Southern Voice Alert 6: July 2013

Southern Voice extends six research grants to study post-MDG issues

The Southern Voice on Post-MDGs International Development Goals (SV) initiative extended six research awards to its network members to service one of the objectives laid out in SV’sProgramme Document. The concerned objective seeks to create a platform for the Southern think thanks to use their existing research to inform the post-2015 global development agenda. In this connection, SV intends to develop a process of re-interpretation of existing relevant outputs of its network members so as to produce academic articles and policy papers as contributions to the post-MDG discourse. In the process, SV hopes to reach out to broader international development community in order to maximise the impact of the outputs of the network.

The following researchers have been awarded the SV research grants to produce policy papers based on their existing works.

1.         Ms. María Ester Ortega, Asociación de Investigación y Estudios Sociales (ASIES), Guatemala.“Now, we need quality in education.”

2.         Dr. Anshu Bharadwaj, Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), India.“Electricity access in India: (How) do we get enough?”

3.         Mr. Ajaya Dixit and Ms. Suvechha Khadka, Institute for Social and Environmental Transition – Nepal (ISET-N). “Changing intersection among ecosystem, society and development goals: An examination for improved policy making.”

4.         Dr. John K. Kwakye, Institute of Economic Affairs – Ghana (IEA-Ghana). “Looking beyond aid to fund Africa’s development.”

5.         Mr. Luis Felipe Linares and Mr. Julio Prado, Asociación de Investigación y Estudios Sociales (ASIES), Guatemala. “Measurement of progress of decent work and its support to achieving MDGs.”

6.         Dr. Nidhi S. Sabharwal, Director, Indian Institute of Dalit Studies (IIDS), India.“Understanding the role of social exclusion in hunger: Analysis of MDGs for the excluded groups in India.”

A further set of awards under the second call for research papers based on existing research will be announced shortly by the Southern Voice. This will be followed by call for proposals on new research relating to post-2015 issues.

Presentation to the HLP members emphasises disaggregated data need

Mr. Tom Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, Praxis, India made a presentation to the High Level Panel (HLP) members at the plenary of the HLP – Civil Society Organization (CSO) summit at Bali on March 25, 2013. In his presentation he stated findings from two initiatives, viz. a) national civil society consultations from 40 countries organised by GCAP/Beyond 2015 and IFP, and b) 84 participatory studies on the poorest and most marginalised, conducted by the Participate Initiative. The messages from these two exercises were corroborated by other participatory researchers at the post-2015 CSO planning events which emphasised the need for disaggregated data concerning insecurity and uncertainty affecting the poor and marginalised in a highly dynamic environment.