Research outcomes related to the post-2015 (post-MDGs) development agenda

As the target year of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is approaching, there have been increased discussions on the current MDGs framework and the progress towards their achievement. There are also a variety of discussions to establish international goals and targets after 2015.

JICA Research Institute (JICA-RI) has recently launched a research project entitled the “Evidence-based Analysis for the Post-2015 Development Strategies” *designed to assess the achievement status of MDGs and to explore the potential direction of the post-2015 development strategy. Outcomes from the research project are expected to contribute to the debate on international development agenda.

The project team is working to finalize a report with recommendations, which will focus on the two themes; “Inclusive Development” and “Resilience”. On these two themes, JICA-RI has published various research outcomes, which will constitute the foundations for the final report on the post-2015 agenda. These publications can be accessed through the link below.

In the post-2015 development agenda, it is important both to encourage inclusive development which will benefit all people and to strengthen resilience which will help people to adapt to and bounce back from external shocks such as natural disasters and armed conflicts.

In view of the disparities within and across countries in the MDGs achievements, the new development framework must take into account the shortcomings of the current MDG approach and aim for a development that will benefit all people. Since fragile and conflict-affected countries lag behind the most in the MDGs achievements, it will be indispensable to help them to have capacity to cope with risks such as conflicts in order to secure the benefit of the development.

This discussion reminds of the concept of “human security”. Human security calls for people-centered response that ensures all individuals to enjoy the opportunity of development and respond to various threats and downside risks, such as natural disasters and conflicts. Thus, the "human security" has the potential to serve as a guiding principle for the post-2015 development agenda.

A review on the MDGs achievements shows big disparities within and across countries. Under the circumstances, it is important to adopt the perspective of inclusive development, which fairly provides opportunities to participate in social and economic developments to all the people including those who have been left behind in achieving MDGs.

The research outcomes by JICA-RI provide analysis on (1) infrastructure development to deliver public services to underdeveloped rural areas and communities, (2) Public service provisions with equality (in terms of gender, ethnicity, etc.) (3) development that benefits poor people, and (4) assurance of quality and results in public services. These studies examine important topics in pursuing inclusive development.

The delay in the MDGs achievements may partly owe to the stagnation and regress due to external shocks such as conflicts and disasters. Capacity to cope with such external shocks is not contemplated in the current MDGs framework. Securing the MDGs achievement to be sustainable beyond 2015, and responding effectively to external shocks that hamper development are essential for the long-term development. It is important to mainstream the perspective of resilience, the capacity to cope with and bounce back from external shocks, into the post-2015 development framework.

External shocks that hamper development include (1) economic crisis, (2) climate change, (3) natural disasters, and (4) armed conflicts. JICA-RI has published the following research outcomes on these issues, which provide important viewpoints in considering the resilience.

※ "Evidence-based Analysis for the Post-2015 Development Strategies"
This research project plans to synthesize JICA's views on the shape of the next-generation global development goals, drawing on its field experiences and research findings done at the institute, and intends to provide some policy implications for the global debates on the post-2015 development agenda. Starting with a review of the MDG framework, targets and performance toward their achievements, the project will compile the evidence supporting the importance of incorporating and mainstreaming some cross-cutting issues - issues with which to govern the entire framework of the forthcoming development goals. Tentatively, we intend to focus on "inclusive development" and "resilience," as candidates for such cross-cutting issues to be highlighted, based on our preliminary analysis.