The Importance of Governance for Sustainable Development 9789814380447

Citation preview

The Importance of Governance for Sustainable Development

00 32ndSL Prelims.indd 1

6/14/12 10:54:10 AM

The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) was established as an autonomous organization in 1968. It is a regional research centre dedicated to the study of socio-political, security and economic trends and developments in Southeast Asia and its wider geostrategic and economic environment. The Institute’s research programmes are the Regional Economic Studies (RES, including ASEAN and APEC), Regional Strategic and Political Studies (RSPS), and Regional Social and Cultural Studies (RSCS). ISEAS Publishing, an established academic press, has issued more than 2,000 books and journals. It is the largest scholarly publisher of research about Southeast Asia from within the region. ISEAS Publishing works with many other academic and trade publishers and distributors to disseminate important research and analyses from and about Southeast Asia to the rest of the world.

00 32ndSL Prelims.indd 2

6/14/12 10:54:11 AM

Singapore Lecture 13 March 2012

The Importance of Governance for Sustainable Development

Helen Clark

Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore

00 32ndSL Prelims.indd 3

6/14/12 10:54:11 AM

Published in Singapore in 2012 by ISEAS Publishing Institute of Southeast Asian Studies 30 Heng Mui Keng Terrace Pasir Panjang Singapore 119614 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg © 2012 Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore ISEAS Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

Clark, Helen, 1950 The importance of governance for sustainable development. (Singapore lecture series, 0129-1912 ; [32]) 1. Sustainable development. 2. Sustainable development—Government policy. 3. Economic development—Environmental aspects. 4. Sustainable development—Singapore. 5. Economic development—Environmental aspects—Singapore. 6. Sustainable development—Government policy—Singapore. I. Title. II. Series: Singapore lecture series ; [32]. DS501 I597 no. 32         2012 ISBN 978-981-4380-42-3 (soft cover) ISBN 978-981-4380-44-7 (e-book, PDF) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo­copying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Typeset by International Typesetters Pte Ltd Printed in Singapore by Markono Print Media Pte Ltd

00 32ndSL Prelims.indd 4

6/14/12 10:54:11 AM

CONTENTS I

Welcome Remarks

II The Importance of Governance for Sustainable Development

00 32ndSL Prelims.indd 5

Tharman Shanmugaratnam

1

Helen Clark

5

6/14/12 10:54:11 AM

00 32ndSL Prelims.indd 6

6/14/12 10:54:11 AM

I Welcome Remarks Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Finance & Minister for Manpower

The Right Honourable Helen Clark Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme Excellencies Distinguished Guests Ladies and Gentlemen It is with great pleasure that I welcome all of you to the 32nd Singapore Lecture. Ms Clark, it is an honour to have you here with us this afternoon. On behalf of the organisers, I thank you for agreeing to deliver the Singapore Lecture during what I know is a very short and busy visit to Singapore. Ms Clark is well-known to Singapore. Prior to her appointment as the UNDP Administrator, she served as the Prime Minister of New Zealand for three successive terms, from 1999 to 2008. Under her steady leadership, New Zealand achieved significant economic growth, low unemployment levels, and increased investment in education and health. She also strongly advocated for New Zealand’s comprehensive programme on environmental sustainability and for

01 32ndSL.indd 1

4/23/12 11:10:46 AM



tackling the problems of climate change. Since then, New Zealand has become one of the world’s leading nations in these areas. In the region, recognising the growing political and economic importance of the Asia Pacific, Ms Clark prioritised New Zealand’s greater engagement with the region. New Zealand was the first country to conclude a Free Trade Agreement with Singapore in 2001. In 2005, both countries entered the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement with Brunei and Chile. This has since expanded into a high-standard Trans-Pacific Partnership, spanning nine countries together with the US, Peru, Vietnam, Malaysia and Australia. On the ASEAN front, Ms Clark played an instrumental role in driving New Zealand’s entry into the East Asia Summit in 2005. It was also under her watch, in 2004, that the Leaders agreed to start negotiations on the ASEAN-Australia and New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA), which were eventually concluded in 2009. Throughout her career, Ms Clark consistently demonstrated her passion for advancing human development. Her dedication in this area made her an ideal candidate to take up the post of UNDP Administrator in 2009. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) holds an integral place within the United Nations system. With a presence in 177 countries, the UNDP is the global development network of the United Nations. At its core, the UNDP’s mission is a simple but fundamental one. It seeks to help and equip people from all corners of the world to build better lives for themselves. But to translate this mission into real and impactful outcomes, the work that the UNDP does is both varied and extremely daunting. It ranges from combating poverty and AIDS to the protection of

