lessons learned from the millennium development goals (MDGs) should not be forgotten when the sustainable development goals (SDGs) – the new development framework adopted at the United Nations general assembly – replace them. Such concerns seem warranted given the mixed report card on the MDGs. … Continue reading Measuring discrimination will bring the gender equality global goal a step closer

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