People’s Campaign on 17th SAARC Summit Briefing Paper Promoti ng SDGs for Eradicating Poverty For Building Opinion of South Asia November 2011 Beginning South Asia, home to one-sixth of humanity, has Unfortunately, the South Asian countries are established the South Asian Association for spending more than 60 billion dollars every year Regional Cooperation (SAARC) consists of to accumulate weapons of mass destruction. One eight countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, in three South Asian adults is uneducated. The Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and number of poor people living on less than $1.25 Sri Lanka) and nine countries (Australia, China, a day increased from 549 million in 1981 to 595 European Union, Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mauritius, Myanmar, USA) having observer million in 20054. If the current pace of progress status, to reduce the suffering of the succeeding continues, goal would be reached in the year generations of South Asia from perpetual war, (see the table): poverty and under development. SAARC started its journey since 1985 through its first summit at Goal Projected year of Dhaka, Bangladesh. After passing 26 years, achievement SAARC is yet struggling to achieve its goal of Food Security 2062 establishment. Women’s 2096 Reproductive Health A sketch of South Asian poverty Basic Education 2044 On the eve of the 17th SAARC Summit it is not Child Mortality 2035 expected to watch that the SAARC countries are Water and Sanitation 2036 at the bottom level of Human Development Source: Social Watch Report5 Index (HDI) ranking. In HDI1 rankings, SAARC countries are fall in the line of mid and low Considering the previous Summit’s theme in category. Afghanistan (155), Bangladesh (129), 17th SAARC Summit India (119), Maldives (107), Sri Lanka (091), Nepal (138), Pakistan (125). Bhutan is not The Republic of Maldives, declared “Building included in that report. 47% of total world poor Bridges” as the theme for the Seventeenth are living in South Asia; more than 500 million SAARC Summit to be held in Addu Atoll of the people out of 1.5 billion populations live in island nation on 10-11 November this year. The absolute poverty; 270 million people lack access Sixteenth SAARC Summit held in Bhutan in to even elementary health facilities, 350 million April 2010 devoted to the theme, Climate are without safe drinking water, 830 million Change. It should be noted that Inflation and have no access to sanitation, and 430 million, of climate change are becoming major challenges which two third are women, are unable to read in the fight against poverty. While the country is and write2. 400 million go hungry every day3. a minuscule polluter, it is an enormous victim of global warming. Donor countries should take the additional costs of adaptation and mitigation into 6 account during assessments of aid support. To 1 Human Development Index, 2010 2 http://www.articlepros.com/education/Teaching- 4 http://www.voxeu.org/index.php?q=node/5722 Professionals/article-267633.html 5 Social Watch Report 2006 3 Suleri abid Quiyum. 2007. 6 Social Watch Report, 2010 >> read more inside >> read more inside realize SDGs, leaders of SAARC should proportion of low-weight children fell from 64.1 consider their every thematic area that identified to 48.4 per cent but nutritional indicator, before every summit. Implementation of those proportion of population below minimum level theme can result the achievement of SDGs, too. of dietary energy consumption fell more modestly from 26.6 to 22.8 per cent. South Asia: Reshaping MDG to SDG Significantly, greater efforts will clearly be required in this area. It is also important that SAARC adopted SAARC Development Goal poverty reduction targets have framed not just in (SDG), in line Millennium Development Goal terms of proportions but also in terms of the (MDG) to face poverty and hunger and secure absolute number of the poor. livelihood of South Asian People in 13th Summit at Dhaka. The 15th SAARC Summit, held in External debt remains a major impediment to August 2008 at Colombo, has regarded poverty development in some SAARC countries. In and underdevelopment as a fatal challenge to the Pakistan, external debt servicing consumes over lives of South Asian and endeavored to eradicate 20 per cent of export earnings. However, all this menace from South Asia and make the SAARC member countries experienced a South Asia a poverty free region. The SAARC reduction in their debt servicing ratios. following the footsteps of the United Nations Significant declines were observed for established twenty-two SAARC Development Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The