The Meaning of 2024
2024 is a pivotal year. We need to be on the front foot to take on global development challenges rather than fight rearguard actions – “Front Foot Development”. Let’s make 2024 the year all the players in the global development family can play in more harmony. As we come up to the midpoint of the 2020’s, the pressing call for action is ever greater to change the horizon and calling for an increasing involvement. With so much going on in the landscape of global development, now is the time for action. As we step into the start of a new year and tread towards a new future, it gives me immense pride to be able to discuss my vision for GBPG in 2024. From day one, our unwavering vision has revolved around delivering exceptional outcomes and ensuring client satisfaction. It’s about the promise of excellence in every service we provide, and that commitment remains the backbone of our mission. Inclusivity and collaboration is the only way to build a sustainable future and this year, GBPG will be looking to create impactful solutions that are inherently collaborative, and which benefit all parties involved. Our Key Initiatives for 2024 Looking ahead to 2024, our focus is on key initiatives that will shape GBPG’s contributions to global development: Anti-Money Laundering (AML): One of our key focuses for this year will be strengthening our AML capabilities. This will include building a comprehensive roster of specialists and senior experts in AML to strengthen how GBGP can contribute to development projects in the global financial management space. Global Tax Governance: This year will also see GBPG expand our Global Tax Governance Advisory Team, spearheaded by our Lead Expert for Global Tax Governance Richard Stern. This, combined with our new capabilities in AML will form the basis of a two-pronged initiative to drive superior financial management on a global scale. Alignment with Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): As it always has, GBPG will continue our close alignment with the United Nations’ SDGs. Our participation in high-level policy forums is geared towards impacting development goals, and milestones, and providing the best possible services in key areas. Our assessment tool “PILLARS” will be guided and shaped to assist the global SME and NGO community in achieving these goals. Reducing poverty: Acknowledging global challenges, we recognize trends of low growth and insufficient investment in the public sector. Our focus in 2024 will revolve around projects aimed at reducing poverty, improving quality of life, and addressing financial challenges through enhanced AML capabilities. 2024 will also see GBGP taking larger steps to contributing to global forums – our Big Data Team headed by Andre Murdoch, will be following the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum in March and we look forward to using the insight from this forum to more enhance our work in data. The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in July is also set to be a highlight in the GBPG calendar to follow. The Challenges that will shape 2024 During my recent visit to the Middle East and my work for the United Nations Agency for Works and Relief for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) heading the Procurement & Supply Chain and Logistics function in Middle East, West Bank and Gaza I was ideally placed to closely monitor the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank. This is the really noisy elephant in the room, the biggest challenge global partners are currently facing that needs their attention, which remains an ongoing and serious threat to sustained global peace requiring advisory support on the ground. With the decimation of the Gaza Strip, there is a palpable sense of tension among the people of the West Bank that they too could face similar conflict. The situation in Gaza illustrates a growing trend of polarization in politics – not just in terms of left and right ideology, but in terms of international and bilateral relations between organizations and donors. This polarization serves to undermine the impact that the UN and other international organizations can have in terms of fostering growth and development, which in turn profoundly affects people on the ground, especially in areas of conflict. The world is looking for transparency, equality and leadership, and the role of international organizations such as UN’s & World Bank’s driving these qualities is vital, and so, it is more vital than ever for everyone, not just those in the development space, to support the UN and other international organizations to help preserve human rights and foster growth. The GBPG will remain wholeheartedly committed to the UN’s vision for a sustainable world and will be working with all our partners to do our part in helping achieve this goal. Looking Beyond 2024 As we chart our course for 2024, GBPG’s commitment to engage with the critical issues of our time –educational opportunity, the divisive discourse on fossil fuels, the imperative for transparency, equity, and effective leadership in global dispute resolution, and the elevation of the global Quality of Life ratio– remains our core mission. Our long term objective is to address worldwide financial challenges, foster transparency in global financial management, pinpoint opportunities to boost balanced economic projections, and enhance investments in the public sector services. As we navigate the intricate landscape of international development, we recognize the need for more mindful cohesion between global organizations – better collaboration for sustained synergy. Effectively mobilizing public resources remains an ongoing challenge, and GBPG’s experts will be focused on the implementation of closing this gap. We aim to address knowledge and capacity needs, ensuring that development projects move forward with tangible progress. GBPG will also promote supporting the strategic deployment of proficient development professionals, shifting away from the current restrictive employment model used in the development sector to make more impact at less cost. We at GBPG will embrace 2024—a year of growth, collaboration, more harmony and positive change.
