ISLAMABAD: The concluding plenary session of ‘Pathways to Sustainable Development’, a conference organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), drew a host of eminent panellists who shared their views on the need for political and executive leadership that had a commitment to strategise for peace and human security and establish tangible safeguards for the political economy of the region while engaging with the primary stakeholders; the people.

The keynote address was delivered by former finance minister, Dr Hafeez Pasha, who said that Pakistan had no option but to follow the path of inclusive growth and sustainable development in the current scenario.

“Food inflation and rising fl our prices, which have actually risen by 50 per cent in real terms over the last few years, are the issues which require the immediate attention of the government,” he said.

Dr Pasha stated, “The past seven years have been particularly hard for the people of Pakistan, with inflation in the double digits, a growth rate of barely 3 per cent and unemployment at 12%.”

Dr Hafeez Pasha delivers keynote address; Pakistan Data Portal also launched

He discussed the drivers of increasing inequality, which he identified as increasingly skewed agricultural land ownership, the banking sector’s heavy lending to the rich and rampant tax evasion, with only 16 per cent of large companies paying their taxes.

In his opinion, an inclusive development strategy would include policies where the benefits of falling international commodity prices would trickle down to consumers, where the ineffi-ciencies of the power system would be addressed and tax reforms would eliminate privileges for the elite.

Former federal minister Dr Sania Nishtar said, “The environment and context in which the Millennium Development Goals were articulated and where we find ourselves today are very different.

The MDGs were developed for the aid system, when the world had a lot of fiscal space. But the world is very different today.

The SDGs are not designed for the aid system, but for countries to strategise and achieve complex solutions sustainably.”

SDPI Executive Director Dr Abid Suleri summed up the proceedings of the conference and stated with pride, “This year the was attended by 170 delegates from 19 different countries,” adding, “Sustainable development is not possible without the active support from communities.”

Federal Minister for Commerce and Industry Khurram Dastgir Khan, took a more macro perspective and spoke of regional economic connectivity.

“South Asia has become a region of democracies but it remains one of the least integrated regions of the world and the advantages of cooperation cannot be fully attained.”

Qazi Azmat Isa, CEO of the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, said, “We are all aware of the challenges our country faces – and the response boils down to two simple actions: commitment and courage – we all need to walk the talk regarding the values that we uphold, which are inclusion, participation, transparency, sustainability – from the men and women who are members of community institutions to ourselves as individuals first and as members of the development sector, private sector, government, etc.”

SDPI also launched the Pakistan Data Portal, a joint project with Alif Ailaan, which is an online tool for the sharing and dissemination of all data on education in Pakistan. Anyone with a computer and internet access can view and download publicly available datasets.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2014