This month’s OP-ed of the Newsletter is coming from ADA fellow Qurratul Ayen

(Let me start with my confession, I am at that stage where an academic is supposed to submerge them into writing, shaping in the condensed mix of theory and collection practices and making sense of a proposal that was submitted months/years ago. I am fumbling through the sea of references, multiple edits, feedback, and whatnot. And as much as I enjoy writing. my arguments, I am also a big hoarder of emotional baggage. While my performative fingers are running through the laptop to establish a language that my academic circles approve, a few fleeting thoughts ganged up on my mind and asked for the audacity to open up a blank Microsoft page. Hence, I wrote this rhetorical excerpt.)
 
There are three points to be taken while discussing the history of the mainstream development model and how it functions. First, is the political nature of developmental models. The definition of modern-day development was inaugurated as a by-product of global politics and it is still continuing. Therefore, development cannot be seen separately from politics. Secondly, the foundation of the development model stems from colonial and capitalist views. And thirdly, this colonial and capitalist place divides the world into two parts, developed and underdeveloped, which later translates into many more divisions of rich and poor, modern and traditional, formal and informal, etc.
 
The philosophy of this division is based on lack. If one reaches for the top, the other has to stay behind. If one is Developing, which is often a capitalist country, others must be under-developed which is a pre-capitalist, third-world country. Once it is established that the other one is ‘backward’ or Underdeveloped, one can no longer get out of the deficiency loophole.
Then, where is the human cost of this systematically created loophole?
 
The answer is still uncertain. This question of human-to-human relationships in development is haunted by the inability to speak or understand each other’s language. The humanitarian relation that development imitates often fails due to the micro-seeds of violence ingrained in the entire discourse and the impossibility of building relationships.
 
In the age of neoliberalism, where social media and countless apps are getting introduced so rapidly to the new generation, development comes as a crash course to speak the language of the affluent. With technology, our thinking, work, and philosophy change with the new generation. What was considered development a century ago is being questioned today.
Today, our earth is in crisis. It is a collective crisis. However, is this crisis enough to fuel the sense of collectiveness within us? Or we will fall into the trap of ‘divide and rule’ again?  As civil society, can we have moved forward with the core question? how can our border-centric countries, enlarge the sense of self to the point where the broader community – national and global – is more than just an abstraction?
 
When can we actually belong?
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 Please reach ADA Secretariat should you have any question/suggestions or want to post anything – info@ada2030.org
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What happened till now?
1.GALA-ELSAH Training of Trainers (ToT) Finale

The Three months long Online training is came to an end from 1st November to 4th November.
 
The GALA-ELSAH Training of Trainers (ToT) is an online capacity-building program for civil society advocates who are interested to learn and willing to conduct training programs at national and/or international level in Asia about how to engage in policy advocacy on the SDGs through human rights-based approach (HRBA) in partnership with ADA, the Korean Association of Human Rights Studies (KAHRS) ,Asia Civil Society Partnership for Sustainable Development (APSD), JANIC, Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) and the Action for Sustainable Development (A4SD) with financial support from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
 
This year 107 participants from all over Asia and including few from the United stated and Europe applied for the 4 days training program from 1-4 November 2022. The four days training program, was preceded by 6 bi-monthly webinars with 10 home-works sub-divided into Quiz -A and B over the period of past 2.5 months. There were final 30 selected participants who finished the home-works along with attending most of the webinars and were given certificates today !!
Enjoy the Class picture!

2.AGNA Steering Committee Meeting (Johannesburg) November 26-December 2nd

The Affinity Group of National Associations of CSOs #AGNA #CIVICUS met in Johannesburg, South Africa. The AGNA Steering Committee consulted on the strategic direction of this 18 year old network of networks. National Associations of CSOs are civil society enablers. AGNA has 88 members that work non-stop to protect and open civic spaces, to promote and facilitate the dialogue and joint work of civil society actors, and to advocate civil society agendas to national governments, multilateral fora, and the corporate sector. AGNA also explored how to continue offering a safe space for its 88 members to continue learning from one another and provide global solidarity amidst very restricted spaces for civil society.
 

3. COP27

The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27 closed November 20th, with a breakthrough agreement to provide “loss and damage” funding for vulnerable countries hit hard by climate disasters.
“This outcome moves us forward,” said Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary. “We have determined a way forward on a decades-long conversation on funding for loss and damage – deliberating over how we address the impacts on communities whose lives and livelihoods have been ruined by the very worst impacts of climate change.”

Set against a difficult geopolitical backdrop, COP27 resulted in countries delivering a package of decisions that reaffirmed their commitment to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The package also strengthened action by countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change, as well as boosting the support of finance, technology and capacity building needed by developing countries.Creating a specific fund for loss and damage marked an important point of progress, with the issue added to the official agenda and adopted for the first time at COP27.

