Despite some clear positives, the draft text of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) does not fulfill its self-proclaimed purpose of inspiring and guiding a concerted international effort to eradicate severe poverty everywhere in all its forms. We offer some critical comments on the proposed agreement and suggest eight ways to embolden the goals and amplify their appeal and moral power.

Thomas Pogge, President of ASAP, and Mitu Sengupta, ASAP Board Member and President of ASAP Canada, published an essay in the Guardian\’s development blog, Poverty Matters. Sengupta and Pogge argue that affluent people have influenced the shape global rules and institutions to their own advantage. Some of these structures–like the TRIPS agreement and the global network of tax havens–are perpetuating poverty. The authors argue that the global development framework that will succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015 ought to catalyze the reform of these harmful arrangements. To put such reforms into motion, the post-2015 development agenda must identify specific steps to be taken by specific actors; without such actor responsibility, the MDG successors will fall short of their potential to benefit people in poverty.

Read the full article on the Guardian website.

Dr. Mitu Sengupta, an Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Ryerson University in Toronto, has joined the ASAP Board of Directors. Sengupta, who also heads the Centre for Development and Human Rights in Delhi, has been closely involved with ASAP efforts in India, and she is a lead organizer of the ASAP-Canada launch, scheduled for October 2012 at Ryerson.

Sengupta holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Toronto, and an MA and BA in Political Science from McGill University in Montreal. She has published widely on Indian market liberalization and development, on labor and migration, and on the politics of sporting and cultural events. Before her doctoral studies, she worked as a consultant for the UN High Commissioner of Refugees, in addition to working as an editorial writer in Delhi.

\”I am delighted to welcome Mitu Sengupta to the Board of Directors,\” said Board Chair Thomas Pogge of Yale University. \”She has greatly contributed to ASAP\’s efforts for most of its existence, with much energy, grace and intelligence. Her participation on the Board will greatly strengthen our work, especially in India and Canada.\”

The ASAP Board is tasked with developing and promoting core ASAP efforts, including conferences, impact projects and activities focused on promoting collaboration between researchers, teachers and students working on aspects of poverty reduction. Its nine board members are drawn from universities in the United States, Canada, India, Spain, Australia and the United Kingdom.