DIPLOMACY WEEK

In 2015, the time we, as a planet, allotted ourselves to accomplish the Millennium Development Goals elapsed. While our performance for some goals was spectacular ‒we halved the number of people living in extreme poverty and the number of those without access to improved drinking water five years ahead of the target date‒, it was not the case for other goals ‒such as the global maternal mortality rate. This shows that we still have a long way to go when it comes to development.

                             

For a long time, the discussion on development was conducted using the distinction between developed/industrialized countries and underdeveloped/developing countries. Experts and politicians stressed the importance of helping developing countries become developed, as if there existed a final state which could not be exceeded, as if once a country reached this state, it could stop making effort to improve itself. This approach was largely the result of establishing income as the main measure of well-being.

 

However, more recent works, such as those on sustainable development and those by Amartya Sen on “capabilities”, challenged this traditional approach by stressing the multidimensional nature of development. This new take on development culminated in the new Sustainable Development Goals, with aspects that concern both developed and developing countries like decent work and economic growth or responsible consumption and production.

 

At MUNHEC, we share this vision of development as a continuous process that affects every country regardless of their starting point. That is why we invite you to reflect on the challenges of development in the 21st century, with the hope that you will draw some conclusions that may serve you in the future as a business/political leader and as a citizen.