atal behari vajpayee-inaugural address

8/7/2019 Atal Behari Vajpayee-inaugural address

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Poverty: the global challenge for governments, industry, scientists, and civil society 15�18

I am happy to be with all of you at this important summit on sustainabledevelopment. I am gratified by the presence of many eminent participantsrepresenting both developed and developing countries, besides senior repre-sentatives of key international organizations and NGOs (non-governmental

organizations). I congratulate TERI for three praiseworthy features of thesummit. First, the DSDS (Delhi Sustainable Development Summit) seeks toamplify the voice of developing countries in the worldwide debate onsustainability. Second, the main theme is poverty eradication, which is alsothe core issue that globalization must address. Third, the organizers recog-nize that poverty is a global challenge not only for governments but also forindustry, scientists, and civil society as a whole.

The past decade was marked by two landmark events. The Earth Summitat Rio de Janeiro in 1992 placed sustainable development on top of the globalagenda. Never before had the world community acknowledged so powerfully

that development must either be sustainable or should not be called develop-ment at all. Three years later, in 1995, the World Trade Organization cameinto being, formalizing the advent of a global market. Ever since, the debateon globalization and sustainable development has grown both in dimensionand dynamism. There is an increasing awareness that only concerted andcoordinated global action can meet the challenges of poverty alleviation,environment protection, and balanced development. For meaningful andeffective global action, we must first recognize the magnitude of globalinequities. The World Bank indicates that one-sixth of the world�s populationreceives 78% of the world�s income, which amounts to 70 dollars a day.

Simultaneously, three-fifths of the world�s people, living in the poorest 61countries, receive only six per cent of the world�s income, which is less thantwo dollars a day.

As the age of globalization dawns upon us, several stark facts about globalpoverty stare at us in the face. The percentage of people living below thepoverty line may have come down in several countries as it has in India.However, the relative gap between the rich and the poor has widened, bothwithin and amongst nations. The benefits of technology, trade, and other

Inaugural address

Atal Bihari VajpayeePrime Minister of India, New Delhi



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opportunities presented by globalization have spread unevenly. Conse-quently, the rate at which poverty is being eradicated has not kept pace withthe rate at which the rich are getting richer.

It is equally clear that poverty can no longer be seen exclusively in staticincome terms, what matters more than income levels is the access, or lack of it, to entitlements and opportunities for a happy life. Deprivation of normalfamily and community relationships, and lack of opportunities to advanceone�s own cultural life, have also become important features of poverty inmodern times. For example, an urban migrant worker living in an inhumanand impersonal slum may earn more than what he was when living in avillage in a harmonious social and cultural milieu but he cannot be consid-ered to be living a better and more fulfilling life.

Both the magnitude and the changing meaning of poverty have made onething clear�poverty cannot be removed by the traditional strategy of incomeenhancement of all in the simplistic hope that higher incomes will naturally buy all the necessary entitlements. Consumerism of the super-rich has be-come a curse for the global environment. We can hardly hope to eradicatepoverty and achieve sustainable development by globalizing this course. It isimpossible for the lifestyles of rich nations to be replicated all over the worldwithout putting enormous pressure on the earth�s limited resources.

Just as we have become more aware of the meaning of poverty, so too havewe become more sensitive to the meaning of development. An increasingnumber of people around the world are wondering whether we are losingsight of man and his deeper aspirations in the one-dimensional race for

economic growth. Industrial civilization has led to unprecedented levels of material wealth. At the same time, it has also brought about the unprec-edented imbalance between material and psychological affluence. The worldcommunity cannot be blind to the implications of this imbalance. Therefore,in the new century, the world needs to put more emphasis on the realizationof new lifestyles driven by a set of values that prioritize compassion, coopera-tion, care of the environment, and joy of living.

All of us are aware that a narrowly-focused economic model can neitherremove global poverty nor yield sustainable development. Yet, we cannotbelittle the importance of restructuring the economic relations between and

within countries. What we need is a comprehensive and holistic global strat-egy, which involves the fullest mobilization of all economic, sociocultural, andtechnological resources. There is a need to substantially increase the re-sources of governments in developing countries to pursue developmentalprojects and programmes aimed specifically at poverty eradication. Theresources of multilateral and bilateral development agencies also need to besignificantly enhanced. This calls for a far higher level of political will inindustrialized countries than is manifest today. Developed countries, in



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particular, must cooperate in speedy conclusions of the international agree-ments on climate change.

It is high time that we considered imposing an international levy oncapital flows between developed countries, and all capital repatriations fromdeveloping countries. The proceeds may be credited to a global poverty alleviation fund, which could have the following objectives.1 The accelerated liquidation of all public external debts of low-income

countries2 Poverty alleviation programmes specifically targeted at those who have

lost their livelihoods in economic crises brought about by reversal of external capital flows in developing countries

3 Enhancement of skills and increased access to finance needed by the poorto compete effectively in the global economy

4 Placing technologies that save lives, increase food yields, generate renew-able energy for rural areas, and facilitate adoption of clean production inthe public domain for use by the developing countries

Technology, especially IT (information technology) has created a massivegrowth in productivity. It has also proved to be a revolutionary tool for edu-cation, health care, and sustainable development. However, unequal access toIT has given rise to legitimate fears of a �digital divide�. We need collectiveglobal action to speedily bridge the gap between IT-haves and have-nots. Inthis context, India is ready to offer expertise to others. We are also willing tolearn from successful experiences elsewhere.

There is also a need for greater global cooperation to deal with naturalcalamities, especially in developing countries. In natural calamities, the pooralways lose much more proportionately than the rich. Information andcritical technologies that can prevent disasters, contain their damage, andhelp in better management of relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction shouldbe available to all countries. In this context, I gratefully acknowledge thegenerous help that India has received from the international community afterthe recent devastating earthquake in Gujarat.

TERI has brought out an excellent publication called DISHA (Directions,Innovations, and Strategies for Harnessing Action) for Sustainable Devel-

opment , which focuses on green technologies, the use of market-basedinstruments, a new code of ethics for the corporate sector, and effectivegovernance at all levels. As the book persuasively argues, government, civilsociety, research institutions, and the corporate sector will have to work inpartnership to reach the goals that we set ourselves for the future.

We need the participation of the people particularly, in all aspects of sustainable development whether it is in community-run water harvesting, inreplacing older transport vehicles with newer pollution-free vehicles run on



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clean fuels, or in removing polluting industries from residential areas. Gov-ernments and NGOs have to work in close cooperation with each other. Forinstance, the Gujarat government�s Sardar Patel participatory water conser-vation programme, launched in January 2000, has successfully led to thecreation of nearly 10 500 check dams built with people�s participation. Themedia, too, has an important role to play in highlighting the imperative needof such constructive partnership.

The delegates at this summit will deliberate on many important issuesrelating to sustainable development. The participants from India can learnmuch from the international experience. The distinguished foreign delegateswill also get a better appreciation of India�s experience in poverty eradicationand sustainable development. With these words, I have great pleasure ininaugurating this summit.

atal behari vajpayee-inaugural address

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