01 32ndSL.indd 2

4/23/12 11:10:46 AM



human rights, capacity development and the empowerment of women; as well as assistance in crisis prevention and recovery. We should also not forget the integral role that the UNDP is playing in pushing forward the Millennium Development Goals. Singapore has certainly benefitted from the work of the UNDP. The UNDP had been a valuable source of economic advice in the early years of our independence. It remains a long-standing development partner, as we now in turn help other developing countries in areas where we have expertise. Since 1992, Singapore and the UNDP have jointly trained about 1200 government officials from 86 developing countries in a diverse range of fields. We are therefore privileged today to have Ms Clark deliver the Singapore Lecture on “The Importance of Governance for Sustainable Development”. This is a timely but complex topic, as sustainable development cuts across economic, social and environmental issues. It is a universal concern, which has serious implications for future generations. As the cornerstone of global governance, the role of the United Nations in addressing the challenges of sustainable development cannot be understated. The UNDP has undertaken several initiatives in this area, such as the Poverty-Environment Initiative, which provides financial and technical assistance to government partners to set up institutional and capacity strengthening programmes; and the Africa Adaptation Programme, which works with 20 African countries to strengthen capabilities crucial to designing and implementing a resilient development agenda, just to name a few. But the UN cannot tackle the challenges of sustainable development by itself. Each country needs to do its part and work with organisations, such as the UNDP, to put in place effective

01 32ndSL.indd 3

4/23/12 11:10:46 AM



policies and develop the necessary capabilities to create a good and sustainable living environment for themselves and future generations. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I invite Ms Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, to deliver the 32nd Singapore Lecture.

01 32ndSL.indd 4

4/23/12 11:10:46 AM

II The Importance of Governance for Sustainable Development Helen Clark

UNDP Administrator

I thank the Government of Singapore for the invitation to visit this week and for the opportunity to contribute to the renowned Singapore Lecture Series. In the past two decades, I have spoken in Singapore on a number of occasions, first in my capacity as New Zealand’s Leader of the Opposition, and later as Prime Minister of my country. I first set foot in Singapore in 1976, while in transit to Europe. Over the years I came to appreciate that Singapore and the East Asian region as a whole would play a far greater role in the prosperity and development of New Zealand than would the more distant Europe of my forebears with its reluctance to open its markets to the free flow of our exports. Singapore as an outward looking, dynamic economy which prospered despite its lack of natural resources often provided inspiration for New Zealand. I myself learned a great deal from briefings here over the years on the strategies driving Singapore’s progress and the regionalisation of its economy, and from the insights into the region’s geopolitics derived from many meetings with this country’s leaders.

02 32ndSL.indd 5

6/14/12 11:10:52 AM



Overall I have come to know Singapore as a forward-looking country which invests in its people, makes its luck, and prospers accordingly. Our host today, the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, seeks “to stimulate thinking and explore solutions to major salient issues in the region”.1 The topic of my lecture, the importance of governance for sustainable development, is salient for the peoples of Singapore and its neighbours, and indeed for peoples around the world. Singapore has demonstrated from the earliest days of its independence that good governance matters a great deal in getting development results. Strong vision and leadership at the political level, backed by a high quality public service contributing to the design and execution of policy, has transformed Singapore into the modern, entrepreneurial nation we know it as today. In that process, Singapore has shown an ability to reinvent itself continually to meet new challenges. The capacity to keep doing that will be critical to the country’s ongoing success. I note now the debate occurring around the next generation of change for the Singapore model, and believe that this is a healthy process. The Prime Minister himself has noted that last year’s election campaign and results “show that Singaporeans want their politics to evolve to become more consultative and inclusive. Singaporeans want to be engaged in shaping their future, and want the government to be more responsive to their immediate needs.” As Singapore evolves, I believe it is likely to address decisively the challenges which have emerged to its current development model, not least rising inequality, and move to greater engagement of its people in pursuing equitable and sustainable development.

02 32ndSL.indd 6

6/14/12 11:10:52 AM



Our world has experienced unprecedented development pro­ gress over the last four decades, leading to the global population as a whole being healthier, wealthier, and better educated than ever before. As we approach the 2015 target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, we are within reach of seeing every child enrolled in primary school, and many fewer lives are being lost to poverty, hunger, and disease. Sustainable development must be about enabling countries to accelerate and sustain that progress. It must be about establishing a trajectory of human development which allows all people to exercise their choices and meet their aspirations, both in this generation and those to come. It must also be about enabling the benefits of development to spread to those left behind in the progress made to date. Good governance which drives the achievement of development results must also now rise to the challenge of achieving the equitable and sustainable development which will secure our common future. This is a key theme of my remarks today.

The Opportunity of Rio+20 Three months from now, representatives of governments meeting at the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil will take decisions which could significantly influence the world’s ability to set a sustainable course. To do so, they will need to confront the inconvenient truths which are so often disguised by aggregate and average figures of progress. Many of the seven billion people on our planet home live in highly unequal societies where extreme poverty persists, and/or in regions already contending with extreme climate variability.

