PSN debates ‘The Next Chapter in Development - Goals for 2016 and Beyond’

22 July 2011

Source: UCL & PSN

PSN's Karen Newman took part in an exciting public event in London yesterday evening, looking at where population fits into current and emerging development policies.

Where does population fit?

After 'health for all' and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), what's the next global rallying call? Are "human rights", "sustainability", "universal access" and "security" the new slogans for health and development activists? Whose human rights? Sustainability of whose resources? Universal access to what types of health services? What kind of security - food, water, natural resources? How can we influence policy and advocacy to make sure grassroots voices are heard and plans are developed at a country level to respond to national and regional needs? And where does population policy fit into these priorities?

This free debate attended by around 70 people was held at the Free Word Centre in London and featured experts in different areas of public health policy and global development. Speakers were Dr. Meera Tiwari from the University of East London and co-author of After 2015: International Development at a Crossroads, Karen Newman from the Population and Sustainability Network, Mr. Patrick Watt, Development Policy Director at Save the Children and Dr. Lucy Scott from the Chronic Poverty Research Centre and the Overseas Development Institute. The debate was chaired by Mr. Mike Rowson from the UCL Institute for Global Health.

Looking beyond 2015

Panellists and participants debated a range of options for the post-2015 agenda. These included: a more equity and rights-based approach, a move away from the universal model to locally identified goals and strategies, and a two-pronged approach with developing country goals focused on wider social aspects well-being alongside consumption-related goals for developed countries. The extension of the current MDG framework with strengthened accountability mechanisms was also identified as a possibility, as well as an integrated approach with the global climate change governance and finance process.

A point of common agreement appeared to be that the multidimensional human development framework is a key strength of the MDG framework which should not be lost, alongside the mobilising power that the MDG approach has brought to the international development agenda. The question of whether the specific targets and measures set for the MDGs are beneficial was more contentious, which were noted for distorting and narrowing focus and having had a divisive effect on the global health community.

On the Population Footprints theme, Karen argued that "population is the common denominator" for the many pressing development challenges the world faces, and therefore addressing the silence on population must be one of the ways that the international community responds to the shortfalls of the MDG Framework.

With four years remaining for the MDGs, the debate raised more questions than it answered, but there appeared to be a degree of consensus that whatever 'The Next Chapter in Development' may be, it must avoid simplistic strategies and top-down approaches imposed on the global South, and effectively place inequalities and rights at the heart of the approach.

You can read about the event on the UCL blog.

Population Footprints Symposium

This event is one of several public engagement events held as part of the UCL and Leverhulme Trust Population Footprints Symposium, which took place in May 2011, bringing together academics and activists to stimulate new thinking in the area of population dynamics and global carrying capacity.

You can read more about PSN's involvement in Population Footprints here and if you missed the symposium you can watch it on the Population Footprints website.