12 March 2013: Addressing the Group of 77 and China (G77/China), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon outlined “strands of work” taking place to shape the high-level political forum for sustainable development (HLPF), a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the post-2015 development agenda, including through the High-level Panel on the topic (HLP) and inputs from the UN system, business, academia and the scientific community.

He noted Member States’ agreement in September 2012 that rule of law should be considered in the post-2015 development agenda, and he called for G77 leadership and engagement.

The strands should come together, Ban said, in September 2013. He said the goal must be “a single, coherent global agenda” that would inspire and mobilize people as successfully as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have done. He also called for redoubling efforts toward the MDGs between now and 2015. He highlighted that 5 April 2013 will mark 1,000 days from the end of the MDGs’ 2015 deadline.

In this regard Ban noted his proposal being submitted to Member States on strengthening the UN’s partnership efforts. [Statement of UN Secretary-General]