29 July 2014: In a letter to stakeholders, the UN Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development Planning highlighted the outcome of the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and outlined next steps in the process to agree on the post-2015 development agenda. Amina Mohammed conveys UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s appreciation for the “constructive engagement” of Major Groups and other Stakeholders with the OWG, which she says “significantly contributed to this comprehensive and transformative proposal.”

On next steps, Mohammed notes that Ban will soon start preparing a synthesis report that will build on the outcomes of the OWG and the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing (ICESDF), among others, “with a view to ensuring that the level of ambition of this transformative agenda is delivered on the ground.”

In the letter sent to Major Groups and other Stakeholders via email on 29 July, Mohammed further informs that Ban is building on the recommendations from his High-level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (HLP) for strengthened accountability arrangements and a data revolution, through consultations by the Regional Economic Commissions on accountability, as well as the forthcoming launch of an Independent Advisory Group on Data Revolution for Development.

Mohammed emphasizes that the Secretary-General will continue to rely on Major Groups and other Stakeholders to help Member States to “advance an agenda for people and the planet” and to “advance sustainable development and create a just world where all people live with dignity.” [IISD RS Sources]