27 November 2013: Participants at the fifth session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) addressed the thematic issues of: (a) sustained and inclusive economic growth, macroeconomic policy questions (including international trade, international financial system and external debt sustainability), infrastructure development and industrialization, and (b) energy.

OWG 5 took place from 25-27 November 2013, at UN Headquarters in New York, US, and brought together OWG members and other Member States, observers, and representatives from UN agencies and Major Groups.

Macharia Kamau, Permanent Representative of Kenya, and Csaba Kőrösi, Permanent Representative of Hungary, Co-Chairs of the Open Working Group, opened the meeting with a summary of the progress made during the Group’s first four sessions, activities conducted during the five-month interim period between OWG 4 and OWG 5, and the business ahead. Keynote speeches and panelists offered brief remarks at the beginning of the discussion on both agenda items, following which participants presented their ideas for how the topics could be reflected in SDGs.

At the close of the meeting, Kőrösi and Kamau offered a concluding summary, reflecting on the high level of convergence among delegations during the three days. They highlighted emerging convergence on: the prerequisite of economic growth for poverty eradication; industrialization and infrastructure development as key drivers of economic growth; the need for open, fair and rules-based trade; the need for access to safe, affordable and reliable energy; the important role of renewable energy in the energy system; and the importance of energy efficiency and conservation as components of sustainability.

OWG 5 was preceded on 22 November by an Intersessional Meeting Between Major Groups and Other Stakeholders and the OWG, and addressed: Practical approaches to rights-based SDGs that include the three dimensions of sustainable development; SDGs designed to eradicate poverty, mitigate inequality, and lead to inclusiveness; Making good governance and multi-stakeholder partnerships the building blocks of the SDGs; and Designing SDGs that foster human and economic development within planetary boundaries.

The OWG will convene again from 9-13 December 2013, to discuss: means of implementation (science and technology, knowledge-sharing and capacity building); global partnership for achieving sustainable development; needs of countries in special situations, African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing states, as well as specific challenges facing the middle-income countries; and human rights, the right to development, and global governance. [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [OWG 5 Webpage] [Draft Concluding Remarks of Co-Chairs [Co-Chairs’ Summary Bullet Points] [IISD RS Story on Issue Briefs] [IISD RS Story on Statistical Notes] [IISD RS Sources]