From: Student Pugwash USA <uspugwash@igc.apc.org>
Newsgroups: alt.org.pugwash
Date: 14 Dec 92 11:47 PST
Subject: Re: *Tough Questions: Fall 92 News
Nf-ID: #R:cdp:1758700030:cdp:1758700035:000:7941
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!uspugwash    Dec 14 11:47:00 1992


Tough Questions - Conference Issue 1992

DEVELOPMENT IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD
By Eric J. Dolin, Aditi Dutt and Scott Haase

     Historically speaking, development, as a theory and in 
practice, has been focused on quantitative rather than qualitative 
principles.  The focus of World Bank programs and other development 
initiatives has always been economic productivity, as measured by 
GNP, no matter what the cost in human or environmental terms.  This 
narrow definition has led to bleak situations in many developing 
countries, as well as in many developed countries (look at our own 
inner cities).   Despite decades of effort and the expenditure of 
billions of dollars on development programs, there is little 
indication that the process of environmental degradation is being 
halted, let alone reversed.  Indeed, the situation seems to be 
getting worse.  While the notion of Tsustainable growthU, suggested 
by the Brundtland Commission as a way to redefine development, has 
inspired a valuable public discussion, it is probably impossible to 
achieve in the long run.  The worldUs economic systems cannot 
continue to grow  indefinitely, at least not without major changes 
to our environment.

     In the midst of the debate on these issues, delegates 
representing ten countries gathered at the SPUSA International 
Conference for the Environmental Challenges for Developing Countries 
working group.  In spite of the difficulties which sometimes can 
arise with such diversity, our discussions were very congenial and a 
great learning experience for all.  Indeed, the diverse ethnic, 
experiential and personal make up of the working group provided 
invaluable resources for the group as a whole, as we sought to 
define and explore issues.  What  is Tsustainable development'? How 
can we decouple the notion of TdevelopmentU from TgrowthU in order to 
move toward sustainability?  How can we best measure and analyze our 
efforts, in both a quantitative and a qualitative fashion?  Besides 
the frequently used terms, TMore Industrialized NationsU and TLess 
Industrialized Nations,U should we define a new term for TDegrading 
Industrialized NationsU which would include some of the so-called 
Tdeveloped' countries?

     Virtually all members of the group agreed that the bioregional 
approach is a sensible way to address resource and pollution 
problems. This approach argues for managing the environment in a 
holistic fashion that recognizes the integrity and importance of 
ecosystems, The debate heated up, however, when the group moved from 
this agreement on principles to a discussion of how bioregionalism 
could be operationalized in light of the fact that ecosystems donUt 
respect traditional political jurisdictions.  Some argued that the 
bioregional approach requires improved cooperation among existing 
political units.  Others felt that the only way to achieve 
bioregionalism is to dissolve or at least severely weaken traditional 
political jurisdictions and create new international forms of 
government, such as a Tglobal environmental protection agency.U  
Understandably, the challenges inherent in the creation of a global 
EPA or similar structures inspired another interesting and 
inconclusive debate on how such international governmental structures 
could be established and why nations would consent to be, in effect, 
stripped of their sovereignty in some regard.

     A number of participants felt that, under the rubric of 
technology transfer, the Developed Nations should send environmental 
experts to the Developing Nations in order to help the latter 
implement sustainable policies.  No sooner had this proposal been 
mentioned than some of the participants from developing countries 
pointed out that it was not expertise that their countries lacked, 
but the financial means and technological hardware necessary to put 
that expertise to work.  The group agreed that this was an important 
distinction.  After all, developing countries are populated by many 
smart and capable administrators, scientists, and policy makers.  The 
real challenge is to carefully consider the social, economic and 
political climate within which these individuals must operate, when 
designing foreign aid and technology transfer initiatives.  In this 
regard, western industrialization models for development can be 
inappropriate for developing countries.  While the expertise and aid 
that Developed Nations have to offer are essential components of a 
sustainable future, one should be careful to avoid the assumption that 
this expertise is all- important or inherently sufficient.

     Another element of the expertise question has to do with 
indigenous knowledge.  Local people who have the closest relationship 
with their environs often can provide valuable information for 
designing sustainable practices, especially those having to do with 
agriculture.  Rather than approach a situation with the Tanswers,U 
development agencies, in particular, should seek to learn from those 
they want to help.  Part of this learning process involves 
understanding how the indigenous people will react to new programs.  
The importance of this understanding in ensuring the success of such 
programs was highlighted in one of the student papers as follows:

In many African villages, water supply projects fail because they [do 
not] take account of the fact that the task of gathering water serves 
a social purpose for women to get together and talk.  Wood gathering 
may serve a similar social purpose, giving women a chance for a long 
absence from overbearing males, in addition to the main objective of 
gathering fuel.  Issues such as these must be carefully considered.

This focus on indigenous knowledge and culture fit in well with our 
discussion of the need to utilize both top-down and bottom-up 
strategies in the implementation of environmental programs.

     In recognition of the Tenvironmental challengesU posed by rapid 
population growth in the Developing Nations, we explored the 
obstacles of implementing western control measures such as Family 
Planning, contraception and educational programs. First of all, the 
pervasive Catholicism in many developing nations simply does not 
allow women access to contraception. Secondly, from a cultural point 
of view, children are often equated with virility, which makes 
population control measures unacceptable to many men even if women 
desire access to them.  Finally, uneducated women often believe that 
children are a Tboon from the heavensU and simply do not question or 
want to interfere with this process.  Hence, many members of the 
group felt that it was crucial to work toward an increased financial 
and educational backbone for all women in the world, resulting in 
increased self-esteem and independence for women to address these 
obstacles.

     One of the frustrations of the group was our inability, in some 
instances, to come up with specific steps that should be taken to 
implement those principles of sustainable development on which there 
was substantial agreement.  It is one thing to support a top-down and 
bottom-up approach to program implementation, but quite another to 
map it out.  At the same time, we realized that in light of the time 
constraints, the complexity of the issues addressed, and the lack of 
case-specific data, coming up with detailed proposals was 
unrealistic.  This frustration, however, should not be construed as 
an indication of despair or failure. We were all heartened by the 
quality of the discussion and each otherUs dedication to the cause 
of sustainable development.  Our time together was clearly a success. 
And we were all confident that as our academic and professional 
careers progress, so too will our ability to influence the 
sustainable development debate, ultimately contributing to the 
process of transforming aspirations into reality.