Initial exchange of views on post-2015 negotiations concluded

Two informal meetings of the plenary have been have been convened by the co-facilitators, Ambassador David Donoghue of Ireland, and Ambassador Macharia Kamau of Kenya, on the organization and modalities of intergovernmental negotiations and the remaining issues related to the Summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda.  

The co-facilitators expect to issue a “starting document” during the week of 17 November that will cover the process, road map, and scope of work for intergovernmental negotiations.

Among the key issues raised during the two meetings, Members States wanted assurance that they would have a timeline that would also take into account the Conference on Financing for Development (FfD). Other issues that were raised included the means of implementation (MOI) and the technology facilitation mechanism. The role of the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development in monitoring and accountability was also recognized.

Clarification was requested as to how the Secretary-General’s synthesis report will influence the negotiating process and it appears that Member States will be briefed on the report and have an opportunity to review it before publication.

There should be a political declaration to accompany the goal set, but there was support for the 17 goals remaining as included in the Open Working Group (OWG) report. In his summing up Ambassador Kamau referred to some OWG targets needing “tweaking”.

There was support for the involvement of civil society going forward, although some countries said that it should be within General Assembly and ECOSOC rules of procedure. As far as meetings are concerned, there was a call for one meeting a month to last for at least seven days for seven months.

Further information on the meetings, based on the reports by IISD, follows.

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First informal meeting, 4 November 2014

At the first meeting on 4 November 2014, Ambassador Kamau asked for delegations' views on the modalities and organization of work for the intergovernmental negotiations, stressing the tight timeline for the process. He also asked for views on the scope of the post-2015 development agenda, and components of the agenda.

The Group of 77 and China requested a timeline for negotiations that takes account of the ongoing consultations on the FfD conference, and that parallel sessions should be avoided. They also asked for “clarification” of how the forthcoming synthesis report of the Secretary-General on the post-2015 development agenda will influence the negotiation process and called for negotiations on the basis of a zero draft from the beginning of the process, while cautioning against “introducing new drafts every session.” The means MOI and the global technology facilitation mechanism are also key to discussions.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) welcomed a broadly consultative process with civil society, private sector and academia, to secure citizens' “buy-in.” The post-2015 negotiations could take the findings of the FfD preparations into account, rather than waiting for the Conference to conclude. There should be a concise, forward-looking declaration; leveraging requisite political will for full implementation of agenda; retaining the integrity of the proposed 17 SDGs; and finding consensus on technology facilitation.

The European Union (EU) focused on the need for a universal, rights-based agenda, with universality being applied in an effective way, as all governments need to participate. Duplication with the FfD process should be avoided, with the framework agreed in Addis Ababa feeding back into negotiations on the post-2015 agenda. The EU supported stakeholder participation in the process, and recognized the role of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in monitoring and accountability mechanisms for the agenda.

For the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) the OWG outcome provides a legitimate, balanced and robust platform for integrating the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the post-2015 agenda. The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) said, the process should be transparent and inclusive; define and adopt modalities for the intergovernmental negotiations; define and adopt rules of procedure; define and adopt the agenda for the post-2015 summit; and coordinate with the FfD and UNFCCC processes. On substance, there should be a prominent place for both MOI, accountability, and the Samoa Pathway in the post-2015 development agenda and the post-2015 summit should adopt a declaration with 17 SDGs, indicators and targets. The declaration should also map out the process for HLPF to review implementation of the agenda.

The African Group called for completing negotiations on the modalities by December, so the process can focus on substance beginning in January. There should be a political declaration to accompany the goal set, and a section on MOI that should draw on the OWG report and the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD / Rio+20) outcome .  The HLPF will be “the mechanism” to monitor and evaluate progress in implementing the goals and MOI at the national level. A technology facilitation mechanism must be a key part of the post-2015 development agenda. There should be synchronization of the numerous ongoing negotiations, so that small delegations can participate and experts can come from capitals. There should be a truly intergovernmental process on modalities.

