The Rapporteur for IIAS-KSG Mombasa Conference 2024, Dr. Younes Abouyoub (United Nations – Lebanon) introduced the plenary session underlining the status of the SDGs‘ implementation. He quoted the UN Report: “To date there has been some progress towards the target, but moderate or significant acceleration is needed to achieve it by 2030.”  

He underlined that the Agenda 2030 is a common plan of action for transforming our world. However, he emphasised, there is a disappointment in attaining the 17 Sustainable Development Goals due to the impact of different crises and stressed the request for strengthening institutions, for more accountability in decision-making process (practical steps to take account of the long-term impact of our decisions), for engagement from global to local in implementing the SGDs and  for setting priorities.

According to Abouyoub, there is a need for greater actions and for strengthening global cooperation in governance.  He proposed to publish a statement (communique) at the end of the conference to be addressed to the next Summit for the Future in September 2024.

He also quoted an African Proverb: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. 

After the speech given by Dr. Abouyoub, Lichia Saner, from the Centre for Socio-Eco-Nomic Development in Switzerland, started her presentation by questioning the audience on: “How to move forward?”.

She invited us to think about the current inequalities and underlined that there are long processes for small progresses. Saner invited the audience to revisit the different governance approaches for implementing the SDGs and underlined that we are not on time for implementing all the objectives and targets. She also presented the current state of SDGs highlighting some specific objectives and a wish list for effective partnerships and meaningful participation of all countries:

• Create a stronger sense of ownership,
• Promote more ‘context sensitive’ solutions/programmes/roadmaps and actions,
• Articulate ‘shared value’ and common good’,
• Identify ‘accelerated pathways’ for collaborative actions from an inclusive perspective,
• Coordinate more coherent policies and actions at multi-level intervention points within and among countries,
• Reward long-term commitments and actions.

She also underlined the importance of attainment of SDG 16.8 as a vehicle to:

• Operationalise or proximate the principles, spirit and philosophy of Good Governance: transparency, responsibility, accountability, participation, and responsiveness.
• And institutionalise a collaborative governance where all the stakeholders can have a voice and influence the decisions and policy choices.

She suggested that some adjustments must be made for a better voting and decision-making at the level of international organisations based on equality of all their members.

Saner also identified challenges at the international level such as: only token presence of Southern NGOs, weak connection to the ground truth back home in the countries due to capacity constraints, narrowing space for participation, improving but nominal organisation to enhance coordination and common voice.

At national and subnational level, Lichia mentioned some challenges:

1. organizations tend to be service oriented and  have little capacity to reflect;

2. Exchanges are insufficient to foster a whole system perspective and analysis;

3. Divergent and competing interests inhibit collaboration, etc.

She also mentioned that there are several points of entry to influence the policy-making process:

1. (re)framing,

2. Agenda-setting

3. Policy negotiations

4. Standard setting

5. Playing watchdog

6. Whistle blowing

Saner underlined the challenges for NGOs to participate in the process, despite the existence of a Forum for Global Civil Society. She questioned: “who can go there?”

At the end, Lichia provided the audience with some key pre-requisites for stakeholders’ diplomacy as: backbone organisations & champions for different SDGs issues, research and analytical capacities as part of the value chain, advocacy at national and international levels, organisational sustainability etc.

And made two recommendations:

• enlarging the role of academics and policy research community: by creating an expert group at IIAS on SDG16.8;
• deepening the consultation processes and infrastructure.

Following Lichia Saner’s speech, Fadhel Kaboub, President of Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity, proposed the audience to reposition the Global South in a Multipolar World and provided a Framework for Sustainable Prosperity.

He invited participants to consult the website of the Just Transition Africa, which provides key messages as the following one:  African countries can succeed with their Just Transition if they unite and re-embrace a truly pan-African vision and  also offers a new report on Climate, Energy and Development for Africa.

Fadhel Kaboub underlined that:

• we cannot decarbonize a system that hasn't been decolonized yet,
• we cannot democratize a system that hasn't been decolonized yet,
• we cannot de-dollarize a system that hasn't been decolonized yet.

He mentioned that African economies suffer at least three structural deficiencies that constrain development potential:

• a lack of food sovereignty;
• a lack of energy sovereignty; and
• low-value-added content of exports relative to imports.

Kaboub underlined that these deficiencies in turn contribute to structural trade deficits, weakened African currencies and pressure to issue debt denominated in foreign currencies, resulting in more indebtedness. He also mentioned the food precarity and social unrest unless food/fuel subsidies.

He proposed a set of structural solutions:

• Pan-African and Global South Cooperation for strategic investments in:
• Food Sovereignty and agroecology (not just food security),
• Renewable energy Sovereignty (not renewable energy exports)
• High Value-added industrial policies as renewable infrastructure and clean cooking ones. (not just high-tech assembly)
• Transforming the Global South cooperation for genuine people-centred and sustainable development.

At the end, Fadhel Kaboub mentioned: “the Time to act is now!”. After all, the climate crisis, inequality, poverty, education, and injustice call for urgent, bold and radical action. He also underlined that the mainstream economic policies are too weak, slow, expensive, ineffective, and dangerous. He called for a realistic plan for structural transformation and decolonialization.

He concluded his presentation by saying that a Global South transformative vision is possible, desirable, and affordable.

In line with the previous provocative words, Aziz Ajbiloum, Professor at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, started his speech underlining the importance of the theme of IIAS-KSG Mombasa Conference 2024, focusing on International Collaborative Governance. He mentioned that without effective governance, strong commitment, without good procedures, and efficient follow-up, we cannot achieve the SDGs. Ajbiloum underlined that target 16.8 is a good idea and an excellent decision, but it is challenging, it requests co-activation of government and civil society both at national and international levels.

He mentioned that SDG 16 aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies, provide access to justice for all and to build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all level and that this Goal is essential and contribute to the achievement of other SDGs.

During the presentation, Aziz Ajbiloum underlined that peace, justice and strong institutions are fundamental to address issues such as: poverty, inequality, and education, and to ensure sustainability. He mentioned that according to the 2023  SDGs Report, there are significant challenges ahead and major efforts to achieve SDG16.  He also underlined that for target 16.8 there is very little information and questioned the lack of importance given to this target 16.8. in public policies and whether the participation of countries and international organisations is limited.

Ajbiloum also reinforce the need for the participation of developing countries in Global Governance institutions. He suggested to assist and help the developing countries with tools to participate to global governance. Their participation to global governance is a practical necessity to achieve our common agenda. After all, only with the participation of developing countries to Global partnership, we will aim to achieve objective for a equitable world for future generations.

He concluded his remarks by proposing some elements to strengthen the participation of developing countries in global governance for development:

• Effective governance at national level,
• Capacity building
• Strengthening participation of developing countries to ensure that their priorities are taking into account in the global agenda.