The Millennium Development Goals deadline of 2015 is not far away. To date, many of the goals have not been achieved and this timescale now puts the pressure on member states to realise these goals. With the end in sight a new post-2015 framework needs to be designed, building on the achievements of the current framework, and taking into account the weaknesses.
In 2011 the UN Secretary General launched a report entitled ‘Accelerating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals: options for sustained and inclusive growth and issues for advancing the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015’. This report advised that the UN embark on an inclusive and transparent multi-stakeholder consultation process to help inform and design the post 2015-agenda.
The Secretary General has since established a UN system task team on the post 2015 UN development agenda which brings together over 60 UN entities and international organisations to support preparations, in consultation with multi-stakeholders, civil society, academia, and the private sector. The UN task team published the report ‘Realising the Future We Want for All’ in May 2012, and in April 2013 ‘A Renewed Global Partnership for Development’.
In addition to the task team a Special Advisor has been appointed and a 27 member High Level Panel. They were tasked to prepare a practical post 2015 vision and present it to the Member States in May 2013. The High Level Panel therefore produced a Report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda outlining its vision and recommendations beyond 2015.
Alongside this, governments have been working to agree on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) which was mandated at the Rio+ conference in 2012. The outcomes of the debate will intersect with the plans for the post-2015 agenda and will be discussed in the Assembly at its 68th session (Sept 2013 – Sept 2014)
SI have recently signed onto a statement entitled ‘Human Rights for All Post-2015’ which calls for human rights to be placed at the core of the new development agenda. Over 50 leading human rights organisations have signed onto it and it is hoped that it will send out a powerful message.
June 26th 2013, UN Women launched a global call for a transformative agenda to make gender equality a priority. They have released a position paper which offers direction on policies that are necessary for women’s and girl’s rights to be universally secured. It underlines that for the realisation of women’s and girl’s rights, it is critical to address the structural causes of gender inequality, such as violence against women, unpaid care work, limited control of assets, and unequal participation in decision-making.
The Post 2015 development goals must learn from the limitations of the current framework and make sure that human rights are central to the goals so that gender equality can become a reality.
Photo: International Assistant Programme Director, Anusha Santhirasthipham at the Rio+20 UN Summit conference, June 2012.
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