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  4. Ensuring That No One Is Left Behind: Envisioning An Inclusive World In 2030

Ensuring that no one is left behind: Envisioning an inclusive world in 2030

Inclusion is at the core of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Inclusiveness speaks to the notion of empowerment and the principle of non-discrimination. It is reflected in the pledge to leave no one behind and in the vision of a “just, equitable, tolerant, open and socially inclusive world in which the needs of the most vulnerable are met” and “a world in which every country enjoys sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and decent work for all” (paragraphs 8 and 9). It is also reflected both in goals and targets, including Goal 4, which refers to inclusive and equitable quality education; Goal 8, which refers to sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth; Goal 9, which refers to inclusive and sustainable industrialization; Goal 11, which refers to inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and human settlements; and Goal 16, which refers to peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development and to accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. It refers to the need to include everyone in societal processes, and conveys the notion that people should not only be allowed to thrive, but should have a voice and effective opportunities to shape the course of development. Thus, the Agenda is relevant to all countries and all people, belongs to everyone, and its success will depend on the active implication and engagement of all actors and on reaching the furthest behind first.

Making the inclusive world envisioned in the 2030 Agenda a reality will require innovation in policy-making and implementation. It will require rethinking economic development strategies and the manner in which economic, social and environmental policies are conceived and delivered. Along with policies aimed at aggregate outcomes, inclusion calls for identifying and addressing the barriers faced by disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in the access to resources, services, and opportunities. This, in turn, will require effectively drawing into decision-making and policy formulation and implementation, at all levels of government, the groups that are typically excluded from these processes and left behind in the outcomes.

This session will discuss solutions to the challenges of inclusion in both outcome and procedures, through innovation in policy formulation and implementation. Perspectives from the three pillars of sustainable development – social, economic and environmental – will be presented.

Possible questions for discussion:

  1. What does inclusion mean in practice (in relation to policies, institutions, legal instruments and other mechanisms) and how are governments addressing the challenge?
  2. What lessons can be learned from concrete experiences at national, regional and global levels aimed at inclusion in outcomes and decision-making processes?
  3. How can innovation in policy-making and policy implementation be fostered to face the challenges of inclusion in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?

1 The 2030 Agenda does not define inclusion or inclusive. The Overview of the Report on the World Social Situation 2016, Leaving No One Behind: Progress Towards Achieving Socially-Inclusive Development (UNDESA, January 2016) considers social inclusion as the “process of improving the terms of participation in society, particularly for people who are disadvantaged on the basis of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, economic and migrant status”.  

Chair:

  • H.E. Mr. Hector Alejandro Palma Cerna, Deputy-Permanent Representative of Honduras to the UN and Vice President of ECOSOC

Moderator:

  • Ms. Lisa Foster, Director of the Office for Access to Justice of the United States Department of Justice

Panellists:

  • H.E. Mr. Ion Jinga, Permanent Representative of Romania to the United Nations and Chair of the 54th session of the Commission for Social Development
  • Ms. Onalenna Selolwane, Executive Committee Member of the Mosadi Khumo Socio Economic Empowerment Forum for Women and member of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP)

Lead discussants:

  • Mr. Ibrahim Ismail Abdallah, President of the Arab Organization of Persons with Disabilities (AOPD)
  • Mr. Alvaro Esteban Pop Ac, Chair of the 15th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues– UNPFII