“The World Social Summit Ends Today with Renewed Promises Dating 30 Years without a Plan to Ensure Social Justice!”

 

The Historical and Political Context of Two World Social Summits: from Copenhagen 1995 to Doha 2025 and Beyond

by Uchita de Zoysa

(reporting from Doha as a participant at both Summits, 6^th November 2025)

 

Many engaged in multilateralism would have had renewed hope for “Social Justice” when the United Nations General Assembly, through Resolutions 78/261 and 78/318, decided to convene the World Social Summit under the title “Second World Summit for Social Development (WSSD)”. Thirty years after the first Summit in 1995 in Copenhagen-Denmark, the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha-Qatar is being held from 4 to 6 November 2025. The UN has stated that in a world facing growing inequalities, demographic shifts, and rapid technological transformation, the need for a renewed commitment to social progress has never been more urgent. 30 years ago, I participated in the 1^st WSSD in Copenhagen as a young civil society activist, and now in Doha for the 2^nd WSSD as a person who has engaged in multilateral processes for over 30 years and witnessed big promises of pacification and failures without accountability to deliver.  The 2^nd WSSD will mark another such show that renews global hope without a real plan to achieve it. 

 

1. Pre & Post Copenhagen 
2. Doha & the Immediate Pathway
3. Planning for Sustainable Futures Post Doha

 

1.     Pre & Post Copenhagen 

 

The first World Summit for Social Development (WSSD) which was held from 6 - 12 March 1995 was a landmark event that had the largest gathering of world leaders ever at the time, that placed people at the center of development efforts. Governments adopted the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and a Programme of Action, which focused on ten commitments aimed at eradicating poverty, promoting the goal of full and productive employment, and fostering social integration and well-being for all. The agreements from this summit have since attempted to guide multilateral action on social development and to form a basis for sustainable development.

 

 

However, it appears that the 2^nd WSSD is positioned in another multilateral silo while simply using word to show linkages to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 1^st WSSD was not a silo but a response to growing concerns that the core social justice issues were not being addressed adequately in an emerging sustainable development agenda. The 1972 UNCHE and then 20 years later the 1992 UNCED 1^st Earth Summit had started evolving a multilateral discourse on sustainable development, in which the environmental dimension received greater focus. The Rio Declaration and Agenda 21 provided the much needed narrative for an integrated approach to development planning, but also marked the emergence of siloed pathways to climate change (UNFCCC), biodiversity (UNCBD), desertification (UNCCD) plus financing, trade, and many other related thematic areas. In this context, a social development summit would have been perceived as important to address “Social Justice” to bring deeper focus on issues prevailing at that time. The 10 commitments of the Copenhagen Declaration quite well represent that need at that time historically. 

 

 

During the past 30 plus years, multilateralism has taken fragmented approaches to sustainability, climate change, biodiversity conservation, poverty eradication, peace, human rights, financing, trade, etc. What is now provided at the international stage is more of outcomes from an industry of pacification that delays action to the ultimate truth. Such an approach has created more desperation and hopelessness where climate change, ecocide, wars, marginalization, exclusion, injustice, bankruptcy, etc. take place in an increased frequency than 30 years ago. The next stop is in Belem-Brazil where a massive circus in the name of UNFCCC COP30 is planned. 

 

2.     Doha and the Immediate Pathway

 

The 2^nd WSSD emerges in the obvious failures of the greatest promise for a transformation of systems that are contributing to a planet in distress. The 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development at the Rio+20 Summit produced the 17 SDGs as an incremental step to Agenda 21 from the 1^st Earth Summit. At the mid-term review of the SDGs in 2023, it was revealed that only 12% of the SDGs were on track to be achieved in 2030. UNESCAP had reported that the Asia Pacific Region would take up to 2060 to achieve these goals and targets. The continued lack of governments, multilateral agencies and other key actors to engage an integrated approach to implementation has simply compromised transformation towards a more sustainable world. According to the Stockholm Resilience Centre, seven of the nine planetary boundaries have been transgressed that increases the risk of generating large-scale abrupt or irreversible environmental changes. 

