The “Post-2015 Agenda” is the development agenda that will replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) upon their expiration in 2015. After 2015, efforts to achieve a world of prosperity, equity, freedom, dignity and peace will continue unabated.
The UN is working with governments, civil society, and other partners to build on the momentum generated by the MDGs and carry on with an ambitious post-2015 development agenda. The MDGs will be replaced with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will shape the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
At the September 2010 MDG Summit, UN Member States initiated steps towards advancing the development agenda beyond 2015 and are now leading a process of open, inclusive consultations on the post-2015 agenda. Civil society organizations from all over the world have also begun to engage in the post-2015 process, while academia and other research institutions, including think tanks, are particularly active. The set of eleven global thematic consultations and national consultations in over 60 countries is facilitated by the United Nations Development Group and involves partnership with multiple stakeholders.
The United Nations Task Team on the Post 2015 Agenda
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has established a UN System Task Team to coordinate preparations for beyond 2015. In July 2012, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the 27 members of a High-level Panel to advise on the global development framework beyond 2015. President Yudoyono of Indonesia, President Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia and Prime Minister Cameron of the United Kingdom are co-chairs of the Panel, made up of civil society, private sector and government leaders. The work of the Panel will reflect new development challenges while also drawing on experience gained from the MDGs. Results from the global consultations and the inputs from online and offline platforms, (the World We Want and MY World), feed into the work of the High-level Panel.
Why do we need an urban Sustainable Development Goal?
UN-Habitat and its partners are currently campaigning for an urban Sustainable Development Goal to specifically address urban development issues in order to ensure that urban issues are adequately addressed in the Post-2015 Agenda. We live in an era of unprecedented urbanization. Cities are home to the majority of humanity, and sustainable development cannot be achieved without significantly transforming the way we build and manage our urban spaces. Cities therefore must be given special attention and consideration in the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
By 2050, roughly 70 per cent of the world’s population is expected to live in urban areas. This means that, between 2010 and 2050, there may be as many as 3 billion new urban dwellers. The majority of extreme poverty is concentrated in urban spaces, and national and city governments alike are struggling to accommodate the rising population in these areas.
The Sustainable Development Goals will shape the development agenda around the world. An urban SDG must clearly place green, well-planned, resilient, inclusive, productive, safe, and healthy cities for all at the heart of the development agenda.
