Citizentered Agenda
”Perspectives and Proposals: Our Common Agenda towards People-centered Citizenship and Governance”
Kimberly C. Axalan
Edited by Mark Lawrenz de Matta
It is indeed the most challenging crisis that our global community has faced since the Second World War. As it is unanticipated, preparations before the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic were not established. Hence, it did not just reveal the shared vulnerability of the international community, but stressed that different concerns, such as human rights, and social inequalities especially in healthcare and the digital divide are present more than ever. It is the result of inadequate political leadership and bad governance which for a long period of time, citizens have struggled with. Resilient collective actions have been present, and the international community’s common response to societal problems has been worsened by the pandemic.
The United Nations’ Common Agenda aims to renew and deepen international solidarity as member states express faith in international cooperation towards a common goal: to emphasize multilateralism that will institutionalize collective solutions more often, effectively, and inclusively. However, the pandemic exposed that as much as international cooperation is necessary, it is much more difficult to achieve. Renewal of social contracts between member states and their citizens will most likely help establish a more cooperative and trusting relationship that shall start nationally towards the global level. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world by creating new needs and stressing old ones that are needed to be addressed. Learning from the past is a big step towards genuinely changing the future, but letting it go is like leaving someone behind. Our Common Agenda shall encompass our past, the present, and our future.
This paper establishes different perspectives and proposals towards Our Common Agenda, focused on the key proposals across the 12 commitments from the declaration on the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations. The author argued that the international community’s common agenda should be people-centered citizenship and governance that will address the long term problems of member states even before the pandemic existed.
Leaving No One Behind?
Leaving no one behind is indeed the first step towards addressing the 12 key commitments as it aims to promote general inclusivity in any aspect of life: social protection such as healthcare and basic income security. Considering the nations that are currently dealing with other issues aside from the COVID-19 pandemic, such as Afghanistan’s severe economic and humanitarian crises, the conflict over property ownership and displacements between Israel and Palestine, and Myanmar’s civil war — which are examples of more alarming issues that authorities of the United Nations should prioritize. Hence, interconnectedness as one of the most important aspects of citizenship plays a pivotal role in advocating people’s protection calling for their right to healthcare and justice. One example to foster respect for human rights is to establish full support for people leaving their respective countries to escape the existing violence and issue citizenship if they wish to not return. Moreover, the efforts of providing an urgent response towards the repressions inside the countries mentioned through instituting their basic rights will help every person to embrace their independence.
In addition, “leaving no one behind” agenda includes listening and working with the youth given that the need for consistent protection for rights defenders, including the youth, shall be provided and one of the main common agendas to be achieved. May it be defenders of environmental rights, human rights, education rights, and gender rights, everyone must be protected as citizenship is the essential institution that links the individual rights holder to the state’s protection services. Hence, part of being a responsible citizen is exercising their democratic and political rights inside their respective national communities. Meanwhile, under the repeal of gender-discriminatory laws from the placing of women and girls at the center agenda, the LGBTQ+ community should be included as they are part of the different gender that exists, and they are also humans and citizens that deserve every right anyone has.
Improve Digital Cooperation?
As of April 2021, analysis from Data Reportal (*Figure 1: The World’s Offline Populations April 2021 | DataReportal, see this figure at the linked paper) states that there are 3.1 billion people around the world that either do not have an internet connection at all, do not have access, or are fragmented in emerging economies. At present rates of growth, connecting the ‘next 3 billion’ would take around ten years. However, it is uncertain if we will ever attain 100% adoption since some of the perceived challenges include lack of education, and media information illiteracy; hence people are choosing to be off the grid.
Meanwhile, Visual Capitalist digested data from DataReportal and identified the top 10 disconnected countries. We shall consider that the rural-urban divide affects a wide range of countries, even the developed ones, such as China and the United States — a tech giant country, struggle to connect isolated or rocky rural areas to the internet. (see data at the linked paper)
Data shows that internet fragmentation is still present even though our world is under a 4th industrial revolution and digital age. A huge divide is present and this is one of the digital rights concerns needed to be addressed by our common agenda. This concern can be traced to a lack of access to education, gadgets, and internet connectivity alone. Fragmentation should be avoided by upholding the ideas of a decentralized system of networks made up of open, interconnected elements in laws and regulations.
While achieving our first agenda under the Improvement of Digital Cooperation, the United Nations and its member states shall also consider institutionalizing data privacy global regulations that will support in making national data protection policies in different countries and shall consider citizens’ rights to access digital information. Implementing mandated policies for tech giants inside social media platforms shall also take place to ensure genuine data privacy even for the connected people. On accessing internet connection, responsibility shall be its partner. Through achieving internet responsibility, media information literacy shall take place and be taught. To connect all people using the internet, gadgets for connection shall be easily accessible to everyone; this can also be used in giving feedback to authorities, reporting their conditions, emergency concerns, and most importantly, for educational purposes.
While on the artificial intelligence (AI) side, the United Nations shall regulate policies and impose guidelines towards AI essentially for the public sector highlighting its responsible use. Specific technological policies shall take place repealing biases in codes for different people of color and genders in AI and still to manifest human rights in technology. In general, the international community, along with its leaders shall be aware and take action towards the digital divide that the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized. The huge cleavage inside the digital world shall be birched and recognize the driving forces behind it, expensive data, blank signals in rural areas due to lack of telecommunication towers, and others.
