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UNITED NATIONS / / NATIONS UNIESOffice of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Turkey
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The Global Post-2015 Development Agenda
Opening Remarks
by
Kamal Malhotra
United Nations Resident Coordinator, Turkey
UNDP Resident Representative, Turkey
April 22, 2014
İzmir, Turkey
Merhaba!
I would like to thank Yaşar University for hosting this event on the Post-2015 Development Agenda and the Mediterranean Research and Observatory for organizing it and inviting the UN.
Post-2015
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have been the common framework of priorities for the international development community since soon after the year 2000 when UN Member States unanimously endorsed the Millennium Declaration. They were the manifestation of the Declaration in the form of eight goals and numerous targets and indicators. Enormous progress has been made towards achieving the MDGs both at the global level and also in Turkey in overall terms, although certain challenges remain.
What is remarkable is that the MDGs have shown to the development community that a set of clear and measurable goals, targets and indicators can be an important driver of change. Post- 2015, new goals, targets and indicators must be combined with a degree of MDG continuity.
The outcome document of the 2010 High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the MDGs requested the Secretary-General to initiate thinking on a post-2015 development agenda. The outcome of the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development (2012) initiated an inclusive intergovernmental process to prepare a set of sustainable development goals (SDGs). There is now broad agreement on the need for close linkages between the two processes to arrive at one global development agenda for the post-2015 period, with sustainable development at its core.
The formulation of the new international development framework for the post-2015 period is a major priority of member states and the entire UN system. Efforts to shape this agenda are being built on an inclusive and open consultative process with all stakeholders at the global, regional and national levels. The process will eventually lead to a single and comprehensive post-2015 UN development agenda with sustainable development at its core.
The UN Secretary-General established a UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda and a High-level Panel of Eminent Persons. He also appointed a Special Advisor on Post-2015 Development Planning. The purpose of these tracks is to guarantee a broadly consultative process to support the design of the post 2015 UN development agenda.
There were two formally unconnected but clearly linked processes: a) the SG’s High Level Panel (which delivered its report on May 30, 2013) and b) the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is the inter-governmental process which has been asked to propose a set of goals by September 2014. The work of the Panel reflected new development challenges while also drawing on experience gained in implementing the MDGs, both in terms of results achieved and areas for improvement. The Panel's work was closely coordinated with that of the intergovernmental working group tasked to design Sustainable Development Goals, as agreed at the Rio +20 conference.
Turkey
Turkey is a country which has made impressive progress on the Millennium Development Goals, but it is also a country which has major remaining challenges. It is now broadening its horizons to have its own international development program of assistance to other countries, especially the Least Developed Countries, and it has aspirations to make İstanbul a major regional and even a global hub for the United Nations. This is now beginning to become a reality in 2014, at least in terms of a regional presence.
Given that Turkey was both represented on the High level Panel (through Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas) and is also on the OWG for SDGs (through Ministry of Development Undersecretary Kemal Madenoglu), it has been well placed to contribute to a coherent and synergistic path forward between the two processes. Turkey has also led its own national consultation process on the post-2015 agenda.
The consultations in Turkey were conducted at different levels.
The first level was through online discussions through a webportal (post2015turkey.org) and social media. Itaimed to achieve open interaction and information exchange among stakeholders. This advocacy work was aligned with the 'Future We Want' campaign launched by the UN Secretary General.
Nine thematic meetings took place in Turkey during November 2012, and additionally, four regional meetings were organized during December 2012.
A university tour comprising eight universities was organized in order to introduce the post 2015 development agenda and discuss the ‘Future We Want’ after 2015 with academics and students all around the country.
To finalize the process, a validation meeting was also organized in Ankara in March 2013 with a range of stakeholders.
Turkey also hosted the Regional Consultation Meetingfor Europe and Central Asia onthe Post-2015 Development Agenda between November 6-8, 2013. A civil society consultation event preceded the Conference on 6 November 2013. Among other outcomes, this conference demonstrated that despite considerable diversity in the region, the challenges of sustainable development in different countries of the region are similar and universal.
Recent Developments
The intergovernmental process to define a new set of global development goals is now entering a new and final phase. The thematic debates over the past eight months has explored almost 30 issues from biodiversity, to inclusive growth, human rights, rule of law and social equity. In February 2014, emphasis shifted from gathering perspectives to reaching an agreement on a narrative report and eventually a proposal for a set of goals and targets to be agreed by all member states in 2015.
In this regard, the tenth session of the UNGeneral Assembly’s Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) took place between March 31-April 4, 2014.The Co-chairs of the Open Working Group on the SDGs have nowprepared a revised document that will be discussed by member states at the lastmeeting of the Group. The last version of the document retains 19 focus areas, but with a notable increase in attention to issues of peace and security and governance and rule of law (area 19). Although still subject to intense negotiations in the following months, a tentative framework is emerging in the way the co-chairs are clustering the issues for discussion. The job of the co-chairs and the OWG will be to consolidate and combine the 19 focus areas into a smaller list, with the ultimate objective of developing a set of goals and targets.
As the substantive agenda increasingly comes into focus, the future programming frameworks of the United Nations Country Teams around the world including in Turkey will be built on the MDGs and Post-2015 consultation platforms. We hope this will contribute to the UN’s strategic policy engagement with both states and non-state actors, deepening the strategic links between global and country level outcomes, in areas where the UN is expected to contribute together with other critical stake-holders towards the sustainable development of all countries around the world, given that the proposed SDGs will apply to all countries, not only or even primarily developing countries. This represents an important paradigm shift from the MDGs which, other than Goal 8, applied only to developing countries.
MY World
MY World is a global survey for citizens led by the United Nations and partners which will run through 2015. It aims to capture people's voices, priorities and views to inform world leaders as they begin the process of defining the new global development agenda for the post-2015 period.
Currently 1.5 million people have responded to the MY World survey from all parts of the world. Nearly half of these votes have come from offline methods such as face-to-face interviews in order to reach communities without phone or internet access. Approximately one quarter of the votes have come through mobile phone polling; the remainder have come through the online platform.
MY World Statistics of Turkeyinclude 2,860 votes as of April 15, 2014. We count on you to increase this number by going to the website:
The UN hopes this information will serve as a valid point of reference to inform peoples’ priorities at the country level as part of the post 2015 process. We hope we can count on your continued supportin continuing to accelerate MDG progress and facilitate an inclusive process in developing the post-2015 agenda.
Conclusion
Together, we have come a long way; let us continue this important work together in the years ahead, and create a world we want
I am sure that the discussion we will have today will be stimulating and inspiring, allowing us to take more determined steps towards achieving the future we want..
Thank you.
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