02 32ndSL.indd 7

6/14/12 11:10:52 AM



The multiple crises which have gripped our world in recent years have exacerbated these challenges, and have shown our planet’s economic, social, and eco-systems to be under considerable stress. The greatest risk to our common future, as pointed out by the Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability, lies in continuing down our current path. Economic and human development progress cannot be sustained if the eco-systems on which they depend are irreparably damaged, and if gross inequity leaves our societies unstable and lacking cohesion. Just as the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro set a new direction for our world twenty years ago, so, now, current development models should be re-examined to see what works, why, and where we can and must do better Rio+20 can play a significant role in rebalancing and resetting the global development agenda. Looking to both Rio+20 and beyond 2015 to the develop­ ment framework which will succeed the Millennium Development Goals, the question I ask is not only what do we want our common future to look like, but also how can good governance help us achieve it. Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff said in a recent speech that from now on “we want the word ‘development’ always associated with the term ‘sustainable’.” Further, she said, “We believe that it is possible to grow and to include, to protect, and to conserve.” I agree. Not only is it possible to grow and to include, protect, and conserve at the same time, but also truly equitable and sustainable human development requires that we do so.

02 32ndSL.indd 8

6/14/12 11:10:53 AM



Our decisions at the national, regional, and global levels can help restore the global environmental commons, and provide access to the economic means and services which the poor need to expand their choices and opportunities. This is not only, or even mainly, a challenge for developing countries. It is a global challenge. Clear responsibility rests with countries of the global north, to address their own social fractures, reduce their environmental footprint, and act in a way which supports the development of the global south. I believe humankind can meet this challenge.

The Role of Governance I use the opportunity of being here in Singapore, to highlight an essential but under-discussed aspect of what it will take to do so: the importance of active, effective, honest, and fair governance at all levels.  Through our support for countries striving to achieve sustainable development around the world, UNDP observes again and again the importance of such governance for achieving development results. Three reasons could be postulated for that: First, active governance, which anticipates and responds to the needs of its citizen and evolving development challenges, with deliberate, targeted, and pro-active planning and delivery, is essential to getting the business of development done. Active and effective governance requires governing institutions which are capable of delivering reliable and quality services where and when they are needed. It requires public administration which

02 32ndSL.indd 9

6/14/12 11:10:53 AM

10

can collect revenues honestly, allocate and invest public funds wisely, and manage public goods, including land and other natural resources, for the benefit of all. As we know from Singapore’s history, active and effective governance has made a substantial contribution to this country’s development success. As was highlighted in the joint UNDP-Singapore publica­ tion launched last year, “Virtuous Cycles: The Singapore Public Service and National Development”, Singapore’s exceptionally effective public administration was no accident. It was the result of the Government’s deliberate effort, which continues to this day, to put in place the institutional and other arrangements required for effective governance.  That, in turn, spurred national development, creating a virtuous cycle which has given Singapore one of the highest levels of GDP per capita in the world. As well, last year Singapore ranked a high 26 out of 187 countries in UNDP’s Human Development Index — which is a composite index of education, health and income measures. Second, effective governance is a prerequisite for putting in place the integrated policy-making capacity which is needed to drive sustainable development. A sustainable development response to the complex and interlinked challenges countries face today demands policy­ making which views economic growth, poverty reduction, social development, equity, and sustainability not as competing goals to be traded off against each other, but as interconnected objectives which are most effectively pursued together.

02 32ndSL.indd 10

6/14/12 11:10:53 AM

11

The important realization is that in pursuing one objective, we can either advance, slow, or stall progress in another. Re­ ducing environmental degradation, for example, can create jobs, and help alleviate poverty. The converse also applies: a degraded environment can undermine the long-term economic and social health of a country. To get the wide range of policies moving in the same direc­ tion, governments must be able to understand and harness the connections between them. Policy-makers and their advisors need to be able to weigh the evidence and identify the ‘triple-win’ solutions which can bring economic, environmental, and social benefits. Policy and regulatory frameworks must also be designed to attract and use finance and new technologies in ways which generate sustainability and meet the needs of citizens, including the poorest and most vulnerable. Achieving this puts a premium on having a capable public service and effective governance mechanisms which can weave the economic, social, and environmental strands of sustainable development together. Here, again, Singapore has experiences worthy of study. In setting out a “Sustainable Development Blueprint”, the Government of Singapore took a ‘whole of government’ approach which brought together all relevant Ministries to analyse emerging challenges and determine how to tackle them. Through this cross-sectoral approach, Ministers and committee members were able to identify the actions needed to overcome challenges, reduce risks, and take advantage of opportunities, to ensure the sustainability of Singapore’s remarkable social and economic progress for current and future generations.

