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 Thursday, 21 May 2015, at UN Headquarters in New York. In the morning, Co-Facilitator Macharia Kamau (Kenya) invited delegates to provide their views on the “Revised Targets Document” issued by the Co-Facilitators on 7 May 2015. He reminded participants that the “tweaking” of the targets had been based on two criteria: 1) the need to replace the Xs included in the Open Working Group’s (OWG) report on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with text or values; and 2) ensuring consistency with existing international agreements.

There was a clear divergence of opinions on the “Revised Targets Document.” Many delegates, including the G-77 and China, said they were not in a position to accept the revised targets, noting that the OWG’s proposal on the SDGs had been carefully crafted and was the result of an intergovernmental process, and any attempt to reopen it could affect the entire post-2015 agreement. Some thought that the Co-Facilitators’ revisions had strengthened the targets and ensured that they are measurable and are aligned with international agreements. Others commented on specific targets that would benefit from further revisions.

John Pullinger, Chair of the UN Statistical Commission (UNSC), via conference call, updated Member States on the work undertaken by the UNSC on developing a global indicator framework to be presented at its 2016 session. He explained that the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) will meet on 1-2 June 2015 to discuss the process of developing indicators, its working methods, indicator proposals for different targets, data disaggregation, and crosscutting issues. Pullinger explained that indicators might be organized on three different tiers, indicators for which: methodology exists and data is available; methodology exists but data is not available; and methodology does not exist. He also stressed the need for capacity building to strengthen national statistical systems.

Following the discussion on the targets and indicators, Co-Facilitator Kamau introduced the proposal for themes of the interactive dialogues for the Post-2015 Summit. He said he had been advised that there was a measure of consensus on this so Member States may want to consider adopting the theme set. Just as Kamau was about to gavel the adoption of the proposal, Egypt took the floor to say that he didn’t support the use of the term “vulnerable groups” in the second theme, “Tackling inequalities, empowering women and girls and leaving no one behind.” He preferred the terminology “people in vulnerable situations.” Following consultations that lasted through the lunch break, Co-Facilitator David Donoghue (Ireland) announced that no consensus had been reached on the proposal for themes of the interactive dialogues for the Post-2015 Summit and suspended the proceedings, noting that the matter would be revisited on Friday morning. In the meantime, he encouraged delegations to consult among themselves so as to reach an agreement.