Media Coverage

The Sustainable Development Policy Institute’s (SDPI) annual Sustainable Development Conference concluded today with a renewed resolve towards greater regional cooperation in South Asia. The conference brought together policy and practice communities to interact and recommend interventions and present workable solutions to emerging challenges in South Asia.

Experts in the session on alternate dispute resolution (ADR) and access to justice highlighted the need for such mechanisms so as to prevent various types of conflict, including the persistent militancy problem in Pakistan. In the roundtable discussion on governance, peace and justice in South Asia, Dr. Vaqar Ahmed, Deputy Executive Director, SDPI observed that bilateral issues are halting regional cooperation. Paul Macarthy from the World Bank highlighted the unbalanced distribution of power between the public sector, private sector and citizens. Good governance can only be ensured when there is equal distribution of power in the society, he observed. It was also noted that connecting people, as in the IDRC fellowship for Asian students, has helped students across South Asia to explore and understand common challenges to the region.
On the 2015 development agenda in the context of MDGs, MNA Marriyum Aurangzeb observed that Pakistan has been unable to achieve MDGs due to lack of effective monitoring. She added that peace and security should be included as a separate goal in the post-MDGs agenda. Experts also stressed that the civil administration involved in the implementation of MDGs needs to be monitored and held accountable. Their performance should be linked with clear performance indicators. The development partners and the global community should be reminded of their promise towards fulfilling the MDG goal focusing on building global partnerships. The developed countries must honor their commitments in the MDGs process and should contribute towards foreign assistance, the committed portfolio of investments.

Panelists in the session on Institutional Dynamics of Policy Research in South Asia identified discrepancies in the institutional dynamics of policy making in the region. The dynamics of policy making were argued to be inconsistent in order to encourage policy-relevant research. It was suggested that quality research should serve as guidance for policy makers. It was established that the issue of autonomy over the research agenda has particular influence on the relevance and the quality of research produced by either universities or think tanks.

Experts in the panel on regional cooperation for food security in South Asia highlighted that food insecurities in the region may grow starker if cooperative measures are not pursued between SAARC member states. In Bangladesh, there is in imbalance between taxation and food prices, while local markets are also dependent on India. Food security is also imperative for poverty reduction and human development in the region. Experts in the panel on preservation of heritage highlighted the importance of regional languages and dialects in Pakistan. They also observed that more of cultural and regional studies should be incorporated in schooling curricula in Pakistan.