This is our final interactive gathering for the summer. It will focus on the UN General Assembly’s High Level Meeting on the Post 2015 Development Agenda. We’ll discuss some brief readings, watch one or more short videos, and make personal applications. (the two items below in yellow highlights are emphasised) Refreshments provided. RSVP required as space is limited. Email: mcaresources@gmail.com
Trio website: https://sites.google.com/site/virtrios/
Address: Kelly and Michele O’Donnell 142 rt de Tutegny, Lotissement les Peupliers, 01170 Cessy France Tel +33 (0)450 28 37 65
Directions: https://sites.google.com/site/virtrios/home/directions
Short readings (copied below—please bring the readings with you)
1. Open Working Group’s Outcome Document for Sustainable Development Goals (July 2014, 17 proposals and 169 targets). We will focus primarily on Goal 16: “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.” http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/owg.html (Note: this document builds upon the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development The Future We Want—UN General Assembly Resolution, 27 July 2012; https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/futurewewant.html we have also included an excerpt from a UN GA resolution that defines human security)
2. Psychological Dynamics of Intractable Ethnopolitical Conflict (Summary excerpts, Nadim N. Rouhana and Daniel Bar-Tal (American Psychologist, 53, 1998, pp. 761-770)
3. See also: The Mounting Problems Facing the World (BBC report, 5 September 2014) http://www.bbc.com/news/world-29063111 and the website of UN Trust Fund for Human Securityhttp://www.unocha.org/humansecurity/about-human-security/human-security-un
Short Videos
1. Lessons from Working Together on the SDGs and Tasks Ahead, Csaba Korosi, Co-Chair of the Open Working Group UN General Assembly High Level Stock Taking Event on Post 2015 Development Agenda (11 September 2014, minutes 2-24 on the UN Web TV video archive, part two) http://webtv.un.org/watch/part-2-high-level-stock-taking-event-on-the-post-2015-development-agenda-general-assembly-68th-session/3781816456001
2. Current news reports and/or a more positive “feel-good” video TBA
3. See also Human Security and the Post 2015 SDGs (Harry Minas, Third Summit of the Movement for Global Mental Health, August 2013,Bangkok) Powerpoint: http://www.globalmentalhealth.org/sites/default/files/Session%204_Minas.pdf
Note: The Trio gatherings are set up in response to the felt need for a relaxed, neutral place where colleagues in the Geneva area can interact on important topics, for mutual support/learning. They are informal and not sponsored by any organization/group. The gatherings are part of our commitment to encourage “global integration”—connecting and contributing relevantly on behalf of the major issues facing humanity. We (Michèle and Kelly) are consulting psychologists working in the areas of personnel development for international organisations, humanitarian psychology, anti-corruption advocacy/action, and global mental health.
Proposal of The Open Working Group for Sustainable Development Goals
1. The Rio+20 outcome document, The future we want, inter alia, set out a mandate to establish an Open Working Group to develop a set of sustainable development goals for consideration and appropriate action by the General Assembly at its 68th session. It also provided the basis for their conceptualization. The Rio outcome gave the mandate that the SDGs should be coherent with and integrated into the UN development agenda beyond 2015.
2. Poverty eradication is the greatest global challenge facing the world today and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. The Rio+20 outcome reiterated the commitment to freeing humanity from poverty and hunger as a matter of urgency.
4. People are at the centre of sustainable development and, in this regard, Rio+20 promised to strive for a world that is just, equitable and inclusive, and committed to work together to promote sustained and inclusive economic growth, social development and environmental protection and thereby to benefit all, in particular the children of the world, youth and future generations of the world without distinction of any kind such as age, sex, disability, culture, race, ethnicity, origin, migratory status, religion, economic or other status.
7. Rio+20 outcome reaffirmed the need to be guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, with full respect for international law and its principles. It reaffirmed the importance of freedom, peace and security, respect for all human rights, including the right to development and the right to an adequate standard of living, including the right to food and water, the rule of law, good governance, gender equality, women’s empowerment and the overall commitment to just and democratic societies for development. It also reaffirmed the importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as other international instruments relating to human rights and international law.
