Chapter-6

Current Trends of Social

Development
 Contents of the Chapter

Part-I
• 6.1 Introduction
• 6.2. The Emergent World Community
• 6.3 The Global Expansion of Economy
• 6.4 The Creation of a World Culture
• 6.5 The Internationalization of Governance
6.5.1. The UN System
6.5.2. Nation State
6.5.3. Local Participation & Empowerment
 2030 agenda for S.D: an integrated agenda
that promises to leave no one behind by 2030
Part-II
1. Introduction
2. Key areas and interlinks to achieve social development
within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development
A. Reducing inequalities
B. Addressing multiple dimensions of poverty and hunger
C. Promoting productive employment and decent work fo
all
D. Social inclusion and inclusive development to leave no
one behind
E. Investing in universal access to basic social services
3. Role of the Commission for Social Development
4. Conclusion
 Part-I
6.1. Introduction
• Social development takes place due to globalization.
• Social Development is about putting people at the centre of
development. It is about
 ensuring the participation of the poor in shaping social and economic
development;
 ensuring a greater level of social, economic and political inclusion to
maximize opportunities for all; and
 ensuring greater levels of accountability in development processes.
• “Social Development is the promotion of a sustainable society that
is worthy of human dignity by empowering marginalized groups,
women and men, to undertake their own development, to improve
their social and economic position and to acquire their rightful place
in society…..” -(Bilance, 1997)
• “Social Development is equality of social opportunities” ( Amartya
• Social development recognizes that poverty is multi-
dimensional and has deep structural causes. Poverty is not a
lack of assets alone. It is also about
 multiple deprivations and inequalities that trap poor men, women and
children in combinations of insecurity,
 limited citizenship and political voice, spatial disadvantage, social
discrimination, poor quality livelihood opportunities,
 deficits in educational, health and nutritional status, and vulnerability
to stresses and shocks.
• Social Development is about working to address the
underlying structural causes of poverty and exclusion.
• Social development is defined in the broadest social terms
as an upward directional movement of society from lesser
to greater levels of energy, efficiency, quality, productivity,
complexity, comprehension, creativity, choice, mastery,
enjoyment and accomplishment.
 Globalization Defined
• It is widely asserted that we live in an era in which the
greater part of social life is determined by global
processes, in which national cultures, national economies,
national borders and national territories are dissolving.
• WEBSTER: “growth to a global or worldwide scale”
• WIKIPEDIA: ” a social change, an increase in
connections among societies and their elements”
• Encyclopedia Of Business And Management: “ the
process of increasing integration in world civilization”
• “Globalization is a process of interaction and integration
among the people, companies, and governments of
different nations, a process driven by international trade
and investment and aided by information technology.”
 Globalization Defined
• In this category of definitions globalization was presented as
internationalization, liberalization, universalization and
Westernization
– Internationalization: intensification of relations between sovereign
states
– Universalization: the expansion of interactions affected by the spread
of goods, ideas, inventions and experiences to every corner of the globe
– Liberalization: the lifting of government restrictions on the cross-
border flow of production factors and the introduction of the open
world economy
– Homogenization: the tendency of prices, products, pay, property,
interest rates and profit to resemble one another
– Westernization: the spread of Western values and cultural patterns at
the cost of indigenous cultures
– Americanization: the spread of American way of life and cultural
patterns also in well-developed Western states (McDonaldization)
 Important factors to globalization
– Countries have chosen to become more integrated through
successively reducing their restrictions on international
trade in goods and services and barriers to foreign
investment.
• Lifting tariffs and trade restrictions
• Market liberalization attempts and instruments
• Formation of World Trade Organization(WTO)
– The remarkable reduction in certain transportation costs in
international commerce since the 1950s.
• Reduction of shipping cost
• Multiple global sources of inputs
• Investment on research and development to improve quality
• Influx of tourists to different countries
– Other reasons for this recent increase in globalization
include the collapse of most communist regimes in the late
1980s and early 1990s.
 Channels of Globalization
– International trade
• Substantial growth in the importance of international
trade.
• Economic modernization and growth in many countries
• Trade and comparative advantage
– Foreign Direct Investment and Technology
• The relative expansion of FDI in china and India
• Promotion of international ownership of business in the
globe
– International Labor Migration
• Migration leads to integration of different people from
different nations
• Some countries encourage through legal means for
people to migrate legally
 Four Distinct Qualities or Characteristics - Manfred Steger
1. Globalization involves the creation of new and the
multiplication of existing social networks and activities
that increasingly overcome traditional political, economic,
cultural, and geographical boundaries.
