Martin Khor: His legacy, example will help to shape a better world for all Vicente Paolo Yu

Martin Khor, by his writings, work and activities at TWN, encompassing a vast array of issues and subjects, proved to be seminal and inspirational for a whole generation of activists in the Global North and the Global South engaged in a common fight against corporate- and finance-driven global economic integration that adversely affected the economic, social and environmental rights of the poor in developing countries.

A big part of Martin’s work involved encouraging and supporting developing countries to work together in protecting and promoting their common development interests in the global arena.

This work received a big boost when in March 2009, Martin took office as the third Executive Director of the South Centre, and worked in that capacity from March 2009 to June 2018. Even earlier, he was a member of the first Board of the South Centre under its first Chairman, former Tanzania President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.

As Executive Director, Martin put the Centre on a stable footing both financially and institutionally. This enabled the Centre to respond more effectively to the needs of developing countries for policy research and direct technical assistance on a wide range of multilateral negotiations as well as national policymaking.

Martin saw and acted on the potential of the South Centre to serve as the South’s vehicle to promote Southern solidarity, to pursue systemic and structural changes in the global system to address historical and current inequalities within the framework of social and economic justice and environmental sustainability. He implemented all this by combining and articulating the policy research and analysis of the Centre and other Southern institutions on multilateral development issues, with effective policy and technical support by directly working with developing country governments, civil society, and other actors in international negotiations and national policymaking. He encouraged developing country governments to work together to address the power and institutional imbalances existing in international institutions and global governance dynamics in favour of the Global North.

Under his leadership, the South Centre supported developing countries in strategically highlighting development policy and structural approaches to address systemic inequalities in the global arena. He expanded the Centre’s institutional coverage from mostly trade-related issues (including WTO, EPAs, IPRs) in the pre-2009 period to include, post-2009 to 2018, global macroeconomic and finance, debt, tax, investment, sustainable development, climate change, disaster risk reduction, agroecology, biodiversity protection, antimicrobial resistance, and global health issues.

Under him, the Centre worked with developing countries in the conceptualization of the SDGs, on international tax cooperation, more directly on the right to development, human rights obligations of transnational corporations, and unilateral coercive measures, for developing countries to see health as part of their development policy arsenal.

On climate change, Martin championed the articulation of a development and environmental equity-oriented approach to the climate change problematique and the fostering and development of developing country perspectives in the climate change negotiations that were reflected in the outcomes of climate change negotiations under the UNFCCC such as the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Martin was a strong believer in the value of South-South cooperation and solidarity around the South’s common development interests as a means for bringing about change and making developing countries stronger. In all these areas of work, he sought to foster a better dialogue between developing country governments and civil society, thereby also impacting the global narrative on these issues.

His engagement with developing country governments on multilateral and national policy issues sought to link issues of national development interest and impact to the underlying global systemic and structural conditions that gave rise to challenges or difficulties being faced by developing countries in achieving their national development objectives.

He did so in a way where complex international policy considerations were linked to concrete national development challenges; this made it easier for national policy makers to grasp the importance of fully engaging in multilateral negotiations and also made it easier for the diplomats and negotiators to explain the direct relevance of their multilateral negotiations work to their capitals.

Martin set the example that inspired us, his colleagues at the Centre, and to which we aspired in terms of work ethic, clarity of vision and mission, strong advocacy for the poor and the marginalized, especially of the Global South, and humaneness in leadership.

He showed us that development and equity-oriented policy research and analysis need to be paired with effective policy advocacy and partnerships among governments, civil society, trade unions, and social movements, in order to be able to effect policy change, create a better and more just world, and, more importantly, that it was not impossible to do so.

Martin’s leadership of the South Centre was marked by effective and humane institutional management and governance, a focus on ensuring smooth human relations, a clear emphasis on effective and relevant policy analysis and policy advocacy in working with developing country governments, and a deep commitment to the Global South and to development equity and justice. He was inspiring to work with, given his work ethic, intellectual brilliance, commitment and passion.

His passing is a deep loss for all of us in the world of ideas and advocacy and in the world of activism for social, economic, and environmental justice and equity. His legacy and example will continue to live on as we all seek to shape a better world for all for today and tomorrow.

(Vicente Paolo Yu III held various offices at South Centre from 2002, including as Head of Administration (2010-2016) and as Deputy Executive Director (2016-2018).