12 April 2013: The UN Technical Support Team (TST) has issued documents in preparation for the second session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The documents include an issue brief on Poverty Eradication, an issue brief on Conceptual Issues, and a summary note on the post-2015 consultations.

The issue brief on poverty eradication takes stock of progress achieved in terms of poverty reduction at the global level, and stresses some conditions for poverty eradication, such as complementing robust and stable economic growth with policies that can directly accelerate and sustain poverty reduction across all segments of the population. It recalls SDG proposals already made that call for eradication of extreme poverty, with some calling for target dates such as 2025 and 2030.

It also outlines suggestions and questions to consider for the way forward, including on the adequacy of the current US$1.25 per day poverty line as a measure “for eradicating income poverty.” It stresses the need to consider the multiple dimensions of poverty, and notes that reflecting “the manifestations of poverty in all relevant SDGs, with appropriate targets and indicators, while accommodating environmental sustainability objectives” is one way of including these multiple dimensions.

The TST issue brief on conceptual issues provides an overview of what has been achieved by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), outlining their strengths, weaknesses and possible implications for the SDGs. It says there is a general agreement that the framing of the SDGs should be broader than that of the MDGs, and that poverty eradication must remain the overriding objective. It also mentions some SDGs characteristics called for by groups, institutions and Member States so far, including: the consideration of issues not taken into account adequately or ignored in the MDG framework; the need for universal goals with national targets and timelines adapted to national and sub-national circumstances; and the importance of a “people-centred, people-led and accountable” agenda.

On suggestions for the way forward, the brief proposes conceptual questions to inform the formulation of SDGs and the selection of associated targets and indicators.

The UNDP summary note on post-2015 consultations draws primarily from the report “The Global Conversation Begins: Emerging Views For a New Development Agenda,” released in March 2013 by the UN Development Group (UNDG). The note outlines key messages from global, national and regional consultations undertaken on the post-2015 development agenda. Key messages include the need for a framework that balances attention to quality and quantity of development results, and the importance of an expanded development agenda that reflects strengthened public accountability, equity, and human rights. According to the note, consultation outcomes call for a development agenda that responds to new realities such as the jobs crisis, resource scarcity and environmental degradation, and peace and security, and that is balanced, holistic, genuinely universal and ensure real results.

The Technical Support Team has been established under the umbrella of the UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda (UNTT) to provide initial inputs to the SDG OWG and to ensure “early convergence” between the post-2015 development agenda and the SDG development process. The TST is co-chaired by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

The OWG meeting convenes in New York, US, on 17-19 April 2013. The updated draft programme of work is available on the UN Division for Sustainable Development (DSD) website for the OWG. [Publication: TST Issues Brief: Conceptual Issues] [Publication: TST Issues Brief: Poverty Eradication Issue Brief] [Publication: Summary note on Post-2015 Consultations prepared by UNDP for the OWG] [IISD RS Story on OWG Work for 2013-2014] [ECOSOC Webpage on MDGs] [DSD Website on OWG]