Research Paper on Inclusive Development: Key Indicators & Reasons for Promotion

Introduction

Inclusive development is a term that encompasses making sure that all the marginalized and excluded groups get to take part in the process of development and are active stakeholders in it. Its main aim is to consider whether the process of development is efficiently widespread for the majority of people making up a population to benefit. There are various key indicators of inclusive development, as well as several reasons for promoting inclusive development in various parts of the world, especially in developing countries such as Rwanda. Many reasons exist that advocate for development that is all-inclusive, and these reasons consist of economic, legal, normative as well as security reasons, and these will be discussed in more detail. Inclusive development involves growth, and this kind of growth is focused on striking a balance between developments that is sustainable and economical at the same time. Generally, it facilitates the development and sustainability of the global economy without leaving major gaps between the marginalized and the advantaged groups. A number of organizations, both profit and nonprofits, have tried to push forward the ideology of inclusive development, an example being the UNDP that has been promoting economics of inclusive policies in Africa so as to enable development that is both inclusive and sustainable.

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Achieving Inclusive Development in Rwanda

Almost two and a half decades ago, the genocide that occurred against the Tutsi left Rwanda in a very bad condition in terms of the development indicators, and it destroyed the country's socio-economic fabric hence making development difficult. Rwanda has exhibited a continued effort to ensure that marginalized groups have increased participation in all the areas of national life, and this has enabled all Rwandans to benefit and participate in development. Rwanda had set a national target that was broad and inclusive, aiming to bring all Rwandans into the country's development journey, and the country has integrated the Africa agenda 2063 as well as the sustainable development goals into its national development agenda (Ismail, 2018 pg. 5-8).

To begin with, in line with the SDG on quality of education and learning, Rwanda has an education strategic plan that has been hinged on the development of human capital in an inclusive way such as access for all to educations facilities including those with disabilities and this has ensured that such marginalized groups enroll and benefit from the development that education facilitates in a society. Moreover, Rwanda as a country has been promoting inclusive economic growth, and this economic growth has enabled the reduction in both multidimensional poverty as well as income. The national employment program in Rwanda has been focusing on the acceleration of job-creating, especially among the youth, so that wealth is distributed in an equal way that allows for inclusivity in development.

In addition, women, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups who are often excluded in development have been represented at all levels of decision making in Rwanda. It is visible through the highest women representation in their parliament, a percentage of 61.3%. Some groups, such as the extremely poor, are supported and included in the development process through the social protection program, which ensures that such groups are not only protected from exclusion but are also stakeholders in development (Niyonsenga, 2018 pg. 75-81). The Rwanda human development report of 2014 examined the social, economic and the political aspects of the development of the country with the aim of empowering the local people as major pillars in the achievement of sustainable economic growth as well as in expanding social protection so that everyone is included in the development process.

The government of Rwanda has been involved in various programs in collaboration with different partners and NGOs, and these programs aim at local empowerment in a way that accelerates the socio-economic transformation and community development. It can be noted that many of these programs are not only ventured toward empowering the local people but doing it in a way that leaves no one behind in terms of development. The view that human beings are the basic ends of development processes has made Rwanda focus on what people, especially the marginalized, get from development as well as what they put into it (Reinders, 2019 pg. 21-24). Due to this, Rwanda has not only achieved some degree of inclusion in its development process, but it has also enabled development to be sustainable for the citizens of Rwanda.

The ability of Rwanda to promote inclusive development is influenced by a number of factors, politics being a major factor. Some of the reasons why inclusive development is promoted in Rwanda involves the security reasons which focus on minimizing social conflict over resources. On the political side, inequalities may threaten possibilities of continuous growth and promote the exploitation of resources by a few individuals. Rwanda has been at the forefront of promoting social inclusivity in its communities as well as providing economic security for all so as to enable the country to be socially cohesive to empower citizens to take control of their own lives and hence promote development.

Economic transformations alone will not be able to facilitate the well-being and development of the Rwandans, and this is the reason why social policies have been a point of focus for the government of Rwanda because of how it directly relates to the development process especially for the marginalized groups. An example is the quality of life which the government has tried to improve through various ways such as the creation of jobs for the youth and the empowerment of women, these act as the foundation steps for an all-inclusive development. Even though Rwanda still has a long way to go in terms of achieving development that is both sustainable and inclusive, they are making major essential steps towards achieving this goal.