2. Globalization is reflected in the expansion and the
stretching of social relations, activities, and
interdependencies.
3. Globalization involves the intensification and
acceleration of social exchanges and activities.
• The Internet relays distant information in mere
seconds, and satellites provide consumers with real-
time pictures of remote events.
4. The creation, expansion, and intensification of social
interconnections and interdependencies do not occur
merely on an objective, material level.
The global transition currently taking place is started with the
European expansion in 15th C due to the specific process of change.
In this process so many people and places are included and
relentlessly expanded to more and more aspects of human life and
nature.
In all stages, this process has been associated with the emergence of
differences between the peoples and places involved.
The differences and inequalities emerging in the course of the
process of global transition between the various people and places
on the planets are exclusively focused on social, economic,
cultural and political aspects.
The differences and inequalities with regard to the social aspects of
globalization are typically related to the time-space dimension.
Due to increased efficiency in transport and communications, the
space-time distance between a certain category of peoples and
places on the globe has decreased dramatically.
• With regard to the production, clear differences and inequalities
emerge as economic aspects of globalization are concerned.
Remarkable in this respect is the predominance of TNCs.
• They control and direct a rapid development of new technologies,
allocation of natural, human and capital resources and the pattern
of living and large section of labor.
• In the cultural sphere, trends of convergence and divergence tend to
go hand in hand too.
• Irrespective of boundaries (national and international) modern
lifestyles and consumptions patterns are imitated by large section
of people. However, specific groups and classes of people are trying
to differentiate themselves from elite class and uniqueness.
• Political sphere: the most remarkable development consists of the
erosion of the nation-state.
• More and more functions of the nation-state are being taken over by
supranational agencies and organizations at one end of the scale, and
sub national, regional, or local political-administrative structures on
 6.1 The Emergent World Community
• In common sense, the terms “global village” and “World
Community” defines influence of diversified events and process
on more people and areas.
• They express the notion that the diverse sections of people are
no longer living in “different worlds,” but share planet Earth as
their common place of living in space and time.
• This sense of belongingness has been keenly brought to
people’s awareness by space travel, which minimize the
distance between different places on earth.
• It happened only due to immediate transmission of
information by electronic means of communication. (TV,
telephone, internet).
• In the past, it was very long distance to cover space travel. But
still people tended to think of their home land as the “center of
the world” (ethnocentric).
• There are two aspects of the shrinking of the world:
• Primarily, there is what is called compression (density) or
annihilation (total destruction) of space by time. (Leyshon,
1995).
• This term means that the world has become a smaller place in
terms of the time it takes to travel.
• As a result of the improvement in transport technologies, the
different places on Earth have, as it were, gradually converged
on one another.
• Secondly, the world is also shrinking to a single community
in the sense that people around the globe are increasingly
aware of what is happening elsewhere without the need to
travel.
• This is achieved by the global reach of the communications
networks and mass media and the operation of news and
• It should not be concluded from the time space convergence
between the various places on Earth and exchange of
information and news on an increasingly global scale that
everybody participates more equally in the world
community.
• The exchange of news and information, for instance, depends
on fairly sophisticated and expensive technologies. E.g. Rich
can access the info but poor can’t.
• The places and areas that are already well connected on the
network tend to benefit more from the global development
than those that are not.
• The time space convergence of some places is considerably
higher than that of other places which are located at
geographically short distances.
• In some cases these differences are such that it is proper to
speak of a time space divergence (Leyshon,1995).
 6.2 The Global Expansion of Economy
• EG can be defined as a process in which economic activity
occurs progressively on an international level.
• Economic globalization is characterized by an ever-stronger
liberal approach to international trade in goods and services,
as well as by the international flow of capital.
• An integrated market does not mean that there is one world
market only, but that economics and markets of countries
become increasingly interdependent.
• Economic globalization refers to the intensification and
stretching of economic interrelations across the globe.
- Gigantic flows of capital and technology have stimulated
trade in goods and services.
- Markets have extended their reach around the world, in the
process creating new linkages among national economies.
 6.3 The Creation of World Culture
• Globalization is the creation of a common global culture.