 

Building on the 10 Commitments of the 1995 Summit and the Copenhagen Declaration, the 2^nd WSSD promises accelerate action on poverty eradication, the promotion of full employment and decent work, and social inclusion, ensuring that no one is left behind in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. It aims to address persistent gaps, reaffirm global commitment to social development, and give new momentum to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The stated goal is to build societies that are more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable.

 

In the backdrop of failed promises during UN Summits, the Doha Political Declaration does not demonstrate the urgency of people to transform the systems ailing social protection, development and justice. The preparation and finalizing of the Declaration for far from inclusive and left out CSOs and other key stakeholders. While it was promised that world leaders will come together in Doha to redefine strategies for social progress, strengthen global partnerships, and promote inclusive policies that foster equitable opportunities for all, the declaration for finalized before that Summit had started. Only a very few Heads of State actually participated which can be an indicator of lack of value at national level and also space for real engagement in global policy design. While claiming to do so, the Declaration does not provide people of the world renewed hope for the promised transformation towards sustainable futures. The Summit only provides space for hundreds side events to showcase activities, solutions and ideas of governments, international organizations, the UN system, civil society, cooperatives, academia, the private sector, and experts; but the fragmented approach fails to strengthen international cooperation for inclusive social development. 

 

3.     Planning for Sustainable Futures Post Doha

 

We live in a fundamentally different world that is in greater desperation and the multilateral response of action needs to be relevant to the current and future!

 

Transformation requires addressing the root causes that generate and reproduce economic, social, environmental and governance problems and inequities, not merely their symptoms. Transformation is also about the processes of change needed in society and the economy to achieve greater equality, empowerment and sustainability. Planning for a transformation requires consideration of multiple scenarios that impact on sustainable development; scenarios that might lead to breakdowns creating chaos or instability, scenarios that will help prepare for alternative futures and greater sustainability, as well as scenarios that can help establish favorable conditions for an inclusive prosperity. 

 

 

 

Civil Society needs to play its historical role in multilateralism to bring urgency of social development and justice promised 30 years ago. The question is if civil society has also been coaxed into a fragmented and pacification driven multilateral mechanism. Are they proactive, collective, representative, relevant, strategic, futuristic and is driving global partnerships for transformation towards sustainability?

 

The critic of civil society actors has been good for a long time, but do they produce transformative strategies and plans for systems change driven alternative futures? 

In five years, a World Summit for Social Justice is now on the cards. For this, I had proposed that a “People’s Roadmap for Social Justice” needs to be developed that includes advocating for the global public good, ensuring greater accountability of international bodies, and providing essential expertise and community-level insights. The roadmap can strengthen informing policymaking, monitoring implementation, promoting democratic participation, and fostering dialogue and cooperation between governments and citizens to address shared global challenges for integrated social development.

 

Such a Peoples Roadmap for Social Justice could address the following.

·      ⁠Immediate Action: Ensuring renewed commitment to the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action is embedded in the challenges of the present world realities. 

·      Advancing the 2030 Agenda (2026-2030): Advancing social goals of the 2030 Agenda with an integrated approach with environmental, economic and governance goals to bring back on track the SDGs.  

·      Sustainable Development Beyond 2030: Moving the global sustainable development agenda beyond 2030 to ensure intergenerational equity for climate sustainability futures.

 

About the writer: Uchita de Zoysa participated in the 1st World Social Summit and will be at the 2nd summit. He also was at the 1st Earth Summit in 1992 as a Steering Committee Member of the International NGO Forum, and 20 years later initiated the Peoples Sustainability Treaties Platform for Rio+20. He represented Sri Lanka during 2016 and 2017 as the Chief Negotiator for the UN 2030 SDG Process in his capacity as Ministerial Advisor on Sustainable Development. He is a thinker, author, strategist for the local to global climate sustainability transformation with over 35 years of experience.

