26 February 2012: Member countries of the g7+ group, Pacific Island countries and Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP) adopted a consensus statement at the close of the International Conference on Development for All, in Dili, Timor-Leste, calling for new goals to be adopted in the post-2015 development framework.

According to the statement, titled the “Dili Consensus,” the challenges of conflict and fragility were not adequately acknowledged in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It calls for the post-2015 development framework to promote integrated action in: inclusive economic growth; peace-building and state-building; climate change; and environmental management. The statement also calls for existing MDGs on health, education, women’s empowerment, water and sanitation, and global partnerships to be retained “with refinements.”

The Dili Consensus calls for “fair and sustainable returns” from countries’ natural resources, including oceans. It recommends rationalization and integration of parallel international processes, highlighting that some countries are “overburdened” by implementation and reporting requirements.

In a video message, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said transforming violent conflicts and fragility into peace, justice and shared prosperity must be a central element of the post-2015 development deliberations, and highlighted the “New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States,” an agreement reached at the 4th High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness.

The conference took place on 26-28 February 2013, in Dili, Timor-Leste, on the theme “Development for all: Stop conflict, build states and eradicate poverty.” It was hosted by the Government of Timor-Leste in collaboration with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), AusAID, the Pacific Institute of Public Policy (PiPP) and the g7+. Timor-Leste currently chairs of the g7+ and is the home of its Secretariat.

The g7+ was inaugurated at the first Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding, in Dili, Timor-Leste, in April 2010. [g7+ Press Release] [Statement from UN Secretary-General] [New Deal Website] [ESCAP Press Release]