Millennium Development Goals for a More Just World

Rehman Sobhan, Chairman of Centre for Policy Dialogue, a prominent think tank in Bangladesh, presented a seminar on "Designing Millennium Development Goals for a More Just World" in New York. Prof. Sobhan, who also served as a member of Bangladesh Planning Commission and the Economics Affairs Adviser (Minister) to the Caretaker Government in 1991, drew upon his extensive research into the issues of poverty and inequality and his policy experience. In particular, he referred to ideas and suggestions that he had put forward in his recent book Challenging the Injustice of Poverty: Agendas for Inclusive Development in South Asia (Sage 2010). He thought that, instead of looking at the symptoms of poverty and inequality, it is necessary to go into their structural causes and address them effectively. In particular, he noted the importance of redistribution of assets, increasing the share of the primary producers in the value added, giving people more stake in the productive enterprises, improvement in the access to quality education and health care, democratization of governance, and establishment of a more just global order. He thought that the discussion of post-2015 goals should take up all these issues for consideration. The seminar was organized by the Development Policy and Strategy Analysis Unit of DPAD/DESA as part of the Development Policy Seminar Series.