Search: For - goals

365 results found

Preventing hunger and malnutrition in India
Jun 09, 2017

Preventing hunger and malnutrition in India

The prevalence of malnutrition—encompassing both undernutrition and overnutrition—is an important indicator of a country’s health. Those who are either undernourished or are obese underperform in various aspects of life, missing out on opportunities to become productive members of society. India is among those countries in the world with the highest recorded numbers of undernourished. As the country aspires to fulfil its economic and social

Promoting Menstrual Health: Towards Sexual and Reproductive Health for All
Feb 10, 2023

Promoting Menstrual Health: Towards Sexual and Reproductive Health for All

There is evidence that sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is strongly linked to menstrual health and hygiene (MHH). Yet globally, governments, policymakers, and non-government organisations (NGOs) fail to include MHH in their SRH agenda. This brief examines the most crucial evidence linking MHH and SRH, and offers a framework to underline the imperative of pushing MHH into the mainstream of India’s SRH agenda. It argues that gaps in t

Promoting South South Development Cooperation: Role of India
Oct 20, 2015

Promoting South South Development Cooperation: Role of India

In the recently inked sustainable development goals (SDG's) which identify international cooperation priorities and set the paradigm for global cooperation, India would be a key contributor laying emphasis on south-south development cooperation as an important pillar of the SDG's post 2015.

Quality rules in India: Trade, technical regulations and consumer protection
Aug 21, 2023

Quality rules in India: Trade, technical regulations and consumer protection

India’s competitiveness in manufacturing and the success of ‘Make in India’ depend on its ability to produce high-quality products and services. Product quality is important for human health and consumer safety, as well as for protecting the climate and the environment. One way of ensuring that products and services meet certain standards is through technical regulations with mandatory compliance. However, technical regulations also have th

Re-examining and Re-positioning India’s Nutrition Programme for Accelerating Improvements in Maternal and Child Nutrition
Aug 24, 2017

Re-examining and Re-positioning India’s Nutrition Programme for Accelerating Improvements in Maternal and Child Nutrition

India's progress in reducing the prevalent stunting rate in under-five children has been slow, and it must work hard to double the current annual rate of decline if it hopes to meet its sustainable development goals. Among others, this target requires ninety-percent coverage of women and children in the first one thousand days of life with evidence-based Essential Nutrition Interventions (ENIs) and maternal-child health services. Such coverage of

Reading the Tea Leaves: China’s Perspective on Ties with Pakistan and the CPEC’s Prospects
Sep 06, 2023

Reading the Tea Leaves: China’s Perspective on Ties with Pakistan and the CPEC’s Prospects

This year marks a decade since the announcement of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This brief analyses Chinese-language literature to understand the country’s current stance on Pakistan and the CPEC. Two trends emerge. First, China appears to be facing a dilemma over Pakistan. While the Chinese government wants the CPEC to be successful, China’s strategic community now shows little optimism on the initiative. Second, contrary to

Regionalisation: A Better Strategy in a Post-Pandemic World?
May 10, 2023

Regionalisation: A Better Strategy in a Post-Pandemic World?

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced nation states to shut down borders and to look decidedly inwards. In this newly emerging and highly tenuous global political economic landscape, a question that is being widely debated is what globalisation will look like in a post-pandemic world. This brief ponders the question in the context of India and its neighbourhood. Revisiting theoretical insights from ‘New Regionalism’, this analysis examines whether

Resource use efficiency and productivity: An analysis of India’s food grain sector
Jan 07, 2020

Resource use efficiency and productivity: An analysis of India’s food grain sector

The concept of food security comprises access, affordability, food safety, food preferences and dietary patterns. Recently, there has been a demand-driven shift in food consumption patterns in India towards nutrition-rich and economically high-value horticulture (fruits and vegetables), livestock and dairy products. Providing for such consumption needs will require diversification of agricultural production beyond the staples, especially wheat an

SDGs and Structural Vulnerabilities: The Case of BIMSTEC Countries
Feb 21, 2022

SDGs and Structural Vulnerabilities: The Case of BIMSTEC Countries

This paper studies the case of the countries of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) to investigate if progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) plays an instrumental role in addressing structural vulnerabilities. It finds that it does. Despite improvements in certain SDGs such as increasing per-capita income levels, improving healthcare, and providing universal

