Our Aspiration
The last 15 years have witnessed tremendous progress in human development, demonstrated through measured gains across many sectors. Progress has been driven by new technologies and tools, for example advances in diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines in the health sector. Yet, there are concerning signs that progress is slowing. In part this is due to investments in technologies outpacing investments in leadership & management capacity of individuals and teams. The High-Level Council on Leadership & Management for Development convenes prominent individuals from all sectors, regions and walks of life to catalyze collective efforts to change the conversation in development and focus more on people by encouraging investment in leadership and management, in addition to investments in technologies, commodities and financing.
The High-Level Council held its first meeting face-to-face on Sunday, 22 September 2019 in the margins of the 74th annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. The meeting was followed by an evening panel discussion & reception that was open to the public. Since then, the Council has held virtual tele- or video conference meetings over a 2-year period to produce a written report and call-to-action for investment in leadership and management for broad dissemination.
Official Development Assistance (ODA), foundations, and philanthropic initiatives have made major investments to assist purchase and distribution of crucial commodities particularly in lower and lower-middle income countries. In the health sector, this includes suppling vaccines and enabling diagnostic capabilities. In agriculture, efforts have focused on protecting arable land, advancing soil health, water utilization, and productivity, particularly for smallholder agriculture. In education, countries that are currently making the most rapid improvement have taken steps to ensure greater quality and access.
Yet, there are signs that in some domains progress is slowing. For example, after nearly 15 years of steady decline, the burden of malaria plateaued then reversed its positive trajectory. Despite everything we know and all our capabilities, cases of malaria have been rising in many settings, especially in Africa. Even, once-promising downward trends in global hunger have stalled or reversed (especially in lower resource contexts) over the past 3-5 years. Primary school enrollment rates have remained relatively flat since 2007, and wide disparities among countries persist.
A factor to consider in this slowing progress is that investments in commodities and infrastructure have not been matched by sufficient investments in the leadership & management capacity of individuals and teams, especially those whose mandate it is to address these critical challenges. These agents of change are responsible for ensuring that everyone under their purview gains and maintains access to primary health care, primary school education, and a stable supply of nutritious food. The situation is further complicated by a range of important trends including population growth, migration, climate change, urbanization, pollution, and water scarcity – to name just a few. Confronting these threats will further test the ability of countries to articulate clear and compelling visions within and across development sectors. In order to do so, countries must build high-functioning leadership & management capacity at all levels, including the most peripheral. Investment in leadership and management can turn the tide so that progress on the path to a better world continues.
There are powerful examples of country progress linked to strong leadership. In health, two exemplars are Rwanda’s implementation of a community-based health insurance program and Ethiopia’s expansion of its primary health care coverage through the health extension worker program. In these cases, exceptional leadership from the public sector, coupled with strong management frameworks, led to large scale national systems change that stand out as global models of excellence. In agriculture and nutrition, Brazil dramatically reduced child stunting levels by over 80% from 1975 to 2007, and they effectively eliminated any statistical difference between the wealthiest and poorest regions. This success can largely be attributed to a multi-sectoral approach to fund and implement these programs, not just across national ministries but, perhaps more critically, at the local government and civil society level. In education, Vietnam dedicates over 20% of its federal budget to education, focusing on quality of learning that can reach students of all income levels. Vietnam has surged past many high-income OECD countries in PISA performance, as leaders look to maintain these gains while further broadening access.
The seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)/Global Goals articulate an ambitious and inspiring blueprint for humanity to make the world a better place. Reaching these goals by 2030 will remain a challenge for many countries, especially those where progress is most critical. However, the measure of this challenging should not be equated with impossibility. The likely continued economic growth in lower resource settings in the next decade can foster innovation with the potential to be an engine for evolutionary – and sometimes revolutionary – change.
Investment in human capital will allow countries to capitalize on these opportunities. That requires building the capacity for visionary leadership and meticulous management at all levels in both public and private sectors. It requires overcoming the inertia that has impeded multi-sectoral collaboration in development. The scope to create a better world expends beyond the SDGs. When one observes that nearly 50% of the health-related development goals lie outside the framework of SDG 3 close partnership across sectors is no longer optional, but essential.
Given the above, the High-Level Council on Leadership & Management for Development has convened prominent individuals from diverse sectors, with an emphasis on Agriculture, Education, and Health. Together, the Council will set a visionary course for investing in human capital for development. It will explore the landscape of leadership & management development assistance, its results to date, levels of investment in leadership and management capacity building, the role of leadership & management interventions in development successes, and best practices.