Post 2015 Development Agenda: Guidelines for Country ... - nrg4SD

INTRODUCTION1. ContextThe adoption of the Millennium Declaration in 2000 by all 189 Member States of the UNGeneral Assembly was a defining moment for global development cooperation. In recognition ofthe need to translate this commitment into action, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)were adopted. Since their endorsement by the UN General Assembly, the MDGs have defined acommon framework of priorities for the development community. In September 2010, a HighLevel Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly convened to review progress on the MDG targetsand agreed on a concrete action plan to accelerate progress towards their full achievement by2015. It also called on the UN System to continue informing the global debate on developmentand to lead the international discussion on a post 2015 development agenda.The UN Secretary-General (UN SG) Report ‘Accelerating progress towards the MillenniumDevelopment Goals: options for sustained and inclusive growth and issues for advancing theUnited Nations development agenda beyond 2015’ indicates that “[t]he post-2015 developmentframework is likely to have the best development impact if it emerges from an inclusive, openand transparent process with multi-stakeholder participation.” 1It is critical for the UN System to launch a substantive and inclusive process that will lead to thedefinition of a beyond 2015 development agenda owned by all players. The UN — unlike anyother multilateral player — has the opportunity to position itself as an advocate for a bottom-upapproach defined by national and local priorities and stakeholders. As such, the organizationmust at all levels expand its efforts towards a more open and inclusive dialogue, that includes theviews of the poor and vulnerable, 2 to ensure global ownership of a beyond 2015 developmentframework.The UN SG has now initiated steps within the UN System to launch the process that will informa new UN development agenda. More specifically, the SG has requested UNDP and UnitedNations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) to establish a group of technicalexperts (Post-2015 Task Team) to coordinate the assessment of system-wide ongoing efforts, andpropose a unified version and road map for a post-2015 development agenda, in consultationwith all stakeholders. The Inter-Agency and Expert Group (IAEG) on MDG indicators, led by theUN Statistics Division (UNSD), has also set up a Task Team on Lessons Learned in MDG Monitoringto provide technical inputs specifically for monitoring, to guide the formulation of the post-2015monitoring framework.1The report A/66/126 is available at http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=a/66/126.2Vulnerable groups should be well defined, based on Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers or the nationaldevelopment strategy for the country.12Post-2015 Development Agenda Process: Guideline for Consultations