The US is now a 'rogue nation', believes economist Jeffrey Sachs, but he is optimistic that the rest of the world is still trying to make progress
The US is becoming a 'rogue state', economist Jeffrey Sachs has told a Guardian audience. “But let's not assume that everything is catastrophic right now”.
Sachs spoke at the Guardian’s annual UNGA seminar after seeing President Trump speak at the UN, and said he was “shaken” by what he had heard. “I could not believe that the President of the United States could talk with such vulgarity at the podium of the UN,” said Sachs, adding that Trump represented “the bravado of a country that thinks it runs the show.” But the UN adviser and Columbia University professor said he does not believe the US leads the world anymore.
Sachs has been at the forefront of the international development community for decades, and was widely regarded as one of the driving forces behind the millienium development goals, the predecessors to the sustainable development goals (SDGs). In his 2005 bestselling book “The End of Poverty,” he argued that extreme poverty could be eradicated within 20 years. There are plenty of critics of his “Big Aid” approach and of the work he has done. But there is also no doubt that he has been one of the most influential voices in the international world, acting as special advisor to three UN heads (Kofi Annan, Ban Ki-Moon and now Antonio Guterres) in a row.
“Most of the world is still trying to be in the business of doing something, not just throwing around threats,” he told the event. “If you look in Asia, China’s One Belt One Road programme is the most significant cooperation on trans-boundary infrastructure we’ve ever seen, with hundreds of billions of dollars being invested. So I don’t think that we should assume that it’s all completely catastrophic right now. If you listen to Trump you do feel that way.”
The Guardian’s annual event focussed this year on scrutinising the progress of the UN’s SDGs, two years after they were agreed up by 193 countries at the UN’s general assembly in 2015.
“We can’t solve any of the SDGs unless we are educating girls,” argues Alaa Murabit, second from right, with (l to r) Liz Ford, Liesbet Steer, Wendy Kopp and Teodora Berkova. Photograph: Stefano Giovannini
“These goals are ahead of the curve,” said Sachs. “There’s more recognition, there’s more uptake, there’s more engagement with governments around the world. There’s more interesting and creative things happening.”
During his talks with leaders in developing countries, Sachs said he has not heard any pushback on the goals. “The only rogue nation is the US, the one that is threatening to pull out of Paris [climate agreement]. For most of the world this agenda makes sense.”
He emphasised progress on public health, pointing out that the world is close to ending the Aids epidemic. He also saw progress on education and renewable energy. The world needs to “keep thought in our politics and ... ideas and rigour and knowledge in our politics” he said.
The role of technology in mitigating against environmental and humanitarian disasters was one question tackled by panelists. UN technology is currently helping the government in Chad to predict which areas will be flooded when during the rainy season, said Einar Bjorgo from UN’s technology division Unosat, during a panel discussion with Oxfam America, the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and the Global Environment Facility. When asked why this technology isn’t this being used more around the world, Bjorgo said: “It’s a question of capacity. The cost of the data is almost zero. It’s a question of capacity, knowledge and skills.”
It is politics that determines where investment is placed to prevent and mitigate against disasters, said Alex Thier, executive director of ODI. The huge amount of urban development that is going to happen in the next 20 years, he said, needs to be resilient to climate change. But uncertainty is undermining action, argued Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America. “The uncertainty undermines long term commitments to mitigating against disasters.” She believes that local civil society is best placed to prevent and respond to risk, but they need investment and support.
There needs to be more focus on reversing ecosystem degradation, said Chizuru Aoki, lead environmental specialist, the Global Environment Facility. “A lot of options are already out there,” she said. “Techniques and technologies are out there. So there are actually barriers for these things that are already in existence to be adapted and implemented.”
Is the global push on education succeeding?
“By 2030 on current trends half of the world’s children will not be on track to achieve basic secondary school skills,” said Liesbet Steer, director at the Education Commission, calling attention to the urgency of the situation. She said that one problem is that no-one knows how much is being spent globally on education so it is hard to work out what is cost effective. But there are some interventions that have proven to make a difference - preschool, micronutrients, malaria prevention and mother-tongue teaching.
The education crisis needs to be addressed by “enlisting the rising generation” to show leadership, said Wendy Kopp, chief executive, Teach For All. “Locally rooted leaders are going to be crucial - teachers, headteachers, education system leaders.” And girls education is the critical focal point, argued Alaa Murabit, SDG advocate and UN high-level commissioner on health employment and economic growth, pointing out the impact educating girls has on ending the cycle of poverty and on health and nutrition. “We can’t solve any of the SDGs unless we are educating girls,” she said.
But we can work together against Trump, said Netherlands minister Lilianne Ploumen, describing how she started the She Decides initiative in response to President Trump reinstating the Global Gag rule which stops US funding going to family planning programmes in developing countries. The response has been overwhelming, so far raising over $300m from 60 governments, private foundations and other donors while over 30,000 people have signed the She Decides manifesto.
