Podcast Summary: “Emergency Development” Needed in Syrian Refugee Crisis – UNDP’s Helen Clark

Podcast: The CGD Podcast
Host: Rajesh Merchandani, Center for Global Development
Guest: Helen Clark, Administrator of the UNDP
Date: May 5, 2016

Overview

This episode features Helen Clark, then-Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), discussing the changing landscape of global development, particularly in response to ongoing conflicts like the Syrian crisis. The conversation delves into the blurring lines between humanitarian and development aid, the need for adaptive approaches such as "emergency development," the UNDP’s role in both crisis and middle-income contexts, and prospects for the UN’s future leadership and strategic direction.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Changing Nature of Global Need and UNDP’s Role

• Increase in Conflict Complexity

  • Helen Clark highlights the rise of protracted and complex conflicts compared to when she first assumed her role in 2009. Traditional interstate wars have given way to conflicts involving non-state actors, militias, and mass displacement.
  • Quote:
    “The interesting thing to me is it's not the kind of conflict that the UN envisaged tackling when it was formed 70 years ago... Do we have less conflict? We have horrible conflicts... almost 60 million people who are forcibly displaced.”
    — Helen Clark (01:25–02:44)

• Shift from Humanitarian Relief to Long-Term Development

  • There’s a notable transition as humanitarian aid is increasingly used for long-term development, especially in protracted crises like Syria.
  • Quote:
    “Emergency development has become the name of the game... So the emphasis is on how do you shrink the need for [humanitarian relief] by supporting people's innate resilience and capacity to stand on their own feet.”
    — Helen Clark (03:12–04:15)

2. The Syrian Refugee Crisis & Migration Policy

• Approach to Refugees and Host Communities

  • Most displaced people are not in camps but integrated into host communities, demanding tailored legal and economic strategies.
  • Legal work for refugees, especially in Turkey and possibly in Jordan and Lebanon, is highlighted as a means to foster self-reliance and reduce exploitation.
  • Quote:
    “If people can legally work... then there's the basis for income and self-reliance. So this is really, the focus has shifted to developmental approaches to people caught up in these horrific crises.”
    — Helen Clark (04:45–06:25)

• UNDP’s Universal Presence

  • Clark defends the agency’s broad engagement, including in high- and middle-income countries, emphasizing knowledge sharing and South-South cooperation.
  • Quote:
    “We learn a lot from being active in the whole spectrum of countries... There's a lot of knowledge sharing that goes on from one's presence in a high middle income country right through to a least developed country.”
    — Helen Clark (05:53–06:32)

3. Migration, Development, and the Human Story

• Root Causes & Complex Migration Flows

  • Addressing migration requires tackling root causes like lack of opportunity and hope at home.
  • Clark acknowledges the human drive for betterment, noting:
    “People have always aspired to improve their circumstances... Always wanting to do better. Actually, if we address root causes of that, it's opportunity, it's work, it's hope.”
    — Helen Clark (10:13–10:56)

• Temporary Migration Schemes

  • Clark shares her experience as New Zealand’s Prime Minister in implementing successful seasonal labor schemes with Pacific island nations, benefiting both host and home countries.
  • Quote:
    “We created a scheme... where people could come to New Zealand legally for periods of four to seven months a year, and providing they went home at the end of the permit, they were very welcome to come back next year. I have been to a village in Vanuatu to see what the improvements were in that village with the remittances that came back. It was transformational.”
    — Helen Clark (12:11–12:56)

4. UNDP's Future and Budgetary Challenges

• Operating Under Financial Constraints

  • While core, unrestricted funding has shrunk, Clark stresses adaptation through “fleet of foot” business models and attracting earmarked funding for critical projects.
  • Quote:
    “What has happened is that the core untagged budgets are down, but if you are fleet of foot and able to present a good case, there's a lot of non core funding around...”
    — Helen Clark (13:30–14:23)

• Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  • UNDP is recalibrating its priorities around the SDGs, focusing on areas such as governance, poverty eradication, sustainable development, environmental protection, and, increasingly, emergency development in crisis zones.
  • Quote:
    “We have our big mandated areas. We work on democratic governance, we work on poverty eradication, we work on sustainable development overall... and then there's the emergency development part of it, which sadly has been the growth business.”
    — Helen Clark (14:37–15:29)

5. Vision for the Future UN

• Need for Joined-up Action within the UN
  • Clark advocates for an integrated approach combining peacebuilding, humanitarian, development, and human rights pillars, rather than working in institutional silos.
  • Quote:
    “I think what I can bring to leadership of the UN is a perspective that says... let us have much more joined up action across the humanitarian, development, political, peace building and human rights pillars of the UN... Otherwise we're all playing in silos and that is not providing the best value for the international community.”
    — Helen Clark (15:57–17:17)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “...almost 60 million people who are forcibly displaced from their homes. We have the violent extremist groups, the disparate non-state actors...” — Helen Clark (02:26)
• “Emergency development has become the name of the game...” — Helen Clark (03:40)
• “I am a strong defender of UNDP's universal presence because we learn a lot from being active in the whole spectrum of countries.” — Helen Clark (05:53)
• “If people can legally work and they're not going to be exploited... then there's the basis for income and self reliance.” — Helen Clark (05:07)
• “We would prefer not to be in that growth business. We would prefer to be in positive transitions in, in development.” — Helen Clark (15:19)
• “For me, the critical thing is to face the reality that the nature of conflict has changed fundamentally and that the tools that are being deployed are not adequate to the task because the UN doesn't comprehensively draw on all its strengths.” — Helen Clark (15:57)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• The evolution of global need and UNDP’s mission – 00:05–02:54
• Shift from humanitarian to development aid – 02:54–04:15
• The Syrian refugee crisis and labor policies – 04:45–06:32
• Knowledge sharing in middle-income countries – 06:32–07:33
• Migration, root causes, New Zealand’s Pacific scheme – 10:13–13:03
• UNDP’s budget and adapting to new models – 13:06–14:23
• Priorities aligned with the SDGs – 14:23–15:29
• Helen Clark’s vision for a unified UN response – 15:57–17:17

Tone & Language

Helen Clark is pragmatic, candid, and forward-looking, blending policy analysis with personal experience and an emphasis on solutions and adaptability. The discussion remains focused on practical challenges and opportunities in development, avoiding jargon and presenting complex issues accessibly.

This summary provides an engaging and detailed look into Helen Clark's perspectives and the current evolution of the UNDP, giving listeners and non-listeners alike a thorough understanding of the urgent and strategic issues at the heart of international development today.