By Shailly Gupta
Development can be perceived, positively or negatively
If equitable and carefully designed, it can lead to peace and harmony,
still there is hope
Then why is there often debate on choice
between growth and the happiness that derives from development?
Could happiness be the key to innovation
and hence growth for sustained development?
Something to explore, definitely
inwards and from outdoor learning spaces,
from each other
It was 1997. Freetown, Sierra Leone. Gunshots pierced our living room’s glass walls. I was only six years old. I remember rushing across our rooms to secure myself in our wooden closet. After three days of forced “candle-light dinner” in a secluded home that once was vibrant, always shining with sun rays, I found refuge in a small boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in the darkness, facing thunder. I was heading towards a new “home.” Identities were going to be questioned and changed. This was no ordinary journey. It was a defining one, as the seed for engaging in development work and peace had immersed somewhere within me.
While writing my maiden fictional novel, “Just how, I wonder?” prior to the pandemic on the SDGs, I projected insights from my analysis of international development experiences. Growing up, I was fortunate to live in eight countries and travel to more than 40, with a passion for heritage sites, nature and sustainable tourism. Remembering the sound of natural rhythms of birds singing in the forests of South-East Asia, picking tea leaves and coffee with rural communities in South Asia or dipping feet in the rivers of Africa and the Pacific Islands always give me a reason to smile. I realized, at a very early age, that the irony of life is that some of the most beautiful locations in the world are often post-conflict and post-disaster ones. Waking up everyday to a settled environment is a scarce blessing. Witnessing the precious smiles of local communities despite their miseries is very encouraging for beginning a quest to bring happiness to their lives. As a global storyteller, there is no doubt then, that the field of development and International Day of Peace mean a lot to me.
Few words may hence be required to describe the soft power of carefully and contextually designed development efforts in yielding positive socio-economic results for communities, step by step in a phased manner. We all have been lucky to forestand unique life-changing experiences in this field and opportunities to acquire skills for conducting and creating development work as intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs. There is much to learn from crucial opportunities, ranging from conversing with people suffering from poverty, witnessing hunger, and rejoicing with communities during volunteering services to traversing harsh realities during diverse professional analysis whilst serving at various international organizations. Interacting with local communities can help one to empathize and grasp the root causes for socio-economic-environmental barriers, local activities and problems that people face on a daily basis: inter alia poverty, inequality, hunger, unemployment, lack of education, poor connectivity, low market access, poor service delivery andclimate change.
So when we move forward, step by step, which of these areas can we prioritize and focus on to be most effective in our work in the current scenario of uncertainty? Building resilience has become the new paradigm, especially during the current pandemic and in the face of other global drivers of change. The development field needs skilled professionals to identify and mitigate risks, more than ever, especially since such sufferings have further aggravated due to increased frequency and severity of climate change-induced natural disasters. There is no doubt then, that the global community must act towards building the resilience of our fellow citizens, some of whom have already suffered a lot in life, in order to survive in the face of such global threats. One development route could be to build infrastructure resilience through education and skilling of communities.
Before takeoff, airplane passengers are advised to take care of themselves first by putting oxygen masks when oxygen levels fall and then help others later. Similarly, in the case of building resilience, development practitioners have to be resilient first. Many of us would resonate with our personal experiences of struggle and observations in the development field during our careers. Development practitioners must be prepared and resilient to face future shocks, unlearn, and relearn skills as per local cultures and on-the-ground realities for resolving challenges collectively and innovatively. Then only, through positive relations via partnerships, diplomacy and communication with stakeholders, would practitioners be able to explore appropriate innovative strategies and possible answers to our global development challenges at the grassroots and policy levels.
How could we use lessons learned in the education and skills development sector for disaster risk reduction? If we want resilient innovation and sustainability, happiness is a prerequisite: practitioners too must also be contented, continuously learn and upskill aligning with new technologies, aspiring to grow for development, step by step.
About the Author
Shailly Gupta has served in policy research and project management roles at international organisations such as the International Labour Office, UNESCO MGIEP and the Brookings Institution India Center in the field of education, skills development and infrastructure development. Having grown up in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Europe, Shailly enjoys travelling and learning about people’s life journeys and challenges faced. Her life experiences encouraged her to become an Author to write on sustainable development issues. Shailly holds a Master of Public Administration in Science, Technology and Infrastructure Policy from Cornell University and a Master of Education in International Education Policy from Harvard University.