“I urge you to keep in mind that Addis presents a historic opportunity – on that we cannot afford to miss … there are a number of proposals and ideas on the table that are truly transformative.  They should meet the high hopes and expectations that we all have …  We need to ensure an ambitious and meaningful Conference outcome for the future of the peoples and planet” Secretary General Wu Hongbo stressed.  Read more here

The real issues is not lack of resources.  The knowledge and the money to finance sustainable development do exist.  The challenge is to channel these resources to areas and sectors of greatest need.  Naoimi Klein in her book

‘This Changes Everything’ shows very adeptly that indiscrimate economic growth is the reason why agreements cannot be reached.   The problem is structural. Poverty in the midst of plenty is unconscionable. The effects of climate change are largely ignored.  Greed and the limitless pursuit of profit for the few underlie the current situation with little or no interest in global wealth redistribution or the preservation of the planet.  The conflict exists due to prioritizing values and goals such as achievement, money, power, status and image, and implementation of austerity measures to the neglect of the dignity of each person, human rights, solidarity and the promotion of the ‘local’ and the ‘grassroots’.

Can the new opportunity provided by the Financing for Development Conference be truly transformative  ushering in a new era of equality, ‘leaving no one behind’?  Will this conference challenge the growth of the corporate sector, and the privatization of public sphere by heralding a new era of human rights based sustainable development for people and the planet?