December 2014: Position papers and other documents from civil society organizations offer input on the post-2015 development agenda, discuss financing for development, and address thematic issues including justice, peaceful societies, nutrition and forests.

On financing, groups evaluated the new needs for implementing a post-2015 development agenda. The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) has released a report titled, ‘Financing the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals: a rough road map,’ investigating diminishing development financing as a country develops. It suggests creating alternative classifications for countries taking into account fiscal capacity and vulnerability. A blog by Andrew Rogerson of ODI on ‘Why We Should Lend More Money to Richer Countries’ also explores this issue, stating that “the old divide between ‘donors’ and ‘recipients’ no longer makes sense.”

Jeffrey Sachs, Columbia University, in an article titled ‘The old economic models don’t apply in the 21st Century,’ asserts that neither Keynesian nor free-market economics are delivering good sustainable development results. Sachs calls for long-term investment strategies for governments, allowing them to think ahead into the future, specifically for long-term low-carbon infrastructure investments. A letter to the UN Secretary-General from RightingFinance recommends that human rights principles be taken into account when considering financing, such as maximum available resources, non-discrimination and equality, and transparency.

World Vision released a policy paper on ‘Reaching the Unreached: Cross-sector partnerships, business and the post-2015 development agenda.’ It finds that cross-sector partnerships between governments, businesses and other groups are an important modality for creating and delivering innovation in reaching the most vulnerable people.

Five organizations partnered to write a position paper on the intergovernmental negotiations on Financing for Development (FfD). The African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD), European Network on Debt and Development (EURODAD), Jubilee South – Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development (JSAPMDD), Latin American Network on Debt, Development and Rights (LATINDADD), and Third World Network (TWN) offer six main recommendations for the FfD outcome document, and calls for the UN to develop an initiative on responsible financing standards.

On thematic areas, an Open Society Foundation blog post by Peter Chapman on ‘Justice, Development Planning, and the Role of Regular People’ emphasizes the diverse understandings of access to justice and good governance around the world. It states that each justice aspect of the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should be analyzed from multiple perspectives, including government progress, social progress, and people’s experiences. The World Federation of UN Associations (WFUNA) released a report titled ‘Peaceful Societies: An Essential Element of Sustainable Development,’ arguing for peaceful societies to be included in the post-2015 development agenda, and for the goal and targets to be realistic, measurable and desirable.

Results Canada summarizes the recent outcomes of the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN 2), and calls for greater accountability on nutrition in the post-2015 development agenda. The article stresses the need for policy coherence and target alignment on the issue of nutrition, and using tools to align efforts and policies. The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), in a policy brief titled ‘Food Security in the Sustainable Development Goals: where is the process heading?’, examines the global consensus on food security. The brief conducts an overview of 18 post-2015 policy documents, and outlines the remaining gaps in addressing food security.

The International Institute on Environment and Development (IIED) released a report titled ‘Sustainable Development Goals and forests,’ which summarizes the Open Working Group (OWG) debates and country positions on the issue. [Publication: Financing the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals: a rough road map] [ODI Blog: Why We Should Lend More Money to Richer Countries] [Jeffrey Sachs Article] [RightingFinance Letter] [Publication: Reaching the Unreached: Cross-sector partnerships, business and the post-2015 development agenda] [CSO FfD Position Paper] [OSF blog on Justice, Development Planning, and the Role of Regular People] [Publication: Peaceful Societies: An Essential Element of Sustainable Development] [Results Canada Article] [Publication: Food security in the Sustainable Development Goals: Where is the process heading?] [Publication: Sustainable Development Goals and forests: A summary of UN Open Working Group debates and country reflections]