Post-2015 Development Agenda and SDGs Negotiations

Development Communique

Post-2015 Development Agenda and SDGs Negotiations

In September 2015, the United Nations will adopt the Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGS), replacing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which are due to expire in

2015. After more than two years of intense negotiations, the UN member states are about

to finalise the development agenda beyond 2015; the SDGs are universal set of goals,

targets and indicators that all UN member states are expected to use to frame their agendas

and socio-economic policies during the period 2015-2030 in order to achieve a sustainable

world where “no one is left behind”.

There has been good progress on many of the MDGs but a there is a huge variability on the

success of each goalon a global scale between countries; some countries have done

extremely well and others not advanced as hoped. In general inequality has fallen, the

extreme poverty rate has been halved since 1990 and continues to fall, with MDG-7 C

(giving access to safe water) set as officially achieved. However, primary education and

maternal mortalitytargets have not been as successful. It is a complex pictureand the MDGs

have been criticised for data being to patchy and the MDGs reflect the silosand disciplinary

boundaries between the health educationan agricultural sectors.Many believethey have

helped to focus resources debate and discussionon international development globally and

at country level. So, in sum MDGs has yielded mix results as we approach the end of the

period.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are due to follow MDGs from January 2016.

They were born out at the Rio plus 20 conferenceon the “Future We Want”in June 2012-

the 20th anniversaryof the 1992 Rio conference. Ten topics were discussed at the

conference which presented quite a broad canvas.It has led the way to the thinking that

theSDGs must be an interdisciplinary endeavor. An SDG Open Working Group (OWG) was

set upinvolving 70 countries along with the UN-led consultation task teamand a high level

panel. Moreover, a whole range of non UN activities including consultations with civil

society, foundations, the private sector and the academic community. The process that led

formulation of SDGsis convoluted, as it has been a far more consultative process than the

MDGs which were developed by a small group of organizations and donors in 2000.

Post-2015 Development Agenda and SDGs Negotiations

This has been reflected in the current

goals and targets that are extremely

varied and include areas which were

not part of the MDG framework. In

September 2014, the OWG proposed

17 SDGs and 169targets (see image

below). The SDGs will be applicable to

all countriesat all levels of

development addressing some other

criticisms of the MDGs. Data will be

collected on the equitability of the

implementation of goalswithin

countries as well as between countries

which is a major differencefrom the

MDGs. In December 2014, the UN

Secretary General released a

synthesisreportthat consolidated these

goals in 6 essential elements to

facilitate memberstates

deliberationsand to enable them to

arrive at a concise aspirational agenda. A key task nowis to develop effective and feasible

indicators to measure the implementationof goals.

The proposed indicators are currently being examinedby the UN Statistical Commission in

consultationwith the national statistical agencies. So far, of304 proposed indicators, only

50 were evaluated as being feasible, suitable andrelevantand another 39 could be feasible

with a strong effort on data collection. Clearly more work needs to be done on

measurementto generate the data revelation needed to monitor the success of future goals.

In May, the Leadership Council of the Sustainable Development Solution Network (SDSN)

presented a report to the Secretary General proposing 100 Global Monitoring Indicators

accompanied by suggestions for complimentary national goals. On June 2nd, 2015 the

President of the General Assembly released the zero draft of proposed outcome document

on SDGs. This is where we are right now - where discussions are taking place to finalise the

outcome document of UN summit in September 2015. (The complete process in the next

section)

A summit to discuss financing for development is about totakes place in Addis Ababa in July

and a high-level summit on the SDGstakes place in September with a report into the

indicators due in December.The development of indicators will continue till March 2016

when the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDGs (IAEG-SDGs) is likely to adopt SDGs

indicators. It is around the indicators where the contribution from the member states and

Post-2015 Development Agenda and SDGs Negotiations

the development community may now be most important andinfluential. The first High

Level Political Forum of the SDG era will take place in July 2016 to adopt full indicator

framework and baselines. An effective annual review of the whole set of Global Monitoring

Indicators is expected to commenced from 2018.

