7 October 2013: The Seoul Post-2015 Conference: Implications and Implementation, organized by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, ended with a call for a unified post-2015 agenda focused on ‘people-centered, planet-sensitive’ goals. The one-day meeting of representatives from governments, think-tanks and academia took place in Seoul, South Korea, on 7 October 2013.

It focused on the nature of partnerships and financing that will be needed to achieve global development aims. The conference consisted of: a high-level discussion on the post-2015 development framework; two panel discussions on implementation mechanisms, partnerships, suggestions and challenges; and a closing session on recommendations.

Cho Tae-yul, Second Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea, highlighted the value of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, which was established at the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF-4) in Busan, Korea, in 2011.

UNDP Associate Administrator Rebeca Grynspan presented the results of national consultations toward the post-2015 development agenda, which have involved over a million people in 88 countries. She noted demands for: greater inclusivity and participation; qualitative measures of achievement, in addition to quantitative; attention to governance, rule of law and peace and security; and a ‘transformational and universal agenda’ in which Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the post-Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will converge. She stressed that the outcomes of global consultations have shown that people want a framework that addresses inequalities, human rights and gender equality, with indicators that will go beyond the “tyranny of the averages” to ensure the most vulnerable are not left behind. Grynspan emphasized that all of these aims will depend on adequate financing and other means of implementation, through both domestic and international efforts, calling for focused attention to this aspect of the post-2015 discussions. She called for “a global data revolution” to enable effective monitoring of progress under the post-2015 framework.

Summarizing recommendations of the meeting, Ad Melkert, former UNDP Associate Administrator and former Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Iraq, stressed the need to reduce bribery and corruption, and said governance, long-term finance and job creation should form part of the post-2015 development framework.

Kate Higgins, The North-South Institute, emphasized people-centered and planet-sensitive goals, and Grynspan called on participants to maintain the momentum within the process. [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [UNDP Press Release] [Rebeca Grynspan’s Speech] [Event Programme] [Concept Note]