UN General Assembly

UN General Assembly


The UN, coincident with the Pope’s visit, issued goals to eradicate poverty by 2030. But why stop at that?

The Panel believes there is a chance now to do something that has never before been done – to eradicate extreme poverty, once and for all, and to end hunger, illiteracy, and preventable deaths. This would be a truly historic achievement.

But we wanted to do more…

To do all that and more requires the right people. Thankfully the world has 27 eminent people (John Podesta from U.S. Others listed at end of PDF report.) who are up to the task of outlining a program to achieve the goals. This is the result of their work.

A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty And Transform Economies Through Sustainable Development.

Subtitled The Report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda

With the disclaimer: The members of the Panel may not be in full agreement with every specific point and detail of the report, but they all endorse the report.

Darn. I was almost thinking this is entirely doable until I read there isn’t total agreement on all things. There was even passionate debate. Leaves room for doubt now. But then, the Pope endorsed the ambitions put forth so maybe…

The 27 eminent people reported their recommendations to the UN Secretary General. They identified five transformational shifts including a new Global Partnership to achieve 17 sustainable goals. (Made me think of Buddhism for a second. Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path) This work continues and builds on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) initiated in 1990.

In July 2012 you tasked us with jointly chairing a twenty-seven person panel to make recommendations to you on the development agenda beyond 2015. We hope that you will find our resultant report both bold and practical. We have consulted extensively, in every region and across many sectors, including listening to the voices and priorities of people living in poverty themselves. We are very grateful for the valuable support provided to us by the Panel’s secretariat led by Dr Homi Kharas and have benefited greatly from the regional, national and thematic consultations organised by the UN System and member states.

Our panel conducted its work in a very positive spirit of cooperation. Through passionate and vigorous debate we have learnt much from each other. We transmit our recommendations to you with a feeling of great optimism that a transformation to end poverty through sustainable development is possible within our generation. We outline five transformational shifts, applicable to both developed and developing countries alike, including a new Global Partnership as the basis for a single, universal post-2015 agenda that will deliver this vision for the sake of humanity.

The claim is that the MDG reduced world poverty by half in 13 years. In fact it was economic growth in developing countries, particularly China, independent of UN efforts that reduced world poverty. The panel acknowledges the MDG had shortcomings in that it wasn’t broad enough.

Most seriously, the MDGs fell short by not integrating the economic, social, and environmental aspects of sustainable development as envisaged in the Millennium Declaration, and by not addressing the need to promote sustainable patterns of consumption and production.

Guess what they say is the number one threat to achieving the new goals by 2030. Yes, climate change.

Poverty, income inequality, climate change. The Holy Trinity of Progressive politics and now the Pope is on board with it. Some of the goals might actually be more in the realm of religion.

…to help people build resilience to life’s uncertainties

There is a global ethic for a globalised world, based on our common humanity, the Rio principles and the shared ethos of all traditions: “do as you would be done by.”

There is a perfunctory recognition of the roles business and trade play. (It’s easy to pick out the few paragraphs tossed as a bone to the less rabid panelists.)

We should make it easier for people to invest, start-up a business and to trade.

Above all else, it must be in a sustainable (bureaucrat controlled) framework.

And we cannot wait before moving to sustainable development.

The Panel is convinced that national and local governments, businesses and individuals must transform the way they generate and consume energy, travel and transport goods, use water and grow food. The Panel is convinced that national and local governments, businesses and individuals must transform the way they generate and consume energy, travel and transport goods, use water and grow food.

It’s all voluntary too. (Another bone. “Sustainable” occurs 186 times in the document; “voluntary” seven times)

Countries are not being told what to do: each country is being asked what it wants to do, on a voluntary basis, both at home and to help others in meeting jointly identified challenges.

The eminent people casually point out there should be peace and honesty in government. Rather astonishing since most of the UN member nations are the antithesis of honest government and conflict is devouring whole regions of the world.

This is a universal agenda, for all countries. Responsive and legitimate institutions should encourage the rule of law, property rights, freedom of speech and the media, open political choice, access to justice, and accountable government and public institutions.

Only one example of external causes of conflict is given.

…stemming the external causes of conflict, such as organised crime

I suppose you could call ISIS criminal.

You get the tone and nature of the document. Same old Progressive memes cloaked, as usual, as a life-or-death imperative.

And did I mention it will cost $3.5 trillion to $5 trillion every year until 2030? Say your prayers.

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8 Comments | Leave a comment
  1. MACVEL says:

    Does any of their objectives include population reduction?

  2. Los2000 says:

    I wonder how many people they will impoverish in order to attain their goal.

  3. annv16 says:

    I don’t see Capitalism fitting into this mix!

  4. deaves1 says:

    Sure they want to eradicate it, on our dime.

  5. Alain41 says:

    “There is a global ethic for a globalised world, based on…the Rio principles…”. The Rio principles is Agenda 21. Interesting how this discusses Millennium Development Goals and Rio principles, but doesn’t say, Agenda 21, which is the short-hand name of the Action Plan from the 1992 UN Earth Summit in Rio.

    I don’t know much about Agenda 21. There are all the stories about it on the web. What little I know (from the web) is there is a Rosa Koire, (who I know nothing about other than web info.) who is against using eminent domain for the purpose of sustainable development (part of Agenda 21). I agree with that. Eminent Domain can’t be expanded anymore (needs to be reduced, no Kelo). Web informs that Ms. Koire is a Democrat Gay Feminist from California. As an old Republican hetero WASP Northerner, it is a little surprising to me, the company this frat boy is enjoying. It’s okay. You can be aghast.

  6. Piquerish says:

    The UN actually aims to catch the same brass ring that despotic countries around the world do – dominion and control. Period. Creating dependence is a sure-fire methodology, so far.

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