Around the globe

Jiang Zemin: Former Chinese leader dies aged 96

Former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin, who came to power after the Tiananmen Square protests, has died at the age of 96. State media reported that he died shortly after 12:00 local time (04:00 GMT) in Shanghai on Wednesday. Jiang presided at a time when China opened up to the outside world and saw high-speed growth. His death came as China saw some of its most serious protests since Tiananmen

Source: BBC 

India’s GDP grows at 6.3% in the July-September quarter

According to estimates released by the National Statistics Office, India’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 6.3% in the July-September quarter, with gross value added (GVA) in the economy growing by 5.6%. GDP growth in the first quarter of the year was 13.5%, and GVA rose 12.7%. While GVA from agriculture accelerated to 4.6% in the second quarter, manufacturing and mining GVA contracted by 4.3% and 2.8% respectively in the second quarter from a year ago. The sharpest GVA growth in Q2 was reported by trade, hotels, transport, communication, and services related to the broadcasting sector, which grew by 14.7%, followed by financial, real estate, and professional services, which grew by 7.2% in GVA, and construction which was 6.6%. % increased.

Source: The Hindu

CEO confidence drops to an all-time low in H2 2022

The Conference Board Measure of CEO Confidence™ for Europe surveys corporate leaders and European Round Table (ERT) members. In its 11th edition, it revealed that the current level of confidence is the record lowest. One reason for the decreasing confidence is the rise the record high inflation. The aftereffects of the Ukraine-Russia war have made the CEOs and chairs in Europe pessimistic about the economy.However, the equivalent surveys conducted in US and China showed that US-based CEOs confidence has also lowered, but the confidence “in China 34 in April to 47” in the present day.

Source: ERT

Forthcoming Events!

South Asia Peoples Forum on the SDGs 2022

The South Asia Peoples Forum on the SDGs 2022 (SAPF 2022) is the collective event of the NGOs, people organizations, civil society networks, social movements and civil society major groups and stakeholders.

Main objectives of the forum are to (i) Assess the political, economic, social and environmental situation of the region, ii) Identify civic actions and policy demands to protect and fulfill the rights of South Asian peoples and just recovery, and iii) Develop strategies to intervene in 6th South Asia Forum on the SDGs of ESCAP.

The SAPF 2022 is now coordinated by Asia Pacific Regional CSOs Engagement Mechanism (APRCEM) South Asia Working Group and National Campaign for Sustainable Development Nepal (NACASUD Nepal). Roots of Pakistan and Special Talent Exchange Programme (STEP Pakistan) are contributing as the local host of the SAPF 2021.

The SAPF 2022 has proposed following agendas to discuss in the forum.
1) Review Progress of Goal 6, 7, 9 and 11 in South Asia
2) Partnership and Means of Implementation for the SDGs
3) Issues and Challenges of Development Justice of South Asian Peoples 
4) Priority Actions for Regional Cooperation

Make sure you don’t miss any updates from us!
(Keep an eye on https://ada2030.org to get updated)





 
NGO MG Global and Regional Organizing Partners ‘contact details
 
Global Organizing Partners (ngomajorgroupopny@gmail.com):
Jessica Bridgers (jessica.bridgers@wfa.org)
Lani Anaya  (lani@myworldmexico.org)
Oli Henman (oli.henman@action4sd.org)
 
Regional Organizing Partners:
Central Africa: Bernard Lutete Di Lutete (bernlutete@yahoo.fr)
Eastern Africa: Henry Oriokot (henrycidc@gmail.com)
Northern Africa: Hagar Monsif (h.monsif@maatpeace.org)
Southern Africa: Joseph Mihaye (aminiac15@gmail.com)
Western Africa: Kofi Kankam (eri@eri.kabissa.org)
 
Caribbean: Donovan McLaren (kevoy1@yahoo.com) and Joseph Severe (unascadhaiti@gmail.com)
North America: Kehkashan Basu (kehkashanbasu@greenhopefoundation.com)
South America: Rosario Diaz Garavito (r.garavito@themillennialsmovement.org)
 
Asia: Jyotsna Mohan (jyotsna@ada2030.org)
Central Asia: Artem Stepanenko (a.stepanenko@eca-ces.ru)
 
Europe: Lara-Zuzan Golesorkhi (golesorkhiwow@gmail.com)
 
Middle East/North Africa: Anis Brik (anisdago@gmail.com)
 
Pacific: Emeline Siale (siale@piango.org)

• ADA's official website has been renewed. All the information related to the
• implementation of SDGs in Asia and actions conducted by Asian CSOs will be accumulated on this website. Please visit www.ada2030.org
• ADA's Facebook page has been activated! The page will channel useful information among civil society actors in Asia. Feel free to tag @Asia Development Alliance in future collaboration. The page is accessible with this web address: https://www.facebook.com/ada2030/ 
• ADA Twitter account @alliance_asia