Upgrade the United Nations?
As the United Nations and its member states continue to build trust towards its constituents, it should be accountable and transparent. Being accountable means having responsibility and answerability to all the concerns and scrutiny of the people an institution is serving; hence public service is a public trust. In order to be consistent towards building trust, accountability and transparency shall prevail towards the implementation of Our Common Agenda. Putting emphasis on the importance of accountability, Alfiler (1995), quotes Chandler and Plano (1982), who connect the notion of accountability to the concept of corruption and bureaucratic red tape, claiming that when there is accountability, the incidence of corruption and red tape decreases. Similarly, transparency regarding policy updates, meetings, hearings, and all other state gatherings shall be regulated and mandated through publicizing different reports, data, and budget breakdowns of projects. Transparency is an important component of professional ethics, and it should coexist with trust as public trust in government is founded on ethics along with its acceptance of participating in its activities.
In Upgrading the United Nations, sector groups, such as workers, farmers, youth, professionals, and others, including its leaders and defenders, shall be genuinely allowed to lobby their concerns and demands to the United Nations and the international community for them to understand the calls and work on the institutionalization of their interests that will upgrade and improve United Nations’ governance. Towards ensuring sustainable finances, the Economic and Social Council, the Secretary-General, and the heads of international financial institutions, shall establish guidelines and regulations that may accompany member states in dealing with informal economies and their rights for financial support, payment of tax, business loans, and other forms of assistance for their business. Listening to the people is necessary in the aspect of commitment to the public interest as it essentially contributes to the establishment of effective governance Lastly, in boosting partnerships, the United Nations system along with its member states shall consistently be engaged with different embassies around the world, and not just with parliaments, subnational authorities, and the private sector.
In achieving good governance with sustainable policies and transparency, different states shall have a common agenda relating to the World Governance Index which is composed of six governance dimensions: Voice and Accountability, Political Stability and Absence of Violence/Terrorism, Government Effectiveness, Regulatory Quality, Rule of Law, and Control of Corruption. Good governance is a crucial contributor to a country’s social integrity with its capacity to cover the human structure and functions inside a society that constitutes the basis for all economic and environmental success and future developments. World Governance Index,a World Bank and Brookings Institution project that evaluates the quality of governance in 213 nations and territories throughout the world. ‘Governance’ is the term used to describe what a government does, and ‘governance effectiveness’ indicates how successfully the government uses its authority to enact and execute policies that benefit its population. Each country’s governance status is rated in terms of (a) the process by which governments are selected, monitored, and replaced; (b) the government’s ability to effectively formulate and implement sound policies; and © citizens’ and the state’s respect for the institutions that govern economic and social interactions between them, aiming to promote a huge contribution in the development of governance.
Protect our Planet?
Effective and efficient governance is required for both development and the preservation of environmental quality. As such, states require strong legislative, political, and judicial institutions to meet their environmental obligations and aspirations. In order to safeguard our planet, government leaders all across the world must truly commit to ensuring our future, rather than simply talking, meeting, and delivering plans but not really listening to science. Established good governance shall manifest genuine democratic practices such as considering the suggestions of different experts concerned that hold a huge contribution in the effective change in the future. Plans listed under the protection of our planet for our common agenda will be met only if different officials place scientists in the spearhead and prioritize their proposals by allowing them to participate in decision-making processes that will further provide global solutions. It is time to open a door for science to deal with climate and environmental issues and make our common agenda plausible as it will play a part in a more strengthened future.
Listening to the demands of youth and environmental activists and defenders shall also be one of our common agendas. Their demands include: following the Paris Agreements that cover climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance; keeping the global temperature rise below 1.5 °C; ensuring climate justice and equity; listening to the best-united science currently available; and ending the fossil fuel investments as it is very expensive and severely pollutes our air and water, damage people’s homes and lands, and contribute to climate change, which is transforming our globe into an uninhabitable world that is caused by financial institutions and fossil fuel companies.
Awareness of these events in our environment shall trigger and push state officials to take action and regulate institutions that caused severe environmental damages and harmed our climate. If the United Nations system, along with its member states, live up to the goal of our common agenda showcasing a people-centered governance, where actions should be taken priority ensuring the welfare of future security and generations.
Towards a people-centered common agenda
Our Common Agenda must stick with serving the interests of the people, our environment, and future generations, through the genuine implementation of policies and monitoring of it. Listening to different sectors of society, organizations, and groups, being inclusive, and most of all establishing good and effective governance through accountability and transparency should also be done. In the end, it is the people that are the center of Our Common Agenda, and thus shall be the center of our policies, plans, and changes. Inclusivity must be the priority and never leave anyone behind for a shared development with it being collective and united. World leaders shall take measures and empathize with the people who are fighting for their rights and their future. In that sense, good governance and inclusive citizenship will lead its way towards a collective progressive international community and a legitimate authority.
Reference:
United Nations. (2021). Secretary-General’s report on “Our Common Agenda.” Un.org. https://www.un.org/en/content/common-agenda-report/
Kimberly Axalan is a graduating public administration and governance student that perceives to be a policy analyst someday focusing on food security and establishment of national industrialization in the country. She is currently the Editor-In-Chief of NCPAG-Umalohokan, the official student journal publication of UP-NCPAG.
