Post 2015: Global Action for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future

upon in order to promote a development model that
is compatible with and fosters both sustainability
and inclusiveness. So, inclusive and sustainable
development should be at the heart of any new
global development framework. Its dimensions
underline the importance of its three key features –
the quality of development and not just growth, the
spread of development by reducing inequality and
the need to confront scarcities in order to ensure
that development has a long-term perspective.
Thinking Beyond MDGs and Beyond Aid
a forward-looking exercise such as this should
aim to think beyond existing parameters. In other
words, it is important to consider in what areas it
might be desirable and possible to develop a future
consensus rather than simply being confined to
what seems feasible.
the global post-2015 debates may move in many
different directions. For instance, they may, or may
not, lead to a stronger and broader international
consensus, enhanced coordination among donors,
better integration between international policies
and national policies and with external impacts,
and be more specific and results-oriented in a wider
range of sectors.
the report is therefore framed along two main
axes, schematically shown in table 1 below. one
axis refers to the types of objectives that may be
pursued in a global agenda; the other to the types
of instruments that may be used towards achieving
those objectives. the schematic matrix in table 1 is
therefore an invitation to consider how to improve
the current framework and imagine a successor to
the mDGs.
the first, ‘Beyond MDGs’, dimension concerns
objectives. as we shall see later (chapter 1), since
their adoption, development cooperation has
increasingly focused on achieving the mDGs.
7 united nations International conference on Financing for Development, monterrey, 18–22 march 2002.
In crude terms, much of the effort has been on
mDG2 through to mDG6 (relating to the social
sectors of education and health) in the expectation
that these would lead to the achievement of
mDG1 (reducing income poverty and hunger).
moving ‘beyond mDGs’ thus means broadening
the focus beyond the social sectors to ensure that
more comprehensive objectives are introduced in
order to re-focus development efforts and guide
international collective action. For example, the
definition of poverty-related goals would also
integrate thinking on wellbeing, social exclusion
and multi-dimensional poverty. other new
additional objectives may thus relate to issues such
as inequity and inequality, security, climate change
and resource scarcity.
the discussion on moving ‘beyond mDGs’ should
not distract from the continued effort still required
to achieve the mDGs by 2015, which can then be
included in a new global framework. the mDGs
have in many ways been successful, so talking
about ‘beyond mDGs’ should be seen expressing a
willingness to do better.
the second dimension, ‘Beyond Aid’, involves
a discussion about instruments. the millennium
Declaration recognises that achieving its objectives
depends on a variety of measures, such as good
governance, better international regimes for trade
and finance, and more and better development
assistance. Since the 2002 International conference
on Financing for Development, 7 there has been
significant emphasis on raising the level of oDa
and on improving its effectiveness and impact.
perhaps as a result of this, and various attempts to
calculate the financial cost of achieving the mDGs
(Sachs, 2005), oDa has been seen as their main
funding source.
moving ‘beyond aid’ implies looking at
international policies that affect a country’s ability
poSt-2015: Global actIon For an IncluSIvE anD SuStaInablE FuturE
A forward-looking
exercise such as
this should aim
to think beyond
existing
parameters.
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