Future development agenda: A narrative for Indonesia Desra Percaya  ;   The Ambassador/Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Nations in New York

JAKARTA POST, 10 September 2014

                                                                                                                       

                                                      

This year, Indonesia and the United Nations celebrated their 69th anniversaries. Both rose from the ashes of World War II, and for 69 years have embraced and championed their shared ideals and purposes, such as the essential equality of human beings, development, social justice and peace. As Indonesia looks to the future and its continued participation in the UN, global problems such as poverty, inequality and social justice remain prominent and need to be tackled in the UN’s development agenda. Since 2000, the global development focus has been on the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs emphasize halving the number of people earning an income of US$1 a day or less, and ensuring that the poor are able to access the most basic of human needs. Notwithstanding the mixed progress so far, it is undeniable that the MDGs are a simple yet effective platform to rally for a just cause. While 2015 will be the closing year for the MDGs, member states of the UN have already set their minds on continuing the MDG legacy beyond 2015. The wheels have been set in motion. The Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012 has provided much-needed momentum. Its outcome, called “The Future We Want”, sets a clear roadmap that seeks a rebalancing of the three dimensions of sustainable development — economic, social and environmental — into the post-2015 development framework. Since then, the mandated follow-up processes of the Rio+20 Conference — namely the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals; the Committee of Experts on sustainable development financing strategies; and a series of dialogues to identify a facilitation mechanism for technology development and transfer — have been taking place in New York. Throughout these follow-up processes, Indonesia has maintained its active role and contributed constructively in shaping the global discussions and deliberations. This also includes President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono co-chairing the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (HLPEP) in 2012-2013. Thus, ahead of such massive and extensive global conversations, how important is the post-2015 development agenda for Indonesia? What is at stake, and where should Indonesia stand? For Indonesia, the future development agenda should be based on the lessons learned from the MDGs, while addressing the new and imminent challenges facing the world nowadays. It should also focus on ensuring the delivery of commitments and actions to integrate the three dimensions of sustainable development in a balanced manner and at all levels. The future development agenda needs to be built with the overarching objective of eradicating poverty in all its forms, ensuring that development and access to welfare are available for everyone while protecting the environment and the sustainability of natural resources. The success of the global negotiations — to be concluded in September 2015 — in setting up a set of global priorities that are universal and meaningful, which will steer the future development agenda, will also give momentum to Indonesia to further promote sustainable and equitable development on the ground, through national development planning and implementation. In this regard, the recently launched report on a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could be useful as the basis in integrating the SDGs into the post-2015 development agenda. As the potential successor to the MDGs, the SDGs report came out with 17 goals and 169 targets, with the year 2030 as its milestone. The report includes the existing eight MDGs as well as new goals that encompass a wide spectrum of current challenges, ranging from inequalities, economic growth, decent jobs, access to water and sanitation, safer cities and settlements and affordable energy. It also includes a specific target addressing fossil fuel subsidies, ocean and marine resources, biodiversity and ecosystems, sustainable consumption and production, as well as a goal on climate change. Furthermore, the report features a goal on promoting peace, justice and institutions, as well as a stand-alone goal on global partnerships for sustainable development. Unlike the MDGs, the SDGs report represents a real yet delicate consensus as a result of multilateralism. As the outcome of intensive negotiations by the UN member states throughout 2013 until mid-2014, the report reflects the inclusive and transparent process that took place, in which all relevant stakeholders and civil society were actively engaged in contributing their parts. That same spirit should most likely carry through in the post-2015 development agenda process, in light of the UN majority’s will to begin a new era of development in a concrete, inclusive and equitable manner. The new agenda should be able to propel a development approach that is people-centered and planet-sensitive and at the same time maintain a strong stance to ensure that its policy and implementation are sustainable. In retrospect, the elements of the SDGs report resonate well with Indonesia’s priorities as set in the current national long-term development plan (RPJPN) 2005-2025. These elements are indeed significant and should be further mainstreamed into National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) and implementation, not only to strengthen its coherence and continuation, but also to ensure that growth and development are equitable and sustainable. For Indonesia, critical elements of the SDGs report that are very much relevant include: eradicating poverty in all its forms; addressing particular income and social inequalities; increasing employment and decent jobs; protecting and maintaining natural ecosystems and resources including oceans, seas and marine ecosystems; as well as strengthening transparency and good governance; and building effective and accountable institutions. The unfinished MDGs business, in particular health and education, are other aspects of the SDGs that are also immensely important. This, complemented with a strong sense of national ownership and sustainable structural reform, will provide an overall narrative to ensure that people are free from the trap of extreme poverty, to attain sustainable growth with equity while preserving the environment. With this in mind, the quest of establishing Indonesia as the seventh largest economy in the world by 2030 is indeed within reach. The future development agenda needs to be transformative, inclusive and sustainable, and Indonesia should and will be ready to be part of the force to make it happen. ●