14 December 2012: A Regional Meeting and Stakeholder Consultation on the Post-2015 Development Agenda held in Bali, Indonesia has agreed that future development goals should be universal, and stressed the need to strike a balance between global aspirations and national capacities.

The meeting, organized by the Government of Indonesia and convened from 13-14 December 2012, brought together senior UN staff, academics and stakeholders from the Asia-Pacific region to discuss the process, architecture and scope of goals in a post-2015 development agenda. Stakeholders said the process should focus on partnerships with marginalized groups and those most vulnerable to climate change and social inequality. They highlighted challenges to small island developing States (SIDS); conflict, post-conflict and fragile states; least developed countries (LDCs) and land-locked least developed countries (LLDCs). Stakeholders discussed how future development goals might relate to sustainable development goals (SDGs), and called for capacity building in the monitoring, evaluation and tracking of development achievements.

President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, UN Assistant Secretary-Generals Ajay Chibber and Amina J. Mohamed, Earth Institute Director Jeffrey Sachs, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Vice-President Masato Watanabe, and Colombian diplomat Paula Caballero were among the speakers at the meeting.

The meeting sessions addressed: measures of equity and social inclusion; job creation and poverty alleviation; and national and global governance of sustainable development.

Participants highlighted that countries of the North bear responsibility in bridging the development gap, which should go beyond official development assistance (ODA) to include trade and development partnerships. [Webcasts] [Presentations and summaries] [IISD RS Sources]