Several Member States called for the enabling of civil society and other stakeholders to express views during the process, including Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Palau, Republic of Korea and Switzerland.

China and Nigeria stressed the intergovernmental/government-led nature of the process.

Delegations such as Colombia and Bangladesh cautioned against opening the OWG outcome. Brazil said the OWG proposal of 17 SDGs and 169 targets comprises the core of the post-2015 agenda. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said , “we can't cut the SDGs to fit on a fridge magnet even if the marketing department wants us to do so.” Meanwhile the US, Canada, Republic of Korea and others spoke of “building on” the OWG report as negotiations move forward. Australia called for a short number of goals, and refining the “quality” of the OWG's proposed targets.

For further information on the statements by Member States see IISD Sustainable Development Policy and Practice see http://sd.iisd.org/news/discussions-begin-on-modalities-substance-of-post-2015-negotiations/

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Second informal meeting, 10 November 2014

In the informal meeting on 10 November 2014, delegations continued the discussion on the forthcoming negotiations, modalities for engagement, structure and timing of the process, and the ultimate product. 

The African Group suggested spending more time on “new elements,” such as partnerships, MOI, and monitoring and accountability. On the forthcoming synthesis report by the Secretary-General, they welcomed efforts to brief the membership, and supported having opportunities to review the document before its publication. They called at least one meeting a month of at least seven days duration for seven months.

The EU requested a road map and calendar to ensure coherence with other processes including the FfD and disaster risk reduction (DRR) processes, and supported the broadest participation of all relevant stakeholders as well as “strong technical UN system support.” The need for a clear road map on consultations was echoed by France to avoid parallel, potentially overlapping negotiating tracks for the FfD conference, as well as coordination with the Lima and Paris conferences on the UNFCCC. The EU and France look forward to the synthesis report. Five main components for the post-2015 development agenda were identified by France: a political statement of principles, resting on the Millennium Declaration, the Rio+20 outcome, and the outcome of the September 2013 General Assembly special event on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and including climate change; the SDGs; new partnerships and MOI, for which the report of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing (ICESDF) is a very important input, highlighting the role of innovative financing in particular; a follow-up mechanism with the HLPF playing a key role at the global level and commissions key at the regional level; and reforming UN institutions (to be “fit for purpose”).

The United Kingdom called for building on the OWG report to produce a short, comprehensive set of actions, which integrates the three dimensions of sustainable development. One hundred and sixty-nine targets are not manageable by any country, either developed or developing. The UK is committed to an FfD outcome equal to the ambition set in the goals and targets.

Samoa focused on localizing the new development agenda. On modalities, he echoed the call for longer PrepComs and holding them back-to-back with FfD PrepComs..

Views were also expressed by Sudan, Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Cuba, Nepal, Iran and Pakistan. Key points included: eradicating poverty as the core goal of the post-2015 development agenda; FfD and climate negotiations being reflected in the process; a very participatory, inter alia with national ownership and avoiding a New York-only process, with openness to all stakeholders on the basis of UN General Assembly and ECOSOC rules of procedure; negotiating on a zero draft from the beginning, avoiding parallel negotiations; translation of goals into achievable targets; and suggestions for fewer meetings of longer duration.

At the end of the meeting, Kamau summarized his sense of governments' views: the starting point for the intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda will be “more comfortable” than that of the OWG; the co-facilitators may propose holding multiple meetings in December to conclude the current process; the road map will take into account all other processes including FfD and UNFCCC; views diverge regarding how to handle the OWG outcome; the targets – but not goals – proposed by OWG may require “tweaking;” and on indicators, there are questions regarding how to develop them, and how to align them with the thousands of existing indicators. Ambassador Donoghue added that the outcome document should be short and focused, that negotiations will build “very much on the strengths of the OWG”, and that the starting document to be available next week will identify themes for each meeting. 

Read more at http://sd.iisd.org/news/governments-conclude-initial-exchange-of-views-on-post-2015-negotiations/