Post-2015 Development Agenda and SDGs Negotiations

Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promotesustainable agriculture

Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learningopportunities for all

Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full andproductive employment and decent work for all

Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrializationand foster innovation

Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*

Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources forsustainable development

Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems,sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradationand halt biodiversity loss

Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provideaccess to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at alllevels

Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnershipfor sustainable development

* Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary

international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climatechange.

Post-2015 Development Agenda and SDGs Negotiations

Post-2015 Development Agenda and SDGs Negotiations

Timelines of Post-2015 Agenda & SDGs DATE UN EVENT

September 2010

MDG Summit, UN Member States take first steps towards advancing the 'Post-2015 Development Agenda'.

Secretary-General releases report Keeping the promise: a forward-looking review to promote an agreed action

agenda to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015

June 2012 Rio+20, governments commit to the promotion of a sustainable future, and mandate an intergovernmental

Open Working Group to form a set of Sustainable Development Goals

2012-2013 UNDG identifies 11 Global Thematic Consultations, which together with 87 national consultations and the

MyWorld Public Survey,engage 1.3m people in visualising new goals

March 2013 - June

2013 First four sessions of the OWG on SDGs

May 2013 SG-appointed High Level Panel of Eminent Persons releases post-2015 report, "A New GlobalPartnership:

Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economies through Sustainable Development"

June 2013 UN Global Compact releasesreport to Secretary-General on post-2015

September 2013 Sustainable Development Solutions Network releases report to Secretary-General

September 2013 UNDG releases report based on consultations/public survey, "A Million Voices: The World We Want"

September 2013 SG hosts 'MDG success: Accelerating Action and Partnering for Impact', showcasing multistakeholder

partnerships as a model for the Post-2015 Agenda

September 2013 SG presents report on the MDGs and the post-2015 agenda at the UNGA, "A Life of Dignity for All"

September 2013 General Assembly adopts theOutcome Document of the Special Event on MDGs.

November 2013 -

February 2014 Second four sessions of OWG on SDGs

February - June

2014

The President of the 68th session of the UNGA, John Ashe, organisessix multi-stakeholders events to advance

consensus on the post-2015 Agenda

March - July 2014 The OWG on SDGs moves into negotiation phase

2014 The UNDG organises a second round of consultations among stakeholders focusing on the means of

implementation of a post-2015 Agenda

September 2014 OWG on SDGs to report back to UNGA with proposals for a set of SDGs

By end of 2014 SG to synthesise all inputs to the post-2015 process in a final report

End of 2014 -

September 2015 Intergovernmental negotiations to begin on a successor framework to MDGs

June/July 2015 High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development. "Strengthening integration, implementation

and review - the HLPF after 2015"

July 2015 Third International Conference on Financing for Development. Addis Ababa Ethiopia

September 2015 High-level summit to adopt the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

Post-2015 Development Agenda and SDGs Negotiations

KeyDocuments

Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) 2015:

The report asks how well prepared the scientific community is to inform on integrated and

multidimensional problem solving and policy making that will be needed for implementing post-2015

agenda.

Sustainable Development in Action Report

The 2015 edition of the SD in Action Report reviews a numbers of action networks and multi-

stakeholder partnerships with a particular focus on how knowledge and expertise is aggregated,

managed and ultimately shared, in order to identify trends and challenges in this area, and to inform

and prepare all stakeholders and partners as the world transitions into the post-2015 development era.

The zero draft of the outcome document for the UN Summit in September 2015:

Entitled 'Transforming our World by 2030 – a New Agenda for Global Action', the zero draft covers the

four components of the Agenda: an opening Declaration; the Sustainable Development Goals and

targets; Means of Implementation and the Global Partnership; and Follow-up and Review.

SDSN’s final report on Indicators and a Monitoring Framework for Sustainable Development Goals:

The Indicators report outlines a tiered monitoring framework at the national, global, regional, and

thematic levels, and presents a concise set of 100 Global Monitoring Indicators. This limited number of

indicators can comprehensively track all 169 OWG targets while balancing countries’ capacities and

domestic monitoring commitments.

Synthesis report of the Secretary-General on the post-2015 sustainable development agenda:

The report proposes one universal and transformative agenda for sustainable development,

underpinned by rights, and with people and the planet at the centre.