BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – In an era marked by unprecedented global challenges—rising economic inequities, ecological collapse, and growing disillusionment with and fractured trust in an ‘unfulfilled’ multilateralism—the case for systemic reform could not be more transparent.
Development can no longer be measured in narrow economic terms, while fundamental human rights are treated as an afterthought. The G20, which accounts for 8 percent of global GDP (gross domestic product) and two–thirds of the world’s population, has the power and responsibility to change this trajectory.
Doing so will require a bold systems approach that prioritizes human rights as a foundation of social justice, prosperity, and the sustainability of our planet over outdated metrics of progress.
Prosperity and Human Rights
Human rights are more than ethical imperatives; they are the bedrock of social justice and economic stability. But rights are lived experiences, not abstract ideals. The G20 is uniquely positioned to champion the urgent systemic change needed to rebalance today’s data:
Economic inequality.
The World Bank estimates that nearly 10 percent of the world’s population,700 million, live on less than US$2.15 a day, while the wealthiest one percent captures over 60 percent of all new wealth created.
Climate vulnerability. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), climate change has displaced an average of 21.5 million people annually from 2008 to 2019, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities.
Health inequities. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.4 billion people lack access to basic healthcare.
Debt trap. Countries with climate vulnerabilities face the burden of accumulating debt to recover from disasters while paying off debt from the previous crisis.
These figures underscore the failure of a development model that prioritizes short–term growth over long–term resilience, one that inadequately measures the total cost of economic activity, and skews incentives towards perpetuating global inequalities and undermining prosperity.
Right to a Stable Planetary Ecology
A groundbreaking development in human rights discourse is recognizing the right to a stable planetary ecology. The United Nations Human Rights Council’s 2021 resolution recognizing access to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a human right is a watershed moment. This acknowledgment connects ecological sustainability directly to human dignity, health, and security.
The implications are profound. This right to a stable planetary ecology asserts the rights of all parts of that ecology—human and non–human, individual and collective—to sustainability.
This systemic view ensures that no single aspect of development—economic growth, social equity, or environmental sustainability—is pursued at the expense of others. For example, resources need to be allocated efficiently and equitably to avoid leaving billions behind (distributional equity); policies are required to protect biodiversity, regulate emissions, and promote regenerative agriculture (ecological rights); and fairness and equity are necessary to give more excellent voice to low–income countries at multilateral institutions (governance reform).
Call to Leadership
This is more than just a policy debate—it is a moral reckoning. Human rights and ecological stability are not luxuries. They are prerequisites for a livable future of stable global prosperity. The G20 must act boldly and help shift the paradigm to align development with human rights and ecological sustainability. By embracing a systems approach, fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve global outcomes, modulating global governance arrangements, especially at institutions within the international financial architecture, and innovating on purposeful finance, the G20 can lead the world toward a new paradigm—one where development serves people and planet alike, one where prosperity is shared, ecosystems are protected, and justice prevails.
The G20 has already taken some necessary steps but needs to be bolder. Here are 10 priorities for further G20 action.
A new anchor (beyond GDP). Start implementing the UN–defined Productive Capacity Function (the existing Productive Capacity Index being a realized variant of the PCF). The UN Pact for the Future calls for indicators that capture additional dimensions of prosperity: environmental health, social equity, and wellbeing.
Revised objective function. Support the foundational objective of maximizing the planet’s UN–defined productive capacity, subject to staying within planetary boundaries to ensure sustainability.
Value nature. We require a more accurate total cost function approach that measures the contribution of each activity to the sustainability of the planet’s ecosystem, creating value for natural assets (afforestation and marine restoration) and incentivizing nature-based solutions for our global challenges.
Joint responsibility. Embrace a reimagined partnership between the public sector, private sector, and civil society focused on multi-stakeholder engagement for charting and implementing mission-oriented national goals.
Reform multilateralism. Advocate actively for governance reforms at all institutions capable of influencing the stability of the planet’s ecosystem to align inequity-reducing strategies and resilience-building priorities with this foundational constraint.
Right-to-ecology frameworks. Support international agreements that embed the right to a stable planetary ecology in development policy, adopting ecological health and social wellbeing metrics.
Human rights-based climate finance: Prioritize the most vulnerable, ensuring that adaptation and mitigation efforts align with the principles of equity and justice. This includes funding for communities disproportionately affected by climate impacts, such as Indigenous peoples and small island states.
Climate resilience investments. Commit to increasing funding for integrated, outcomes-driven climate adaptation and mitigation projects to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and bolster climate resilience.
State–contingent instruments. Encourage the development of state-contingent assets that reward performance on ecological sustainability targets, including strengthening countries’ internal resilience capacity.
Global wealth tax. Advocate for a modest global tax to support resilience ecosystems and social rights (e.g., universal healthcare and educational equity) in countries characterized as high–vulnerability and low–resilience.
This integrated focus on human rights, stable planetary ecology, and resilient prosperity triage acknowledges the role of interlinkages in defining the global system and the dynamic transitions that sustain its integrity over time.
Further, it encompasses a just transition—one that ensures the costs of decarbonization or overall planet sustainability are aligned with the principles of justice and sustainability and not disproportionately borne by the world’s poorest.
Conclusion
The G20 has a unique opportunity to shape the future of global development. By embracing a systems approach that prioritizes human rights, stable planetary ecology, and resilient prosperity, the G20 can lead the world toward a more just, equitable, and sustainable future.
FAQs
Q: What is the significance of the G20?
A: The G20 represents 8 percent of global GDP and two–thirds of the world’s population, making it a crucial platform for global decision-making and cooperation.
Q: Why is a systems approach necessary?
A: A systems approach is necessary because it acknowledges the interlinkages between human rights, ecological sustainability, and economic development, and prioritizes the well-being of people and planet.
Q: What are the key priorities for the G20?
A: The key priorities for the G20 are to implement a new anchor beyond GDP, revise the objective function to prioritize sustainability, value nature, and adopt a joint responsibility approach, among others.
Q: How can the G20 ensure a just transition?
A: The G20 can ensure a just transition by prioritizing the most vulnerable, ensuring that adaptation and mitigation efforts align with the principles of equity and justice, and advocating for a global wealth tax to support resilience ecosystems and social rights.
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