December 2013: The Co-Chairs of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing (ICSDF) have issued a three-page summary of the Committee’s second session, which took place in New York, US, on 2-6 December 2013.

The second session focused on the Committee’s first cluster of issues, titled ‘Assessing financing needs, mapping of current flows and emerging trends, and the impact of domestic and international environments.’ The Co-Chairs note that outputs from Cluster 1 could be ready by March 2014 and revised by May 2014, until which time the Committee will continue to receive inputs.

The Committee also began work on the second cluster of issues, titled ‘Mobilisation of resources and their effective use,’ which it decided to further divide into five groups: national public financing; international public financing; private financing; blended financing; and the relationship between different financing sources and cross-cutting issues. A final draft of the Cluster 2 report could be presented by May.

On procedure, the Committee agreed on the need to retain the closed nature of the Committee, as it “strongly contributes to its efficiency, while fostering inclusive and transparent working methods among its members.” The summary notes the calls from civil society and other stakeholders to intensify the Committee’s outreach efforts, “following the inclusive and holistic approach embodied by the Monterrey and Rio process.”

The Co-Chairs note that they have agreed with the Co-Chairs of the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to “mutually reinforce and closely coordinate between the two tracks,” and that they have briefed each other on progress.

The document also includes highlights of the substantive discussion that took place during the session, including that participants agreed on the Monterrey Consensus and the Doha Declaration as the basis for a financing framework, while also “keeping in perspective the lessons learnt and thinking through financing arrangements for emerging challenges and the sustainable development agenda.” [Meeting Summary by the Co-Chairs] [ICSDF Website]