DO NOT expect them to publicly admit it, but even  political opponents of President Bharrat Jagdeo would find it difficult not to agree with his call for “global accountability indicators” by the international community in the honouring of obligations, and in particular for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The Guyana Head of State’s suggestion, as reported in our yesterday’s edition, came during his participation Friday in the UN General Assembly annual high-level debate.
Too often, the focus on accountability in implementation of policies and decisions tend to fall on poor and developing nations, while failures or shortcomings by the rich and power are rationalized — whether the problem has to do with human rights violations or honouring pledges on economic and social development.
As the President told the UN, in reiterating an earlier call for affluent nations to show consistency in honouring their own obligations, “aid flows are appreciated and valuable.”
“But,” he added, “the flows sometimes pale into insignificance when the same countries that promote how their aid is helping the achievement of, for example, the Millennium Development Goals, are also pursuing unjust, narrow-minded trade or climate policies…”
Those donor nations that are more circumspect in honouring their international obligations would also be aware of the more than implied dissatisfaction of the Guyanese Head of State over the cynical attitude often reflected by the wealthy and powerful on respect for fundamental human rights and disbursements of committed economic aid.
“The notion,” said President Jagdeo, “that we can protect our national and global interests through inward-looking national responses is no longer valid (if it ever was). Instead, it is in all our interests for the United Nations to provide the platform that facilitates globally inter-connected responses…”
Two examples cited by President Jagdeo are in the areas of managing climate change and the functioning of the global financial systems.