Conference Room 1, CB

6/27/2013

Speakers: Ms. Sara Burke, Senior Policy Analyst, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung; Ms. Nina Lim-Yuson, President of International Movement ATD Fourth World; H.E. Mr. Gérard Araud, Permanent Representative of France to the UN; Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, Special Advisor of the Secretary-General on Post-2015 Development Planning; Mr. Xavier Godinot, Research Director, “Towards Sustainable Development that Leaves No One Behind: The Challenge of the Post-2015 Agenda”; H.E. Mr. Enrique Román-Morey, Permanent Representative of Peru to the UN; H.E. Mr. Libran N. Cabactulan, Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Philippines to the UN; Ms. Donna Haig Friedman, Director, Center for Social Policy from University of Massachusetts; Mr. Danny Burns, Co-Director of Participate and Team Leader for the Participation, Power and Social Change Team at Institute of Development Studies; Mr. Roberto Bissio, Coordinator of the International Secretariat of Social Watch; Ms. Alison Tate, Director of External Relations, International Trade Union Confederation; Mr. Robert Walker, Professor of Social Policy, Oxford University; H.E. Mr. Jean-Francis Régis Zinsou, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Benin to the UN; Mr. Ivan Šimonović, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights

Attendees: Iman Yashruti, Marli Kasdan, Greg Swistel, Alyssa Strasser, Janice Wong, Norah L. Crossnohere

Written by Norah L. Crossnohere

Great strides have been made in reducing poverty since the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and for the first time in history, ending poverty, rather than alleviating it, has become the focus of discussions. In spite of such progress, however, widespread efforts over the past thirteen years have also shed light on the myriad of fragmented and outdated methods commonly used to implement development.

The shaming of people in poverty has been one particularly ineffective technique. Shaming the poor not only causes physiological and psychological stress, but also often derails the efforts of more productive programs; shaming leads to further stigmatization of poverty, which decreases the likelihood that the poor will reach out for services such as medical attention or education when they are being provided.

With such mal-practices in mind, it is essential to support more comprehensive and community-focused solutions as states begin to address poverty in a Post-2015 agenda. Further, an emphasis on how development is completed, rather than what the development provides, should be considered.

Moving towards participatory research, in which community members act as decision makers on development projects rather than as consultants, is one such comprehensive approach. As compared to traditional research, participatory research tends to be more telling of underlying problems in communities. Solutions stemming from participatory research also tend to be more inclusive in scope and more feasible to implement.

Edited By; Wayne Dean Doyle