Sustainable Development Goals
Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture
Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all
Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all
Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
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Goal 16
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development,
provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
16.1 significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere
16.2 end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence and torture against children
16.3 promote the rule of law at the national and international levels, and ensure equal access to justice for all
16.4 by 2030 significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen recovery and return of stolen assets, and combat all forms of organized crime
16.5 substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all its forms
16.6 develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels
16.7 ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
16.8 broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance
16.9 by 2030 provide legal identity for all including birth registration
16.10 ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements
16.a strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacities at all levels, in particular in developing countries, for preventing violence and combating terrorism and crime
16.b promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development
UN GA Resolution 25 October 2005 on Human Security
…3. Agrees that human security is an approach to assist Member States in identifying and addressing widespread and cross-cutting challenges to the survival, livelihood and dignity of their people. Based on this, a common understanding on the notion of human security includes the following:
(a) The right of people to live in freedom and dignity, free from poverty and despair. All individuals, in particular vulnerable people, are entitled to freedom from fear and freedom from want, with an equal opportunity to enjoy all their rights and fully develop their human potential;
(b) Human security calls for people-centred, comprehensive, context-specific and prevention-oriented responses that strengthen the protection and empowerment of all people and all communities;
(c) Human security recognizes the interlinkages between peace, development and human rights, and equally considers civil, political, economic,social and cultural rights;
Psychological Dynamics of Intractable Ethnonational Conflicts
Nadim N. Rouhana and Daniel Bar-Tal (American Psychologist, 53, 1998, pp. 761-770)
Conflicts between and among states that dominated the international scene for decades are gradually being replaced by conflicts between ethnic, religious, linguistic, and national groups within the states often termed ethnonational conflicts (Connor, 1994). The conflicts between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, Tamils and Hindus in Sri Lanka, Muslims and Serbs in Bosnia, and Tutsi and Hutu in Rwanda are only a few examples of ethnonational conflicts raging around the world. Dealing with these conflicts introduces new challenges to the international system because of the ostensible intractability of the conflicts; the underestimation of the psychological dynamics that can contribute to their escalation, stalemate, and perpetuation (Rubin, Pruitt, & Kim, 1994); and the difficulty of applying traditional efforts to their resolution (Rouhana. 1998). These conflicts, also termed deep-rooted (Burton, 1987), enduring rivalry (Goertz & Diehl, 1993), or protracted social conflicts (Azar, 1990), are often transformed into intractable social conflicts (Kriesberg, 1993) that defy traditional negotiation and mediation efforts…
Although psychological factors contribute to the perpetuation of these conflicts, it should be made clear at the outset that they are neither a psychological epiphenomenon nor conflicts generated mainly by psychological factors. These are conflicts over vital tangible resources in which basic human needs such as identity and security become central to the conflicts and their resolution (Burton, 1990). These conflicts can be resolved only when both the tangible disputed resources are adequately negotiated and the unaddressed human needs that fuel the conflicts are satisfactorily addressed. Yet, because they have psychological bases too, social psychology can and should be able to offer insights into their intractable dynamics and contribute to designing approaches to their resolution….
Characteristics of Intractable Conflicts That Increase Their Resistance to Resolution
Our analysis in this article is limited to ethnonational conflicts, such as those in Northern Ireland and Sri Lanka, that are less amenable to peaceful conflict-resolution efforts. We refer to such conflicts as intractable ethnonational conflicts. They share characteristics that differentiate them from tractable conflicts, which are more amenable to peaceful negotiation (Bar-Tal, 1998; Kriesberg, 1993). The most important characteristics are described below.
Totality. Intractable ethnonational conflicts often concern existential and basic needs such as recognition and security, the fulfillment of which is essential for existence and survival. Often. therefore, they are multifaceted, touching on wider aspects of political and cultural life. The conflicts penetrate the societal fabric of both parties and force themselves on individuals and institutions. Leaders, publics, and institutions-such as educational and cultural systems-become involved in the conflicts. At some stages of the conflicts, even intellectual life and scholarly inquiry become politicized as interest in the other society originates in the motivation to `'know your enemy" and inquiries become guided by security needs and considerations.
Protractedness. Intractable ethnonational conflicts last at least a generation, often many generations. Their duration means that both parties have deep-rooted animosity and prejudice, that their collective memories are affected by conflict-related events, and that the individuals and societies adapt their lives to the conflicts.
Centrality. The centrality of intractable ethnonational conflicts is reflected in the group members' preoccupation with the conflicts. Thoughts related to the conflicts are highly accessible and are relevant to various discussions within each society (Bar-Tal, Raviv, & Freund, 1994). The centrality of such conflicts is further reflected in their saliency on the public agenda. The media and the political and intellectual elites are greatly preoccupied with the conflicts and their developments.
Violence. Intractable ethnonational conflicts usually involve violent events, including full-scale wars, limited military engagements, or terrorist attacks. The continual cycle of violence afflicts civilian and military casualties and causes property destruction and, often, population displacement. The violence and its vividness and saliency in each society are another reason for the conflicts' centrality in public life; they also generate intense animosity that becomes integrated into the socialization processes in each society and through which conflict-related emotions and cognitions are transmitted to new generations. Virtually every civilian can be the potential target of a random attack, and mundane daily decisions are affected by the conflicts.
Perception of Irreconcilability. Societies embroiled in intractable ethnonational conflicts often see them as zero-sum and view their differences as irreconcilable. Each side perceives its own goals as essential for its own survival and, therefore, does not see a place for the concessions regarded by the other side as essential for conflict resolution. The minimum requirements for one party to reach an agreement are not provided by the other. Societies fail to develop integrative solutions and present them for public discourse.