This is occurring due to air travel, newspapers, television,
telecommunications, and the Internet.
• The increasing similarity and convergence on a global
scale in the sphere of culture i.e. human culture that are
related to lifestyles, consumption preferences, and habits.
• The most prominent trends are the rapid, instant
adaptation of tastes, styles, and consumption patterns in a
wide range of activities (global culture).
• The mass media, is another medium for making world
culture.
• Another important aspect cultural pattern of global
dimensions differs from the social developments taking
place in the sphere of production is the pattern of diffusion,
 6.4 Internationalization of Governance
• Large section of people still live under the regime of non
elected government, suffering the absence of an adequately
functioning judiciary or public institutions or civilian control
of the military, and without basic human rights such as freedom
of speech and information.
• 3 specific social developments are of special importance:
(1) the emergence of institutions of global governance:
(2) the changing position and role of public authorities and
governments of the various states; and
(3) the growth of local participation and empowerment.
• Political globalization refers to the intensification and expansion
of political interrelations across the globe.
• These processes raise an important set of political issues
pertaining to the principle of state sovereignty,
 the growing impact of intergovernmental organizations, and
 6.4.1. The UN System
• After World War II, the international community faced several problems and
challenges:
 the restructuring of the capitalist economic system,
 the reconstruction of Western Europe,
 the management of the political rivalry between communism and liberal
democracy,
 channeling of the rising aspirations of independence and economic development
among the various people of the colonized societies.
• This resulted in the creation of a host of new international institutions, UN,
WBG, IMF, WTO, etc.
• Their primary objectives are the formulation and coordination of
international initiatives to
 preserve peace, resolve conflicts of all sorts and
 promoting economic human development on a global scale within the
limited natural resources and environment.
 6.4.2. Changes in the position of the nation state
– Many spheres that traditionally fell under the jurisdiction of the state
(such as defense, communication, economic management) are
currently co-ordinated internationally.
– In order to be able to compete effectively in the new economic and
political climate, many states must abandon their sovereignty in
favor of larger political units (such as the EU) and international
organizations (i.e, the UN, the WTO and the IMF).
– The sovereignty of the state is also often negated on the multilateral
level on the basis of the principle that all inhabitants of earth
experience certain societal problems that are aggravated by the action
of an individual nation state.
– The fact that individuals and societies regard themselves as part of a
global system, causes the nation state to be no longer the only or most
important source of citizenship or identity.
– The concept 'nation state' therefore implies cultural homogeneity, that
is, one nation, one state, one culture, one ethnic identity that
 6.4.3. Local Participation and Empowerment
• These concepts reflect the need for responsibility and self reliance to
be central to development. Economic change and human development
should meet the basic needs of the people and be ecologically
sensitive.
• The local community and peoples or grassroots orgns are always
working for the interest of people and their development.
• Empowering these organizations is viewed as an alternative policy to:
 mobilizing local resources for the public good and
• disseminating the benefits of growth and development that is more
democratic, efficient and sustainable.
• Viewed from the perspective of governance, peoples or grassroots
organizations can be divided into two types: CBOs & NGOs.
• CBOs are highly localized and focused on specific issues or activities.
They are dynamic, have varied degrees of formality, and their
formation may not have been stimulated from outside the community.
• NGOs, on the other hand, are usually defined as a kindle of
residual category potentially including every formal organization
which is not government led, but excluding economic enterprises,
such as national transnational companies, the public administrative
structure of the state, political parties, and informal networks that
represent religious, ethnic or class interests.
• In contrast to the CBOs, the activities of NGOs may be carried out
on the local, regional, national, or even international level and the
organization may be based outside the communities of interest.
• The stimulation of local participation and empowerment of peoples
and grassroots organizations are nowadays
• a universal trend and involve to a larger or smaller degree the
transfer of power and influence from one party, such as the
controlling central, regional, or local authority, to another through a
process of decentralization, de-concentration, or devolution.
• As a consequence the relationship between the state and population
tends to change.
 Decentralization (D)
• Decentralization - the transfer of power from central to lower levels of
government-can include responsibility for planning and managing
various government functions, as well as for resource-raising and
resource allocation. Scott and Rao (2011) identify three types of D:
• 1. Administration D: transfer of authority, resource and responsibility
through de-concentration or delegation.
