A recurrent problem in international organizations is the disappearance of institutional history and knowledge. The same can be said about international agreements unless the same key drafters/negotiators are involved in subsequent agreements which is rarely the case. This study provides an example how institutional memory embedded in international agreements can be preserved for the benefit of the next generation of policy negotiators. Hence, as a contribution to the broader reflection on how to align National Sustainable Development Plans with the implementation plan of 2030 Agenda, the purpose of the study is to present a comparative analysis of the 2030 Agenda with 6 outcome documents that were negotiated and agreed by the UN member countries in the domain of sustainability. This analysis aims to identify issues not covered or “unfinished business” in the 2030 Agenda and addressed in a more comprehensive manner or from different perspectives. The list of agreements and outcome documents included are Agenda 21, Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, Outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, The Paris Agreement and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development.
“The 2030 Agenda compared with six related international agreements: valuable resources for SDG implementation”; Raymond Saner, Lichia Yiu and Christian Kingombe
Article
Conventional definitions of diplomacy previously reserved for state actors increasingly apply to non-state actors such as non-governmental organisations, civil society organisations, and international organisations. Development policy and intervention in the form of development aid has been reserved in the past to interactions between state actors such donor countries (developed countries) and beneficiary countries (developing or transition countries). While non-governmental organisations have always been active in the field of development aid as providers of services, they have not openly become political actors in the development policy field until recently.
The purpose of this article is to define the new term “development diplomacy” and to show how this broadening of mandate affects the policy dialogue and policy negotiations in international development.
Article
This article describes in detail the application of development diplomacy in the context of international co-operation for poverty reduction in Highly Indebted Poor Countries. In particular, the authors describe the goal of the International Labour Organisation–a non-state actor–in advocating the inclusion of employment and Decent Work Agenda policies in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, an instrument developed by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. In order to achieve such inclusion, the International Labour Organisation mandated CSEND to create an advocacy based guidebook and negotiations simulation in order to influence future Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper negotiations.
In 2002, the International Labour Organization (ILO) decided to start an initiative aimed at increasing the Decent Work content of World-Bank convened Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). The ILO Governing Body concluded its consideration of work in this area in March 2008. This present paper reviews the ILO experience from a partnership-building and development diplomacy point of view. The paper argues that, while significant progress has been achieved, there is a need to take the process one step forward in order to trigger a significant reframing of the PRSP debate and a shifting of its boundaries. This step will involve a partial repositioning of the ILO’s partnership building within the PRSP process and an effort to move beyond the traditional tripartite constituency of the ILO and build more systematic alliances with other segments of the national civil society as well as global poverty reduction advocacy groups.
Article
CSEND conducted research on how to best include employment and decent work into the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP), the successor instrument of the IMF/WB following their failed Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP). CSEND drafted a major document titled “Decent Work and Poverty Reduction Strategies: An ILO Advocacy Guidebook” and developed a 24 role negotiation simulation concerning PRSPs. The simulation was pilot-tested in Ethiopia (2003) and Cameroon (2005). The Guidebook was published by ILO, Geneva, April 2005.
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New publication titled “Business – Government – NGO Relations: Their Impact on Global Economic Governance” in the book “Global Governance and Diplomacy: World’s Apart ?”, edited by Andrew F. Cooper, Brian Hocking and William Maley. 2008, Palgrave Macmillan
Saner, Raymond; Paez, Laura; “Technical Assitance to Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the context of the Doha Development Round (DDR): High risk of failure”, (accepted for publication in Journal of World Trade,) spring 2006
Article
Saner, R. 2005. Development Diplomacy by Non-State-Actors: An Emerging Form of Multistakeholder Diplomacy. Malta: DiploFoundation.
Abstract
This article describes development diplomacy in the context of international cooperation for poverty reduction in Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs). In particular, the authors describe the goal of the International Labour Organisation (ILO)- a non-state actor- to advocate inclusion of Employment and Decent Work (DW) in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP). The PRSPs are the successor policy instruments of the failed Strategic Adjustment Programmes (SAP). Both programmes, SAP and PRSP are instruments which were developed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) to help highly indebted Least Developed Countries (LDCs) restructure in order to get these countries out of deep poverty. However, none of the PRSPs so far emphasize policies that lead to job creation, which the ILO would like to see be included in future PRSPs.
Manus Malta Saner_revised_ 2
Yiu, L., & Saner, R. 2005. Development Diplomacy and Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers for Least Developed Countries: Non-State Actor Advocacy and Multistakeholder Diplomacy. Malta: DiploFoundation.
Abstract
Conventional definitions of diplomacy previously reserved for state actors increasingly apply to non-state actors such as non-governmental organisations, civil society organisations, and international organisations. Development policy and intervention in the form of development aid has been reserved in the past to interactions between state actors such donor countries (developed countries) and beneficiary countries (developing or transition countries). While non-governmental organisations have always been active in the field of development aid as providers of services, they have not openly become political actors in the development policy field until recently. The purpose of this article is to define the new term “development diplomacy” and to show how this broadening of mandate affects the policy dialogue and policy negotiations in international development.
Manus Malta Saner_revised_ 2