SDGs लागू करून तरुणांच्या कल्याणाचा विचार आवश्यक
Aug 22, 2023

SDGs लागू करून तरुणांच्या कल्याणाचा विचार आवश्यक

पुराव्यावर आधारित युवा धोरणांना प्रोत्साहन देऊन, समाज सर्व स्तरांवर एसडीजी लागू करण्याच्या दिशेने काम करू शकतात, ज्यामुळे तरुणांना फायदा होतो आणि एकूणच सामाजिक कल्याण �

SDGs, Indian Cities and Seismic Sustainability
May 24, 2023

SDGs, Indian Cities and Seismic Sustainability

Goal 11 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals aims to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.” Its targets include the promotion of resilience to disasters such as earthquakes. Many of India’s cities that lie in high-intensity zones—determined by ‘seismic microzonation’—are extremely vulnerable to earthquakes. Such cities, therefore, must move towards developing and adopting policies that pro

Some lessons for a less-cash economy
Nov 28, 2016

Some lessons for a less-cash economy

Less-cash economy formalising shared economy, with an impetus to digital payments, is one of the motivations as well as goals of demonetisation

Sri Lanka: Recognising India's role in growth
Jul 22, 2011

Sri Lanka: Recognising India's role in growth

In an observation recently in the Sri Lankan Parliament, External Affairs Minister G L Peiris asserted that the country could not achieve its development goals without India, which was going to play a vital role in achieving such targets.

Strategic and Managed Retreat as Adaptation: Addressing Climate Vulnerability in the Sundarbans
Jul 30, 2020

Strategic and Managed Retreat as Adaptation: Addressing Climate Vulnerability in the Sundarbans

Storm strikes are common in the Indian Sundarbans Delta on the northern Bay of Bengal and will only become more frequent and intense in this era of climate change. Every time a cyclone has hit the Sundarbans, the attempt has been to adapt in situ by creating protective infrastructure, and later return to the same conditions prevailing prior to the disaster. Such reliance on the notion of ‘resilience’ has become increasingly unsustainable and

Strategic implications of Chinese military modernisation
Jan 13, 2010

Strategic implications of Chinese military modernisation

A solely American perspective would be ill-suited to understanding the complex dynamics and goals of China's military ambitions

Success of ‘Saubhagya’ scheme would depend on how it addresses gender
Apr 12, 2019

Success of ‘Saubhagya’ scheme would depend on how it addresses gender

Recent policies and programmes such as the draft National Energy Policy (NEP), 2017 and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana have attempted to fill the critical gender gap by recognising the linkages of women to energy access.

Takeaways for India from IPCC’s Assessment of Global Mitigation Efforts
Aug 14, 2023

Takeaways for India from IPCC’s Assessment of Global Mitigation Efforts

The findings of Working Group-III (WG-III) of the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) clearly highlight the global failure to scale-up mitigation actions to achieve the Paris Climate targets. Immediate and unprecedented action will now be needed to avoid catastrophic global warming in this century. The WG-III report details some of the policy actions needed at the global level to enable a sustai

Technodemocracy at Tangier
Jul 05, 2019

Technodemocracy at Tangier

Reverberations of post-colonial themes of finding ‘voice’ fuse with the leapfrog of technology for cooperation in the emerging world on achieving sustainable development goals - a report from the Conference on Technology, Innovation and Society at Tangier in June 2019.