 De-concentration: is the transfer of power to local officials who are
dispersed across the country.
 Delegation: is transfer of authority and responsibility from central
government to specialized local agencies.
• 2. Political (‘democratic’) D: power transfer from lower level to
government (local elected representatives are answerable to local
citizen than to federal government.
 Devolution: Local government should have significant autonomy (the
transfer of major responsibility, decision making, resource and revenue generation)
• 3. Fiscal D: transfer of money or fund from federal to local level for
revenue raising.
 Globalization
• Globalization is a process of interaction and integration
among the people, companies, and government of different
nations.
• The process is that, international trade and investment aided
by IT. Free market trade or economic system
• Due to this government has reduced the barriers to commerce
and sign to international agreement.
• From 1990 onward, at the core of all theories of globn are the
core elements of modern economic, political and social life.
• Economic activities once relatively contained within national
borders are now prosecuted as if borders were non-existent;
• Economic consideration: capital economic activity towards
organisation and operation not only in nation state, but it is in
transnational capitalism.
• Globalization operates in the cultural area: materials and
practices of identity and community are deterritorialized.
• In this, we can see globalization names an occurrence of
culture heterogeneity and hybridization.
• State political authority once limited only by national
geographic boundaries now finds itself also challenged and
hedged by international and transnational (sometimes
regional, sometimes global) regimes;
• Social practices, identities and solidarities once defined
by national purposes and parameters are decreasingly
characterized or contained in this way.
• Correlated with these challenges to the restraint competence
of national states is a dynamic of accelerated mobility or
‘flow’ – of people, commodities, technology and
information – across borders.
 Sources of Globalization
• Technological advances that have significantly lowered the costs
of transportation and communication and dramatically lowered
the costs of data processing and information storage and retrieval.
• Trade liberalization and other forms of economic liberalization
that have lead to reduced trade protection and to a more liberal
world trading system.
• Changes in institutions, where organizations have wider reach,
due, in part, to technological changes and to the more wide-
ranging horizons of their managers, who have been empowered
by advances in communications.
• Global agreement on ideology, with a convergence of beliefs in
the value of a market economy and a free trade system.
• Cultural developments, with a move to a globalized and
homogenized media, the arts, and popular culture and with the
widespread use of the English language for global
communication.
 The Two Perspectives In Globalization
• Positive Impact of Globalization
– Several fold Rise In Trade: Emergence of worldwide production markets
and broader access to a range of foreign products for consumers and
companies.
– Commercial Gains: Emergence of worldwide financial markets and better
access to external financing for borrowers.
– Emerging Economics: Realization of a global common market, based on
the freedom of exchange of goods and capital.
– Rise in Competition and Better Technologies: Survival in new global
business markets calls for improved productivity and increased
competition.
– Increase in Information Flow: Increase in information flows between
geographically remote locations. This is a technological change with the
advent of fiber optic communications, satellites, and increased availability
of telephone and Internet.
– World Governance: Some use "globalization" to mean the creation of a
world government which regulates the relationships among governments
and guarantees the rights arising from social and economic globalization.
 Common concerns of Anti-Globalists
– Environmental Degradation: The removal of forests to make way
for cattle ranching was the leading cause of deforestation in Brazilian
Amazon from the mid 1960s.
– Easier spread of Diseases: Globalization, the flow of information,
goods, capital and people across political and geographic boundaries,
has also helped to spread some of the deadliest infectious diseases
known to humans.
– Drug and Illicit Goods Trade: global trade drug and the use of parts
of endangered species for medicine.
– Unemployment because of cheap labor: They are reasoning that
availability of cheap labor in Asia, Africa and Sth America will result
in companies shutting down there operations in the host country.
– Negative effect of economic liberalization: A flood of consumer
goods such as televisions, radios, bicycles, and textiles into the
United States, Europe, and Japan has helped fuel the economic
expansion of Asian tiger economies in recent decades.
 Concentration of wealth in the hands of few dozen people: this
unequal distribution of wealth is voiced by anti-globalist as
frightening and dangerous for the society.
 Cultural Export: Anti-globalist view the effect of globalization on
culture as a rising concern. Along with globalization of economics
and trade, culture is being imported and exported as well.
 Poverty Export: Anti-globalist see the globalization as the result
of foreign businesses investing in the country to take advantage of
the lower wage rate. One example used by anti-globalization
protesters is the use of sweatshops by manufacturers.
