Prior to the 22nd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 15–17 November 2013, India said that the agenda of the Commonwealth Development post-2015 should be brought under the auspices of the United Nations.
The goal, according to External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, intervening in the first session of the pre-CHOGM Foreign Ministers' meeting, would be a transparent, democratic and inclusive approach.
17 November 2013: The 22nd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) resulted in the Colombo Declaration on Sustainable, Inclusive and Equitable Development, in which Heads of Government pledge to constitute an open-ended High-Level Working Group of Heads to identify shared perspectives and recommendations on the post-2015 development agenda.
These perspectives will be shared in the intergovernmental consultations at the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The signatories also committed to convening discussions at forthcoming Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meetings on the key economic and other factors affecting Commonwealth members’ ability to meet development goals, including the post-2015 development agenda once defined.
An additional communiqué addresses sustainable development, climate change, and small island developing States (SIDS), among other issues. On climate change, the communiqué underscores, inter alia, the necessity for a timely conclusion of the negotiations on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action to result in a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention applicable to all Parties to be adopted by 2015. Signatories also agreed to the Commonwealth Expert Group on Climate Finance’s recommendations to explore the potential for simplified access arrangements for Small Island Development States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
The Commonwealth includes 53 countries spanning all regions.
CHOGM 2013 took place from 15-17 November 2013, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, under the theme of ‘Growth with Equity-Inclusive Development.’ The next meeting will be hosted by Malta in 2015. [Colombo Declaration] [CHOGM 2013 Communiqué] [CHOGM 2013 Website] [Commonwealth Local Government Forum Press Release]