Context Setting – The Climate Crisis from Sri Lanka to Brazil

LCOY Sri Lanka 2025 (Local Conference of Youth), a youth-led national conference, linked to the UNFCCC youth constituency YOUNGO, requested CED Executive Director Uchita de Zoysa to deliver the session “Context Setting – The Climate Crisis from Sri Lanka to Brazil”. Not only the current youth leadership in Climate COPs, but the national decision makers appear unaware of the historical journey that leads to yet another expensive global event that increasingly provides little hope and inspiration. A fragmented approach that ignores implications on the earth system does not harness aspiring young researchers, activists and entrepreneurs to find holistic solutions. Sharing a few slides from my presentation was to provide these 150 young leaders a critical context on Climate Sustainability!

As a follow-up outcome of the Policy Coherence for Reforms (PC4R), the Center for Environment and Development (CED) was invited to conduct the first-ever Sustainability Lab to Formulate a Transformation Roadmap on PC4R for Integrated Sustainability Planning in the Northern Province from 9-11th May in Jaffna. The Sustainability Lab sessions were hosted by the Northern Provincial Secretariat and in collaboration with the University of Jaffna and University of Vavuniya. It was designed to provide an in-depth analysis required for strategic foresight driven integrated planning for sustainable development in the province. Key decision makers in the Northern Province (including the Governor, Chief Secretary, District Secretaries and Planning Officials) and influences (including Vice Chancellors of Universities, Academics, Business Chambers and CSOs) and the five districts representing public authorities, think tanks/research organizations, United Nations, international development agencies, and other independent organizations including key stakeholders from academics, the private sector, CSOs and other Major Groups participated in an engaging process. The Northern Team in collaboration with CED will plan the next steps in the coming weeks. 

The Centre for Environment and Development (CED) will be organizing a series of Consultations and Transformation Labs on “Policy Coherence for Reforms in Sri Lanka” in 2025 in collaboration with a host of national and provincial partners. A first of its kind, the initiative will attempt to draw multiple outcomes with key impact on the Policy-Political-Public-Peoples Reforms in the country. We are also inviting interested organizations to collaborate and support the initiative.

On the 1st of November 2024, The Centre for Environment and Development (CED) entered into an agreement with the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) on behalf of the Sri Lanka Reforms Brains Trust (SLRBT) to conduct a first-ever Policy Coherence Mapping for Sri Lanka. In the months to come CED will be conducting a series of Stakeholder Consultations and organizing Transformation Labs for Policy Reforms at the national level and in the provinces. The Center for Environment and Development (CED) has accreditation with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and has contributed to a vast number of international and national policy processes during the past two and a half decades. Since 2018, CED has been conducting Independent Monitoring, Evaluation & Review of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. This has resulted in many outcomes including a Voluntary Peoples Review (VPR), Peoples Score Card (PSC) and a Domestic Resource Mobilization Framework (DRMF). This year we are adding the first-ever Policy Coherence Mapping in Sri Lanka. This initiative intends the following.

•       To enhance the understanding of the policy spectrum, fragmentation, incoherence and contradictions

•       To assist the policy reforms process in adopting a systems redesign/design approach

•       To assist the selection of policy reforms interventions and facilitate convergence between the different recommendations

•       To enhance impact measurement for proposed policy reforms

•       To assist policy coherence planning for reforms proposals

 

Stakeholder consultations and transformation labs will be organized to engage those who can assist in mapping the policy spectrum and conducting critical analysis and assessments. Therefore, we will collaborate with key government ministries and agencies, provincial and local government authorities, think tanks/research organizations, and other independent organizations including key stakeholders from academics, the private sector, CSOs and other Major Groups.

Overcoming Structural Barriers and Systemic Issues of Sustainable Development of South Asia

 

Overcoming Structural Barriers and Systemic Issues of Sustainable Development of South Asia

(By Uchita de Zoysa, 28 September 2023)

 

Today, I was invited to share my comments on “Overcoming Structural Barriers and Systemic Issues of Sustainable Development of South Asia”. To start with, the United Nations have formally announced that the SDGs are failing.  If 12% only is on track, 50% moderately or severely off track, and 30% showing no movement or regressed below 2015 baseline, then the SDGs are failing.  The Global Sustainable Development Report 2023, unfortunately like many other assessments, only engages in a linier review of the SDGs. It does not make much of an attempt to conduct a system wide impact assessment considering the interlinkages between the targets. Meanwhile, what has been the impact investment on SDGs during the past eight years? What is said is that the gap in financing the SDGs have grown from 2015 to now in the developing countries. Meanwhile, Stockholm Resilience Centre, six of the nine planetary boundaries have been transgressed.

