This September, the world’s leaders will gather in New York for a United Nations summit at which they will agree a new development framework to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which expire at the end of 2015.
We already know much about what will replace them, with countries debating a proposal for 17 Sustainable Development Goals. A great deal, however, remains unclear. Will this much more ambitious set of goals and targets really drive delivery? Does the new agenda create a narrative that will resonate beyond the UN’s negotiating rooms? What role will be played by poor, middle income, and rich countries?
This is the third in CIC’s series of What Happens Now? papers. Like the previous papers, it provides a guide for all those interested in the debate on the post-2015 development agenda – including for those who have not followed the process closely.
The paper:
- Tells the story so far, including the MDGs’ track record, the origin of the post-2015 agenda, highlights of the process to date, and an overview of milestones over the remainder of the year.
- Argues that there are unlikely to be major changes from the proposed 17 goals and 169 targets, but that there is much to play for on implementation and financing.
- Calls for all stakeholders to look past the negotiation endgame, to 2016 and beyond: without an early commitment to delivery, the new agenda risks being discredited before it has got off the ground.
