CONFERENCE
The guest lecture was held in the framework of the opening event of the European Year for Development. It was one of the first events of the Latvian presidency of the Council of the European Union. UL Rector and Professor Marcis Auzins gave the introductory speech, and UL Professor Zanete Ozolina chaired the discussion after H. Kharas’ lecture.
Homi Kharas’ speech focused on the changes of global development paradigm. Today all countries strive for sustainable development and eradication of poverty, so far remaining an unattainable goal. The previous global development paradigm, with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the centre, has allowed to reach remarkable achievements in extreme poverty prevention. However, the achieved progress is insufficient. It is not likely that the continuation of the previous practice would allow eradicating extreme poverty in the coming decades and providing decent living conditions for all humanity. Therefore, it is essential to change the global development paradigm. According to Homi Kharas, the new development paradigm should have three goals. Firstly, it is necessary to provide every person with the minimum subsistence and security minimum that would serve as the basis for further development. Secondly, the greenhouse gas emission has to be reduced rapidly, and the ability of the poorest population to adapt to the climate change has to be strengthened. Thirdly, it is necessary to make changes in the global management, in order to protect the planet’s ecosystem from extinction and to encourage actions promoting good management and development. According to Kharas, reforms that would ensure sustainable development are essential in all countries. Taking into account the growing mutual dependence, countries can come to an agreement on the change of global development paradigm only by putting their efforts together.
Homi Kharas is a senior fellow and deputy director for the Global Economy and Development program. Formerly a chief economist in the East Asia and Pacific Region of the World Bank, Kharas currently studies policies and trends influencing developing countries, including aid to poor countries, the emergence of a middle class, the food crisis and global governance and the G20. In the recent years, Kharas has participated in the UN High - Level Working Group led by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Prime Minister David Cameron, and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Kharas is the author and co-author of publications on the global development issues.
Kapuscinski Development Lectures is funded by the European Commission and organised collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia.
 the UL Faculty of Social Sciences organized a guest lecture by Homi Kharas, the leading researcher of Brookings Institution. The lecture was a part of Kapuscinski Development Lectures project, and it took place in Imants Ziedonis Hall at the Latvian National Library on January 9, 2015. ){kind=link}