On Friday 27 February, representatives of civil society participated in a conference call involving Major Groups and other stakeholders to foster collaboration and cooperation in the process.

During the call, Nikhil Seth, Director of DESA DSD gave a short briefing. He said that the interaction with the Major Groups and other stakeholders during the second session of the intergovernmental negotiations had been the best to date. It was an important opportunity for civil society to reflect on the views of Member States and to “bring substance” to the deliberations.

He remarked that the March session, during which goals and targets would be considered, could be one of the most contentious. The house is divided between those who have agreed on the goals and targets and those who want further refinement. He pointed out that there are nine targets with a non-specified ‘x’ in them. There are others that include dates that are not aligned with 2030. In addition the targets should be looked at to see that they are not duplicative. There are questions as to how they might be refined, and whether refinement is necessary. It was important, therefore, that civil society make clear statements as to what they think of the goals and targets.

As far as the April meeting is concerned, there will be two back-to-back meetings on Financing for Development and the Means of Implementation. For these the division of labour has to be defined.

Tala Dowlatshahi, Senior Advisor on Partnerships and Outreach for the Office of the President of the General Assembly, and Nelson Muffuh, Head of Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement, Post-2015 Development Planning Unit, Executive Office of the Secretary-General also made brief presentations. Among the important points that they raised was the willingness of Member States to continue working with an inclusive process. The interactive discussions during the second sessions had set a precedent as it was the first time that civil society had ever sat in front of the Member States in a meeting.

Civil society was encouraged to work together in the future sessions of the intergovernmental negotiations.