02 32ndSL.indd 11

6/14/12 11:10:53 AM

12

Third, fair governance matters for sustainable development because it holds the key to building stable and secure societies and to driving inclusive growth within the finite boundaries of our planet over the long term. Fair, reliable, and accountable governing institutions build trust between people and government. Such institutions need to be free of corruption. Meaningful engagement and participation of citizens in shaping decisions which impact on them is also important, as is the existence of independent institutions which can hold government to account. Through its democratic governance work, UNDP is support­ ing over one hundred countries to strengthen the institutions and processes needed to build trust, improve responsiveness, and advance development. Through our experience of this work, we have learned that there can be no uniform approach to it. Our efforts are tailored to individual countries’ contexts and respond to their requests, for example, to help strengthen electoral, legislative, justice and anti-corruption systems, and enhance public administration and service delivery, including to reach those most in need. Through our respective experiences and histories, Singapore and UNDP have both learned lessons about the importance of active, effective, honest, and fair governance for getting develop­ ment results. Later in this lecture, I will elaborate more on how such governance can help drive equitable and sustainable development. First, however, let me reflect on our world’s progress to date in putting the concept of sustainable development into practice, and on why we need to advance both equity and sustainability through good governance.

02 32ndSL.indd 12

6/14/12 11:10:54 AM

13

Equitable and Sustainable Development — Is There Progress? In 1987, former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, Chair of the World Commission on Environment and Development, delivered the Commission’s report to the United Nations. It called on the world to “meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. At the Earth Summit in 1992, that far sighted concept of sustainable development was backed in a strong Declaration and in Agenda 21, setting out what needs to happen to sustain a healthy environment and promote inclusive development. Twenty years later, Rio+20 needs to re-commit to that unfinished agenda, and marry it to countries’ on-going and concerted efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The MDGs have been successful in generating political lead­ ership, broad partnerships, and civic engagement for development. Preliminary 2010 data from the World Bank suggest that the world as a whole has already met the MDG target of halving the proportion of people living in extreme poverty. The proportion of people without access to safe drinking water has been cut in half, well in advance of the 2015 deadline.2 The MDG targets on gender parity in primary education,3 and child mortality are likely to be met or nearly met by 2015. The total number of children out of school fell by one third during the last decade — from 106 million to sixty-seven million.4 Progress has also been made on key environmental objec­ tives. Global conventions on climate change, biodiversity, and

02 32ndSL.indd 13

6/14/12 11:10:54 AM

14

desertification, all a legacy of the Earth Summit, have come into effect. Global chlorofluorocarbon production has been phased out, and the ozone layer is expected to recover.5 More actors in the private sector are engaged in securing an environmentally sound future. But the world has changed significantly since the MDGs were launched more than a decade ago. There is now a much greater appreciation of the threat and the reality of climate change. It is clear that countries which lack the capacity to adapt to that change, and the poorest and most marginalized people who depend directly on natural resources for their livelihoods, are more vulnerable to this threat and will be disproportionately affected by it. The projected increase in the world’s population from seven billion to almost nine billion by 2040 will place more strain on our planet’s ecosystems. Globally, nearly forty per cent of land is degraded due to soil erosion, reduced fertility, and overgrazing. Yet, by 2030, it is estimated that the world will need at least fifty per cent more food, 45 per cent more energy, and thirty per cent more water.6 Adverse environmental factors are predicted to cause world food prices to rise by thirty to fifty per cent in real terms in the coming decades and to increase price volatility, with harsh repercussions for poor households.7 The high numbers of people trying to survive below or just above the extreme poverty line of $1.25-a-day points to the continuing vulnerability of poor people across the world.8 It is not only Singapore which is now debating the impact of income inequality and how to address it. This is now a significant

02 32ndSL.indd 14

6/14/12 11:10:54 AM

15

global issue, commanding our attention at the highest multilateral and national levels. Inequality was a major topic at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, as political and corporate leaders alike reflected on its impact on social cohesion and stability. According to a report by Credit Suisse, the world’s richest one per cent held forty-three per cent of the world’s total wealth in 2010, while the lowest fifty per cent held under two per cent. UNICEF estimates that on trends observed between 1990 and 2007, it would take more than eight hundred years for the poorest one billion people to achieve ten per cent of global income.9 UNICEF also notes the disturbing high prevalence of children and young people in the lowest income quintiles, with approximately fifty per cent in the group living under the $2 a day poverty line in the 1990–2007 period. This has obvious implications for children’s health status, their opportunities — or lack of them — for education, and their wellbeing and income prospects later in life.