 International Inequality: the income gap that exists between rich
and poor countries has become substantial.
 Brain Drain: An opportunity in richer countries drives talent
away from poorer countries, leading to brain drains.
 Food Security:
 Drawback of linking of economies: economic crisis effect
transfers from developed to developing countries
Part-II
The 2030 Agenda for SD: an integrated agenda
that promises to leave no one behind by 2030
What is sustainable development?
• Sustainable development has been defined as development
that meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
● Sustainable development calls for intensive efforts
towards building an inclusive, sustainable and flexible
future for people and planet.
● For sustainable development to be achieved, it is crucial to
harmonize three core elements: economic growth, social
inclusion and environmental protection. These elements
are interconnected and all are crucial for the well-being of
individuals and societies.
• Eradicating poverty in all its forms and
dimensions is an essential requirement for
sustainable development. There must be
 promotion of sustainable, inclusive and
equitable economic growth,
 reducing inequalities (creating greater
opportunities for all and fostering equitable
social development and inclusion),
 raising basic standards of living, and
 promoting integrated and sustainable
management of natural resources and
ecosystems.
 What is the 2030 agenda?
•The 2030 Agenda is the result of years of negotiations at the
UN between governments, called the post-2015 global
development agenda, entitled “Transforming our world: the
2030 Agenda for SD”.
•It intends to replace – and build – on the MDGs which
lasted from 2000 to 2015
•The 2030 Agenda is a political commitment of the
governments of all 193 Member States of the UN.
•Agenda 2030 is a universal, transformative and people-
centered plan of action to collectively work towards
achieving sustainable development for the current and future
generations through integrating its social, economic and
environmental dimensions in a balanced manner.
• In its resolve to end poverty and hunger in all their forms
and dimensions and to ensure that all human beings can
fulfill their potential in dignity and equality and in a
healthy environment, the new Agenda
• highlights the foundational role of social progress in
achieving sustainable development.
• presents social development as both a driver and a result
of other dimensions of the development process.
• emphasizes that the achievement of sustained and
inclusive growth and a socially and environmentally
sustainable future for all requires an approach to policy
that is people-centered and integrated.
• This means that the implementation of the Agenda will
require social, economic and environmental policies to
• Sustaining social development and social justice requires
sound economic policy and broad-based sustained growth
that promote the equitable distribution of economic gains,
equal opportunities and greater access to resources for all,
to realize the three core objectives of social development.
• The most productive approach to social development is to
maximize the capacities, resources and opportunities of all
people to fully participate in and contribute to societal
activities, so that they can lead a decent, healthy and
productive life with dignity and in harmony with the envt.
• The core value of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs that form
its nucleus is the commitment to tackling a number of
complex and interrelated global challenges in a more
integrated manner.
THE 17 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
• The SDGs cover social, economic and environmental
development issues including poverty, hunger, health,
education, gender equality, clean water, sanitation,
affordable energy, decent work, inequality, urbanization,
global warming, environment, social justice and peace.
• This document includes 17 Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) and 169 global targets, and describes itself
as a transformative plan of action for people, planet and
prosperity that all countries and all stakeholders will
implement.
• It calls for action by all countries, poor, rich and middle-
income. Member States pledge that as they embark on this
collective journey, no one will be left behind.
• The ‘five Ps’—people, planet, prosperity, peace, and
partnership—capture the broad scope of the agenda.
WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS UNDERPINNING THE SDGs?

The Goals will stimulate action over the next 15 years in 5 areas of
critical importance: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace &
Partnership.
 The 2030 Sustainable Development
Goals
• The main goals focus on the 5 Ps
– People: the wellbeing of all people
– Planet: protection of the earth’s ecosystems
– Prosperity: continued economic & technological growth
– Peace: securing peace
– Partnership: improving international cooperation
• These five aspects are interdependent.
• Therefore, the SDGs demand integrated thinking
as well as integrated approaches to achieving the goals.
 The focus on People
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and
improved nutrition and promote sustainable
agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being
for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality
education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all
women and girls
The focus on the Planet and on Prosperity
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of
water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and
modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable
economic growth, full and productive employment
and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and
sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,
resilient and sustainable
 The Planet and Prosperity (cont.)
