Intergovernmental Negotiations on Post-2015 Development Agenda Begin in New York
Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 10:53AM (based on information received from IISD)
UNGA Adopts Decision on Modalities for Post-2015 Negotiations
On 16 January the UN General Assembly adopted decision A/69/L.46 setting out the modalities for the intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda. Although the consultations on the modalities, co-facilitated by David Donoghue (Ireland) and Macharia Kamau (Kenya), concluded on 17 December 2014, action on the draft text was postponed by the UNGA's Fifth Committee on 29 December.
The report of the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be the main basis for integrating SDGs into the post-2015 development agenda, while other inputs will also be taken into consideration. “Every effort shall be made”, moreover, to ensure effective coordination between the intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda and the preparatory process for the third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD 3), and other relevant UN intergovernmental processes.
For further information see: UN Press Release and Document A/69/L.46
Intergovernmental negotiations on Post-2015 begin, 19 January 2015
Sam Kutesa, President of the UN General Assembly, opened the three-day session of "stocktaking." He reminded UN Member States of their responsibility to finalize the agenda on a strict timeline so that Heads of State and Government can adopt it in September 2015. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) President Martin Sajdik also addressed Member States in the opening session.
President Kutesa said the SDGs, a key component of the agenda, are designed to be “holistic, universal, and applicable to all countries, taking into account national circumstances and levels of development.” The UN Statistical Commission (UNSC) has been requested to coordinate work on developing indicators, given the technical nature of this task, which will be presented to Member States.
The Secretary-General hoped that his Synthesis Report could help frame and bring clarity to the process and highlighted three meetings in 2015 that will “usher in a new era of sustainable development": the FfD 3 conference in Addis Ababa in July; the post-2015 summit in September; and the Paris Climate Change Conference in December.
ECOSOC President Sajdik said the follow-up and review arrangements for the agenda should emphasize the national level, with links to global and regional frameworks. Partnerships should be driven by national leadership and ownership, and inclusive of all stakeholders, and emphasized, Referring to ECOSOC as “the partner for the partners,” he called for communication of the new development agenda to be a central topic of the High-level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF).
Macharia Kamau, Permanent Representative of Kenya and Co-Facilitator of post-2015 negotiations highlighted results to date, including the Open Working Group proposal of SDGs and targets, reports on sustainable development financing and technology facilitation, the “transformative shifts” called for by the UN High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (HLP), an expert report on the data revolution, citizens' priorities as identified by the MY World initiative, and the Secretary-General's synthesis report. Kamau asked Member States for their views on both broad outlines and detailed priorities of what should be included in the post-2015 agenda, and on how to make any needed "course corrections" to the agenda over the next 15 years.
Nancy Birdsall, Center for Global Development, in her keynote address, suggested that Member States might add a 170th target, using each country's median income as a measure for economic growth and equality. The meeting also included general statements made by some 50 delegates on their preferred directions for the SDGs, political declaration, means of implementation (MOI) and follow-up and review systems, the four expected components of the post-2015 development agenda.
For further information see: UN Press Release, UNGA President Statement, UN Secretary-General Statement, and ECOSOC President Statement
Post-2015