Pursuing More Equitable and Sustainable Models of Development, and the Role of Governance The protests on the streets of cities around the world from Europe and the United States to the Arab States region and elsewhere suggest that persistent inequities are no more politically sustainable than the devastation of our ecosystems is environmentally sustainable. Put the two sets of challenges together and we have issues which will take visionary, strategic, and determined governments working with a wide range of stakeholders and with an engaged citizenry to address. Going forward, new models of development are needed to meet existing and emerging challenges. Development must help reduce inequalities and inequities, while ensuring that we stay within the ecological boundaries of the one planet we have to live on.

02 32ndSL.indd 15

6/14/12 11:10:55 AM

16

In these new models, we need to look beyond the speed of economic growth as a driver of development and examine its quality. The forty-year review of human development progress undertaken by UNDP for its 2010 global Human Development Report, found that it is the quality, more than the speed, of growth which matters most in lifting human development. Thus growth needs to be both inclusive and sustainable. It needs to expand opportunities for decent livelihoods and ensure that all can benefit. Active, effective, honest, and fair governance is important in achieving that. Market forces will create winners and losers. Public policy and its implementation can give everyone a chance to succeed. A decade ago, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, issued from the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, also stressed that “Good governance within each country and at the international level is essential for sustainable development.” In 2012 it is now time to bring the MDG and sustainable development agendas together, and for reinvigorated action around them. Achieving that will require active, effective, honest, and fair governance too. The Singapore experience and UNDP’s observations from decades of involvement in capacity building demonstrate why such governance matters. In the first place, without good governance, countries will find it hard to achieve any sustained development results, let alone rise to the contemporary challenge of achieving equitable and sustainable development. Here in Singapore, leaders of the newly independent state recognised how important effective public administration would be

02 32ndSL.indd 16

6/14/12 11:10:55 AM

17

for achieving national goals. The country’s leaders understood that the role of public administration was not only to deliver public goods and services reliably, but also to back the national strategic vision through the development and pursuit of appropriate policy. UNDP and its predecessor organisations worked with Singapore from those early years. Dr Albert Winsemius supported the young country’s leaders to lay the ground for a viable, export-oriented economy. Strategic choices were made about which sectors to build. UNDP and others worked with many arms of the government here, offering technical advice and support for improvements in productivity, technology upgrades in selected industries, and skills training to drive the economy forward. An exceptional public service rallied round this focused development agenda. Singapore’s government acted early and decisively to root out corruption, enabling it to build a merit-based public service which remains one of the world’s most effective to this day. The story of how Singapore was transformed from a city where corruption was rife at the time of independence to one of the least corrupt places in the world is remarkable. It started from an understanding that Singapore’s development strategy required the attraction of foreign investment, which in turn, depended on having clean government. On that foundation was built a solid and unwavering political commitment to tackle corruption. A relatively small, but very competent and dedicated, Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau and a solid legal framework also played a vital role. The circumstances of Singapore are unique, but the example of how political will married with technical competence

02 32ndSL.indd 17

6/14/12 11:10:55 AM

18

can successfully fight corruption, and build an effective public administration, is one from which many can learn. Singapore’s experience, as distilled in the “Virtuous Cycles” publication, can and does inform the work of UNDP, as we advise and support countries to build strong public administration and root out corruption. For example, through UNDP’s work with countries on imple­ mentation of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), we stress the importance of strong, well-staffed, anticorruption institutions, and the need for citizen review and feedback mechanisms. Last year, UNDP brought together high-level representatives from twenty countries in the Asia Pacific region to exchange experiences on how to measure and prevent corruption, including through the use of new technologies. Partly as a result of this meeting, India’s “ipaidabribe.com” anti-corruption initiative is now likely to be replicated in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The initiative enables citizens to report bribery attempts anonymously to a website, where the information is then summarised and made public, enabling those working against corruption to use it. At the most local level of government UNDP has also observed what works in improving basic services. When people are given a say about such services, such as access to clean and reliable water, and those providing them are made accountable, service delivery tends to improve. For example, with the support of UNDP, the Bonda Town community in Kenya established a feedback mechanism for water service, and gave people a say in the governance of water

02 32ndSL.indd 18

6/14/12 11:10:55 AM

19

boards. This led to better training for water service providers, the annual revenue from water provision increased, and more people received reliable access to safe water. The challenge now for governance at all levels is to make it fit for purpose for equitable and sustainable development. The challenges confronting governments and our world today are complex and multifaceted. They defy solution by any single ministry or set of stakeholders, and often their global dimensions mean they are beyond the capacity of any single country to resolve. We need effective governance at the global level too. At the national level, there are good examples of integrated decision making. The ingredients of success include; • the leadership of the head of state or government, or of another very senior figure, • broad political support in a legislature, • mobilisation of a wide range of relevant stakeholders, including sub-national governments, academia and research institutes, the private sector, and civil society, • setting realistic time frames for achieving results, which are long enough to address development challenges, but short enough to influence behaviour today; • alignment with national budgets, sectoral programmes, and, where relevant, development partner activities, and • having measurable indicators by which to assess progress. Singapore itself has developed an impressive ‘whole-ofgovernment’ approach in its Blueprint for Sustainable Development. In its report to the UN Secretary General, the High Level Panel on Sustainable Development recognised the challenge of integrated policy making, and cited the integration of budgets

