27 January 2013: Graça Machel, a member of the UN High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (HLP), has called for the upcoming Panel meeting in Monrovia, Liberia, to contribute to a development agenda that “addresses the vicious cycle of conflict and poverty” and focuses on peace. The Monrovia meeting will the Panel’s third meeting (second substantive), and take place from 31 January-2 February 2013.

In an essay titled “A Peace Agenda for Global Development,” published by Project Syndicate as part of its “Visionary Voices” series, Machel highlights that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have led to positive results on specific issues including illiteracy, disease and hunger. They fail, however, to effectively address problems caused by organized violence and insecurity. She suggests that the post-2015 development agenda should take a comprehensive approach that combines poverty reduction measures with peace-building initiatives and strategies for economic transformation. She stresses the need for the Agenda to, inter alia: be centered on peace, security, and freedom from fear; shift the focus of poverty eradication from national averages to local disparities; and promote reconciliation and prevent the revival of violence in conflict-affected countries.

Machel highlights the Panel’s commitment to creating an ambitious, coherent and practical proposal for a sustainable global development agenda, based on an open, inclusive and transparent process.

The HLP’s Monrovia meeting will be held on the theme, “National Building Blocks for Sustained Prosperity.” It follows meetings in New York, US, and London, UK, and precedes a meeting in Bali, Indonesia, on 24-27 March 2013. [Publication: A Peace Agenda for Global Development] [Website for Monrovia Meeting of HLP]