Southern Voice’s Steering Committee discusses the network’s strategic direction for 2020

Southern Voice’s Steering Committee members met in Lima-Peru at the end of November 2019, to discuss the network’s strategic direction for the years ahead. The meeting’s objective was to talk about growth and sustainability and to think about how Southern Voice should move forward in a changing international landscape.

Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, Southern Voice Chair, kicked off the meeting with a reflection about the current state of the world and what this means for the network and for Southern research in particular. The weakening of the multilateral system, the rise of populism, and social unrest were among the key trends that affect the work of think tanks worldwide, and affect the accomplishment of the 2030 Agenda. He reminisced that Southern Voice has been through big changes in its first seven years and has undergone a tremendous transformation. Dr. Bhattacharya asked all members to take a fresh look at Southern Voice, to consider the changes in the world and how this affects the network’s activities. 

During two days the Steering Committee members discussed in depth the strategic direction of the network in a number of research areas relevant to the accomplishment of the 2030 Agenda. These included, for example, the link between inequality and democracy, technology changes and the fourth industrial revolution, and  the future of development cooperation, 

The discussion also covered the internal challenges of the network and its members. It was agreed that in 2020 Southern Voice will create working groups to help the network stay up to date on important discussions and provide Southern perspectives in current global policy issues. The Steering Committee members decided on two topics for working groups. One working group will focus on the follow-up and review of the SDGs. Special attention would be given to the High-Level Political Forum 2020, where fifty countries will present Voluntary National Reviews The second group will focus on the issue of graduation, primarily in relation to the Fifth UN Conference on Least Developed Countries. 

The meeting ended on a high note with a public event to present Southern Voice to the academic and policy community in Lima-Peru. This was followed by a cocktail to celebrate the selection of GRADE as the network’s host for the next three years.