Jeff Sachs is brilliant, eloquent, and inspiring.
But he has had a chequered career. This article provides a detailed exposé of his association with some controversial initiatives and individuals.
When I was at UNICEF, we distanced ourselves from his "Millennium Villages" Project in Africa, as this initiative was manifestly not replicable or sustainable. We also expressed serious reservations about his "Shock Therapy" prescriptions in post-Soviet Russia, Bolivia and elsewhere, as these were contrary to UNICEF's advocacy of "Adjustment with a Human Face".
His association with the UAE, Bhutan, China and Turkey is quite disconcerting, and possibly laden with some conflict of interest.
Having said that, he was definitely an effective advocate for MDGs during Ban Ki-moon's stewardship of the UN, and continues to be a good spokesman for the SDGs. His advocacy style verges on somewhat demagogic & polemical, but few speakers match his oratory & persuasive skills.
On balance, a net positive contributor to the world's development discourse with some shady sidelines!
But he has had a chequered career. This article provides a detailed exposé of his association with some controversial initiatives and individuals.
When I was at UNICEF, we distanced ourselves from his "Millennium Villages" Project in Africa, as this initiative was manifestly not replicable or sustainable. We also expressed serious reservations about his "Shock Therapy" prescriptions in post-Soviet Russia, Bolivia and elsewhere, as these were contrary to UNICEF's advocacy of "Adjustment with a Human Face".
His association with the UAE, Bhutan, China and Turkey is quite disconcerting, and possibly laden with some conflict of interest.
Having said that, he was definitely an effective advocate for MDGs during Ban Ki-moon's stewardship of the UN, and continues to be a good spokesman for the SDGs. His advocacy style verges on somewhat demagogic & polemical, but few speakers match his oratory & persuasive skills.
On balance, a net positive contributor to the world's development discourse with some shady sidelines!
 U.N. Power Broker Jeffrey Sachs Took Millions From the UAE to Research “Well-Being”The happiness project might be easy to dismiss if it didn’t confer legitimacy on a repressive government. interc.pt | The happiness project might be easy to dismiss if it didn’t confer legitimacy on a repressive government. |
Thank you, Kul. I had similarly dual feelings about and experiences with Sachs. On the one hand, he and his team were terribly stubborn and insistent about the highly dubious and unsubstantiated 'Millennium Villages', and would brook no critique of them lightly. On the other ... he was an eloquent advocate and mapmaker for making children important in the design of the SDGs (only partly achieved, I think), and for the more positive aspects of international development assistance. A powerful and contradictory figure indeed.
ReplyDeleteThank you dear kul for your infórmative and careful writing. I miss your prospective visit to México un november: i could never got answer through WhatsApp nor California and New York phones. Will kkeep un touch on 2022
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