Rwanda needs a more comprehensive socio-economic development plan that can ensure that a lasting inclusive development approach is utilized in the country, the current approach has allowed the fighting of poverty and inequality in Rwanda to some noticeable extent so far. Eradication of poverty has been one of the major endeavors that Rwanda has taken to ensure that its citizens get to an almost equal level that enables growth and development for everyone at a rate that accommodates everyone, especially the marginalized groups. Healthy life expectancy, labor productivity, and employment are major indicators for growth in a country, and when a member of a particular country faces exclusion from such aspects, then inclusive development becomes an almost impossible task. It is the reason why the government of Rwanda is trying to improve the quality of life for its people through effective education programs, creation of jobs for the youth as well as empowerment of excluded groups such as promoting the representation of women in the decision-making process of the country.

Rwanda has taken several steps to tackle both income and non-income inequalities by consistently promoting equal access to opportunities as well as basic services to all its citizens. Such steps have been faced with several difficulties, but the need for sustainable development and stability has allowed the inclusion of everyone into the development process. The universal provision of quality services is also another way that Rwanda strives to promote inclusive development, and this is because quality health, nutrition, and education play an important role in ensuring that everyone has an equalizing impact on opportunities (van Gent, 2017 pg. 10-14). Some social protection schemes have been employed in Rwanda with the aim of protecting the most vulnerable and marginalized groups from extreme poverty and in the process, giving them a chance to be active in the development of the country. Several innovative and inclusive financial initiatives have been put in place to ensure the eradication of poverty is promoted.

Several challenges have impacted the ability of Rwanda to promote inclusive development in almost every aspect of the country. Since the country is landlocked, tensions with its neighbors obstruct the future economic potential that the country might have. It becomes very hard to push for the marginalized groups to be included in the development of the country when the finances needed to promote development are limited due to poor economic relations with the neighboring countries. Overpopulation is another problem that limits inclusive development in Rwanda, this is because with overpopulation it becomes easy to overlook some disadvantaged group as well as the fact that overpopulation leads to massive poverty because the country becomes unable to sustain a steady economic growth that allows for the government to be able to improve the lives of its citizens and hence include them in development process.

Moreover, inclusive education development directly contributes to the country's overall inclusive development because making education more accessible and free even to the most disadvantaged is a form of inclusion just as it empowers the students to grow and become better citizens who can contribute to the collective development of the country.

Inclusive/Sustainable Development and the UNDP

The UNDP has been supporting inclusive growth which plays a major role in bridging the economic, social as well as the political gaps that are detrimental to sustainable and inclusive development. UNDP notes that many people get excluded from mainstream development because of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, poverty, and even disability. The main aim of inclusive development, however, is that no one is left behind in the development process, and this ideology has been championed by the UNDP by giving everyone a chance to participate in as well as benefit from development through several means. To begin with, in the emerging economies, the UNDP works to help create conditions that are conducive for inclusive and sustainable development, and this it does by including the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development that are vital in the development process.

Some of the ways the UNDP does this is by addressing social exclusion by talking about the multiple barriers to inclusion, also by helping to reform the public employment services in different countries such as Rwanda. These services get to reach the vulnerable and marginalized so that we can have a more inclusive labor market hence promote equity in the process of development. The UNDP hinges on and prioritizes three broad policies that frame its support to achieve inclusive and sustainable development, and these policies encompass mobilizing as well as scaling up financing that will make it possible to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth (Hollander, 2018 pg. 57). The second policy touches on having integrated planning for inclusive development, such as having evidence-based analysis for the national plans of a country. The last policy involves providing support for the creation of employment and decent work so as to address the problems that poverty, inequality, and exclusion have on the development process of a country or region.

Factors of Inclusive Development in Rwanda

To ensure that the fundamental inequalities that exist in the Rwandan societies are excluded, several socioeconomic and political structures have to be examined in how they hinder inclusive development. Factors of inclusive development, such as the protection of marginalized and excluded groups, had to be adopted in Rwanda to ena...