02 32ndSL.indd 19

6/14/12 11:10:56 AM

20

as a powerful tool to drive coherence across governments. That may mean allocating resources to strategic goals rather than to individual ministries or departments. Integrated approaches look for multiple wins from policies, where living standards improve and the environment is looked after. A good example of such an approach is to be found in Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net programme,10 which has reached over eight million beneficiaries in three hundred food-insecure districts. It provides cash and predictable food supplies in return for work done on environmental conservation, water source protection, and terracing. The calorie intake of recipient households has increased by nineteen per cent. Overall I am also very impressed by Ethiopia’s strategy for raising living standards while maintaining low carbon emissions, through its Climate Resilient Green Growth Initiative launched late last year. In Niger’s southern regions, farmers, supported by local communities,11 have reforested five million hectares, or about four per cent of the country’s land area. This has improved soil quality and increased cereal yields by 100 kilograms per hectare in 2009, securing livelihoods and improving food security in the area. More support for these kinds of “multiple win” solutions is urgently needed in Niger and elsewhere in the Sahel, to build resilience and lock in development gains through periods of recurrent and intense droughts. Integrated decision making for sustainable development is vital at sub-national levels too. Many policies relevant to building resilience, including adapting to extreme climate, like disaster risk reduction, natural resource management, and land-use planning, are

02 32ndSL.indd 20

6/14/12 11:10:56 AM

21

often dealt with at that level. Building the capacity of sub-national authorities to work in these ways is a priority for UNDP.

An Agenda on Better Governance for Sustainable Development Meeting the needs of people today, without compromising those of future generations, requires governance to rise to new levels of effectiveness and develop new capacities for integrated policymaking around a clear vision for sustainable development. East Asia’s dynamic economic performance has benefited hundreds of millions of people, but, as elsewhere in the world, that growth model has also led to environmental degradation, and it has exposed inequalities within nations, as some have clearly benefited far more than others. There are dimensions to the sustainability challenge where regional frameworks for co-operation and integration are useful, enabling exchange of best practices and innovation, and fostering a sense of shared responsibility for transborder issues. As a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Singapore has always given strong commitment to regional integration and to South-South co-operation across the grouping. The ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Co-operation (APAEC) 2010–2015 is an example of how a regional framework can lead the way, by providing targets for energy security and sustainability, and promoting shared responsibility for the region’s development. At the global level, Rio+20 offers an opportunity to strengthen international governance for sustainable development. It could

02 32ndSL.indd 21

6/14/12 11:10:56 AM

22

establish a mechanism to evaluate and review progress. UNDP has proposed, as an option, the creation of a Sustainable Development Council. Such a Council could be equipped with a universal periodic review mechanism, through which countries would review each other’s performance, on a voluntary basis, across the three dimensions of sustainable development. The review could be tailored to the specific circumstances and challenges of each particular country, and might also include an assessment of the international support being provided by the UN and the International Financial Institutions. A voluntary review mechanism could also be a way of sharing best practice and lessons on how to advance sustainable development. Ongoing reform of the UN development system can also help developing countries design joined-up policies for sustainable development. A well co-ordinated UN Country Team can offer the integrated policy services which can support countries to tackle cross-cutting issues. It is my hope that Rio+20 and the UN General Assembly’s Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review later this year will both be catalysts for stronger and more effective coordination within the UN development system. South-South and triangular co-operation also have an important role to play in building governance and technical capacities for sustainable development. The Singapore Co-operation Programme has a long tradition of contributing to knowledge exchange through courses, seminars, and workshops in key development areas, including in public governance and administration. Over the years this Programme has reached out to more than 75,000 government officials from 170 developing countries.

02 32ndSL.indd 22

6/14/12 11:10:56 AM

23

UNDP has been partner of this programme since 1992. We look forward to furthering this partnership, building on Singapore’s expertise in public administration, through South-South and triangular co-operation in the region and beyond.