 

Sadly, SDG are proving that Sustainable Development is an Oxymoron as advocated by some critical thinkers. SDGs have not been advancing Sustainability but used more for institutionalized marketing promotions and funded partnership projects by almost all sectors. All systems are breaking down around us including natural, economic, peace, wellbeing, prosperity, etc. and prosperity has become a distant aspiration. In the region not just youth, but elders are migrating as destitution is widespread. The development model is not promoting sustainability. Sufficiency struggles to enter the agendas while wellbeing of the state has become more important than the nation. Political systems are more predatory that threatens democracy and peace openly than before. The poor are paying for the financial/debt crisis that is corruptly managed economies in countries like Sri Lanka and Pakistan.  Yet, the debt restructuring strategies are on more borrowing to pay debt than focusing of sufficiency based prosperity; a vicious cycle enjoyed by the multilateral banks and richer countries. 

 

Countries in the region have not shown much interest in policy coherence and environmental and social protection policies are breeched in the name of growth. The deeply fragmented public institutional architecture continues to be a barrier for an efficient public service delivery. Already overburdened, corrupt and inefficient public service adds more to the financial and debt crisis in these countries. Finally, the widespread call is to change the system and shift the power. But the state response is suppression! Where is the protection for shifting power when the police and military are acting against the people. Who will shift the power for people’s power? In the failure of the SDG Summit, civil society and other stakeholder needs to move from being reactive to agendas that divert attention from truth on earth and work towards driving “Peoples Planetary Futures”.

 

Can We Make a Just Real Green Deal?

 Can We Make a Just Real Green Deal?

Uchita de Zoysa (July 2023)

 

During my recent engagements in Europe, I had a better opportunity to experience the pulse of stakeholders of the region on the EU Green Deal. On returning home, the main question that sprouted in my mind was “is the green deal just for all?”. A regional meeting with over fifty EU CSOs in Brussels calling for a ‘Real Deal’ confirmed that even within Europe it does not provide a just deal to all. Stakeholders also underscored the double standards applied on green standards for European products sold in developing countries. However, do the European stakeholder assessments and propositions represent the thinking for a just green deal in other parts of the world? Particularly, the perception of what is just for the Global South that prevails amongst EU stakeholders may not actually align with the realities and think of those living in the countries of the South. So, what could be the way forward a commonly acceptable just green deal for a transformation towards sustainable development?

 

In search for a way forward, I am keen to explore several pathways that converge with the European stakeholder context. Particularly the thematic discoursing of a just transition, sufficiency, and policy coherence for sustainable development (PCSD) could provide the main thematic tracks of mutual interest between Europe and the South. Also, in the imminent failure of achieving the SDGs, some groups are already asking the question of what the next sustainability agenda is going to look like. Therefore, building foresight into a more just real green deal that advances the global sustainability agenda is pertinent. 

 

The discussion on a Just Transition in the Global South appears to be of great concern amongst European stakeholders. While the focus appears to revolve heavily around the energy and global finance system, issues of equitable opportunities for wellbeing and prosperity continue to dominate the Southern focus. The tone and agenda for a just transition should not be set by multilateral agencies and the rich countries if climate negotiations end in commitment. A collective North-South-East-West dialogue is essential for a just transition and must have equitable space sharing in the deliberations. 

