By Jesse Griffiths*

BRUSSELS (IDN | INPS) – The Sustainable Development Goals are ambitious objectives; business as usual will not deliver them. Speaking on the recent International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, UN Secretary-General António Guterres acknowledged the need for new thinking. “The pledge to leave no one behind will require innovative approaches, partnerships, and solutions,” he said.

But this new model will only come about if we radically reshape the national, regional, and global economies that lie behind many of the obstacles to achieving the SDGs. We must rethink the way we govern and manage the global financial and economic system.…

By Manuel F. Montes*

GENEVA (IDN | SOUTHVIEWS) – In discussions at the UN about achieving Agenda 2030, it has become de rigueur to highlight the role of the private sector. It is often introduced as the discovery of the idea that private sector investment and financing is indispensable to achieving Agenda 2030.

For developed country diplomats and their associated experts this new celebrity treatment appears to be an article of faith, at least during negotiations on economic matters in the UN. They are foisting a misleading ‘Trumpian’ exaggeration that is technically harmful to development policymaking and to Agenda 2030.

The practical, and long-running, reality is that investment by enterprises has always been indispensable to growth and development. It is NOT a new reality. It’s NOT a reality specific only to Agenda 2030.…

By Ngala Killian Chimtom

YAOUNDE (ACP-IDN) – “You are welcome back home”, said Cameroon Prime Minister Philemon Yang, setting the tone for a five-day event intended to woo the Cameroonian diaspora to invest in its country of origin.

With eyes set on 2035 as the year Cameroon should attain emergence status, public authorities are doing what they can to fast track the country’s economic growth, constrained as it is by a draining battle against terrorist group Boko Haram and falling oil prices on the international market.

As a result, Cameroon is now turning to its diaspora to help the troubled economy of the Central African country.…

By J. Nastranis

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – Nearly eighteen months after the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit – officially came into force, Secretary-General António Guterres is concerned that the UN Development System is not delivering on the ambitious agenda.

In his remarks to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on July 5, the UN Chief said: “The 2030 Agenda is our boldest agenda for humanity, and requires equally bold changes in the UN development system . . . Yet we all know that the system is not functioning at its full potential.”…

By Ramesh Jaura

ASTANA (IDN) – Within days of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit and opening of the ‘EXPO 2017: Future Energy‘, Roman Vassilenko, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, proudly refers to “25 achievements of Kazakhstan’s diplomacy in 25 years” and speaks of a “truly historic moment” in the country’s “modern history”.

One such achievement, according to Vassilenko, is launching the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), a multinational forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia on the basis of the UN Charter.

The idea of convening the CICA was first proposed by President Nursultan Nazarbayev on October 5, 1992, at the 47th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. This initiative aimed at setting up an efficient and acceptable structure for ensuring peace and security in Asia.…

By Ramesh Jaura

ASTANA (IDN) – UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appreciated Kazakhstan for playing “an increasingly dynamic role on the international stage” as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, stressed the importance of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and urged it to show leadership on climate change.

Obviously delighted at the UN Chief’s participation in the SCO Summit, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev noted: “This is the first time in the SCO history the UN Secretary-General takes part in its work. And it is quite symbolic that it has coincided with the accession of two new members – India and Pakistan. It means that the organization is becoming the real political power in the international arena.” JAPANESE…