UKZN Academic Addresses BRICS Think Tank Roundtable

UKZN Academic Addresses BRICS Think Tank Roundtable

UKZN’s Dr Nelly Vuyokazi Sharpley spoke on recovery efforts and addressing development pitfalls following the COVID-19 pandemic during the South African BRICS Think Tank (SABTT) Roundtable, hosted at the National Institute for Humanities and Social Science in Johannesburg.

The conference discussed the impact of the pandemic on South Africa’s recovery efforts and BRICS’s (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) priorities for recovery, highlighting challenges faced in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), involving poverty, inequality, climate change and sustainable economic growth.

The main objectives were to assess the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on progress towards achieving the SDGs; to identify opportunities for integrating sustainable development principles into post-pandemic recovery strategies; to highlight pitfalls and challenges that may hinder sustainable recovery efforts, and to propose recommendations for BRICS governments, organisations and stakeholders to align recovery efforts with the SDGs.

‘BRICS nations have taken steps to ensure their countries have a recovery agenda and response to pitfalls on the 2030 SDGs agenda,’ said Sharpley. ‘They have opened the BRICS development bank as a way of shifting from the Global North financial strain and global apartheid, and increased trade prospects and economic growth among the BRICS+ countries.’

She said challenges to South Africa’s post-COVID recovery included disrupted economies and social systems exacerbating existing challenges and disparities such as economic contractions, rising poverty and inequality, overwhelmed healthcare systems and interrupted education. However, response opportunities for South Africa include the quantitative measurement of deviation from SDG 2030 progress and a clear response plan per province; involving research, and academic institutions supporting the efforts.

According to Sharpley, South Africa’s response to challenges lies in the agenda 2023 guiding principles, which emphasise active participation and cooperation of governments, civil society, businesses, and individuals at local, provincial, national and global levels. ‘The 2030 Agenda also recognises the interconnectedness of these goals and the need for an integrated approach to COVID-19 response for SA. There is a greater need to foster innovation in various sectors to address SDGs,’ she added.

Finally, she presented examples of projects that embrace the post-COVID-19 rebuilding agenda for South Africa such as the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Women Rise Project (Ukuvula Isango) hosted in the country by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in collaboration with McGill University in Canada with UKZN as one of the partnering institutions. The project is focused on women and COVID-19 rebuilding in rural South Africa.

The second project supported by the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) is Rediscovering Africa Flora and Fauna for Health and Well-Being, hosted by the Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha in partnership with UKZN and three African universities.

The third project – hosted by the University of Cape Town on Primary Healthcare Assessment Impact and involving partners like UKZN, Stellenbosch University, Sefako Makgatho Health Science University, the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Pretoria, covering at least four provinces. Lastly, the fourth one, hosted by the South African Child Gauge Centre at UCT – just to mention a few. Emphasising the importance of connecting efforts on the ground and ensuring diverse ecosystems are actively involved while positioning our response efforts as the country by identifying the most vulnerable groups and pockets of the socio-economic impact of the pandemic.

She shared her experience as a Black female academic participating in a round table where she felt affirmed as a Black academic, gaining insider and outsider experience on crucial SA mandates and mostly effective BRICS+ collaboration.

This links with her deep-seated Ubuntu principles of engaged and functional scholarship for African voices in development.

Words: Sinoyolo Mahlasela

Photograph: Supplied