25.07.2015 Post-2015 negotiations update

We just finished the seventh round of post-2015 intergovernmental negotiations that took place this week during 20-24 July in New York at the UN. Next week we will continue into the eighth and final round of negotiations when the final document will be agreed (we hope) on 31 July.

This week Member States gave national and group statements in response on the most recent draft outcome document, specifically over the declaration, SDGs, means of implementation, and follow-up and review.

All areas were quite important for persons with disabilities and our work, but particularly the follow-up and review processes and the discussion on the declaration. Since persons with disabilities were not included in the people paragraph of the declaration in the most recent draft document, in New York we advocated to Member States to push for an inclusion in this section. We had good response with explicit references to this inclusion from statements from the Republic of Korea (twice), Costa Rica, Iran, Australia, Israel, Brazil, Ecuador, Philippines, and Belize on behalf of CARICOM. In addition, Benin referenced the Sendai Framework for DRR, which is very good for persons with disabilities. Read more here for details on this. Specifically, Benin referenced 33(o) “To enhance recovery schemes to provide psychosocial support and mental health services for all people in need.” Thank you all for the strong support!
 

Key points from this week

  • No new goals, targets or other fundamental changes will be introduced in the final draft.
  • Member States ranged from giving a full endorsement of the AAAA to a more lukewarm welcome of it.
  • There was discussion on if the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) should be attached in an annex or reflected in the final outcome document. G77 and China consider the AAAA as a complementary document to the post-2015, but that it should not replace the post-2015 means of implementation.
  • Member States debated on the means of implementation targets and whether to duplicate them within the draft document in both chapters 2 and 3 or just to have them listed once.
  • For the follow-up and review processes co-facilitators hope to have a comprehensive system at the national level with a complementary regional level process and a global follow-up and review process. The global process will take place with ministers every year and heads of state every four years to follow-up and review the future development goals and targets.
  • Next week, Member States will not provide long statements or debates, but rather an interactive exchange of views as it is the closing week for tying up loose ends and concluding.
  • Co-facilitators stated that the final outcome draft would not be a major restructuring of the latest draft version.
  • Co-facilitators hope to present a draft for adoption by latest on Monday.
     

Update on indicators

The UN Statistics Division (UN Stats) has released a document with a tentative timeline, work plan and organization of work of the Inter-agency and Expert Group on the Sustainable Development Goals Indicators (IAEG-SDGs). Click here for details. In addition, click here for the new list of indicators that was released on 7 July.
 

Important dates

11 August: First list of possible indicators finalized

11 August to 4 September: Deadline for IAEG-SDGs members for inputs on the first list of possible indicators

21 September: Updated list of possible indicators circulated to all stakeholders

15 October: Deadline for final comments on updated list of possible indicators

26-28 October: Second IAEG-SDGs meetings to review work done and remaining issues

16 November: Deadline for final minor amendments on indicator proposal

30 November: Submission document by the IAEG-SDGs on an indicator proposal to 47th Session of the UNSC (to take place in NY during 8-11 March, 2016)

Additional information

Sustainable Development Goal Indicators website

IDA and IDDC Press Release on Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) on 21 July 2015

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