An open letter on priorities for the upcoming negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda has been issued by 18 of the 27 members of the UN Secretary-General's former High-level Panel (HLP) of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, including two of its three Co-Chairs.
The HLP report called for five "transformative shifts" to underpin the post-2015 development agenda:
- leave no one behind
- put sustainable development at the core
- transform economies for jobs and inclusive growth
- build peace and effective, open and accountable institutions for all
- forge a new global partnership.
According to the authors of the open letter, there is much to celebrate with the conclusion of the work of the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing (ICESDF). However, there is still much to do. As stated in the letter, "If 2015 produces no more than soaring rhetoric, with no basis in strategies for practical action or accountability, then it will rightly be dismissed as hot air."
Recalling the recommendations of the HLP's final report, the authors offer seven areas for action in the year ahead:
- global leaders should focus on the new development agenda well ahead of September 2015, and capitals should make the real breakthroughs
- there should be a clearer emphasis on a new Global Partnership, as everyone has work to do in ensuring implementation
- preparations for implementation must begin now, including through coordination between issue areas and stakeholders
- multi-stakeholder monitoring and accountability mechanisms are needed, and must be flexible and inclusive
- improved data should be a central aspect of the new agenda
- capacities of the private sector must be harnessed
- there is a need for coherence across multiple negotiation processes, recognizing that each will affect all of the others.
There is a call for the involvement of all stakeholders, including civil society, academia, the private sector and youth. There is also a distinct emphasis on the private sector. At the same time, while there are references to health and education in the context of co-ordination among ministries, there are no references to either ‘gender’ or to ‘women’.
The full text of open letter is available.
See also http://sd.iisd.org/news/hlp-members-call-for-seven-actions-for-post-2015-negotiations/