5th Session of the Post-2015 Intergovernmental Negotiations (Follow-Up and Review)

The 5th Session of the intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda continued on Tuesday, 19 May 2015, at UN Headquarters in New York. Government delegates and other stakeholders delivered statements on the follow-up and review mechanism for the post-2015 development agenda.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Co-Facilitators David Donoghue (Ireland) and Macharia Kamau (Kenya) highlighted some common themes and issues meriting further discussion that have emerged from the two-day discussion. They noted that everyone shared the view that implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) depends on a well-functioning review framework, but there needs to be further discussion on terminology - is this a monitoring, assessment and review process or a follow-up and review process? They also noted convergence on the principles that should guide this framework, including universality, voluntary nature, nationally-owned, evidence- and data-based, multi-stakeholder inclusive, transparent, "lean but not mean" as India said, based on an exchange of experience and best practices, and not overburdening.

Most delegates supported the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) as the main platform for follow-up and review at the global level. Co-Facilitator Donoghue outlined that there is emerging consensus that the HLPF will have to keep track of progress towards the SDGs; identify shortcomings and gaps; make recommendations about what countries should do to stay on track; and discuss emerging issues and challenges. He also noted that there is still divergence on how to approach the follow-up and review on both the FfD and post-2015 processes - should there be a single overarching framework under the HLPF or not? Delegates also expressed varying opinions on what the key outcomes of the HLPF's work will be - ministerial declaration, reports on global progress - and what the HLPF should focus on in 2016. The Co-Facilitators also asked delegates to think about how the HLPF will deliver on the multitude of tasks it will need to perform.