Development

The true aim of development, whether that means improving roads or strengthening the economy through tourism or industry, should be to address poverty. But time and time again, the very poorest of the poor, who are often minorities, are excluded from discussion on development policies and poverty reduction strategies. As parts of a country and certain groups of its people get richer, its minorities continue to lag behind. MRG has seen evidence of this from Ethiopia to China and beyond. Even where policies include mention of minorities, implementation remains unequal – again because minorities may not have participated in making decisions, or in putting those decisions into practice.

Ignorance? Discrimination? Historical neglect? Whatever the underlying reason for exclusion, MRG’s development campaign lobbies for better participation for minorities at every level on the issues that affect them. In all of our work on development, we aim to impact from the grassroots level to the international - where the focus today is on the Millennium Development Goals, on implementing minority and indigenous people’s rights and on targeting those who have a duty to protect those rights.

How do we campaign for more equal development?

Informing people of their rights

In Chitipa, Malawi, we are working with partner organisation Equal Opportunities Watch to educate minority groups about their right to participate in development planning, and their right to work– both of which are enshrined in the constitution of Malawi but not always practiced Construction is now slowly taking place on a long awaited but vital new road that aims to increase cross border trade between Malawi, Namibia and Tanzania.

The building of the road offers the opportunity for local employment. When it is finished, local residents will be able to start businesses aimed at travellers who use it. They will also be far better connected to main town centres.

But the promised road is taking a long time to materialise. There are allegations that old equipment is slowing construction, and workers are forced to work (repetition) by hand. EOW believes that the ongoing government failure to construct the road is a gross violation of the people’s right to development, to participate in their choice of economic activity, and their right to equality.

Supported by MRG, EOW is using theatre in villages along the planned road to educate people of their rights and engage them in the issues.

Tackling discrimination

Development policies are often weighted to benefit one group over another. Through our lobbying work and our partners, we are collecting data in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia to date, on how much access to government funds and services different minorities groups have. Using this information, we can see who gets what and then ask why if any differences exist. We will use this in our lobbying work with governments and in the media.

Conflict management

Our three year programme in partnership with the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People works to promote community participation in development projects being run by Shell Oil and the United Nations Development Programme in the Niger Delta. In this area, communities continue to suffer extreme marginalization, and their land subjected to environmental degradation, because of corrupt practices of the government and the private oil companies encroaching on their land. Despite the immense oil wealth, very little has filtered down to people in the area. This in turn has fuelled resentment, which has led to vigilante and militia action. MRG is currently seeking funding for the final year of this programme.

Sharing experiences

National development agendas often tend to ignore minority communities, and instead focus on the majority. For example, minority communities may be excluded from accessing education for their children, because they do not possess the proper citizenship documentation, or do not speak the majority language.

In China, we have brought together different minority groups who are separated by geography or language, but who are paying the same price for development in their areas: the eradication of their cultures, languages and religions, and no access to basic services that could help them progress. They live in fear of their lives if they protest.

When MRG and our partner Human Rights in China brought together Uyghurs, Tibetans and Mongolians the groups were able to share resources and information and to begin to come to some combined plan of action. You can read more about this meeting here.

Publications

Our reports to continue to lobby to for better development practices across the world by exposing bad policies. See China, Minority Exclusion, Marginalization and Rising Tensions.

Our issues paper, PRSPs, Minorities and Indigenous Peoples provides case studies from minorities and their experience of the process – showing clearly just how important effective participation is to sustainable development and long term peace.

Our issues paper The Right to Development: Obligations of States and the Rights of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples provides essential context to the development discussion.

Minorities, Poverty Reduction and the Millennium Development Goals

Poverty reduction and exclusion of minorities: MRG goes to the heart of the issue by working with partners and local communities to identify the gaps and possible discriminatory practices linked to the design and implementation of poverty reduction strategies of individual countries. Our programme to support minorities and indigenous peoples’ access to poverty reduction processes and inclusion in achieving the Millennium Development Goals works across Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia, all of which at are at different stages of implementing their poverty reduction strategies. Our campaign develops better ways of pressurising governments to listen to minority needs and put their recommendations into practice. We are currently seeking funding to run this programme in Indonesia and Nicaragua as well.

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which were agreed by UN member states in 1990, are committed to achieving their aims by 2015.

The eight goals call for the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, universal access to primary education, a clearer focus on gender equity, a reduction in child mortality, better maternal health, combating HIV/AIDs, malaria and other diseases, environmental sustainability and the development of a global partnership for these issues.

The World Bank-led poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs) offer a strategy to reduce poverty and increase economic growth and meet the MDGs. Every three years, governments of low-income countries submit reports describing their plans for poverty reduction, where they are getting their financing from and what their ongoing needs might be. Although this process is supposed to be participatory – involving civil society as well as government departments and external donors – all too often minorities find themselves excluded from this process. Even when their views are sought, they are often sidelined when the final strategy is drawn up.