12.Ensure sustainable consumption and production
patterns
13.Take urgent action to combat climate change
and its impacts
14.Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas
and marine resources for sustainable
development
15.Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of
terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage
forests, comat desertification, and halt and
reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity
loss
 The focus on Peace
16.Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for
sustainable development, provide access to
justice for all and build effective, accountable
and inclusive institutions at all levels

The focus on Partnerships

17.Strengthen the means of implementation and

revitalise the global partnership for sustainable
development
Desired outcomes for the UN 2030 Agenda
– Improving policy coherence
– The SDGs are multi-dimensional: require linkages across
policy areas
– Supporting inclusive growth and well-being
– Leaving no-one behind
• Ensuring the planet’s sustainability
– Balance between socio-economic progress and sustaining
the planet’s resources and ecosystems
• Promoting partnerships
– Governments, international NGOs, private sector and civil
society will need to team up: financial resources,
technologies
– Having accurate data to inform the process and the progress
 DEBATE
• From a conflict perspective people are usually
separated into two camps on environmental matters.
“Those who favour economic development and
growth even if it results in some measure of
environmental damage, and those who see
environmental protection over economic goals.”
• People are generally divided into two groups –
“those who believe that action should be taken to
preserve the environment, that is, environmental
protection should take priority over economic
growth, and those who believe that economic gains
should take precedence over environmental
protection.”
 "For developing countries, economic
development needs to be a higher
priority than environmental protection
and conservation of natural resources."
• All economies in the world exist within the global
ecosystem.
• Destruction of our ecosystem means destruction of
our economies in both developed and developing
countries!
• Rapid growth of population, income per capita and
use of fossil fuels over the past half century
have led to major threats to climate stability and to
ecosystems in both developed and developing
countries.
• Therefore, we need to build economic systems in
ALL countries that do not require destruction of
ecosystems!
• Here are methods of current economic
development that are not sustainable. These
forms of economic development should be
phased out fast to prevent ecosystem collapse!
• Unsustainable methods of economic
development
 reliance on fossil fuels
 overfishing
 overuse/pollution of water resources
 deforestation
 waste accumulation
Environmental protection and conservation of
natural resources CAN BE economic development.
Examples are:
ecological tourism
electric vehicles (Less harmful transport methods)
wind farms (alternative energy)
Recycling

March 22, 2013, New York Times

India’s Coal Power Plants Kill Tens of
Thousands Every Year,
Study Says
 The future is open;
We can decide!
•Economic development as usual
(But those darn externalities may lead to
destruction of the planet as we know it!)
OR

•Economic development with ecosystems in mind

•“…any successful policy….must be designed
such that economic growth and environmental
progress go hand in hand”
Source: Mark Lynas The God Species, National Geographic 2011
 The way forward
• Developing countries need to protect the environment and
preserve natural resources with new forms of economic
development
• Subsidize/”incentivize” green technology
• Pollution tax (an element of economic mechanism designed to
reduce pollution and its negative effect on the environment)
• There is a role for laws and international agreements
for:
 Clean air,
 clean water,
 recycling,
 forest preservation and
 endangered species
Key areas and interlinks to achieve social development
within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for SD
1. Social protection not only tackles poverty and vulnerability
but also strengthen inclusive social development and equitable
economic growth.
2. Social development will play a critical role in the
implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, both
as a mark of progress in itself and
as a driver of progress in other dimensions.
3. Key thematic areas of social development that are critical
drivers for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
•While not exhaustive, the areas presented can be seen as
crucial inter-linkages or cross-cutting issues that not only
catalyze-or even define-social progress and development in
the current global context, but underpin progress in several
economic and environmentally oriented goals.
 A. Reducing Inequalities
• Reducing inequality is fundamental to achieving the overall objective
of the 2030 Agenda of promoting sustainable development without
leaving anyone behind.
• Inequalities are also at the root of many of the challenges that the 2030
Agenda sets out to overcome including poverty, economic instabilities,
environmental degradation, social exclusion and threats to peace.
• A comprehensive and integrated policy platform centered on clearly
defined social objectives could and should address many, if not all, of
those factors.
• Inequality has many dimensions: economic, social, political and legal.
Inequality in terms of economic outcomes (e.g, income and assets) co-
exists with and mutually reinforces inequality of opportunity (access to
education, health care, financial services and so forth).