Conclusion Our world has the capacity to design pathways to a future grounded in equitable and sustainable development, which meets the needs of current generations without compromising those of the future. Rio+20 in June can set the direction for such development for decades to come, just as the landmark Rio Earth Summit did in 1992. I note that Singapore played an important role at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, where Ambassador Tommy Koh chaired the Preparatory and Main Committees. I hope that this country’s diplomatic skills will be fully deployed again in the service of a good outcome from Rio+20 this year. Singapore’s own experience shows how visionary and development-oriented leadership, combined with competent and honest public administration, can drive sustained development results. That experience can be harnessed in the service of truly equitable and sustainable development across the economic, social, and environmental pillars. At the United Nations’ MDG Summit in 2010, powerful and compelling development success stories made a big impact, sending delegates home re-energized and with new ideas on how to accelerate their own efforts. Rio+20 also needs to showcase sustainable development achievements in areas such as energy, to show how “triple win” policies can work.

02 32ndSL.indd 23

6/14/12 11:10:57 AM

24

But for these policies to work, governance is important. Political leadership matters, and so does a quality civil service. A nation committed to a vision of equitable and sustainable development, to clean and effective government, to engaging citizens in dialogue about the way ahead and in implementation, and to building the capacities required to drive the vision forward will be a nation which enhances the wellbeing not only of its own citizens, but of our planet as a whole.

Notes From ISEAS’ website ‘About Us’ 3 4 5 “Over the past decade concentration and extent of ozone neither notably decreased nor increased (WMO/UNEP 2012). The ozone layer outside the polar regions is expected to recover to its pre-1980 levels before 2050.” Available at: 6 Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing Report of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel on Sustainable Development, 2012, page 11, available at: 7 8 See World Bank Press release, available at: 9 See UNICEF Working Paper, April 2011, Global Inequality: Beyond the Bottom Billion, page 19, available at: 1 2

02 32ndSL.indd 24

6/14/12 11:10:57 AM

25 See World Bank, “Public Safety Net Programme”, available at: 11 D. Blay, et al. Rehabilitation of Degraded Lands in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons Learned from Selected Case Studies, Forestry Research Network For Sub-Saharan Africa, 2004, available at: 10

02 32ndSL.indd 25

6/14/12 11:10:57 AM

Helen Clark

Helen Clark became the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme in April 2009, and is the first woman to lead the organization. She is also the Chair of the United Nations Development Group, a committee consisting of the heads of all UN funds, programmes and departments working on deve­ lopment issues. Prior to her appointment with UNDP, Helen Clark served for nine years as Prime Minister of New Zealand, serving three successive terms from 1999–2008. Throughout her tenure as Prime Minister, Helen Clark engaged widely in policy development and advocacy across the international, economic, social and cultural spheres. Under her leadership, New Zealand achieved significant economic growth, low levels of unemployment, and high levels of investment in education and health, and in the well-being of families and older citizens. She and her government prioritized reconciliation and the settlement of historical grievances with New Zealand’s indigenous people and the development of an inclusive multicultural and multi-faith society. Helen Clark advocated strongly for New Zealand’s com­ prehensive programme on sustainability and for tackling the problems of climate change. Her objectives have been to establish New Zealand as being among the world’s leading nations in dealing with these challenges. Helen Clark was also an active leader of her country’s foreign relations and policies, engaging in a wide range of international issues. As Prime Minister, Helen Clark was a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, an international network

03 32ndSL.indd 26

4/23/12 11:13:40 AM

27

of current and former women presidents and prime ministers whose mission is to mobilize the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development. Helen Clark held ministerial responsibility during her nine years as Prime Minister for New Zealand’s intelligence agencies and for the portfolio of arts, culture and heritage. She has seen the promotion of this latter portfolio as important in expressing the unique identity of her nation in a positive way. Helen Clark came to the role of Prime Minister after an extensive parliamentary and ministerial career. First elected to Parliament in 1981, Helen Clark was re-elected to her multicultural Auckland constituency for the tenth time in November 2008. Earlier in her career, she chaired Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. Between 1987 and 1990, she was a Minister responsible for first, the portfolios of Conservation and Housing, and then Health and Labour. She was Deputy Prime Minister between August 1989 and November 1990. From that date until December 1993 she served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition, and then as Leader of the Opposition until winning the election in November 1999. Prior to entering the New Zealand Parliament, Helen Clark taught in the Political Studies Department of the University of Auckland. She graduated with a BA in 1971 and an MA with First Class Honours in 1974. She is married to Peter Davis, a Professor at Auckland University.

Post of the UNDP Administrator The UNDP Administrator is appointed by the Secretary-General and confirmed by the General Assembly for a term of four years. Paul G. Hoffman was appointed as the first Administrator of UNDP in 1966 and served until retirement in 1972. David Owen, who led UNDP’s predecessor organization, the Expanded Programme

03 32ndSL.indd 27

4/23/12 11:13:40 AM

28

of Technical Assistance (EPTA), was appointed as Mr Hoffman’s Co-Administrator. Rudolph A. Peterson was appointed Administrator in 1972 followed by Bradford Morse in 1976; William H. Draper lll, 1986; James Gustave Speth, 1993 to 30 June 1999; Mark Malloch Brown, 1999–2005; and Kemal Derviş, 2005–2009.

