As reported by the IISD, the first session of intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda addressed the four elements expected to comprise the new agenda:
- Declaration
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets, along with eventual indicators
- Means of implementation (MOI) and new Global Partnership for Development
- Follow-up and review of implementation.
Macharia Kamau, Permanent Representative of Kenya, and David Donoghue, Permanent Representative of Ireland, co-facilitated the session on 19-21 January 2015 and in their summary of discussions, presented at the end of the three-day meeting Donoghue made the following comments:
- The Declaration, according to Member States, should identify the integrative nature of the agenda, highlight core principles, and reflect the universality as well as the differentiation among countries. It should also be comprehensive but concise, inspirational, and visionary.
- In advance of the 17-20 February session the Co-facilitators would circulate a draft of items to include in the declaration.
- For the SDGs, Member States recognized that the Open Working Group (OWG) proposal for SDGs rests on a carefully crafted, political balance. As far as the proposal to “technically proof” some Member States felt that the OWG's proposed targets was concerned, there was concern that it could hurt the balance of the OWG proposal, others supported it, and some suggested criteria or parameters for this effort.
- On indicators, the UN Statistical Commission will present a draft set of indicative indicators before the March negotiation session, although it may not be possible to complete work on the indicators between now and September. At the March session, Member States could respond to the Commission, consider its input, and decide what to do with it.
- On MOI and global partnership, Member States had indicated that it will be impossible to deliver on the ambition of the SDGs without MOI and partnerships, and they recognized the interconnections between the post-2015 and Financing for Development (FfD) processes.
- On follow-up and review, many Member States had reiterated the importance of an open, transparent and inclusive process, and some said that no target should be considered met unless it is met by all.
In conclusion Kamau asked delegates to remain “highly flexible” regarding the programme of work for negotiations. In addition he said that civil society is crucial to the process, “as the SDGs and their importance are not yet well understood outside the UN basement."
read more: http://sd.iisd.org/news/negotiations-consider-four-elements-of-post-2015-agenda/
Below is a summary of the statement made on the process by Ambassador Kingsley Mamabolo of South Africa in his capacity as the Chair of the Group of 77, which indicates their position on the negotiating process for the development of the post-2015 development agenda:
Statement by Ambassador Kingsley Mamabolo of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 for the stock-taking session of the Intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda, 19 January 2015
In the statement in the opening session on behalf of the 134-member Group of 77, Ambassador Kingsley Mamabolo of South Africa emphasized that the process seeks “to craft a truly transformative agenda that continues to place poverty eradication efforts at the centre of the programme of the United Nations.” It should be guided by “a vision of 'transformation' and an ambition to negotiate and reach agreement on a transformative development paradigm, which is people-centred, that aspires for universal human development while respecting human dignity and protecting our planet.”
The Group of 77 was concerned about the significant variations and inequalities that exist across regions and within countries. In elaborating the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the spirit of the Millennium Declaration, Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and the Rio plus 20 should be sustained by creating an environment conducive to sustainable development and to the elimination of poverty at both national and global levels. The Post-2015 Development Agenda process should be “intergovernmental in nature, conducted in an open, transparent and inclusive manner, in line with the Outcome document of the 2013 Special Event of the MDGs.” Furthermore “the inclusive consultations by the Co-facilitators with all relevant stakeholders including major political groups must not impinge on the time allocated for the intergovernmental process of negotiations” and in this regard they called for the Co-facilitators to re-consider the number of the panel discussions each session to allow adequate more time for the negotiations. In addition “this intergovernmental negotiations process must respect the rules of procedure and established practices of the General Assembly and ECOSOC and should take place in line with the agreed modalities resolution and decisions.”
The initial draft of the outcome document on the Post-2015 Development Agenda should be prepared by the Co-facilitators based on “views provided by Member States, taking into account substantive discussions in the process of intergovernmental negotiations” and that it should be available for Member States by May 2015 to pave the way for the intergovernmental negotiations. In addition the main basis for the negotiations should be the Report of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (OWG-SDGs). Other inputs should include the outcomes of the Intergovernmental Committee on Experts for Sustainable Development Financing (ICESDF) and the process to develop options for a UN technology facilitation mechanism. The development of ‘indicative’ indicators by the UN Statistical Division should be done in “an open and transparent manner with the UN Statistical Commission” and should take into account “national and regional specificities, peculiarities and different capacities and therefore the outcome should not impose unworkable and unrealistic figures on developing countries.”
With regard to the Secretary-General’s Synthesis Report entitled: The Road to Dignity by 2030, they view it as “an input and resource that the member states can tap into during the intergovernmental process of negotiations.” They stressed that the guiding principles in developing the agenda “must be based on those enumerated in Agenda 21 and Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI), be consistent with international law, and should fully respect all Rio Principles and recognition that in pursuit of Sustainable Development States have Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR).” Poverty eradication should be an “imperative and an essential requirement for sustainable development…” Economic, social and environmental development should be deepened in a comprehensive, balanced and coordinated manner in accordance with the Rio plus 20 outcomes. They welcomed the adoption of the “Decision on Modalities for the process of Intergovernmental Negotiations on the Post-2015 Development Agenda” which will ensure a smooth process of negotiations of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. They also called on the Co-facilitators to “urgently initiate informal consultations on the details of the future programmes for the Post-2015 Development Agenda to allow adequate time for coordination within political groups.”
For full statement see https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/12374group77.pdf