South
The United Nations Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro in June of 1992, illuminated some major differences among the nations of the world, differences that are summarized in the terms North and South. The latter term refers to nations of the Southern Hemisphere—nations that have significantly different environmental concerns from those of their northern neighbors. These concerns arise primarily from rapid population growth; low levels of technological and industrial development; and generally difficult living conditions.
The distinction between North and South did not originate with the Rio conference. It was popularized by a report delivered in 1980 to the Secretary-General of the United Nations by a commission headed by Willy Brandt (1913-1992), the former Chancellor of West Germany. The report, which was entitled To Ensure Survival—Common Interests of the Industrial and Developing Countries, is sometimes referred to as the Brandt Report. It recommended a marked rise in development assistance from the developed countries to the countries of the South. The rich countries were to increase their official development assistance (ODA) to 0.7% of their gross national product (GNP) by 1985, and to 1% by 2000. The Brandt Report was followed by a second study in 1983, Common Crisis North–South: Cooperation for World Recovery. This report predicted conflict and catastrophe if the imbalance between North and South were not corrected.
An important conclusion that was drawn from the Rio conference is that the marked differences between North and South must somehow be reduced if global problems are ever to be solved. Twenty years after the Brandt Report, however, the results are discouraging. Instead of an increase in ODA, there has been a marked decrease, in terms of both absolute dollar amounts and GNP percentages. As of 2002, financing for the development of the South is in serious crisis. ODA contributions by all OECD countries fell from a high of $59.6 billion (in US dollars) in 1994 to an estimated $56.0 billion in 1999. ODAs share of the North's GNP fell accordingly from 0.30–0.24%. Policy recommendations that were made in 2001 included a proposal to finance the costs of development by an international tax on energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
Resources
Books
Kaul, Inge, Isabelle Grunberg, and Marc A. Stern. Global Public Goods: International Cooperation in the Twenty-First Century. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Reid, David. Sustainable Development: An Introductory Guide. London, UK: Earthscan, 1995.
Other
Martens, Jens. Overcoming the Crisis of ODA—The Case for a Global Development Partnership Agreement. Presentation to the Civil Society Hearings at the United Nations, November 7, 2000.
Organizations
Dante B. Fascell North–South Center, University of Miami., 1500 Monza Avenue, Coral Gables, FL USA 33146 (305) 284-6868, Fax: (305) 284-6370, Email: nscenter@miami.edu, www.miami.edu/nsc
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