• Unequal access to water and sanitation, nutrition, energy, land and
other productive assets is also seen. Such inequalities perpetuate
poverty, while also exerting negative impacts on the environment.
• Widening inequality is one of the major challenge to social
cohesion. If horizontal inequalities or disparities (typically
associated with social identities, especially those related to
ethnicity, religion and geographic location) remain unaddressed,
they could lead to social disintegration or even conflict and violence.
• Addressing inequalities requires long-term structural changes at the
international, national and local levels, within the legal, policy and
institutional frameworks of a given context.
• Policies and strategies to tackle inequality need to simultaneously
address its causes in multiple dimensions (historical, cultural,
social, economic, legal and political), given that each dimension
aggravates the others.
• Such policies and strategies include measures to strengthen human
capabilities, especially through investment in social services.
• Promoting broad-based participation and the empowerment of
people is also an effective way to redress inequalities, including
gender-based inequality and discrimination.
• Universal social protection, including social protection floors, is an
important tool for enhancing the capacities and resilience of any
population and has proved effective in reducing inequalities in both
the economic and social spheres.
• Social protection guarantees minimum income, which enables poor
families to send their children to school, improve nutrition and
health and mitigate risks from economic, social and environmental
shocks.
• Improving basic health-care services will reduce maternity and
child mortality rates and reduce the risk of falling into poverty as a
result of loss of income from sickness.
• Universal access to health-care coverage should be further
promoted, as it is the most effective way to address vulnerability
associated with health-related risks.
• Some of the policies to address inequalities, such as investment to
strengthen human capability and the social protection programs
have also proved effective in combating poverty.
 B. Addressing multiple dimensions of poverty and hunger
• 1. Efforts to end poverty should address not only income, but also the
structural causes of poverty,
 lack of or limited access to education, health care and other basic services,
food, nutrition, energy, adequate housing and safe environments;
 unequal access to land and other productive assets, credit and
inheritance, as well as information, knowledge and technologies;
 lack of opportunities for decent work and participation; and
 social discrimination and exclusion.
• 2. Certain groups and communities are particularly vulnerable to
poverty and deprivation, including women, PWDs, older persons,
indigenous peoples, migrants, ethnic minorities and people living in
rural and remote areas.
• National strategies to reduce overall poverty should include measures
to carefully analyze and remove structural barriers, particularly those
faced by the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, so that they can
escape and/or stay out of poverty.
• 3. Food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition are closely associated with
inequality, well-being, learning outcomes of school-age children,
sustainable agriculture and food distribution. Therefore,
• Reducing food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition is an integral part
of policies and strategies to end extreme poverty, reduce vulnerabilities and enhance
resilience.
• 4. Given that many poor people living in rural areas are smallholder
family farmers whose livelihood often depends on subsistence
agriculture,
• enhancing their income and productivity, including by expanding
their access to land, credit and other productive assets, is key to
improving their capacity to escape poverty and hunger.
• 5. Productivity-enhancing services and technology & the expansion
of decent work opportunities and rural development are part &
parcel of an integrated policy framework to
 support people to move out of poverty,
 mitigate economic, social and environmental shocks and
 prevent people from falling into poverty.
• Policy coherence among various sectors should be enhanced to
address particular vulnerabilities facing people and to enhance their
 C. Promoting productive employment and decent
work for all
• Productive employment and decent work are the main
pathways to escaping poverty and exclusion and achieving
inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
• Decent work opportunities
 provide income to sustain livelihoods and
 increase participation in labor market activities.
 promotes social inclusion, dignity, participation, motivation
and the engagement of people.
• For people living in poverty, particularly those in rural and
agricultural areas, decent jobs also enhance their health,
nutrition and quality of life.
• Decent jobs in green sectors that protect, preserve and restore
the ecosystem will also prevent environmental degradation.
• Small and medium-sized enterprises are the major engine
for job creation in many countries; however, many such
enterprises are in the informal sector.
• The informal sector represents a large share of employment,
particularly in developing countries.
• Workers in informal employment, including the self-
employed, workers in household enterprises, agricultural
workers and wage earners in informal enterprises, tend to
have low productivity, low pay and no social protection.
• Informal employment disproportionately affects
disadvantaged and excluded groups.
• Long-term poverty eradication strategies therefore need to
focus on the upgrading or formalization of employment.
However, the transformation of informal employment is a
complex issue.
