United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015

In September 2000, world leaders at the Millennium Summit issued the Millennium Declaration, calling for a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty. Following this event, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were elaborated based on consultations among representatives of international institutions. The UN Secretary-General presented the MDGs to the UN General Assembly in 2001. UN Member States recommended the MDGs be used as a guide to implement the Millennium Declaration, and set a deadline of 2015 for their achievement.

UN Member States have negotiated new global goals, known as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will succeed the MDGs. The SDGs are contained in a framework referred to broadly as the post-2015 development agenda or, more recently, the 2030 agenda.

UN General Assembly resolution 69/244, adopted on 29 December 2014, called for the UN Summit on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (Sustainable Development Summit) to take place from 25-27 September 2015 at UN Headquarters in New York. A two-week round of intergovernmental negotiations in July succeeded in finalizing the agenda that heads of state and government will adopt at the September summit.

Previous intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda focused on: stocktaking (19-21 January 2015); text of the declaration (17-20 February 2015); SDGs, targets and indicators (23-27 March); means of implementation (MOI) and the global partnership for sustainable development (21-24 April); and follow-up and review (18-22 May). The sixth and final sessions in this series (22-25 June and 20-31 July) discussed the complete “zero draft” of the post-2015 agenda.

The final round of negotiations ran over schedule by two days, finally concluding on the evening of Sunday, 2 August, with delegates’ agreement on a package titled “Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” This global agenda comprises several elements: a preamble; a declaration; 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets; means of implementation (MOI) and a new global partnership; and a framework for follow-up and review of implementation.

Over 100 Heads of State and Government will attend the UN Sustainable Development Summit. Leaders will make statements in plenary sessions over the three days, and six interactive dialogues will take place. The dialogues will focus on the themes of: ending poverty and hunger; tackling inequalities, empowering women and girls and leaving no one behind; fostering sustainable economic growth, transformation and promoting sustainable consumption and production (SCP); protecting our planet and combating climate change; building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions to achieve sustainable development; and a strengthened global partnership for achieving the post-2015 development agenda.

The UN Sustainable Development Summit will launch a Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM) to respond to the capacity building and technology needs of developing countries. On 26 September, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will host a private sector forum. On 27 September, the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS) and the Beyond 2015 campaign will host a civil society event.

The UN Sustainable Development Summit takes place before the General Debate of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly.