In introducing the report of the High Level Panel (HLP) Homi Kharas, the Lead Author and Executive Secretary for its Secretariat, apologized as none of the panel members was able to be at the meeting to present the findings of the report. He emphasized that the Panel report had been developed through a highly consultative with many briefings from panel members, as well as the organized interactions with parliamentarians, CSOs, etc and the thematic consultations.
According to Kharas, much work remained to be done to achieve MDGs and “business as usual [was] not working well enough." The HLP did not just reflect the views expressed during the consultation, but also prioritized. As he said “Far more people will be disappointed with the report than pleased with it as HLP saw it was their task to try to boil down and synthesize.” It was the role of panel to provide input into the post-2015 by listening to as many people as possible and then to develop a narrative that could provide a basis for future action.
Panel members had spent some time reflecting how world has changed, particularly in following areas:
Demographics – While the number of people was continuing to grow, numbers of children and young people had stabilized. Growth was reflected in an ageing population. There were two billion children who would require access to services, but the shift was more to one of quality, eg in education, health, infrastructure, etc. It also meant that the number of young people entering the labour market had peaked in general, although there were major differences in different parts of the world with the concentration of young people seeking employment in Africa. The HLP recognized that for young people seeking employment, it would be their first job, and that it was important to match education and labour markets. The “demographic dividend” provided an opportunity but also a challenge. Urbanization, moreover, could help capitalize on the demographic dividend, as it is easier to provide services in urban areas than in rural areas.
Technology – The HLP emphasized that technology is changing course of development, eg mobile banking, energy efficiency, resource management etc. These will continue to have an impact on development.
Finance – According to the HLP the cost of change is considerable, however, there is money to be accessed. The questions are matching funds between savers and investors and the complementary roles of public and private finance. They emphasized the role of private companies in investing in development.
Climate change – Climate change cannot be separated from the from poverty agenda. The HPF felt that there were too many uncertainties that impact on the lives of the poor. Progress on one impacts on the other.
Kharas said that the HLP had been quite bold in recommending shifts that can be transformative. “Leave no one behind” means that they believe that poverty can and should be eradicated. Sustainable development remains at the core. Referring to the global partnership he reiterated that transformative shifts are universal, although implementation will differ from country to country. In the report the HLP recognized that details must be country-owned and country-led. In its illustrative goals, “x” and “y” should be filled in through a country level consultation process.
The issues with which the HLP struggled most included:
In conclusion he said that the HLP does not feel that its report is a completed product. There is more work to be done, if an agenda is to be developed that can move seamlessly from the MDGs into the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
In thanking Homi Kharas, the Chair commented on the report and the encouraging article in the Economist on ending poverty, which was in his opinion an amazing prospect. The OWG is on track but challenge is that they are talking about is 2030 that is not that far away. The OWG has a huge challenge before it in bringing the process into a coherent whole. It is a major task and intellectually challenging.