 

An interest on Sufficiency surprisingly is sprouting in Europe after decades of investment and insistence in a linear efficiency agenda. The irony is that the same organizations that shot down the concept of sufficiency and helped convert Southern nations to adopt efficiency appear to be chartering a new sufficiency discourse. Those who have campaigned for sufficiency for decades even from Europe appear to still be struggling to get their voices heard. Pathways through Sufficiency, underscored by the concepts of adequacy or contentment and self-reliance or self-sufficiency, are expected to strengthen resilience of consumption and production systems as well as economic and financial systems of a country. Sufficiency continues to be practiced across many parts of the world and will not have a single narrative but have common and shared principles. As reminded by some European activists, if a new sufficiency narrative in Europe is to be evolved, it would need to revisit its historical dependency and exploitation of resources from its former colonies and post-colonial extended strategies. Sufficiency would also challenge the growth-based development models promoted in the developing countries as well and compromises on lifestyle aspirations will be imminent for all. If discoursed honestly and adopted effectively, sufficiency would be able to address many issues including commitment to climate action and resourcing sustainable development. The discoursing of sufficiency needs to transgress beyond a small group of sustainable consumption and production policy researchers and administrators and must be centrally located in the just transition process. 

 

European stakeholders may have conducted the best research on Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD) and these have enriched researchers across the world. However, has this research resulted in significant transformation in Europe and other parts of the world? The failure of the SDGs is rooted in the lack of political will for PCSD with the trends of resource exploitation and linear growth based economic and trade practices continuing to flourish creating more poverty and less equity. Isolated examples on PCSD do not amount to the pace of destruction of the earth systems. Also, it’s hard to have transformation towards sustainable development if only a handful of countries adopt the PCSD strategies. A single model for PCSD will not work in different geographical and societal contexts across the world to achieve sustainable development. But a global financial architecture that supports critical transformation is necessary for countries in the South to adopt PCSD. Therefore, more investigation beyond reforming the multilateral banks and lending mechanisms needs to be conducted. 

 

Global Sustainable Development Report 2023 (GSDR) clearly stating that the world is far off track in achieving the SDGs makes us think more of a next level global sustainability agenda; not to rush into replacing the 2030 agenda, but to find a just transition that can support the transformation in the coming years. However, just like any other region, the official SDG reviews in Europe appear political justifications while stakeholder reviews continue to provide the political critique. Even the GSDR takes a linear approach in assessing the individual targets than providing an integrated analysis of the total impact amongst the 169 targets. As demonstrated by the Sri LankaVoluntary Peoples Review (VPR), adopting Independent Monitoring, Evaluation and Review Mechanisms using a Micro-Macro Assessment Methodology could help advance PCSD. Also, an Integrated Climate Sustainability Agenda that brings together the climate change and sustainable development global agendas into a single discoursing, financing, and political drive is important. 

 

The EU Green Deal is a significant policy and political approach but has many gaps as highlighted in the alternative Real Deal presented by a collective of European CSOs. While the internal deficiencies or negative impacts of a green deal on Europe can be well reviewed by its own stakeholders, the greater impact on the rest of the world surely needs an honest engagement with external stakeholders for a just and real green deal. If the independent think tanks, foundations and CSOs in Europe can extend their platforms and programmes, particularly to Southern counterparts, they would find a sincere response and reciprocation towards building a collective voice for a sustainable world. The multilateral event and programme landscape in the coming months and years also provide ample opportunity to make a greater impact if we can find a collective way forward. The proposition, therefore, is to seek opportunities for collaboration on a just real green deal between European and Southern entities towards evolving a New Narrative on a Peoples Planetary Futures!

 

 

 

About the author: Uchita de Zoysa is a thinker, author, strategist for the local to global climate sustainability transformation with over 30 years of experience working in the public, private, and civil society sectors. He represented Sri Lanka during 2016 and 2017 as the Chief Negotiator for the UN SDG Process in his capacity as Ministerial Advisor on Sustainable Development. In 2018 he established the Sri Lanka Stakeholder SDG Platform and is the Chief Architect of the SDG Transformation Lab, Chairman of Global Sustainability Solutions (GLOSS), Executive Director of Centre for Environment and Development (CED). He is the Author of ‘It Has to be Climate Sustainability’, Lead Author of the publication ‘LOCALISING THE TRANSFORMATION IN THE NEW NORMAL: A Domestic Resource Mobilization Framework for Sustainable Development Goals in Sri Lanka’ and the Chief Editor of the ‘Independent Peoples Reviews on the SDGs’ including the ‘Voluntary Peoples Review on the SDGs”. 

