Post 2015: Global Action for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future

– such as their size and geographical remoteness.
Fragile and conflict-affected states constitute another
group of countries that may deserve special attention
in a post-2015 framework. not only have they by
definition struggled to advance human development,
due to weak state capacity and violence, but fragility
and conflict also threaten to undermine any progress
that might have been achieved.
In sum, if the ultimate purpose of a post-2015
framework is to encourage change at the global and
national levels, then it must be designed in such a
way that it is relevant to diverse national realities.
the framework could allow some flexibility in the
choice of indicators and specific targets, which
would contribute to greater domestic ownership
and accountability, even if it renders global
assessments less straightforward. a framework that
aims mainly to incentivise change at the global level
(e.g. mDG8-type issues) will require clear global
targets on finance, trade and migration (probably
based on process indicators) with a view to creating
the desired type of incentives that will be covered
in the following chapter. alternatively a post-2015
agreement could include a mixture of targets and
indicators for some goals, while others issues could
be addressed by setting norms. the design of a post-
2015 framework will be determined largely by what
it ultimately aims to achieve. If it is intended to be a
global development strategy, then it will look very
different from the mDGs. although a universal
framework is clearly desirable, making this the
explicit objective from the outset may make it more
difficult to achieve agreement.
10.5.4 Achieving an Agreement
the millennium Declaration and the mDGs were
forged in very specific circumstances that cannot
be replicated in the remaining months leading up
to 2015. In particular they were built on a sustained
period of international debate organised around a
series of un global conferences throughout the
1990s on different aspects of development and global
cooperation. the start of the new millennium also
provided a useful symbolic moment around which to
create momentum for a grand statement of intent. the
mDGs were agreed not by consensus, but by a small
group of international officials seeking to create a
tangible monitoring tool out of the Declaration itself.
none of these conditions apply in the run-up to
2015 and the lack of progress in agreeing further
international collective action at some recent
summits does not augur well. Given current
expectations of transparency and participation,
drafting any new set of goals will also take place
in a much larger and more open forum. on the
other hand the mDGs have set a precedent and the
considerable momentum behind them should help
carry forward the debate even though it may not be
enough to guarantee success.
at the same time there are other opportunities
and challenges that may help or hinder the
debate. a significant opportunity is the potential
involvement of major new actors. First there are
countries like brazil, china and India with both
growing political weight and resources of their
own to deploy. crucially, their own development
successes present a more tangible model that many
poorer countries could follow. their roots in the
non-aligned movement (nam) and the G77 are
also an asset because it means they may count
on support that oEcD countries cannot always
muster. Second, is the growing voice and confidence
of a wider group of developing countries. the fact
that african states as a group, through the african
union, are now better able to articulate their views
in the international arena is particularly valuable 156 .
on the other hand, as this report has shown, the
poverty agenda has become more complex and
the increasingly urgent need to integrate issues of
environmental sustainability substantially raises the
156 Since the reform of the oau into the au in 2003, african states are increasingly voicing a common view in international fora, the latest example
being the african common position for the busan HlF prepared by the african union and nEpaD.
poSt-2015: Global actIon For an IncluSIvE anD SuStaInablE FuturE
Given current
expectations of
transparency and
participation,
drafting any new
set of goals will
also take place in
a much larger
and more open
forum.
221