16 December 2014: The Council of the European Union (EU) discussed and adopted the conclusions of its Foreign Affairs Council on coordination of international aid efforts in the context of the post-2015 development agenda, highlighting the need to approach the issues in a “truly transformative” manner and to promote policy coherence.

The EU Council, a ministerial grouping, met in Brussels, Belgium, on 16 December 2014. They committed to accelerating progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and to ensuring that the post-2015 agenda provides a comprehensive follow-up to the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) and addresses the structural causes of poverty, inequality, climate change, and environmental degradation. They called on all countries to promote “policy coherence for sustainable development” at all levels, and to review and assess their own policies, noting in particular the importance of sound policies in the areas of trade, science, migration, technology and innovation, and knowledge and expertise sharing.

In a comprehensive statement outlining a range of development priorities, the Council highlighted the need for action on disaster risk reduction and resilience, migration and human mobility, and women’s empowerment, among many other areas. The Council called for ensuring that the post-2015 development agenda has a rights-based approach and reflects the complexity of sustainable development and poverty eradication, and that the framework can be easily communicated and understood.

They welcomed the report of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing (ICESDF) and the proposal from the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the UN Secretary-General’s 4 December presentation of his synthesis report,’The Road to Dignity by 2030: Ending poverty, transforming all lives and protecting the planet,’ calling it a key contribution for intergovernmental processes in the run-up to the September 2015 Summit.

Speaking to the EU Environment Council on 17 December, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner welcomed the adoption of the Council conclusions, and emphasized the need to maintain an integrated approach to environment in the post-2015 agenda, and the principle of universality. He called on the EU to provide leadership in shaping the role of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) so that it can fulfill its potential as the global policy platform of environment ministers. [Publication: Council conclusions on a transformative post-2015 agenda] [Press release of General Affairs Meeting of the Council] [UNEP Press Release]