03 32ndSL.indd 28

4/23/12 11:13:41 AM

THE SINGAPORE LECTURE SERIES

Inaugural Singapore Lecture 14 October 1980 The Invisible Hand in Economics and Politics by MILTON FRIEDMAN 2nd Singapore Lecture 30 October 1981 American Foreign Policy: A Global View by HENRY KISSINGER 3rd Singapore Lecture 2 December 1982 Peace and East-West Relations by GISCARD D’ESTAING 4th Singapore Lecture 10 November 1983 The Soviet Union: Challenges and Responses as Seen from the European Point of View by HELMUT SCHMIDT 5th Singapore Lecture 8 November 1984 The Western Alliance: Its Future and Its Implications for Asia by JOSEPH M.A.H. LUNS 6th Singapore Lecture 5 December 1985 Deficits, Debts, and Demographics: Three Fundamentals Affecting Our Long-Term Economic Future by PETER G. PETERSON

04 32ndSL.indd 29

4/27/12 3:37:48 PM

30 7th Singapore Lecture 25 November 1986 Trends in the International Financial System by RAYMOND BARRE 8th Singapore Lecture 27 November 1987 The Challenge of Change in the Asia-Pacific Region by BOB HAWKE 9th Singapore Lecture 14 December 1988 Regionalism, Globalism and Spheres of Influence: ASEAN and the Challenge of Change into the 21st Century by MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 10th Singapore Lecture 15 October 1989 Trade Outlook: Globalization or Regionalization by BRIAN MULRONEY 11th Singapore Lecture 3 April 1991 International Economic Developments by R.F.M. LUBBERS 12th Singapore Lecture 4 January 1992 U.S. Policy in the Asia-Pacific Region: Meeting the Challenges of the Post Cold-War Era by GEORGE BUSH

04 32ndSL.indd 30

4/27/12 3:37:48 PM

31 13th Singapore Lecture 8 September 1994 India and the Asia-Pacific: Forging a New Relationship by P.V. NARASIMHA RAO 14th Singapore Lecture 17 January 1996 Australia, Asia and the New Regionalism by PAUL KEATING 15th Singapore Lecture 14 January 1997 Reforms for the New Era of Japan and ASEAN: For a Broader and Deeper Partnership by RYUTARO HASHIMOTO 16th Singapore Lecture 6 March 1997 South and Southern Africa into the Next Century by NELSON R. MANDELA 17th Singapore Lecture 30 November 1999 China and Asia in the New Century by ZHU RONGJI 18th Singapore Lecture 14 February 2000 Global Values: The United Nations and the Rule of Law in the 21st Century by Kofi A. Annan

04 32ndSL.indd 31

4/27/12 3:37:48 PM

32 19th Singapore Lecture 27 November 2000 Peace on the Korean Peninsula and East Asia by KIM DAE-JUNG 20th Singapore Lecture 14 January 2002 Japan and ASEAN in East Asia: A Sincere and Open Partnership by JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI 21st Singapore Lecture 9 April 2002 India’s Perspectives on ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific Region by ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE 22nd Singapore Lecture 6 July 2002 EU-Asia: Sharing Diversity in an Inter-regional Partnership by ROMANO PRODI 23rd Singapore Lecture 13 May 2003 Investments into the Future: State and Economy at the Beginning of the 21st Century by GERHARD SCHRÖDER 24th Singapore Lecture 30 April 2004 Global Challenges in the 21st Century: A View from Chile by Ricardo Lagos 25th Singapore Lecture 16 February 2005 Indonesia: The Challenge of Change by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

04 32ndSL.indd 32

4/27/12 3:37:49 PM

33 26th Singapore Lecture 21 April 2005 Africa’s Season of Hope: The Dawn of a New Africa-Asia Partnership by thabo mvuyelwa mbeki 27th Singapore Lecture 1 February 2006 Evolution of Enlightened Societies by A.P.J. ABDUL KALAM 28th Singapore Lecture 11 April 2006 Opportunities and Challenges for Asian-Arabian Ties by suLtan bin abdul aziz al-sAud 29th Singapore Lecture 12 August 2008 Building on ASEAN’s Success: Towards an Asia-Pacific Community by kevin rudd 30th Singapore Lecture 23 October 2009 Towards New Global Partnerships: Economics, Governance, Values by JAN PETER BALKENENDE 31st Singapore Lecture 2 June 2011 by ANGELA MERKEL 32nd Singapore Lecture 13 March 2012 The Importance of Governance for Sustainable Development by Helen Clark

04 32ndSL.indd 33

4/27/12 3:37:49 PM