Sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the post 2015 agenda

There is a need to link the implementation of the Rio +20 mandated sustainable development goals (SDGs) and post 2015 development agenda, to arrive at one set of internationally agreed goals. ACORD is a non-governmental organisation accredited to the United Nations Environment Programme. During the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum at the UNEP HQs in Kenya, ACORD hosted a Greenroom event addressing this issue.

Greenroom event at the Governing Council/ Global Ministerial Environment Forum

Event title: Taking Rio+20 from outcome to effective implementation: Integrated goals to drive environmentally sustainable, economically viable and socially inclusive development post 2015
When: Monday 18 February 2013 at 3 p.m.  in UNEP Greenroom
See photo slideshow

Key note speakers

  Augustine Njamsnhi, Chair of the Steering committee of the Pan African Climate Justice Association (PACJA
  Laurent Some, Director External Relations and Partnerships, WWF - Africa and Madagascar programme

Ousainou Ngum, Executive Director, ACORD 

Keynote speakers highlighted the need to link the implementation of Rio +20 mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and post-2015 development agendas to arrive at one set of internationally agreed goals.

Watch Ousainou Ngum speaking

Watch Ousainou Ngum on citizens being at the heart of successful implementation

Watch Augustine Njamsnhi speaking

Watch Laurent Some speaking

Cohesive sustainable development agenda

This is in line with the essence of sustainability which seeks to link the social, economic and environmental spheres together. For example, a critical challenge to eradicating poverty and ensuring human wellbeing is ensuring sustainable and equitable management of the resources and ecosystems functions and services that underpin our ability to meet the food, water and energy needs of a fast growing population.

Climate change is one of the greatest obstacles to ending poverty in developing countries which mostly depend on agriculture and natural resources. Therefore Climate change mitigation and adaptation, environment protection and sustainable resource utilization are crucial and need to be prioritized for the future of development. However, as multilateral processes in recent years have illustrated, they are also some of the most politically challenging. At the same time dominant models of development are a key driver of unsustainability.

The post-2015 development agenda and SDG process offer a new opportunity to address these challenges and produce a cohesive global sustainable development agenda.

Collective action and citizen involvement

Panellists addressed the political and technical obstacles of integrating the SDGs and post-2015 agendas, and consider the issues a harmonised agenda should address.  They will reflect on the opportunities for civil society organisations and UN agencies to foster capacity for collective action and to help shape the ongoing agenda.

Panellists will also address the importance of citizen involvement in successful design and implementation. An inclusive planning process, must be followed by institutions and processes in which affected people and civil society organisations can participate effectively to design, implement and monitor trends, funding, policies and programs.

African narrative

With many growing but resource-dependant economies, Africa faces particular challenges in securing sustainable development. As low-income groups are disproportionately affected by resource depletion and climate change African citizens will face the brunt of unsustainability in years to come.

The panellists will therefore focus on the above issues from an African perspective.

ACORD was mandated by H.E. President Sirleaf, co-chair of the UN High Level Panel on Post 2015 to set up an Africa CSO Secretariat in her office. This aims to unite an African Civil Society voice to emerge and propose concrete recommendations, based on inclusive participation. We believe it is critical to build on existing work and integrate and implement those.

The African Union, Economic Commission for Africa and African Development Bank have been working with UNEP and UNDP to support the development of an African consensus position on climate and development building on the common negotiating positions for the UN climate negotiations as well as on sustainable development. The Africa Climate Policy Centre has played a key role in this venture. This important Pan-African work is feeding into an African Narrative to be presented to the UN High Level Panel before their 4th meeting in Bali from 24-27 March.

  • advocacy
  • agriculture
  • climate change
  • international policies and agreements
  • natural resource management
  • post2015
  • right to food
  • united nations