The Fletcher School

Contrary to popular belief, the environment does not top the list of what is endangered on our planet, according to Fletcher Professor Adil Najam, humans do. To emphasize this point, Najam, who teaches multilateral negotiations and sustainable development, advances this nugget from the latest UN Human Development Report: “The average cow in Europe gets an annual subsidy of a little more than $900 per year, a cow in Japan gets nearly $2700; the average Pakistani earns around $500. Which would you rather be, a cow in Japan, a cow in Europe or a Pakistani adult?”

This view that humans, particularly the poorest, are highly vulnerable coincides with one of the many research interests of Professor Najam, which is why his environmentalism focuses not on traditional conservation, but on sustainable development.

According to Najam, the environmental challenge lies in improving the welfare of the people who live in natural environments, not just in saving birds and whales. “The environment is not just the beautiful outdoors that you occasionally visit, it is the place that so many people call home, it is the source of livelihoods of the world’s poorest.” Professor Najam believes that environmental stress is caused not only by conspicuous consumption but also by abject poverty. His most recent publication, a book entitled Environmental Development and Human Security, explores a range of topics such as water and food security, cultural theory on environment and development, and sustainable development across South Asian countries. The edited book is a result of a two-year study inquiring into the ways our neglect of the environment impacts on the security of South Asia.

Najam has had a long, diverse and distinguished career. His first three degrees were related to engineering, including two postgraduate degrees from MIT. His first paying job was that of a sports reporter in his native Pakistan. Then he joined the team that wrote Pakistan’s first environmental policy document and also Pakistan’s report to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Since the Rio Summit, his main interest has been international multilateral negotiations, especially those related to environment and development. Najam has frequently advised developing country negotiators at UN negotiations, and came to the Fletcher School last fall. The diversity of his interests makes life “messy but interesting,” he says.

Najam is particularly concerned with the way in which developing countries approach multilateral negotiations. According to him, developing countries are reactive rather than pro-active. In one of his current research projects, he is working with negotiators and policy makers from across the developing world to envision a “Southern Agenda for Trade and Environment Negotiations.” The project, a collaboration with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), has resulted in three international meetings (in Senegal, Chile and Sri Lanka) and three more are planned.

Najam also has a keen interest in nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and is part of a research team at the Feinstein International Famine Center at Tufts University that is studying the future of humanitarian aid. Aid is important, he says, but is ultimately a political tool of the donors. His vision of a perfect world is one where aid is no longer required.

Another eclectic research project Najam is now working on relates to “Diaspora philanthropy” and how immigrant communities impact the development of their mother countries. In this more anthropological project, he is studying philanthropy by Pakistani-Americans, both in Pakistan and here in the US.

When asked what he liked best about Fletcher, Najam’s response was overwhelmingly forthcoming. “I like the experience of the student body. The diversity makes lecturing a rich experience; the students bring a sense of passion to the classroom, yet in spite of the diversity one feels a sense of community. I actually took classes here at Fletcher, when I was a graduate student at MIT, so I was familiar with Fletcher even long before I came on faculty.”