July 2015: Civil society and other stakeholders issued policy briefs and articles with proposals and recommendations on the post-2015 development agenda and the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), addressing, inter alia: the multi-dimensional poverty index; indicators; follow-up and review; the June version of the post-2015 zero draft; and potential impacts of climate change on achieving the SDGs.

The Multi-dimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN) advocates for including an improved Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI 2015+ or MPI 2.0) in the SDGs, arguing that a post-2015 development agenda with a headline indicator of poverty at $1.25 will miss insights and is unlikely to end many of the disadvantages faced by people living in poverty. MPPN argues the MPI 2015+ would show: how people are poor; the inequalities among those living in poverty; and to which regions or ethnic groups they belong. Several countries and state governments have adopted official multidimensional poverty measures, including Bhutan, Colombia, Chile and Mexico, the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil, and Ho Chi Minh City in Viet Nam.

“More needs to be done to reduce the number of global indicators to avoid overburdening statistical systems,” Eve de la Mothe Karoubi, Jessica Espey and Guido Schmidt-Traub, Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Secretariat, emphasize in a blog post. They recommend: no more than 100 harmonized global SDG indicators; multi-purpose indicators to track several targets; and an annex of complementary indicators. They urge the Inter-agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) to: consider an integrated indicator framework covering all targets instead of discussing individual targets; and mobilize expertise from outside the UN System, including from business.

In an ‘UGEC Viewpoints’ blog, four scholars analyze proposed SDG targets and indicators related to transportation, participation and planning, and per capita environmental impacts, with a focus on developing urban SDG applications in the cities of Atlanta, US, and Delhi, India. They emphasize the importance of a comparative framework of core indicators and data, cautioning that “without appropriate indicators, the UN runs the risk of adopting metrics with limited saliency, legitimacy or credibility.” They describe the fit between potential indicators and the goal intent as “square pegs, round holes,” explaining that the proposed one indicator per target does not account for the complexity of urbanization and the multi-dimensional nature of the urban SDG. Other highlighted findings include that: most global data collection is not at the spatial or temporal scale necessary for the urban SDG; and measurement of transboundary environmental impacts remains a challenge.

In a Vertic Brief released in June, Joy Hyvarinen and Larry MacFaul discuss ‘Monitoring progress towards the SDGs,’ including the development of a monitoring and review framework. The authors describe the role of the IAEG-SDGs in developing the indicator framework and the work of other stakeholder groups in developing and proposing indicators. They identify the “expansive scope of the SDGs” as the main challenge in developing a monitoring framework, noting that monitoring progress will involve metrics from multiple disciplines.

The Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) and its partners released an issue brief, ‘Towards an Integrated and Inclusive Follow-up and Review of Natural Resources,’ that features two recommendations on aligning the follow-up and review of natural resources in the post-2015 development agenda with the principles of integration, participation and inclusion. They recommend: carrying out thematic reviews of natural resources as a cross-cutting issue under the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF); and establishing and strengthening national multi-stakeholder and rights-holder initiatives for follow-up and review, within the context of a renewed global partnership for development.

In a blog, Duncan Green of Oxfam muses on next steps to make the SDGs have impact and be relevant for governments. His suggestions include: a monitoring and reporting process that steadily increases pressures on governments; and an implementation mechanism like the one used by the Open Governance Partnership, where countries sign up to an overarching vision and develop their own action plans with concrete commitments.

In an article in the Global Policy Journal, Mihaela Gruia argues that the Group of 7 (G7) has “done little to steer the debate in relation to bolder governance for development,” including on three issues that the SDGs have failed to address: the need for clarity of purpose, realistic targets and opportunities for measuring success; the lack of quantifiable or delineated governance targets; and the absence of compliance mechanisms. She suggests that G7 leadership could help to create better governance mechanisms for ensuring progress on the SDGs.

In a policy statement, the Women’s Major Group outlines ten “red flags” in the June 2015 zero draft of the post-2015 development agenda, which it argues need to be addressed to achieve transformative change. These issues include: recognizing gender equality and the human rights of women and girls as a cross-cutting issue; strengthening commitments to human rights and inclusivity; recognizing and supporting civil society and major group participation; regulating the role of the private sector; and prioritizing means of implementation (MOI). The Group recommends the Vision and Call for Action acknowledge ways in which the current economic model has contributed to inequalities and environmental degradation, and that the Political Declaration emphasize commitments to well-being of people and the planet.

Beyond 2015 addresses world leaders in a letter on 17 June, 100 days before the UN Summit. They call on governments to: start planning the implementation process; begin integrating the proposed SDGs into national development plans and policies; commit to continued dialogue at all levels; and ensure participatory approaches for monitoring and follow-up.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and CARE released a policy brief, ‘Twin Tracks,’ that examines how the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and post-2015 development process can support each other. The brief analyzes the two draft frameworks and illustrates the need for eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable lifestyles for a low-carbon world. It emphasizes the importance of: recognizing the two processes as a key opportunity for tackling climate change, poverty eradication and sustainable development; a strong, visible climate change narrative and goal in the post-2015 framework and a recognition of sustainable development needs in the Paris climate agreement; and capitalizing on synergies between the processes to ensure implementation of both frameworks.

Every proposed SDG could be impacted by climate change, according to a blog post by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). Climate change will also add to the costs of achieving the proposed SDGs, according to IIED, which cites estimates that the additional costs could amount to seven percent of Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2100. IIED recommends aligning discussions on climate change, development and financing.

“International humanitarian assistance alone is neither sufficient nor appropriate to address the scale and complexity of today’s crises, or the underlying drivers of instability, poverty and vulnerability,” according to the Global Humanitarian Assistance (GHA) report 2015. It finds that 93% of people living in extreme poverty are in countries that are either environmentally vulnerable or fragile. It recommends a shared responsibility among humanitarian, climate change and development actors to build resilience, address underlying causes of crises and meet the long-term needs of those affected by crisis. [MPPN Website on Post-2015 Agenda] [Guardian Article on MPI 2015+][CARE and WWF Brief] [IIED Blog] [GHA Report Website] [GHA Report 2015 Executive Summary] [SDSN Blog on Indicators] [Publication: Monitoring progress towards the SDGs] [IASS Brief] [Oxfam Blog] [Women’s Major Group Policy Paper] [Global Policy Journal Article] [Beyond 2015 Letter]