A Selection of Writings on Sustainable Development
Although the challenges facing developing countries remain daunting in a world of inequalities and injustice, there are nevertheless hopeful signs on several fronts. The emergence of more democratic governments and economic progress across the global South promise tangible contributions to sustainable human development.
In sub-Saharan Africa, economic growth is expected to rise over the next few years, helped by stronger commodity prices and improved global conditions overall. In its latest Africa’s Pulse report, the World Bank forecasts economic growth in the region to grow by 2.6 per cent in 2017, 3.2 per cent in 2018 and 3.5 per cent in 2019. The African Development Bank, the continent’s premier financial institution, asserts that in 2016 Africa maintained its position as the world’s second-fastest growing economy, after South Asia.
African countries are assuming a more active role in the global economy, in part by mobilizing capital through dynamic stock exchanges and attracting international investment. Many countries have made strides in improving health and stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS. From a political standpoint, a significant transformation that has swept across Africa in recent years has resulted in many Africans now living under democratically elected governments. The establishment of the African Union Commission in 2002 has spurred an unprecedented level of pan-African cooperation.
Yet Africa’s development challenges are still formidable. Low soil fertility, environmental degradation, a high-incidence of preventable diseases and very little trade among African countries are all serious hindrances. Democratic institutions and practices remain fragile and political life is vulnerable to social unrest. Africans’ poor management of domestic resources and the northern industrialized nations’ failure to allow meaningful debt relief and remove unfair trade barriers play major roles in the continent’s plight.
Equitable economic growth is still constrained by widespread poverty, nepotism and entrenched corruption. For example, in Côte d’Ivoire, once the economic engine of Francophone West Africa, the number of dollar millionaires has reportedly climbed 45 per cent over the past decade to 2,500, more than the African average of 19 per cent, according to AfrAsia Bank Ltd., a Mauritius-based private corporate bank. The bank believes that percentage is likely to jump to 80 per cent over the coming decade, at a time when most ordinary citizens are struggling simply to get by.
This journalistic report contains a selection of press releases, feature stories, policy briefs and research papers on sustainable development written by Nicholas N. Gouede, a former United Nations communications specialist. Nicholas is an awardwinning journalist who worked in the U.N. system for two decades. The articles range widely in scope and focus. Most relate to one or more of ten themes:
- Alleviating poverty and fostering international economic cooperation and development
- Promoting trade and investment
- Advocating for a free and independent press and democratic governance
- Addressing population, family planning and reproductive health issues
- Advocating for child survival and development and women’s empowerment
- Making productive use of information and communications technology
- Promoting environmental protection and tackling climate change
- Reporting on the growing role of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD)
- Using the convening power of sports for development and peace
- Accelerating efforts to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat
I believe that the journalistic writing samples in this report offer critical insights into sub-Saharan Africa’s development challenges and opportunities. I also hope that Nicholas’s writings will be used as creative writing resources for journalism and international affairs students and stimulate rich debate among journalists, communications experts, academics and development experts at a time of rapid changes in the dynamics of international economic cooperation and diplomatic reporting at the United Nations.
Ernest Harsch
Former Managing Editor
Africa Renewal magazine
United Nations Department of Public Information
New York