Commonwealth Heads of Government adopt Statement on Post-2015 Development

At the end of their meeting on 26 September in New York during the UN General Assembly, Commonwealth Heads of Government adopted a statement on the UN post-2015 development agenda, which will be submitted to the UN Secretary-General. 

The Commonwealth, which comprises over 2 billion people and over one quarter of the United Nations membership in its 53 member states, welcomed in its statement “the inclusive inter-governmental process in the United Nations to achieve a concise, compelling, ambitious and balanced development agenda beyond 2015, building on and reinforcing existing agreements, and recognizing the many outcomes that may feed in to the intergovernmental process.”  It noted, in particular, the contributions made by the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel of Eminent Persons, the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals, the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing and the UN Conference on Sustainable Development.  

In their statement Commonwealth Heads of Government drew attention to, and endorsed, the specific work of specialized Commonwealth institutions and of its ministerial groupings on Post-2015, such as Ministers of Education, Women’s Affairs, Health, Youth Affairs, Environment, Finance, Law, and Small States.  According to the Commonwealth Heads of Government, the new agenda must tackle the causes of poverty, exclusion and inequality. They also acknowledged the importance of sustainable development for all individuals, and have committed ourselves to eliminate disparities and make growth more inclusive for all, including women and girls, youth, vulnerable groups and people with disabilities.  

For the full statment see here.