Process to align UNGA with 2030 Agenda announced by General Assembly President

María Emma Mejía Vélez, Permanent Representative of Colombia, has been appointed by the President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Mogens Lykketoft, as facilitator to consult with Member States to agree on a proposal for strategically aligning the agenda of future sessions of the UNGA with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The process should “enhance synergies and coherence across the work of the plenary, main committees and ECOSOC, and reduce overlap where it is found to exist.”

Ambassador Mejía will be supported by members of the UN General Committee, who chair some of the "most affected bodies": Omar Hilale, Permanent Representative of Morocco and Chair of the Third Committee; Karel van Oosterom, Permanent Representative of the Netherlands and Chair of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security); Andrej Logar, Permanent Representative of Slovenia and Chair of the Second Committee, and Oh Joon, Permanent Representative of Korea and President of ECOSOC.

The letter outlines a draft timeline for the process is expected to take place between March and mid-July 2016:

• informal briefing (March)
• a request to the UN Secretariat to initiate mapping (March)
• mapping of General Assembly agenda items and resolution, including the ECOSOC according to the 2030 Agenda (April)
• meeting of facilitator (Mejía) and the four supporting Permanent Representatives (Oh, Hilale, van Oosterom and Logar) to discuss mapping and prepare draft recommendations (May) 
• informal outreach (May)
• informal briefing on the draft recommendations with all Member States (May) 
• informal consultations with Member States (June ) 
• presentation of the outcome document and adoption (mid-July). 

For letter from President of General Assembly see: http://bit.ly/1Mo3rvH