The African continental free trade area and its implications for India-Africa trade
Oct 08, 2018

The African continental free trade area and its implications for India-Africa trade

The African countries are set to launch the African Continental Free Trade Area or AfCFTA, the biggest free trade agreement in the world since the World Trade Organization was created in the 1990s. When implemented, the AfCFTA is projected to increase intra-African trade by 52.3 percent by 2022, from 2010 levels. In turn, higher trade levels can facilitate economic growth, transform domestic economies, and help the countries achieve the Sustainab

The Bay of Bengal Association for Sustainable Development: A speculative framework for governance
Aug 22, 2019

The Bay of Bengal Association for Sustainable Development: A speculative framework for governance

The task of developing a regional framework for the governance of a shared natural resource is fraught with challenges. It requires political will and stability, consistent funding, and clear goals and indicators. In the Bay of Bengal, institutionalisation efforts are so far defined in the BIMSTEC–a high-level governmental organisation working on broad economic objectives for the region. This brief speculates on a new framework that is quasi-go

The Case for a G20 Development Bank to Resurrect the SDGs
Nov 11, 2024

The Case for a G20 Development Bank to Resurrect the SDGs

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the first truly global attempt to set universal development goals for all countries and transform the economic system. More than halfway through the timeline of achieving the SDGs, the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of subsequent crises have dealt a deathblow to the SDGs. A massive financing gap is the primary obstacle to the achievement of the global goals by 2030. This brief argues that the G20, with

The Crucial 60 Percent: Building the Commonwealth’s Youth Capital
Nov 15, 2022

The Crucial 60 Percent: Building the Commonwealth’s Youth Capital

Young people across the world today are facing multiple challenges: lost school years due to the pandemic-induced lockdowns, the looming climate crisis, increasingly dangerous virtual spaces, and food and energy security concerns triggered by the Ukraine-Russia conflict. This paper analyses the challenges facing the youths of the Commonwealth, where 60 percent of the combined population are under 30 years old, and explores the investments require

The Cyber Command: Upgrading India’s national security architecture
Mar 03, 2016

The Cyber Command: Upgrading India’s national security architecture

India is increasingly vulnerable to cyber attacks that range from intrusions that affect the integrity of data to large-scale attacks aimed at bringing down critical infrastructure. This vulnerability is largely a function of India's digital economy, which is a "net information exporter" that relies heavily on devices manufactured outside the country. Another complicating factor is the density of India's cyberspace, which does not permit a unifor

The diaspora and India’s growth story
Aug 20, 2023

The diaspora and India’s growth story

This brief sketches the growing interest of the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the Indian diaspora. Over the last three years, the prime minister has repeatedly called attention to the role that the diaspora will play in India’s development process and in the promotion of its foreign policy goals. The brief gives an overview of the policies that the present government has rolled out and examines the benefits from, and pitf

The Enduring Link Between Conflict and Hunger in the 21st Century
Oct 14, 2021

The Enduring Link Between Conflict and Hunger in the 21st Century

The economic consequences of the ongoing pandemic have pushed millions of people into hunger and poverty. Yet, in some parts of the world, critical levels of widespread hunger, or famine, had already made a resurgence long before the outbreak of COVID-19. This brief studies the famine-like situation in four countries in two continents—Yemen, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and North Korea—to demonstrate the direct link between conflicts and modern fam

The Expansion Challenge For BRICS
Aug 14, 2023

The Expansion Challenge For BRICS

India is trying to convey that any expansion of BRICS is futile without serious efforts to nurture trust and foster cooperation.

The fallacy of Govt's tobacco taxation
Jul 09, 2014

The fallacy of Govt's tobacco taxation

The skewed tobacco taxation policy, far removed from a reality based understanding of the tobacco consumption and economics, is not helping the government achieve any goals. It is perhaps due to either a strong lobby, or the desire to protect 36 million beedi workers or just bad strategy.

The Geopolitical Imperative for Reorganising Global Supply Chains
Aug 14, 2023

The Geopolitical Imperative for Reorganising Global Supply Chains

Global supply chains are being restructured to achieve distinct geopolitical goals, given the strategic vulnerability of such networks due to being controlled by a few nations. Countries that are prominent sourcing hubs for some supply chains could potentially ‘weaponise’ their economic influence for larger geopolitical gains. This brief argues that although multiple global efforts have been initiated to address such threats, efforts

The Global Governance of the Energy Transition: Lessons for the Indo-Pacific and Latin America
Jul 03, 2024

The Global Governance of the Energy Transition: Lessons for the Indo-Pacific and Latin America

Amid disruptive international crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine, ensuring a secure energy supply for development requires focused efforts by individual countries and the international community. This report examines the global governance of the energy transition from the perspectives of the Latin American and Indo-Pacific regions. Despite their geographic distance, the two regions share similarities in their econ

