Leading towards 2015

The President of the General Assembly at the end of the Briefing on the work of the High Level Panel (see below) outlined the streams leading towards 2015, stressing the need for them to converge as soon as possible.

Leading towards 2015...

The High Level Panel (HLP) process will be completed with its report at the end of May. It will be forwarded to the UN Secretary General for inclusion in his report for the UN General Assembly Special Event on 25 September 2013. The preparations for the Special Event, which is part of the 68th Session of the General Assembly, are being facilitated by the Permanent Representatives of Ireland and South Africa. It will be provide the past chance for world leaders to come together in a plenary to focus on the MDGs with other stakeholders. 

The Open Working Group (OWG) has already begun its work and has been tasked by world leaders in the outcome document of Rio + 20, the Future We Want to develop the sustainable development goals (SDGs.) The OWG has already had two meetings and will next meet in May. Its work is facilitated by the Permanent Representatives of Hungary and Kenya.

The High Level Political Forum (HLPF) will be the successor to the Commission on Sustainable Development. The HLPF was called for the Future We Want and insofar as its origins are in Rio + 20, it will probably focus more on the SDGs than on other aspects of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The negotiation process on the HLPF started in January 2013 and should conclude by May 2013 to meet the deadline of the sixty-eighth session of the Assembly.  The Permanent Representatives of Brazil and Italy were appointed to lead the negotiations.

The Expert Committee on a Sustainable Development Financing Strategy comprises 30 experts for devising strategies to address the need for significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources and the effective use of financing, in order to give strong support to developing countries in their efforts to promote sustainable development, including through actions undertaken in accordance with the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and for achieving sustainable development goals, as called for in the Future We Want. The Expert Group will conclude its work by 2014. Its facilitators are the Permanent Representatives of Norway and Kazakhstan. For further information see http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu=1557