 

(Please send your comments and suggestions to: uchitadezoysa@gmail.com)

UN SDG16 Conference in Rome and the session on "participation and engagement for inclusive climate action" - May 2023

During UN SDG16 Conference in Rome, and the session on "participation and engagement for inclusive climate action", was kicked off by Uchita de Zoysa 

answering the question "what are the main barriers and challenges preventing inclusive climate action and the realization of climate justice". Some pointed I highlighted included;

a.     Lack of convergence between the Climate & Sustainability Agendas (2030 Agenda & Paris Agreement are administered as separate international and national processes. similarly peace, human rights, etc. are on separate tracks)
b.     Lack of coherence on Climate Sustainability between Science, Policy, Enterprise and People (03 decades plus to find resolution on rights and responsibilities.  (NDC vs. VNR vs. Sustainability Reporting and lack of coherence and who knows about these in a nation)
c.     Fragmented institutional architecture for Climate Sustainability (UN:  500+ MEA SL: 425+ agencies in SL – 52 ministries – 09 provinces – 341 local authorities)
d. Fragmented and manipulated financial architecture (a new agenda for transformation was designed with a a new financing architecture. The emerging climate finance or blended finance for sustainability is still on the lending and borrowing model. No approach to ecosystems services based financing/budgeting/resourcing)
e.     Keeping space for games of deception – delaying the obvious 
f.     Siloed & sporadic Climate Action not reinforcing Peace, Justice & Inclusion for SDG16+
g. Inclusion is about co-creation for sustainable futures. The continued approach is keeping planning exclusive and exclude other stakeholders. 

Transformation Lab on ESG, SDGs & Sustainability for EY Sri Lanka

In collaboration with Global Sustainability Solution (GLOSS), conducted a Transformation Lab on ESG, SDGs and Sustainability for Ernst & Young Sri Lanka Climate change and Sustainability Services team. The Business case for sustainability was presented with ESG unpacked beyond reporting. Looking forward to engaging the private sector effectively in the transformation.

SDG Transformation Lab on

“Primary Ecosystem Services & Biocurrency Towards Advancing SDG15+”

03rd March 2023 – 9am to 6pm -  SDG14+ Secretariat, Marine Environment Protection Authority

We brought together many of the best Sri Lankan scientists, activtist, researchers, policy advocates, etc. along with bankers, investors, and entrepreneurs to the SDG Transformation Lab on “Primary Ecosystems Services & Biocurrency Towards Advancing SDG15+” on the 3rd March 20023 on the World Wildlife Day. The senior most ecologists together with a group of young professionals in the field were placed in a simulaed pre-transformation lab with an idea of planning partnerships for innovative action.

The lab consisted of the followind sessions;

• KNOWLEDGE LAB: Challenges for planetary systems, potential breakdown scenarios for Sri Lanka, and the potential of earth restoration
• DEMONSTRATION LAB: The Belipola experiment and the potential of replication across degraded or neglected geographical spaces with community engagement.
• INNOVATION LAB: Biocurrency as a potential for advancing ecosystems services based economies and sustainable enterprises driven prosperity.
• COCREATION LAB: Potential for multidimensional partnerships to strengthen transformative action towards sustainability

Will now move into the next phase of looking at replicable experience and saclable models for earth systems restoration and ecosystems services for enhancing the global commons.

SDG16+ Conference & SDG Transformation Lab on 

“Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions for a Sustainable Recovery in Sri Lanka”

08.30am-06.30pm, 01^st February 2023, WorldVision Auditorium, 619/8 Dr Danister De Silva Mawatha, Colombo 09

"The 1st SDG16+ Transformation Lab was conducted in Sri Lanka with the participation of representative from public sector, civil society, private sector, UN, academia and media. The main objective was to build capacity and map out strategic partnerships for peace, justice and inclusion. The SDG Transformation Lab with the Sri Lanka Stakeholder SDG Platform plans for a series of Labs towards building capacity for transformative action through strategic partners."

