27 March 2013: At the close of its meeting in Bali, Indonesia, the High-Level Panel (HLP) of Eminent Persons highlighted five key areas for the post-2015 development framework, including the need to: strengthen global governance; promote a single, coherent development agenda; and clearly specify means of implementation.

The HLP meeting, organized around the theme of cooperation and partnerships, proposed five areas in which progress is needed, namely: the reshaping and revitalizing of global governance and partnerships; protection of the global environment; sustainable production and consumption (SCP); strengthened means of implementation; and availability of data for measuring progress.

The panel of 27 members was appointed by the UN Secretary-General in July 2012 to advise on the post-2015 agenda, including on questions of how to build political consensus, and how the sustainable development goals (SDGs) agreed at the Rio+20 conference will relate to the post-2015 process.

On partnerships, HLP members called for enhanced and scaled up models of cooperation with regard to technical exchange, trade, migration, and investment. They noted that action on SCP could be the basis of a “truly universal” agenda, and called for increased global cooperation on protection of the global atmosphere, forests and oceans.

HLP members agreed that means of implementing the post-2015 agenda should be clearly specified, calling for honoring existing commitments, and using existing country systems. In relation to accessing adequate, stable and predictable financing, the HLP especially highlighted the need to regulate tax havens and illicit financial flows.

The panel also called for “a data revolution” to support improvements in economic and social planning, and in monitoring and evaluation.

Civil society issued a joint statement at the close of the Bali meeting, lamenting the lack of achievement on MDG 8 (on developing a global partnership for development), pinning this to a lack of political commitment and failure to clearly assign responsibilities. Among various proposals, they called for: full employment and decent work for all; progressive taxation; and universal social protection, proposing the establishment of a Global Fund for Social Protection.

Outcomes of the Bali meeting, and of the two preceding HLP meetings in London, UK, and Monrovia, Liberia, will be written up for a report to the UN Secretary-General by the end of May, to feed into decision making about the post-2015 agenda. [HLP Communiqué] [UN Secretary-General’s Webpage on HLP] [Civil Society Communiqué]