15 December 2017: UN Member States recently discussed aligning the work of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) with the 2030 Agenda, with some stressing the importance of alignment, and others noting that the Assembly’s work goes beyond the 2030 Agenda and its 17 SDGs. UNGA President Miroslav Lajcak said he will appoint co-facilitators “very soon” to lead the process of identifying proposals to address gaps and duplication between the UNGA and the 2030 Agendas.
The UNGA General Committee meeting took place on 15 December 2017, at UN Headquarters in New York, US, in the context of UNGA resolution 71/323 on ‘Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly’ of September 2017. The resolution requests the UNGA 72 President to identify proposals aimed at addressing gaps and duplication in the agenda of the UNGA as they relate to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It also calls for the process to be carried out through consultations with all UN Member States and the President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and through the convening of the UNGA.
During the meeting, Lajcak noted the need to take into account the ongoing ECOSOC review and UN reform processes. Many delegations underlined the importance of improving the effectiveness of the UNGA and the UN’s impact on the ground, with some noting that the UN cannot be everywhere but can play a leadership role, and its added value should be identified.
One developed country called for the ongoing UN Development System (UNDS) reform to streamline ECOSOC and UN regional commissions. She called for reducing the number of UN reports, conferences and negotiations, and for allocating resources according to where they have an impact. Others noted that resources should not be cut back, but should instead be used more effectively.
Among the eight delegations that spoke during the meeting, two called for strengthening the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), saying its mandate covers only social and economic issues and should be broadened to cover all the SDGs. One of these delegations noted that DESA should become an “SDG hub.”
The process of identifying gaps and duplications began during the 70th UNGA session, following the adoption of the 2030 Agenda. President Mogens Lykketoft appointed María Emma Mejía Vélez, Permanent Representative of Colombia, to facilitate the process of aligning the agenda of future sessions of the UNGA with the 2030 Agenda. This resulted in a “mapping assessment” conducted by a group of five Permanent Representatives for reducing overlap between the agendas and enhancing their synergy and coherence. This was followed by a six-month process of consultations with UN Member States, civil society and UN stakeholders, co-facilitated by Gillian Bird, Permanent Representative of Australia, and Martin Garcia Moritan, Permanent Representative of Argentina, resulting in a July 2017 report with recommendations on enhancing synergies and coherence and reducing overlaps in the agendas of the UNGA, ECOSOC and their subsidiary bodies, in light of the adoption of the 2030 Agenda. [SDG Knowledge Hub Sources] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on 2017 Co-Facilitators’ Report] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on 2016 Mapping Exercise] [UNGA General Committee]