Goals (SDGs) in four important and vital fields decline in ODA has been another obstacle, that are livelihood, Health, Education and particularly for Least Developed Countries. In Environment. Bangladesh, ODA as percentage of GDP declined from 7.0 per cent in 1990 to 2.2 percent But it has vehemently strived to achieve the in 2007. The figures were 11.7 and 7.0 for success in the mutually agreed areas of Nepal, 16.5 and 11.1 for Bhutan, 1.3 and 0.7 for cooperation. The South Asian countries have India, and 9.8 and 4.3 for Maldives for same formed SAARC 1985 and till date 16 SAARC period. Summits have been held. SAARC’s area of cooperation are agriculture and rural, Finding the challenges biotechnology, culture, economic and trade, energy, environment, finance, funding Incorporation of SDGs into the National mechanism, human resource development, Development Plans/PRSPs (i.e. make the two information communication and media, people compatible); prioritization of the SDGs in the to people contact, poverty alleviation, science light of national concerns; development of and technology, security aspect, social targets and indicators for each of the SDGs; development, tourism. In the eve of 17th Summit resource allocation, management of public in Maldives SAARC yet could not able to expenditure, resource mobilization, exploring initiate any practical program to face the South external resources and building multi- Asian poverty and hunger. stakeholder partnerships; developing an effective implementation plan; bringing in a sense of urgency in all matters relating to SDGs In order to eradicate poverty from South Asia given their limited (five years) time frame; SDGs has provided sufficient safety nets so that ensuring regional cooperation wherever feasible hunger whether as a routine or seasonal or crisis and necessary; establishment of credible data phenomenon can be effectively addressed. By base at both national and regional levels; current trends, South Asia as a whole appears to tracking progress and putting in place a proper be on track to meet the Development Goals monitoring mechanism. target of halving income poverty by 2015 though some countries will have to make greater efforts than others do. Evidence of improvement on the hunger indicator has been more mixed: the >> read more inside Recommendations South Asia is already embarked on a journey of • Protect privatization in service sector to transformation. Translating this into a journey of ensure basic education, primary health hope for a poverty-free South Asia is the key care, family planning and safe drinking contemporary challenge. It is a challenge which water demands active, intelligent and innovative • Create a regional will on poverty engagement from all: governments, development education; agencies, private sector, NGOs, community • SAARC secretariat should publish a organizations, media, academia, and above all, detail progress report of SDGs to clarify from the people of South Asia themselves. The the development fact after adopting purpose of the SDGs in this context is to sharpen SDGs the focus and the message wherein engagement • South Asian Economic Union, Free is a priority. The engagement is not just for Trade Area, Customs Union and policy planning. It is as importantly an Common Market with LDC preference engagement for results, for inclusion, for • Visa free South Asia for unskilled and imaginative solutions, and ultimately an semi skilled labor movement engagement with hope7. • Make SAARC Food Bank immediate operational with satisfactory stocks and SAARC Seed Bank to defy corporate control on seeds in the region • Initiate cooperation in agriculture especially to prepare Agriculture Perspective Plan 2020 as it was declared in Colombo summit, • Initiate basin wise river and water management plan for water sharing as to respect rights of citizens of all the countries, a particular country should not take advantage due to its existence • An integrated climate action plan on Thimpu Declaration focusing the Desk Research: M. Sohel Iqbal, Md. Shahid climate induced migrant’s resettlement, Ullah, Atikul Alam Polash, Md. Iqbal Uddin, rehabilitation Md. Barkat Ullah Maruf, Md. Zakaria, Prodip • More investment on education and Kumar Roy, Mostafa Kamal Akanda, Syed health rather than militarization Aminul Haque, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury 1 [http://www.gnhc.gov.bt/wp- EquityBD: content/uploads/2011/05/SDGs.pdf House 13/3, Road 2, Shamoli Dhaka -1207, Bangladesh +88-02-8125181, +88-02-8154673, Fax : +88-02-9129395 , accessed on 29 October 2011] email: [email protected], web : www.equitybd.org Ending Annotation .