The Indian startup ecosystem: Drivers, challenges and pillars of support
Sep 12, 2019

The Indian startup ecosystem: Drivers, challenges and pillars of support

In recent years, startups have been receiving increased attention in many parts of the world. In India, the number of startups has increased fast and more support has become available in all dimensions. This paper analyses the current state of the Indian startup ecosystem and has three goals: to provide an understanding of the growth drivers and motivations of Indian startup founders; identify challenges facing these startups; and outline the pil

The ORF SDGs Young Influencers Programme 2.0: Report from Three Workshops
Oct 01, 2024

The ORF SDGs Young Influencers Programme 2.0: Report from Three Workshops

Shoba Suri, Nimisha Chadha and Oommen C Kurian, The ORF SDGs Young Influencers Programme 2.0: Report from Three Workshops, October 2024, Observer Research Foundation.

The Quad Gains Momentum as Strategic Realities Evolve
Sep 27, 2021

The Quad Gains Momentum as Strategic Realities Evolve

As new geopolitical and geo-economic realities emerge in the Indo-Pacific, India is now a critical node in the emerging network of variable geometries in the region. There are important opportunities in the evolving dynamic for New Delhi, as new alliances are crafted and new goals enunciated.

The reading list of Xi Jinping
Jan 07, 2018

The reading list of Xi Jinping

It is well known that Xi Jinping is an avid reader because his speeches have often used quotes from Dickens, Victor Hugo and Paul Coelho. The very choice of the books has a meaning.

The role of public-private partnerships in innovation for development: Lessons from Africa
Mar 13, 2019

The role of public-private partnerships in innovation for development: Lessons from Africa

The UN Sustainable Development Goals aim to “leave no one behind”, and developed countries are being urged to increase aid to poor countries. While this is a worthwhile effort, however, the key to genuine and sustainable development of poor countries lies not in aid, but in the development of their private sector.  Unlike aid which is limited in scope and time, a well-performing private sector puts a country on a more sustainable development

The Role of SDGs in Post-Pandemic Economic Recovery
Jan 07, 2021

The Role of SDGs in Post-Pandemic Economic Recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic has had widespread global economic impacts, and countries are gearing up for recovery. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be crucial. Given that the SDGs incorporate the four pillars of capital — human, social, natural and physical — these targets will be useful in the post-pandemic economic recovery process. This brief utilises econometric analysis to illustrate how the implementation of the SDGs is a stat

The Smartest Targets for the World: Dr. Bjorn Lomborg
Jan 07, 2015

The Smartest Targets for the World: Dr. Bjorn Lomborg

We risk missing out on a generational opportunity to shape global development through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). In a talk at ORF, Dr. Bjon Lomborg, head of the Copenhagen Consensus think tank presented a critical evaluation of the 17 SDGs and 169 associated targets.

The Sustainability Thread in India’s Development Partnerships
Oct 04, 2021

The Sustainability Thread in India’s Development Partnerships

This brief analyses the alignment between India’s development partnerships since Independence, and sustainability goals. It conducts the examination using three phases of India’s development partnerships—i.e., Phase 1, 1947-1990; Phase 2, 1991-2008; and Phase 3, post-2008—and finds that the country’s development cooperation agenda has historically incorporated objectives of sustainable growth. This pattern would continue throughout the

The sustainable business index
Apr 29, 2019

The sustainable business index

Sustainable development goals (SDG) can be a major enabler of business competitiveness, creating conducive business conditions.

