69th UN Day: Beyond post-2015 development challenges

This year’s theme focuses on inclusive development after the MDG evaluation point.

The United Nations Day will be celebrated on October 24, 2014, on the theme “Public-Private Sector: Together for an inclusive development post-2015.” The idea is currently the subject of discussions in different international forums. This is especially so as the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, will be evaluated next year after implementation for 15 years.

Only recently, the 60th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, CPA Conference, which held in Yaounde from October 2-10, 2014, dealt with the problem. Its theme was “Repositioning the Commonwealth for the post-2015 development agenda.”

Thus, 2015 will serve as starting point for a new set of development targets to be known as Millennium Sustainable Goals, MSGs, which will last another 15 years. There is no gainsaying that development cannot be carried through by government alone. No where in the world does it happen – not even in the developed world.

For development to take roots and be truly sustainable, there is need for synergy between the public and private sectors. While government provides the legal framework and lays down the policies, the private sector comes in with the cash. According to a report launched recently by the European Parliament, private finance flowing into developing countries is growing fast.

However, there are challenges to establishing effective mechanisms to unleash its development potential. And unless public-private partnerships for development work to maintain the hard-won principles of development aid, like transparency and accountability, the potentially-positive impacts of private investments in sustainable development could be undermined.

The report focuses on the role of multilateral institutions, development finance institutions (DFIs) and aid agencies in building public-private partnerships for development and examining the various policy options and mechanisms that are now being explored, in the context of post-2015 financing debates.

As the world moves towards the establishment of an ambitious post-2015 agenda, it is important to note that the end of poverty will only require partnerships and the alignment of actors from all sectors, the report cautions. Meanwhile, as part of activities preceding this year’s UN Day, a national drawing competition was launched on October 6, 2014, by the Ministry of External Relations, MINREX, in collaboration with the UN System in Cameroon.

A sport walk held in Yaounde on Saturday, October 18, 2014; later followed by football matches between Yaounde-based high schools, MINREX and the UN System. An excursion was also organized to the Ebogo tourist site in the Centre Region; while spouses of MINREX staff and UN diplomats visited a camp for Central African Republic in the East Region refugees over the weekend.

Today, October 22, 2014, two lectures will be given at the International Relations Institute of Cameroon on “Putting in place a transforming development programme for post-2015” and “Public-Private Sectors: Together for inclusive post-2015 development.”