Topic: Promoting Ecologically Sound Development Strategies
Country: Egypt
Delegate Name: Emma Ristau
School: Royal Oak High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Egypt position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
The Arab Republic of Egypt fully backs the ideals and objectives expressed in current global sustainable development framework. The ecological, as well as economic and social, implications of development are very real to Egypt, as we have felt the devastating impacts of water scarcity and desertification firsthand. In response, we have formulated our own sustainable development strategies (SDS), which align with universally accepted sustainable development goals (SDGs). Known as “Egypt Vision 2030,” these SDS reflect broader visions that Egypt has for a brighter, sustainable future. These visions are divided into pillars that encompass a range of issues such as education, energy, and social justice, which are all seen to work hand-in-hand in ecologically sound development.
Egypt, although in favor of current sustainable development goals, recognizes a rather glaring issue in how the international community frames the discussion on sustainability. The flaw in how we proceed with “sustainable development” is a fundamental one, and it involves the lack of definition of the phrase itself.
Sustainable development has indeed been “defined” in the literal sense, but the concept’s inherent vastness and elusivity makes implementation a daunting, perhaps even impossible, task. After all, *what does sustainable development actually look like*? Eradication of poverty, environmental protection, economic prosperity, and every other objective in place are insufficient answers—these are ideals, not measurable tasks. A feasible answer might look like allocating funds to expand capacities for data collection on building infrastructure in an environmentally-conscious way. Another might include fostering connections between agricultural scientists in developed nations and localities in developing regions. In order to make the enigmatic concept of “sustainability” a reality, Egypt sees it imperative that we frame discussion around the concrete steps nations can take toward ecologically sound development. If the UNDP is incapable of bringing the vast notion of sustainable development out of the abstract, Egypt, or any developing nation for that matter, cannot be expected to deliver.
Egypt has put the visions in place, framed the UN goals to fit its context, and yet still grapples with how to implement, as does much of the developing world. Even with documents like the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, which focuses on projecting SDGs in terms of achievable realities, the path to sustainable development still has considerable gaps. Declaration after declaration reiterates the same vague implementation strategies: international partnerships, financial mechanisms, and implementation across all levels of government. Our goal as a committee must focus on how to make the path to sustainable development more clear and quantifiable. Leaving nations to build policies without providing necessary tools or coherent direction will surely drive them from the table and further distance the world from a sustainable future. Egypt would like the UNDP to take a step back, define what sustainable development looks like in the most concrete terms, and proceed with implementation in mind.
