22 May 2015: UN Member States discussed the follow-up and review of the post-2015 development agenda during the fifth session of the intergovernmental negotiations on the agenda. The fifth session represented the last of the “scripted” sessions outlined in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) mandate for negotiations.

The fifth session took place from 18-22 May 2015, in New York, US, and was Co-Facilitated by Macharia Kamau, Permanent Representative of Kenya, and David Donoghue, Permanent Representative of Ireland.

Participants discussed: what exactly “follow-up and review” entails at the national, regional and global levels; the role of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development in this regard; and whether there should be technical revisions to the targets approved by the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). John Pullinger, Chair of the UN Statistical Commission (UNSC), provided an update on the work undertaken to develop a global indicator framework, which is expected to be presented at the UNSC’s 2016 session.

Delegations also agreed on themes for the six interactive dialogues to take place during the UN Summit to adopt the post-2015 development agenda, in September. The six themes are: Ending poverty and hunger; Tackling inequalities, empowering women and girls and leaving no one behind; Fostering sustainable economic growth, transformation and promoting sustainable consumption and production; Protecting our planet and combating climate change; Building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions to achieve sustainable development; and Delivering on a revitalized Global Partnership.

The zero draft of the outcome document of the September Summit is expected to be circulated around 1 June 2015, to allow time for groups to hold preliminary consultations before the sixth session of intergovernmental negotiations, convening on 22-25 June 2015. [IISD RS Meeting Coverage]