The ‘Smart Economics’ of Moving Women from the Private to the Public Sphere
Mar 07, 2024

The ‘Smart Economics’ of Moving Women from the Private to the Public Sphere

Despite advancements in legislation and representation over the last decades, women continue to face barriers in accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare, legal protection against violence, and leadership roles. In the economic sphere, gender disparities persist in labour force participation, job sectors, wages, and unpaid care work. Women are constrained in participating in the labour market as their social role remains attached to domestic

Towards a Low-Carbon and Climate-Resilient World: Expectations from COP26
Nov 01, 2021

Towards a Low-Carbon and Climate-Resilient World: Expectations from COP26

There is widespread hope that the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow will deliver decisive action on the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. This report gathers different perspectives from analysts in South Asia, Africa, the Indo-Pacific, and the UK on regional priorities and positions on key issues related to the global fight against climate change. Certain threads bind these analyses regarding what the

Towards Universal Access to Clean Cooking Fuels and Technologies: The Role of Policy, National Incomes, and Social Behaviour
Aug 14, 2023

Towards Universal Access to Clean Cooking Fuels and Technologies: The Role of Policy, National Incomes, and Social Behaviour

Goal seven of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) commits the international community to providing access to clean cooking fuels and technologies to all by 2030. Progress has been slow, however, and in about 40 of the UN’s 189 member countries for which data is available, more that 80 percent of the populations continue to lack such access. Using case studies, this brief analyses the role of a country’s policies, i

Tracking Hunger and Nutrition SDG Targets: Gaps, Challenges and Possibilities
May 23, 2023

Tracking Hunger and Nutrition SDG Targets: Gaps, Challenges and Possibilities

The cornerstone of any Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) programme, especially for global targets such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and its successor, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is quality, comprehensive and real-time data. Without such data, M&E processes and operations are neither reliable nor relevant. This rule applies, for example, to targets related to nutrition and hunger-without effective nutrition monit

Tracking SDG targets on health and nutrition: Challenges and opportunities for streamlining surveys
Jun 24, 2017

Tracking SDG targets on health and nutrition: Challenges and opportunities for streamlining surveys

The achievement of global sustainable development goals (SDGs) depends largely on India’s progress, given the country’s massive size and its moderate historical success in key health and nutrition outcomes over the last several years. This further increases the relevance and need for effective monitoring of India’s performance, through timely and disaggregated data, which ensures systematic assessments and course-correction. As India will b

Trump 2.0 will echo themes from first term, but with big changes
Nov 07, 2024

Trump 2.0 will echo themes from first term, but with big changes

Internally, Trump has already indicated his administration will differ markedly from his prior one. Many key figures from his first term, such as John Kelly and John Bolton, have either distanced themselves from him or openly opposed his leadership, suggesting a fresh team with potentially distinct policy goals. This shift could result in notable changes across domestic and foreign policy fronts. The entry of people like Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswam

Unbundling the coal-climate equation
Oct 07, 2015

Unbundling the coal-climate equation

Ahead of the Paris climate summit, India announced on October 2 its INDCs for climate change mitigation and adaptation. While this commitment has drawn fulsome praise from many, the green ayatollahs have predictably ignored its herculean clean energy ambitions and focused on Indian dependence on coal. It is time to lay bare the 'coal hypocrisy' of these privileged 'western greens'.

Water Infrastructure and Connectivity: Growth and SDGs in Asia
Mar 04, 2016

Water Infrastructure and Connectivity: Growth and SDGs in Asia

This paper examines current water management ideologies and practices and the impact they create on strategies for pan-Asian connectivity. It suggests that 'business-as-usual' management principles and the harnessing of transboundary rivers tend to undermine efforts at achieving economic and ecological sustainability goals, as well as meeting long-term development challenges. The Mekong and Ganga basin regions, in particular, suffer from inadequa

Weighed down by the gains: India’s twin double burdens of malnutrition and disease
May 21, 2019

Weighed down by the gains: India’s twin double burdens of malnutrition and disease

Given its continent-like diversity, India’s epidemiological, nutritional, and demographic transitions are occurring in a staggered fashion, with high state-level variances. In many parts of the country, high rates of undernutrition co-exist with equally high and increasing rates of overweight and obesity. Further, the incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as a leading cause of mortality is increasing, even as the communicable, maternal,

What Ails Health Systems in Africa? An Economic Perspective
Dec 28, 2020

What Ails Health Systems in Africa? An Economic Perspective

There is hardly any doubt that failing health systems result in poor health outcomes and hamper progress towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Universal Health Coverage (UHC). In Africa, health systems are hobbled by leadership and governance challenges, extreme shortages of health workers, corruption in procurement systems for medical products and technologies, poor information systems, and health financing const