Realizing Human and Social Potentials

Development is not about the worldwide expansion of "western" development or poor countries "catching up". If so, further cultural impoverishment and destruction of natural resources would surely be the consequences. Development must be based on our different traditional, social and cultural ways of life and belief systems. There is no general recipe for effective development aid, but rather a widely known principle that, ultimately, one can only help others to develop themselves.

Experience teaches that political will and adequate global financial resources are essential for development, however, they are no guarantee for the achievement of real change. Since the Second World War, the present era of international development has undergone much trial and error. Many key principles and ideas have emerged from this learning process, which have been developed through intensive experience in international relief, aid, reconstruction and peace-building programs. This process has shown results on what works and what does not in realizing human and social potentials along the path toward sustainable development.

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Increasing the power of women

Progress in reducing poverty, sharing resources, establishing fair markets, safeguarding a life-sustaining environment, and promoting peace and stability needs the world's women as full and equal partners. There is perhaps nothing of greater import today than the fight for gender equality. Women, after all, stand at the nexus of social change. Population growth (most of it coming in the poorest countries) poses a significant obstacle to progress. In this light, universal primary education (aimed especially at girls) and the establishment of a human rights regarding sexual and reproductive health (including access to family planning) is of the highest importance, as has already been agreed in the Cairo Consensus of 1994.

Greater access by women to education and health, equality before the law, economic opportunity, and female participation in decision-making at community, state, and global levels are prerequisites for a meaningful change in the way that all societies live. Women must lead the social and cultural adjustment increasingly required by global economic integration, and show the way to a more humane form of globalization.

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Emphasis on empowerment and self-reliance

In both the practice of micro-financing, for which Muhammad Yunus received the Nobel Peace Price 2006, and the establishment of property rights, which Hernando de Soto has identified as an essential basis for development, the empowerment of the individual is paramount. Both concepts trust in the power of the poor and powerless to build upon their own potentials and lift themselves out of poverty. It is notably women who make use of these new opportunities in especially creative and responsible ways. Unfortunately, as these ideas of empowerment and self-reliance starkly reveal, poverty is both created and perpetuated by systemic inequalities.

These organizing philosophies of empowerment and self-reliance undercut the traditional top-down model of development and lay the groundwork for people to develop themselves organically, becoming active drivers for development and empowered participants in democracy. Such bottom-up approaches do not treat the poor as almsmen, but as powerful individuals who simply need a fair opportunity in the system to realize their potentials. This logic derives its power by putting human dignity at the center of human and social development. Becoming aware of one's own dignity and drawing upon this intrinsic resource can lead to authentic social and economic change.

On a macro-level, the concept of empowerment means strengthening the problem-solving abilities of states as well as their scope for action. This includes opening up the decision-making process to greater democratic input, both from local and regional levels, as well as from the intra-national level among nation-states.

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The influence of cooperatives

Cooperatives are voluntary associations that are jointly owned and democratically controlled. Through their emphasis on self-help within the community setting, they offer a genuine source of inspiration and serve as a model for equitable forms of governance and social responsibility. Cooperatives can be a particularly important
source of self-reliance in localities devastated by the external effects of globalization.

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Education for all

Education is an essential tool in empowering people. It must therefore be at the center of all development efforts. Free and compulsory primary education for all children is part of the Millennium Development Goals as well as of the UNESCO Education for All Campaign. Early childhood care and education, adult literacy, vocational training, and improved quality of education are essential in this field. Where appropriate, education should make the best possible use of information and communication technologies such as broadcasting, television or Internet.

Education must also include teaching about our common global destiny and interests and the responsibility of every single person in contributing to the realization of our best possible future. To enable students to realize this responsibility, education must move beyond mere fact-learning toward the process of "learning how to learn" and developing communication skills adapted to an increasingly integrated global society.

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Ownership

Ownership is now widely recognized as essential for realizing development. This concept, when referring to the state level, means that nations are responsible for guiding their own development pathways and defining the priorities of development. Budget support for states that engage in good governance are one means of practical
implementation.

From a bottom-up perspective, which is especially important in failing states, ownership by the people is crucial. Ownership at both national and individual levels must be the goal of all development politics.

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Subsidiarity, participation, and transparency as guiding principles

Further guiding principles, which must be seriously respected and followed for sustainable worldwide development, include subsidiarity, participation, and transparency in all planning and implementing processes.

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Pilot projects

Pilot projects also play an important role. Such projects can create leverage and multiplier effects, which send out a positive signal to the entire world. A good example of future projects is the large scale introduction of renewable energies. Practically speaking, this could include a "1-million-huts-electrification-program" to create momentum for further electrification of remote rural areas, or a strategic energy partnership between Europe and Northern Africa using the huge potentials of solar power generation in sun-drenched Northern Africa to meet both Europe's and Africa's power demands.

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New partners

Development and environment programs should engage in cooperation with competent partners who have not yet been fully integrated into these programs, and in bringing new people and organizations into the process. This means initiatives by local groups and civil society organizations, as well as public-private partnerships with the
business sector.

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Coordination, cooperation, and coherence

Development programs and effort must be well coordinated, harmonized, and sharply focused. Very often we see politicians and field workers in developing countries becoming confused and overloaded with the coordination of countless aid programs. Every program requires ministerial attention and is often lacking integration from a coherent country or regional strategy.

Harmonization of all these efforts is essential. The ethic of cooperation and coordination should be applied at every level of sustainable development. For instance, the European states could better coordinate their aid by designating, for each African country, one European country to coordinate all of the aid activities and cooperation with that African nation by member countries of the European Union.

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Measuring progress

Often economic development and well-being are measured in terms of growth in the "Gross Domestic Product". However, this indicator neglects much of the unaccounted economic activity which nurtures development and the things that make life worthwhile, such as health and education, a sound environment, and the informal sector of unpaid work. To evaluate progress, we must find alternative indicators, such as the Human Development Index, which provide a better picture of sustainable development.

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