The development around the post–2015 sustainable development agenda will come to its heights in 2015. This year states aim to come to an agreement that will replace or improve the framework of the Millennium Development Goals to which UN member states agreed and the Aid Effectiveness Agenda/Financing for Development in the context of the OECD and the UN 2002 Monterrey Conference. The basis for the post-Millennium Development Goals are the Sustainable Development Goals. At Rio+20 – the UN Conference on Sustainable Development – countries agreed to establish an intergovernmental process to develop a set of “action-oriented, concise and easy to communicate” sustainable development goals (SDGs) to help drive the implementation of sustainable development.
Past years CSOs have been working hard to influence both processes and this effort is being intensified. The number of meetings among states have increased in the past months resulting in several in between reports, and statements. The two–track negotiations are separate, the issues in each are deeply interlinked, and the success of any new model depends on the outcomes of both.
Post-Millennium Development Goals
UN member states debated at the end of January the final shape of a development agenda for the next 15 years, to be agreed at the UN Summit on 25–27 September in New York. Delegates outlined the four–section structure of the summit outcome document: a declaration, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets, the means of implementation and the global partnership for development, and follow–up and review. Future sessions will debate all of these, with a particular focus on the declaration and review:https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?pli=1#14b5a3160fab7a8c_calendar
UN postMDG2015 negotiations lack understanding of women’s human rights and needed economic conditions
In December 2014 governments held a second round of “Substantive” informal Sessions within the UN in December, 2014. The Women’s Working Group on Financing for Development (WWG on FfD) of which WIDE+ is a member, has called attention to the lack of consideration towards gender issues. The group also proposes ways for governments to build truly inclusive and sustainable economies by ensuring a better international monetary and financial system.
To read the letter the WWG on FfD has sent: WWG on FFD_input to 3rd round of SISs
There is also a general letter on the role of CSOs sent to the chairs of the co-failitators of the sessions, signed by around 140 NGOs about this sessions: https://csoforffd.wordpress.com/2015/01/15/final-version-of-letter-to-conference-co-chairs/
Financing for Development
The 3rd Conference on Financing for Development will take place on 13–16 July in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. From 28–30 January, negotiators discussed a first ‘elements paper’ as the basis for an outcome agreement. According to many CSOs number of issues deserve more consideration, such as taxation, an operationalization of consumption and production and of course the role of the private sector that is hailed by governments as a new solution.
According to experts from the Social Watch and Global Policy Forum the debate at FfD3 is already heating up around the idea of an expanded rolefor the private sector. “the basic question is: how does money end up getting from the private sector to sustainable development? One option is through public–private partnerships, but even organizations like the OECD and World Bank have questioned the value. There is lots of evidence for public partners getting stuck with the bill when promised profits fail to materialize—so what really is the net gain?
Another option is through markets, such as for municipal bonds, although these are not organized around sustainable development principles, and can entail additional public guarantees and risk, not to mention being at a very limited stage of development across much of the world.
Then there are the philanthropists, well intentioned no doubt, but to whom are they accountable? Particularly those who operate on a global scale and may be more tied to their own theories than the communities they are attempting to ‘help’? If the private sector is to be considered a primary source of development finance for sustainable, inclusive development, what is the evidence of its contributions so far, and what are the indicators for measurement going forward?” (end quote).
See for resources: http://www.oecd.org/officialdocuments/publicdisplaydocumentpdf/?cote=DCD/WKP%282014%292/PROV&docLanguage=En; https://www.g20.org/sites/default/files/g20_resources/library/WBG%20IIWG%20Success%20Stories%20Overcoming%20Constraints%20to%20the%20Financing%20of%20Infrastructure.pdf
Global Key Asks of CSOs for the Development Effectiveness process
The Global CSO Partnership for development Effectiveness has published ‘Key Asks’. The document provides a rallying point and guidepost in terms of positioning for CSOs engaging in the process of transforming the development cooperation system through development effectiveness, which entails addressing both the symptoms and structural causes of poverty, inequality, and social marginalization.
The CSO Key Asks are available in three languages (EN, ES, FR):
http://www.csopartnership.org/wpcontent/uploads/2014/11/CSOKeyAsks_Final.pdf
http://www.csopartnership.org/wpcontent/uploads/2014/11/CSOKeyAsks_Final_ES.pdf
http://www.csopartnership.org/wpcontent/uploads/2014/11/CSOKeyAsks_Final_FR.pdf
Further information
There is an advocacy brief from the UN High-Level Task Force for International Conference on Population and Development ‘Smart Investments for Financing the Post-2015 Development Agenda’ which gathers compelling data available on the costs of inaction and the economic and financial returns on investing in 4 key areas: gender equality/human rights of women and girls; sexual and reproductive health and rights; ending gender-based violence; and adolescents and youth: http://icpdtaskforce.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/FinancingBriefSmartInvestments2015.pdf
Calendar Post–2015 process:
– 17–20 February: Declaration
– 23–27 March: Sustainable Development Goals and targets
– 23 March: the regional consultation for the UNECE region in Geneva: http://www.unece.org/index.php?id=38587#/
– 20–24 April: Means of implementation and global partnership for sustainable development
– 18–22 May: Follow–up and review
– 22–25 June: Intergovernmental negotiations on the outcome document
– 20–24 July, 27–31 July: Intergovernmental negotiations on the outcome document
– 25–27 September: UN Summit: Delivering on and Implementing a Transformative Post–2015 Development
Agenda Financing for Development negotiations:
– 4–5 March: Civil Society and Business Sector Hearings
– 13–17 April: Intergovernmental negotiations on the outcome document
– 15–19 June: Intergovernmental negotiations on the outcome document
– 13–16 July: 3rd Conference on Financing for Development