The past year has brought with it extensive challenges for global development. From the ongoing legacies of Covid-19 and focus on polycrisis at the start of the year, to the Earth’s hottest summer since global records began and currently – a war in Palestine where the people of Gaza bear the brunt.
However, amidst the heartbreak and global sense of responsibility, people have come together across the globe for some of the largest protests in history – demanding a ceasefire. In the UK alone, thousands have gathered for pro-Palestine demonstrations for eight successive weekends so far.
This year also saw an escalation in citizen action to tackle the climate crisis, with anti-fossil fuel protests organised in over 50 countries. In a number of countries, governments acted to uphold or reinstate people’s rights – in Ghana, the parliament voted to abolish the death penalty. In Pakistan, the Supreme Court made a landmark judgement in favour of pay compensation to those affected by an anti-encroachment drive after a two-year long fight for justice. And in Brazil, the Supreme Court upheld Indigenous peoples’ rights to their traditional lands.
Below we reflect on some of the global development events of the year.
Polycrisis
Polycrisis was the buzzword dominating the World Economic Forum in 2023 and continued to be a focus for the development agenda. Described as the year in a word by the Financial Times, polycrisis was defined as the “collective term for interlocking and simultaneous crises of an environmental, geopolitical and economic nature.”
Experts outlined ways in which development could respond to the challenge of multiple and intersecting crises, whilst also debating the validity of the concept.
Rising hunger
The impacts of climate change combined with the cost-of-living crisis in many countries, along with rising inequalities led food security and hunger to be one of the most pressing development issues in 2023. Even in wealthier countries like the UK, the world’s sixth-largest economy, roughly one in seven people experienced food poverty in September 2022, with more than 2,000 food banks operating across the country; there were fewer than 100 a decade or so ago. There were also warnings about the risks of hunger becoming normalised in countries like Brazil and South Africa.
In this context, calls grew stronger for the power imbalances in food systems to be urgently addressed. The need for effective social protection measures also grew stronger, especially in countries facing acute hunger levels due to conflict, such as Sudan and Yemen.
Human rights
This year saw a global shift in the fight for gender justice – from the overturning of Roe v Wade, the introduction of the Anti-homosexuality Act 2023 in Uganda, the revocation of transgender rights to self-identification in Pakistan, stricter hijab laws in Iran and the ongoing attempts to ban Muslim women’s attire in France.
Yet as the speaker for this year’s IDS Annual Lecture Karuna Nundy demonstrated, feminists are stepping up their actions in the face of this backlash.
Climate
At COP28, this year a ‘landmark’ deal was agreed upon to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels. However, much remains to be agreed about how to transition and the implications for livelihoods and lives around the world. IDS research highlighted the need for transitions to be just for the communities and people most vulnerable to the changes.
Additionally, Brazil returned to COP28 as President Lula attempted to place the country at the forefront of the conservation debate and sent the largest ever delegation to the conference.
Brazil
Brazil’s renewed leadership on climate and environmental justice, under the government of President Lula, follows a broader return of Brazil onto the international stage, including taking over the Presidency of the G20 from December. In this influential global role, along with its researchers looked deeper into the implications for Brazil’s return to international development under Lula 3.0, on topics such as climate change, food security, hunger, South-South cooperation and Africa relations and social protection.
Digital
Artificial intelligence (AI) – particularly the potential for the dangers it could pose, and its implications for economies – dominated discussion during the latter part of this year. To discuss both the risks and opportunities of new AI technologies and uses, the UK hosted the first AI Safety Summit, and the IDS-hosted African Digital Rights Network published its new research Mapping the Supply of Surveillance Technology to Africa.
Despite the potential opportunities AI presents for global development, there are serious concerns about how digital technologies supplied to governments are breaching citizen rights. AI facial recognition used as part of ‘safe city’ surveillance produces poses particular risks and concerns for citizen safety and regulation.
The UK’s Integrated Review and White paper for International Development
In March, the UK Government published the long-awaited updated Integrated Review, termed ‘IR2023’. As the Government’s guiding foreign policy, defence and development strategy document, it – amongst other things – provided the current vision for how the UK sees relations with China at a time of global instability and when relations between China and the west are at their lowest ebb in decades.
More recently, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) published the White Paper for International Development. Broadly welcomed for its new approach to tackling extreme poverty and climate change, questions remain about how the commitments will be translated into action, including for respectful partnerships, taxation and digital transformation.
Palestine
In the context of the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the failures of the UN Security Council, there were ongoing calls for a ceasefire to prevent further loss of life.
The historical context of colonial violence and occupation and the need for global resistance to such dynamics of racism, violence, dehumanisation and division was emphasised. Additionally, Western governments were called on to put an end to war crimes due to the critical situation in Gaza where Israel turned off water and put people at risk of disease, dehydration and death.
Looking forward
With 2023 coming to an end, and a declining trust in democracy and authoritarianism, we now look ahead to 2024 – the year of elections. Elections start off on 7 January in Bangladesh, followed by Pakistan’s in February and India’s between April and May. Towards the latter half of the year, United States elections are scheduled to be held on November 5 and the UK election could happen in November.
Western forms of governance and democracy are under threat; both at a national level, but also at a global level, with the failure to call a ceasefire in Gaza the latest disappointment. With the global South and global North moving further apart, how will this shape next year?