Relational Inclusion for the SDGs:
Looking Beyond Numbers

By Shahbano Naushad | Development Policy & Inclusion Analyst, UNDP Pakistan

A relational approach means safeguarding public goods from capture, regulating powerful actors, holding institutions accountable to the people they serve and dismantling exclusionary norms.

Pakistan’s progress towards the SDGs remains uneven. While there have been pockets of improvement in areas such as education enrolment and poverty reduction, the country ranks low on the SDG Index. Persistent gaps remain in gender equality, decent work and environmental sustainability.1 The dominant paradigm of inclusive development in Pakistan has broadly been understood in economic and social terms, such as expanding access to education, health, and employment opportunities, while reducing poverty and inequality.2 However, this framing tends to overlook a critical pillar, the relational aspects of inclusion.

Relational inclusiveness, as explained by Gupta and Vegelin, focuses on the relationships and power dynamics of different actors from local communities to global institutions and how these relationships create, maintain, or reduce poverty, inequality and environmental harm.3  This   dimension aligns with the SDG commitments “to ‘leave no one behind”,  gender equality and participatory governance.4 Research shows that without addressing these relational aspects, inclusion remains superficial.5 For example, access to mobile phones for Pakistani women may help them gain access to financial services, educational content and manage their businesses. Yet, because of patriarchal norms, 54 percent of women need spousal permission to own a mobile phone, resulting in the loss of transformative change.6

For Pakistan to make meaningful progress on the SDGs, it must bring relational aspects of inclusion to the forefront. This shift must be embedded not only in policy debates, but also in the way policies are designed, enforced and evaluated. Initiatives that expand economic opportunities or deliver services without tackling the power imbalances that sustain exclusion, risk entrenching inequalities further. A relational approach means safeguarding public goods from capture, regulating powerful actors, holding institutions accountable to the people they serve and dismantling exclusionary norms.7 It also demands participatory governance so that marginalized voices help shape the rules.8 Done well, this can unlock multiplier effects, strengthening social cohesion, citizen trust, and the long-term sustainability of development gains.

Advocates of inclusive growth and green economy approaches argue for prioritizing GDP expansion with environmental safeguards and equitable distribution.9 While these frameworks are essential, they often rely on traditional inclusion metrics such as poverty rates, literacy levels, or service coverage. These can mask entrenched social exclusion. In Pakistan, without challenging gender norms, caste hierarchies, or ethnic discrimination, such approaches risk entrenching inequality.10 Moreover, local governance systems remain episodic and politically constrained.11 This limits the scope for community-led change.

© UNDP Pakistan

These relational dimensions can be vividly seen in the everyday realities of Pakistani citizens. A village council may approve new water infrastructure. However, if the local elites dominate decision-making, marginalized groups may still find themselves excluded from access. A person with disabilities may receive a government stipend yet remain excluded from social gatherings and job opportunities. This underscores the gap between formal provision and social acceptance. Minority communities may be recipients of development schemes but excluded from local planning forums where critical decisions are made. Women in some urban neighborhoods may, in theory, have access to public parks, yet harassment in public spaces makes these facilities unusable. These experiences reveal that without transforming power relations, ensuring recognition and nurturing belonging, development outcomes risk being hollow initiatives.

Relational inclusiveness refers to how power, recognition, participation and belonging shape the lived experience of inclusion. It shifts the focus from “who gets what” to “who decides, who is heard, and who is valued”.12 In Pakistan’s context, this means designing policies that not only provide services but also democratize decision-making. It requires challenging discriminatory norms and building trust between citizens and institutions.

Internationally, countries that empower marginalized groups in decision-making, such as participatory budgeting in Brazil or indigenous co-management of natural resources in New Zealand, have seen improved service delivery, higher citizen satisfaction and stronger social cohesion.13 Similar approaches in Pakistan could create trust in governance. They could strengthen local problem-solving and accelerate SDG progress.

© UNDP Pakistan

However, shifting towards relational inclusion is politically challenging. Pakistan’s local governance history is marked by discontinuities, centralized control and political resistance from provincial elites who fear losing influence.14 Bureaucratic dominance, fragmented mandates, and fiscal dependency of local councils further constrain the space for participatory and inclusive governance.15

Relational aspects of inclusion are not a ‘soft’ add-on to development. They are foundational to achieving dignified living, equitable opportunities and social mobility. For Pakistan, embracing relational inclusion would mean reimagining governance from the bottom up. This would ensure that every citizen not only has access to resources but also the power, respect, and belonging to shape their futures. 

Few other reforms could directly improve the quality of life for all while unlocking the collaborative spirit necessary to realize the SDGs.

  1. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Sustainable Development Goals Status Report 2025, UNDP Pakistan, Islamabad, 2025.
  2. Khan, R.E.A. and Nazir, S., 'Economic growth and social equity: An empirical analysis of inclusive growth in Pakistan', Pakistan Journal of Applied Economics, vol. 34, no. 1, 2024, pp. 73–90.
  3. Gupta, J. and Vegelin, C., 'Sustainable development goals and inclusive development', International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, vol. 16, no. 3, 2016, pp. 433–448.
  4. United Nations (UN), Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, United Nations, New York, 2015.
  5. Dobusch, L., 'The inclusivity of inclusion approaches: A relational perspective on inclusion and exclusion in organizations', Gender, Work & Organization, vol. 28, 2020, pp. 379–396.
  6. National Human Development Report (NHDR), Digital Transformation and Inclusion in Pakistan, UNDP Pakistan, Islamabad, 2024.
  7. Gupta, J. and Vegelin, C., 'Sustainable development goals and inclusive development', International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, vol. 16, no. 3, 2016, pp. 433–448.
  8. Hickey, S., Sen, K. and Bukenya, B. (eds.), The Politics of Inclusive Development: Interrogating the Evidence, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2015.
  9. World Bank, Inclusive Green Growth: The Pathway to Sustainable Development, World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015.
  10. Kabeer, N., Can the MDGs Provide a Pathway to Social Justice? The Challenge of Intersecting Inequalities, IDS/UN MDG Achievement Fund, Brighton, 2010.
  11. Cheema, A.R., Ahmad, I. and Mehmood, A., 'Aligning local governance with SDGs: A study of local government systems in Pakistan', Development Studies Research, vol. 11, no. 1, 2024, p. 2414028.
  12. Fraser, N., Scales of Justice: Reimagining Political Space in a Globalizing World, Columbia University Press, New York, 2009.
  13. Gaventa, J., 'Finding the Spaces for Change: A Power Analysis', IDS Bulletin, vol. 37, no. 6, 2006, pp. 23–33.
  14. Rohdewohld, R., Decentralization and Local Governance in Pakistan: Challenges and Opportunities, GIZ Pakistan, Islamabad, 2023.
  15. Cheema, A.R., Ahmad, I. and Mehmood, A., 'Aligning local governance with SDGs: A study of local government systems in Pakistan', Development Studies Research, vol. 11, no. 1, 2024, p. 2414028.