• Strategies should be carefully crafted, maintaining a delicate
balance between reducing disincentives and increasing
incentives to upgrade or formalize.
• Such strategies should also be aimed at
 promoting financial inclusion and skills/ vocational and
entrepreneurship training;
 improving income, working conditions and productivity;
 promoting the participation of people working in the informal
sector in social dialogue; and
 addressing the issues of undeclared work, precarious jobs and
the minimum wage.
• The decent work agenda also promotes the protection of the
right of workers to work under fair conditions and in a
healthy and safe environment, contributing to improved well-
being.
• Social protection coupled with universal access to health-care
coverage, can enhance the participation of disadvantaged
groups in labour, including women, young people or PWDs.
 D. Social inclusion and inclusive development to leave
no one behind
• Certain segments of the population face particular barriers to
fulfilling their potential owing to discrimination, social exclusion
and lack of opportunity to participate in economic, social and
political activities.
• To leave no one behind in the SD process, countries must
implement social inclusion policies and measures, in addition to
broad-based socioeconomic policies.
• These measures, aimed at reaching the farthest behind first, include
 respecting diversity,
 enhancing participation,
 eliminating discriminatory and/or exclusionary laws, policies and practices and
 promoting a human rights-based approach.
• E.g, universal social protection needs to be complemented by
effective and transparent measures to target the most vulnerable
and disadvantaged social groups and communities.
• Among these disadvantaged groups, indigenous peoples
continue to suffer disproportionately from high poverty
rates and poor access to education and health care and are
often politically marginalized.
• They often live in isolated territories that are exploited for
natural resource extraction, from which they receive
limited benefits.
• Older persons, the majority of whom now live in less
developed regions, face specific challenges.
• Older women in particular are more vulnerable to discrimination,
neglect, abuse, gender-based violence and denial of asset ownership.
• Women suffer from gender gaps in labor participation and wages
and predominantly carry the burden of unpaid care work.
• Young people are disproportionately affected by unemployment and
underemployment, which poses a major challenge with respect to
achieving the SDGs. Evidence shows that a large no of unemployed
youth increases social tensions and threatens social cohesion.
• However, a large no of young, healthy, educated and skilled young
people can be the driving force for sustained and inclusive economic
growth.
• Engaging young people in productive activities and incorporating
their needs and concerns are therefore critical for achieving sustained
and inclusive growth and enhancing social stability.
• Owing to rapid urbanization in many developing countries, more
people are moving into urban areas for better job prospects and higher
standards of living.
• Often, these hopes are not realized and migrants settle in urban slums.
For instance, children living in slums often engage in child labour
owing to poverty and lack of access to education.
• In addition to the protection of their rights, their inclusion in the
education system, supported by social protection measures, universal
access to health-care coverage and nutrition programs, could be
considered.
• Lastly, universal access to social protection should be prioritized as a
policy platform to promote inclusive development and human rights.
 E. Investing in universal access to basic social services
• Basic social services, especially education, health care, safe and
affordable drinking water and sanitation, are not only social
development goals, but also instruments of human development that
are critical for long-term inclusive growth and environmental
sustainability.
• Achieving universal and equitable access to basic social services and
ensuring access to adequate sanitation and hygiene, affordable
energy and housing are essential for all people to lead a decent and
healthy life with dignity.
• Investing to improve access to such services is fundamental to
strengthening the capacity of people to contribute to inclusive
economic growth.
• Improved services in water, sanitation and energy will directly
protect the natural environment, while education facilitates changes
in consumption and production patterns by changing behavior and
mindset.
• People without access to universal health-care coverage are more
exposed to the risk of falling into poverty owing to health-care
costs. Universal health-care coverage can reduce health-related
vulnerabilities and, at the same time, enhance the productivity and
resilience of people.
• Effective universal policies to improve access to water and
sanitation should be designed in a way to ensure that they reach the
most vulnerable and marginalized population groups.
• Innovative approaches, such as the Sanitation and Water for All
partnership, have emerged to increase sector coordination and build
stronger systems and institutions to better target resources.
• Human and financial resources need to be effectively allocated to
critical universal policies to reach the most vulnerable and
disadvantaged.
• In recent years, a human rights approach has also proved to be
effective in achieving universal access to education, health care,
water and sanitation.
• In these areas, it is particularly important to emphasize that no
target should be considered to be met until no one is left
behind.
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