16 December 2014
Co-facilitators Brief Civil Society on Post-2015 Negotiations
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The co-facilitators for the intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda, Macharia Kamau of Kenya and David Donoghue of Ireland, briefed representatives of Major Groups and other civil society stakeholders on the post-2015 negotiation process.

post201515 December 2014: The co-facilitators for the intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda, Macharia Kamau of Kenya and David Donoghue of Ireland, briefed representatives of Major Groups and other civil society stakeholders on the post-2015 negotiation process.

Opening the session in New York, US, on 15 December 2014, Donoghue said he sought to ensure the full involvement of civil society and Major Groups in the post-2015 process. Kamau said the post-2015 negotiation process is distinct from the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the dynamics will be different. He called on civil society and Major Groups to think about “how to engage in a different way,” keeping in mind that the post-2015 process is about an agenda, a modus operandi, a tool around which global resources can be mobilized. He called for: concrete ideas on what the “product” of negotiations could look like; early engagement to ensure that issues are considered at the beginning of the negotiations; contextualizing and using numbers carefully; and hearing from non-traditional voices.

Nikhil Seth, UN Division for Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DSD/DESA) mentioned that DESA hosts a post-2015 website that is regularly updated and should be used as a platform for comments. Seth said an “indicative road map” as contained in the draft decision on negotiation modalities could provide a basis for civil society and Major Groups to organize themselves.

Civil society and Major Groups representatives stressed the need to “build on the success of the OWG” in terms of inclusiveness, and expressed appreciation for references to an “open, transparent and inclusive process” in the 8 December draft decision on modalities. Donoghue suggested that half-day meetings with civil society and Major Groups, held once per monthly session, could be used. On a question related to the expected date for a zero draft document, the co-facilitators suggested that smaller, individual components of an eventual “zero draft” might be issued for discussion, as the process evolves.

Asked why only five days are indicated in the draft decision for discussing SDGs and targets, Kamau said the objective of this session is not to reopen the SDGs but to contextualize SDGs and targets in a coherent way for the post-2015 development agenda. Indicators could be discussed during that session, as well.

UN Member States will resume consultations on the organization and modalities for intergovernmental negotiations and remaining issues related to the Summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda on 16 December 2014. [IISD RS Story on 8 December Draft Decision] [DESA Website on Post-2015]


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