10 June 2015: The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) held its sixth Coordination and Management Meeting (CMM), which included a discussion on the impact of the World Summit for Social Development (WSSD) on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the post-2015 development agenda. It also considered the follow-up to the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD 3), and the ongoing ECOSOC dialogue on the longer-term positioning of the UN development system.

During a panel discussion on the impact of WSSD on the SDGs and the post-2015 development agenda, David Donoghue, Permanent Representative of Ireland and co-facilitator of the intergovernmental negotiation process on the post-2015 development agenda, said the zero draft of the post-2015 development agenda focuses on ending poverty and hunger, with an emphasis on leaving no one behind and on root causes, such as gender inequality and unsustainable growth. He expressed his hope that the final agreement will maintain this level of ambition.

Juan Somavía, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Interregional Policy Cooperation, said the post-2015 zero draft recovered the spirit and dynamism of the 1990s and is a good basis for negotiation. He called for integrated thinking, stressing the need for a UN system initiative in this regard. He asked that the new agenda mention and recognize WSSD and its key messages. María Emma Mejía Vélez, ECOSOC Vice-President (Colombia), outlined the need for greater coherence nationally, regionally and internationally to ensure a global impact of the post-2015 development agenda. She stressed that: FfD 3 should be a turning point toward more and greater commitments to ensure the success of the new agenda; and the UN should adapt to new challenges in order for the SDGs to succeed. Roberto Bissio, Coordinator of the International Secretariat of Social Watch, said civil society members in each country must demand more from their governments, especially since a new development paradigm is being shaped at a time when no country can assert that it is yet “sustainably developed.” On the SDGs, he noted the importance of holding countries accountable and subject to peer reviews so civil society can comment on achievements.

A session on the follow-up to FfD 3 took up a summary by the ECOSOC President on the special high-level meeting of the Council with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) (A/70/85-E/2015/77).

South Africa, for the G-77/China, remarked that while the FfD 3 co-facilitators have been eager to conclude negotiations on the outcome document by 19 June 2015: the Group is mindful not to compromise on important deliverables; FfD 3 must resemble the scope and structure of the Monterrey Consensus and the Doha Declaration; the FfD track must be separate from the SDGs and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and climate finance should not be included in the FfD process; the FfD 3 outcome document should not be turned into the SDGs nor, further, into SDG Goal 17; and the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters should be upgraded into an intergovernmental entity to allow all Member States to have a say. On Official Development Assistance (ODA), he added that: the traditional definition of ODA should be maintained; taxes should not replace ODA; the unfulfilled ODA commitments under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) should be carried forward and the impact of the “ODA deficit” should be assessed urgently in the review of the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus and the Doha Declaration.

In another session, Mejía Vélez updated delegates on the first phase of the ECOSOC dialogue on the longer-term positioning of the UN development system in the context of the post-2015 development agenda, which concluded at the end of May 2015. She said: the dialogue is based on ECOSOC resolution 2014/14; it is convened in a transparent and inclusive manner; since December 2014, the process has featured informal and formal sessions, including three formal sessions, four informal workshops, a civil society briefing and a high-level retreat to address key issues; and its outcome will serve as a key input to the discussions on the new quadrennial comprehensive policy review (QCPR) of operational activities of the UN system to be adopted in 2016. On observations and priorities resulting from the first phase of the dialogue, she said: innovative methods need to be explored since the UN current funding architecture has become too unbalanced and is not conducive to the strengthening of its normative and convening role; and the UN development system requires differentiated country presence models. Mejía Vélez added that: the post-2015 outcome should inject new political momentum to the process of strengthening the UN development system; and a group of high-level strategic thinkers and experts should assist Member States in concreting, analyzing and prioritizing options for strengthening the UN development system, especially during the second phase of the ECOSOC dialogue to commence in September-October 2015.

Among the countries that took the floor, Guatemala said the UN development system should help countries deal with changes in social behaviors, such as those of consumers and producers, and regional institutions and cooperation should be strengthened. Brazil observed that the outcome of the first phase of the dialogue was useful, as it was “consensual and reformist.” Japan noted the need for sustainable, predictable and flexible approaches to funding, including with regard to core funding, and cautioned against the creation of new funds. Indonesia called for strengthening representation of developing countries and for considering matching funding with country development priorities. Germany expressed its support for independent high-level experts to elaborate on concrete options for the future of the UN system. The US called for a UN development system that: is more coordinated with core pillars that are mutually reinforcing rather than competitive and overlapping; and provides different services in different contexts, such as policy advice, financial resources and norm setting in middle-income countries, and that delivers programmes, strengthens government capacity and convenes necessary resources in Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Switzerland remarked that while the first phase of the dialogue was successful, the second phase could be challenging, as it will have to address how to handle high demand for implementation of the post-2015 development agenda within funding constraints. France stressed the need to link the ECOSOC dialogue and the intergovernmental process for the post-2015 development agenda. Norway said the second phase of the dialogue should take into account the voices of the LDCs. The G-77/China stressed the need to: scale up the role of the UN in assisting developing countries in achieving the SDGs; and to address poverty and consider it as the highest priority. Argentina called for increasing core resources and working closely with national coordinators.

During the meeting, ECOSOC adopted draft resolutions, including: on the rights of persons with disabilities and strengthening the mainstreaming of disability in the post-2015 development agenda; and on mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes in the UN System.

The functions of the ECOSOC CMM are to: review the reports of the Council’s subsidiary and expert bodies; ensure system-wide coordination and review specific development issues; and consider special country situation or regional issues that are on the agenda of the Council. The previous CMM session was held from 8-10 April 2015. The next session will convene on 20-22 July 2015 and will consider all outstanding items on the agenda. [DESA Press Release] [Meeting Webpage] [ECOSOC Press Release – Day 1] [ECOSOC Press Release – Day 2] [ECOSOC Press Release – Day 3] [IISD Story on ECOSOC Commemoration of WSSD Anniversary] [Meeting Webcast]