 

Sri Lanka is currently going through multiple crises, including the worst economic crisis, that has taken the nation further away from sustainable development. While consecutive governments have stated their commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), action and results do not provide evidence to Sri Lanka engaging in the transformation. Seeking temporary solutions and building strategies contradicting sustainable development could aggravate the crisis leading further weakening of resilience and increase of vulnerability of the nation. The Country needs peace, justice and strong institutions to alleviate the negative effects of this situation. Along with other SDGs (including 1,3,4,8,10, 11 and 15) the achievement of SDG 16 is important to create a disciplined, law abiding and value-based society. 

 

Though Sri Lanka has mechanisms to consult civil society in agenda setting on key issues such as migration, gender empowerment, environment and other, seldom these translate into joint action plans or programmes. Existing policy frameworks and implementation mechanisms (such as public private sector partnerships) do not adequately reflect the role of civil society, private sector, and other stakeholders in developing joint action plans and roll-out programmes to achieve the SDGs. Hence, this event is proposed for capacity-building, experience sharing, networking and exploring partnerships for transformative actions for achievement SDGs and focus on SDG 16+ with the joint partnerships of civil society actors, Government actors and private sector on the 1st January 2023. 

 

The Sri Lanka Stakeholder SDG Platform (SLS-SDG Platform) with the support of collaborating partners has since 2018 conducted an Independent Monitoring, Evaluation & Review Mechanism for the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. In 2022, the following reports have been compiled and are ready for utilization by the government and its stakeholders. 

1.      Sri Lanka Voluntary Peoples Review (VPR) on the SDGs to United Nations High Level Political Forum (UN HLPF) in 2022

2.      Sri Lanka SDG16+ Spotlight Report to HLPF 2022 expands on the Sri Lanka Voluntary Peoples Review (VPR) on the SDGs to United Nations High Level Political Forum (UN HLPF)

3.      Voluntary Subnational Review (VSR), Sri Lanka 2022

The event was organized by the Foundation for Innovative Social Development (FISD), World Vision Lanka and Kindernothilfe (KNH) in partnership with the Sri Lanka Stakeholder SDG Platform (SLS-SDG Platform) and the Centre for Environment and Development (CED). 

‘LOCALISING THE TRANSFORMATION IN THE NEW NORMAL: 

 A Domestic Resource Mobilization Framework for Sustainable Development Goals in Sri Lanka’

‘LOCALISING THE TRANSFORMATION IN THE NEW NORMAL: A Domestic Resource Mobilization Framework for Sustainable Development Goals in Sri Lanka’ was jointly prepared and published by Janathakshan (GTE) Ltd. and the Centre for Environment and Development. An Editorial and Research Team was led by Uchita de Zoysa (Editor-in-Chief and Lead Author), while Asoka Gunawardena (Co-Author) and Prof. Prasanthi Gunawardena (Co-Author) were joined by Contributing Authors and Researchers. The publication is part of the project ‘Strengthening the Mobilization of Private and Subnational Domestic Investments in Sri Lanka for the 2030 Agenda’. The project was supported by the GIZ 2030 Transformation Fund, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and coordinated locally through the GIZ Office in Sri Lanka. The book contains four main chapters; 

The Policy Context, The Localising Context, The Financing Context, and The Framework. Domestic resource mobilisation is the responsibility of all countries committed towards implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The United Nations (UN) has estimated that US$5 trillion to US$7 trillion per year is needed between 2015 and 2030 to achieve the SDGs globally, and $3.3 trillion to $4.5 trillion per year in developing countries. Estimates also show that achieving the SDGs could open up US$ 12 trillion of market opportunities and create 380 million new jobs, and that action on climate change would result in savings of about US$ 26 trillion by 2030. Seven years into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda), Sri Lanka is yet to estimate its financial commitment towards implementing the SDGs and has not assessed its potential gains from such an investment. Further, the country is yet to align its national economic policies, financial systems and investment strategies with the 2030 Agenda. In this context, Sri Lanka has not been able to mobilise additional external or internal resources required for transformative action towards achieving the SDGs. The ‘Domestic Resource Mobilization Framework for SDGs in Sri Lanka’ is prepared and presented as an independent contribution to the national effort. An analysis is drawn from an independent monitoring, evaluation and review initiative that adopted a methodology to assess the performance and progress on the 169 SDG targets and its interlinkages. 

