Transitioning from the MDGs to the post-2015 UN Development Agenda

FAWCO Youth Rep Vali Mitsakis attended a briefing for the NGO community on the hottest topic at the UN in early 2015. The briefing was offered by the UN Department of Public Information (DPI).

Transitioning from the Millennium Development Goals
Thursday, 12 February 2015, 11 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. at Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium 

Moderator: Mr. Jeffrey Brez, Chief, NGO Relations, Advocacy and Special Events, DPI
Ms. Amina Mohammed, Special Advisor of the Secretary-General on Post-2015 Development Planning 
Mr. Thomas Gass, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, DESA
Mr. Mitchell Toomey, Director, Millennium Campaign, UNDP
Ms. Florencia Soto, Public Information Officer, Strategic Communication Division, DPI
Mr. Jeffrey Huffines, Chair, 65^th DPI/NGO Conference and United Nations Representative of CIVICUS 

Ms. Amina Mohammed:
Ms. Mohammed referred to the “Report on the MDGs” (http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/2014%20MDG%20report/MDG%202014%20English%20web.pdf) and listed the successes and the shortcomings of this set of goals.

Successes:

Extreme poverty has been reduced by half

Efforts in the fight against malaria and tuberculosis have shown results

There has been an increase of the number of woman participating in politics

There has been an improvement in water sanitation.

Shortcomings:

Inability of the UN to reach some goals such long term health care systems

Environmental sustainability

Quality in education

She continued by saying that the first 6 of the 17 SDGs are an extension of the MDGs. She mentioned that credible data together with the decisions made at the Conference on Financing for Development (http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/overview/third-conference-ffd.html) will help guide the transition from MDGs to SDGs. In addition, conferences like the CSW and other meetings on different issues will continue to influence the formation of the SDGs, since this set of goals is still a work in progress. Ms. Mohammed also mentioned that Governments should have oversight responsibilities.

The moderator entertained three questions:

1. Where will the role of civil society be crucial?
   Answer: Civil Society will play an important role in the review of both the SDGs and the actions of the governments to enforce them. 

2. How will the UN ensure that Civil Society will communicate with Parliaments and state governments etc.?
   Answer: Action 2015 (http://www.action2015.org/) and the UN Development Group (https://undg.org/) can both act as forums of discussion among world leaders, Civil Society, and the public. 

3. Do you think that it would be a good Idea to focus on Specific Goals according to International Days?
   Answer: There is an idea floating around about focusing on a specific goal each year. All ideas are under careful consideration at this point. Civil Society will play an important part in all decision making processes particularly after the Civil Society Conference this past summer.

Mr. Mitchell Toomey:
As the Director of the Millennium Campaign, Mr. Toomey focused on the differences between the MDGs and the SDGs. He mentioned that the MDGs and the SDGs do not only differ in their content but also in the way their concepts were conceived. The MDGs were an effort of a group of people to solve what, they thought, were the problems of the world, in order to show goodwill. The way the SDGs were formulated varies significantly. The United Nations wanted the input of everyone in the world. This is why it launched programs such as the “My world 2015” citizen survey (http://vote.myworld2015.org/) to include everyone in the process of creating new goals for the next fifteen years.

He also mentioned that awareness and universal accountability should be promoted and that people should start getting more ambitious for the SDGs.


Ms. Florencia Soto:
As a public information officer, Ms. Soto focused on the ways the United Nations is trying to spread the word about the SDGs. She mentioned that Civil Society is and should raise the level of awareness and continue to engage people in discussions about them. In the effort of raising awareness about the SDGs un.org/action2015 will be launched this week in order to inform the public about upcoming UN events, UN news, and UN issues.

Mr. Jeffrey Huffines:
As the former chair of the 65th UN DPI/NGO Conference, titled “2015 and Beyond,” Mr. Huffines focused on the role of Civil Society thus far and especially the outcomes of the NGO Conference: the Conference Declaration and the Conference Resource Document. 

He mentioned that in Section 3 of the Conference Declaration (http://outreach.un.org/ngorelations/files/2014/08/DPINGOOutcomeDoc-DeclarationFinal.pdf) Civil Society emphasized the importance of one or three demands or criteria to be identified for each goal or target. He also mentioned a Civil Society Statement that underlined the importance of the phrase “every action met only if it is met for all groups and all people” and a sentence from the Conference Declaration “No goal or target should be considered met until it is met for all groups that are affected.” Both sentences illustrate the role of Civil Society in making the SDGs more effective. Lastly, he mentioned a letter by the Civic Space Initiative that focused on the freedoms of peaceful assembly, association, and expression that explicitly mentioned that clear indicators of progress could be formulated.

Mr. Thomas Gass:
Mr. Gass started by saying that even though many people believe that 17 goals are too many to actually enforce, he believes that they are diverse and they cover many pressing issues that our world is facing. These are the reason they will succeed.

He also mentioned the only ways that the SDGs will be successful are:

If they integrate humanitarian action and development through cooperation

If the agenda is universal

If we all know that only if goals are reached for everyone will the SDGs be successful

If accountability at the national level is established

If leaders ensure the public that all discussions and actions taken are for the public’s well being

Final Questions:

Should the UN establish a system where every country will report on progress on the SDGs?

Answer: Civil Society should keep the governments accountable.

Shouldn’t the message be communicated through all channels?

Answer: We are all trying to streamline the message.

How will Civil Society be part of the consultation and accountability processes?

Answer: It would be great if the private sector and Civil Society take part in the review process.