March 2015: Civil society organizations have published various inputs to and analyses of the post-2015 development agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Financing for Development (FfD) processes. Stakeholder groups and other experts elaborated their views on: SDG indicators; estimating the costs of the SDGs; human rights in the agenda; the responsibilities of developed countries; gender equality; land rights; and cross-sectoral partnerships for sustainable development.

A Devex interview with Bill Easterly, Professor at New York University, highlights criticisms of the post-2015 process, including the creation of “empty” goals, and the overuse of words like “sustainable.” Easterly said the proposed goal to eliminate poverty might hold promise in spurring a global conversation about poverty and inspiring advocacy.

Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) issued a policy brief on the FfD negotiations, which looks at the attention given to gender equality in the negotiations, and analyzes areas of conflict between countries, levels of ambition, and recommendations for the process going forward.

A discussion paper by the Civil Society Reflection Group on Global Development Perspectives notes the special responsibilities of rich and powerful countries. ‘Goals for the Rich’ highlights the responsibilities of developed countries in areas such as inequality, financing, sustainable consumption and production (SCP), and the global partnership for development.

The Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) and Christian Aid published a working paper titled ‘Indicators for a Post-2015 Fiscal Revolution,’ which focuses on the need for a human rights-centered data revolution to expose the current beneficiaries of resource allocations. The paper assesses the UN Statistical Commission’s (UNSC) list of preliminary indicators, released ahead of its 46th session, and proposes further additions.

Dóchas, an association of Irish development NGOs, wrote a letter to the Government of Ireland calling for more action on development finance. The letter urges the EU to take a leading role in the FfD, climate, and post-2015 summits in 2015.

In ‘The A-Word: Monitoring the SDGs,’ Roberto Bissio, Executive Director, Third World Institute, analyzes the potential of universal periodic reviews of progress on the SDGs, and offers suggestions for including accountability and review, civil society, and the corporate sector in the post-2015 development agenda package.

Shanta Devarajan of the Brookings Institution critiques his own attempts in 2002 to estimate the costs of achieving the MDGs. In ‘Shame on me: Why it was wrong to cost the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),’ he writes that the exercise asked the wrong question, it probably offered the wrong answer, and it was the wrong way to approach development. “I may have helped shift attention away from what is needed to reach the goals, and hence contributed to the perpetuation of poverty,” he writes. Brookings fellow Homi Kharas responded, echoing the need to not repeat this mistake but to translate the figures for the SDGs into budgets at the country level.

A report by Landesa Rural Development Institute analyzes the proposed indicators on land rights for the SDGs, describing how they are universal, inclusive, and outcome-oriented, as well as their feasibility.

In a policy paper, ‘Advancing the Debate: Cross-sector partnerships, business and the post-2015 development agenda,’ World Vision International looks at the requirements for successful partnerships, including the need to build trust, capacity, and definitions of good development financing among stakeholders.

Amnesty International sent a letter to governments stressing that human rights must be one of the foundations of the post-2015 agenda, and that the agenda it should act as an enabler to make these rights operational, rather than just aspirational. The letter also highlights the importance of equality, accountability, and good governance for upholding commitments to human rights.

The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) released ‘Financing Universal Health Coverage in the Post-2015 Agenda,’ discussing public financing mechanisms for expanding health services at the country level. The paper estimates the funding necessary for universal coverage, and stresses the importance of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for health.

Finally, Post-2015 Data Test launched a report titled ‘Canada 2030: An Agenda for Sustainable Development,’ which evaluates what the SDGs could mean for a rich, developed country like Canada. The report specifically identifies gaps in data collection in order to cover the broad range of indicators and stakeholders relevant to the post-2015 agenda. [Bill Easterly’s Take on the SDGs] [Sounding off on Bill Easterly’s Take on the SDGs] [DAWN Policy Brief] [Civil Society Reflection Group on Global Development Perspectives Discussion Paper] [CESR-Christian Aid Publication: Indicators for a Post-2015 Fiscal Revolution] [Dóchas Letter] [Third World Institute Publication: The A-Word: Monitoring the SDGs] [Shame on me: Why it was wrong to cost the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)] [Homi Kharas Response] [Land Post-2015 Indicators Paper] [World Vision International Policy Paper] [Amnesty International Letter] [SDSN Publication: Financing Universal Health Coverage in the Post-2015 Agenda] [Post-2015 Data Test Publication: Canada 2030: An Agenda for Sustainable Development]