The analysis draws data and information from a wide range of options and included: (a) published official data and information (b) published independent stakeholder data and information (c) published news articles and reports (d) published international data and information (e) an online survey (f) consultations with experts drawn from stakeholders including central government institutions, provincial and local government institutions, civil society organisations, business sector organisations and chambers, banking and financial sector professionals, academics, researchers, and other domestic and international agencies. A group of researchers were engaged for a period of twelve months, spanning from September 2019 to August 2020; the team collected, streamlined, and analysed data and information towards drawing an integrated systems assessment of macro and micro dimensions of implementing the SDGs in Sri Lanka. The findings of this analysis then were also verified by selected thematic and sector experts to ensure best possible accuracy of the information and impartiality of the analysis. The proposed ‘Domestic Resource Mobilization Framework for SDGs in Sri Lanka’ is intended to support the efforts of the Government and its stakeholders towards implementing the SDGs in Sri Lanka. 

The Framework provides a platform to design policy instruments and strategic interventions towards advancing sustainable development. Aiming to provide greater strategic foresight, the Framework does not attempt to present a prescriptive proposal on national planning and budgeting. The Framework is to inspire resource mobilisation for transformative action across national, subnational and community levels as a whole of society. The objective of the Framework is to engage public, private, civil society and all stakeholders at national, subnational and community levels in reimagining domestic resource mobilisation, reorganising the resource flows, and reinvesting in transformational pathways towards the recalibration of the context of implementing the SDGs. • Reimagining domestic resource mobilisation is about recalibrating the approach to strategic foresight and transformative action towards advancing sustainable development. • Reorganising the resource flows is about recalibrating the approach to resource governance and redesigning of the policy frameworks and institutional structures towards facilitating a circular economy. • Reinvesting in transformational pathways is about recalibrating the approach to ecosystem services and innovative financing towards facilitating a new state of inclusive prosperity. The scope of the Framework is defined by resource governance, resource relationships and resource regeneration; • Resource Governance is how resource flows are regulated and managed within the tiers of governance, national-provincial-local, as well as the self-governance of resources by non-state actors including international, private, civil society, community and individuals. • Resource Relationships are how the flow of resources through investment and financing transpire between different stakeholders and actors • Resource Regeneration is how resources are invested within the ecosystem for intra-generational equity and harvested for inter-generational equity. 

Localising the Transformation in the New Normal should not be simply to survive the COVID-19 Pandemic. Transformation is a complex exercise towards achieving sustainable development. The Domestic Resource Mobilization Framework for Sustainable Development Goals in Sri Lanka, provides a platform to design policy instruments and strategic interventions towards advancing the transformation. The Framework is a linkages model of elements, facilitating the recalibration of the contexts that SDGs are implemented across the governance tiers and supported by tools. While the sixteen proposed Elements would individually have certain specific impacts on the four Contexts, collectively as an integrated system it would create a holistic and transformative impact towards sustainable development. The four categories of Tools that are offered to facilitate the application of the Framework will need to be customised according to the needs and situations of the four Tiers of Governance. It is formulated to guide an inclusive prosperity in Sri Lanka, and as a transformative model for the rest of the world. 

For any clarifications on the Framework and the Book, please feel free to communicate with The Editor-in-Chief and Lead Author, Mr.Uchita de Zoysa (email: uchitadezoysa@gmail.com or mobile: +94 777372206). Thank you in advance for your kind support in this regard. An ecopy of the book can be downloaded at https://www.academia.edu/76804624/LOCALISING_THE_TRANSFORMATION_IN_THE_NEW_NORMAL_A_Domestic_Resource_Mobilization_Framework_for_Sustainable_Development_Goals_in_Sri_Lanka