We must not let the development community reform the SDGs around the 'no one will be left behind' - the SDGs ARE NOT a new set of MDGs

Sustainable Development NOT Development

A light show celebrating the United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development program. 

(Credit: Todd Hunsberger)

"On behalf of the peoples we serve, we have adopted a historic decision on a comprehensive, far-reaching and people-centred set of universal and transformative Goals and targets. We commit ourselves to working tirelessly for the full implementation of this Agenda by 2030. We recognize that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. We are committed to achieving sustainable development in its three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – in a balanced and integrated manner. We will also build upon the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals and seek to address their unfinished business." 

Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

I have started to see some of the development community start to promote the  'no one will be left behind' above all other parts of the Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Enormous amount of work was done to bring together the environment and development community through Rio+20 and the SDG process it would be a failure of this generation of development leaders if they then took us back to a pre SDG agenda. 

There is no development that isn't sustainable development to quote the Paula Caballero. We need to ensure that we remember that these SDGs are Universal and about people AND the planet.. 

2016 The Year of Implementation 

There is much still to be agreed this year at the global level.

Indicators: The IAEG report for the March Statistical Commission meeting will not have resolved all of the indicators. The IAEG will continue to work for the next 15 years and will report annually to the Statistical Commission. In its report the group will provide an annex listing the activities of various groups relevant for post-2015 monitoring. The question is what will be the process to agree the June/July 2016: A sustainable development goal baseline data report for global monitoring will be released, providing data and identifying gaps;

• March-December 2016: Possible release of national and regional baseline data reports;
• 2016-2020: Scaling-up of national, regional and global capacities to monitor the goals and targets of the post-2015 development agenda

For the indicators that will not be agreed by the end of the Statistical Commission my understanding is they will go to ECOSCO for agreement and ultimately the UN General Assembly in the autumn.
UN re-organization for the 2030 Agenda: The Secretary General’s Report originally due out at the end of December is now due out at the end of January. This will make suggestions on how the UN Commissions and UN system should reorganize around the 2030 agenda. It will be discussed at a UNGA meeting I understand. This could have substantial impacts on the way the UN operates.

Nation Reviews: Eleven countries have offered to do reviews of their implementation and present them to the High Level Political Forum in July. 

Partnerships: UNDESA is hosting a workshop on the modalities for partnerships around the SDGs. If this progresses, it will come to an ECOSOC session later in the year. At present the modalities for partnerships are CSD 2003 decision. 

ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development: The intergovernmental agreed conclusions and recommendations of the annual NEW ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development will be fed into the overall follow-up and review of the implementation of this Agenda in the HLPF. The UNGA resolution agreed before the holidays agreed that the Economic and Social Council forum on financing for development follow-up:

1. Will hold its sessions at United Nations Headquarters in New York in the spring and its inaugural session in 2016;
2. Will be chaired by the President of the Economic and Social Council, who will take the steps necessary to prepare the work of the forum according to paragraph 132 of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda;

It encourages the President of the Economic and Social Council, in collaboration with the Secretary-General, to produce an information note regarding arrangements for the 2016 forum; among Member States with a view to reaching its inter-governmentally agreed conclusions and recommendations.
It also invited the President of the Economic and Social Council to consider appointing two co-facilitators, as appropriate, who will prepare the draft conclusions and recommendations of the forum and will facilitate consultations.

Finally it added to the 71st UNGA (starting in September 2016) am item for the UNGA second committee to consider: “Follow-up to and implementation of the outcomes of the International Conferences on Financing for Development ” 

Global Sustainable Development Report: The HLPF will also be informed by the Global Sustainable Development Report, which shall strengthen the science-policy interface and could provide a strong evidence-based instrument to support policy-makers in promoting poverty eradication and sustainable development. There will be a consultation run by the President of ECOSOC on the scope, methodology and frequency of the Report as well as its relation to the SDG Progress Report, the outcome of which should be reflected in the Ministerial Declaration of the HLPF session in 2016.