| Post-2015 Bulletin India | |
| The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that were agreed to by world leaders at the World Millennium Summit in 2000 come to an end in 2015. Global thinking on the future of the MDGs and the post-2015 development agenda gained momentum at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012. | |
| | One of the main outcomes of Rio+20 was the agreement by Member States to launch a process to develop a new development agenda beyond 2015. Since then, the global discussion at the United Nations to determine the post-2015 agenda has followed two tracks: 1) an inter-governmental process building on the Rio+20 commitments that established a General Assembly Open Working Group (OWG)mandated to present a proposal on Sustainable Development Goals; and 2) a process led by the UN Secretary-General that named a High-Level Panel and called for broad-based national and global thematic consultations in over 100 countries. |
| | In July 2012, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the composition of a 27 member high-level panel to advise on the global development framework beyond 2015. The High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda was co-chaired by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, and Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom. The High-level Panel met from July 2012 to May 2013 and submitted their report A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economies through Sustainable Development containing recommendations to the Secretary-General on 30 May 2013. |
| Building on its commitment to the Millennium Development Goals, India responded to the call of the UN Secretary-General for inclusive broad based consultations on the post-2015 development agenda. Between October 2012 and April 2013, eight national conveners, representing the government, trade unions, industry, women’s associations, farmer’s associations, research institutions, civil society and youth organizations undertook constituency-based consultations throughout the country on the changing global and national contexts and suggestions for the new post-2015 framework. The National Consultation Report Post 2015 Development Framework Indiareflects the discussions and recommendations from the national consultations. Translations into Hindi and Tamil are also available here. | |
| | In January 2013 the UN General Assembly established the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)to guide the process of preparing the proposal of the new goals. The Government of India is an active member of this group, formally represented by the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations. As a follow-up to the national consultation process in India, national conveners and partners agreed to expand their participation in the discussions on post-2015 at the global level, focusing on the thematic sessions of the Open Working Group in UN Headquarters, New York. Between November 2013 and April 2014, 17 Indian organizationsrepresenting constituencies from several parts of India participated in the sessions of the OWG, which has been considered the strongest country based presence from Asia. Indian partners contributed to the OWG debate, focusing their attention on the areas of promoting equality, including social equity, gender equality and women’s empowerment, environmental sustainability, climate change, among others. |
| At the 68th session of the General Assembly in September 2013, the Secretary-General published his report to the General Assembly A life of dignity for all: accelerating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and advancing the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015. The report drew on the work of the High-Level Panel and on the National Consultations, which had been held around the world. | |
| Along with India, people across the globe have engaged in the discussion on the post-2015 development agenda for almost a year – through 88 national consultations, 11 thematic dialogues and the MY WORLD global survey. In September 2013 the Secretary-General and the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) released the report A Million Voices: The World We Want that summarized inputs from the UNDG sponsored national and thematic consultations. The India National Consultation featured in at least ten sections of this publication. | |
| | The Government of India has actively participated in the sessions of the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through country statements and also as part of the ‘Troika India, Sri-Lanka and Pakistan’ that released joint statements in most discussions of the OWG. The Open Working Group (OWG) is currently in a decision-making stage and will submit its recommendations in August 2014 to be considered at the 69th General Assembly in September 2014. |
| Another important part of the inter-governmental process related to post-2015 at the General Assembly is the work of theIntergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing (ICESDF), which will also report to the 69th session of the General Assembly in September 2014. The Committee addresses the issues of effective use of financing and implementation of the new development framework and development goals. |