22 May 2014: During the second informal meeting on modalities for the September 2015 summit to adopt the post-2015 development agenda, UN Member States addressed the Summit’s timing and duration, structure and format, and participation and preparatory process, among other issues.

Robert Aisi, Permanent Representative of Papua New Guinea, and Ib Petersen, Permanent Representative of Denmark, are serving as co-facilitators of the consultations. They have indicated that possible objectives for the Summit could include: clear agreement on the SDGs, supportive financing and means of implementation, an inclusive accountability framework for the post-2015 development agenda, an effective UN development system, and the highest possible political engagement in the summit. In addition, with regard to participation, they have noted that the processes leading to the post-2015 development agenda have featured an unprecedented mobilization of civil society, and that stakeholders are showing great interest in the summit, with some calling to ensure that it is not only the “only show in town” but also the “only show in the world.” They also indicated that overlaps between the preparatory process and the ongoing consultations on Financing for Development (FfD) should be taken into account, while not prejudging the outcome.

During the consultation, participants were reported to have presented proposals and discussed options to, inter alia: convene a three-day meeting, directly before the high-level segment of UNGA 70; ensure that the summit is the only high-level event at that time, to ensure maximum visibility; follow previous UNGA practice and rules of procedure; select roundtable themes that focus on implementation, monitoring and partnerships; adopt a format that permits interactive discussions; permit broad and active participation in the summit, including from civil society, the private sector, international financial institutions and regional bodies; address the state of the UN and measures to strengthen and enhance its role, all three pillars of the UN including peace and security, and the past 15 years of efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); and convene a session of the HLPF under the UNGA in 2015, in order to link the two processes as well as streamlining the HLPF cycle with that of the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR), or hold a session of the HLPF within the post-2015 summit.

The co-facilitators are expected to prepare elements for a draft, to be issued on 28 May, ahead of the third informal meeting on 3 June. [IISD RS Sources] [IISD RS Previous Story on Consultations]