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On the Theme and Purpose of this SID-SAC Meeting and Regional Seminar

Economic Growth and Human Development with Equity, Security and Sustainability

by Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad
PROGRAMMES of the Society for International Development (SID) operate on a three year cycle built around 1ta triennial World Conferences. In a given triennium, the seven SID regions of the world choose themes which are relevant to the particular regional realities and concerns and have reference to the broad programme framework of the next World Conference. Having reviewed and analyzed Issues related to sustainable development during 1988-91, leading to the 20th SID World Conference held In Amsterdam in May 1991 on the theme of "One World or Several — Towards a Strategy for Growth, Sustainability and Solidarity in an Interdependent World", SID alms to discuss in the current triennium how sustainable development can be achieved, leading to the 21st World Conference to be held tn
Mexico tn April 1994.
The pertinent issues under this broad theme may be considered horizontally under sub themes: governance and tnstl lutional development, to explore political and juridical dimensions of sustainable development; culture and identity. to examine changes in values required for sustainability and the implications of the globalization process; ecology and global responsibility, to understand how individuals and nations must apply the lessons of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED); and equity and human development., to address the poverty dimensions as well as strategies to empower people to achieve sustainable livelihoods. Each of these themes may be examined vertically in terms of how local
initiatives are linked to national. regional and global perspectives In an Interdependent .world.
During the triennium 1998-91. SID tn South Asia intensely debated relevant Issues under the broad theme of "Policies and Strategies for Sustainable Development in South Asia — National and Regional Perspectives". Keeping tn view the outcome of those debates and the Issues to be discussed In the 2 1st SID World Conference in 1994. we have chosen "Economic Growth and Human Development with Equity. Security and Sustainability" as an umbrella theme to explore, during the current triennium. major questions South Asia faces In the context of achieving sustainable development.
South Asia is characterized by a high concentration of population and poverty and serious environmental degradation. The challenge of alleviating poverty or environmental degradation alone is formidable enough; but the region must address both simultaneously and urgently for orderly social progress In harmony with the nature since the alternative looming in the horizon Is social convulsions and irreversible destruction of the natural base of future growth.
The Sixth SAARC Summit held in Colombo. Sri Lanka in December 1991 accorded the emphasis on environmentally sound growth. SID chapters and membership of the region are endeavouring to make their contribution toward formulation of policies and strategies for achieving the same goals.
It may be noted that virtually all the SAARC Summits held so far have emphasized the crucial Importance of people's Involvement in regional cooperation and the key role of the peoplc-to-people contact tn that process. SID-SAC is an independent forum that promotes pcople-to-pco-
From page 8 col 6 pie .contact and brings together policy makers, development practitioners, academics and researchers from the regional countries to discuss regional development issues with a view to generating ideas and proposals towards their solution.
It is not accidental that the venue for this SID-SAC meeting and this regional seminar is in Dhaka and that the dates have been fixed about a week prior to the Seventh SAARC Summit to be held in Dhaka. It has been done purposefully, and I wish to say humbly thait the forum should generate citizen views and proposals concerning ecoribmic growth and human development with equity, security and sustainability which the' SAARC and the regional government may profitably take note of towards formulating policies and strategies to those ends.
The Colombo Summit of the SAARC welcomed the trend towards popularly based democratic governments in different* parts of the world including South Asia. A truly democratic government must bear the responsibility to intervene, as necessary, to alleviate poverty and hunger and ensure equity. In this context, I fully endorse the view expressed by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in her World Food Day statement delivered in FAO headquarters in Rome on 16 October 1992. She says : "In many developing countries, public support in crucial areas affecting the daily lives of the poor is essential. Such support often takes the form of state activities, which are required to be stopped for the purpose of "promoting the market economy”. Indeed, no country^ no government, can accept life sentences in the form of hunger and malnutrition for its people. If government Inaction were to lead to premature graves for many, the shortened lives would be an 'obscene scandal. This is a courageous statement from the Prime Minister of a heavily aid dependent country in an age oP
donor-driven privatization, liberalization and deregulation. I hope this view will be reflected in economic policies and programmes of her government on the basis of the existing realities and needs and aspirations of the people at large.
A necessary condition for alleviating poverty and human development is accelerated economic growth. Ih order that all sections of the population have secure equitable access to that growth and that the growth itself is sustainable, the process by which growth is achieved becomes extremely important, which invokes Kttons relating to, e.g, the
Ibutioh of access to productive resources, employment generation, technology regime, the role of market economy and the need for government interventions. In this context, the framework of governance and institutional development to ensure people's participation and the best possible mobilization and utilization of resources are crucial issues. To that end, participatory democracy and democratization of the society at all levels are key concepts; and values and cultural aspects are important categories to be understood and developed toward generating- a social environment for democratic and participatory norms to be firmly established. But only when people find that they benefit from a process, they will support it and work towards its sustained forward march.
Indeed, human development implying Improvement in the quality of life of all citizens — rich and poor, men and women, young and old — in terms of education, employment, health, sanitation and availability of choices is the desirable goal in an equitable society. Hence, not only on ethical ground but also for strategic reasons, inequities in development results .must be removed and equity promoted.
Then, in order for the economic growth process to be sustained, environment needs to be protected through ap-
propriate growth process and technologies. While the national governments arid citizens of developing countries have responsibilities regarding environmental protection' in the respective countries, the developed countries have the major responsibility in this field since they have been mostly causing the pollution and degradation of the global environment. They are also responsible for the destruction of forests in the poor countries because it is in order to meet j their demand that the forest resources have been exploited in most cases.
The developing countries of -South Asia and other regions are at the wrong end of a highly iniquitous international system which has been established and being perpetuated by the developed countries. For an orderly progress of the global society, this system must be appropriately restructured. Environmental improvement is also closely linked to such a restructuring because unless the conditions of the world's poor improve and developing countries have an effective voice in international management, environment Is unlikely to improve.
Regional cooperation is an important Instrument for the developing countries to escape from sdme of the ill effects of the iniquitous world order by, for example, promoting trade and sharing of experience and know-how among the regional countries. Also, collective approach and voice may succeed in bringing about .desirable changes and adjustments in the international system from the point of view of the regional countries.'
The issues outlined in the above paragraphs and other relevant ones will be deliberated upon in the forthcoming SID-SAC meeting and regional seminar with a view to seeking out how best they can be addressed nationally by the regional. countries and through regional cooperation by the member countries — their peoples and governments.