2015 sees the UN making decisions on the next set of development goals, the SDGS (Sustainable Development Goals), which will be finalised in September this year when the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) expire.
Anglicans worldwide have been inputting on these new goals through the MY World portal – decisions made by the UN in September 2015 will have direct impact as we work with our local churches to see communities transformed and the end of poverty in all its forms worldwide.
And in December 2015 a Summit will be held in Paris to bring the UN together to make decisions on tackling climate change. Our Voices, an interfaith coalition of which the Anglican Alliance is a part, continues to campaign for a strong climate treaty to take action for the most vulnerable. You can sign their petition on the website and get involved with various campaign activities throughout the year to ensure that governments sign up to taking strong action against the damaging effects of climate change for us, our planet, and for future generations.
<p “p1”>The Journey Towards 2015 <p “p1”>December 2014 has seen several important milestones in the post-2015 process. On December 4th, the Secretary-General released an advanced version of his much anticipated synthesis report, The Road to Dignity by 2030. <p “p1”>Member states have just agreed on how the post-2015 intergovernmental negotiations will work next year and substantive discussions on Financing for Development are underway. The President of the General Assembly will also convene a set of thematic sessions in the first half of 2015 to complement the negotiations. <p “p1”>The synthesis report begins with a strong case for the success of the MDGs. It lays out a clear narrative of how the MDGs have gotten us on a more successful track, yet recognises the challenges ahead, underlining the importance of finishing the job and getting the next agenda right. <p “p1”>The synthesis report outlined six “essential elements” to help frame and reinforce the existing goals: <ol “ol1”> <li “li2”>Dignity: to end poverty and fight inequalities <li “li2”>People: to ensure healthy lives, knowledge, and the inclusion of women and children <li “li2”>Prosperity: to grow a strong, inclusive and transformative economy <li “li2”>Planet: to protect our ecosystems for all societies and our children <li “li2”>Justice: to promote safe and peaceful societies, and strong institutions <li “li2”>Partnership: to catalyse global solidarity for sustainable development.
The Year Ahead
<p “p1”>The intergovernmental negotiations are set to begin in January 2015. The theme of the September 2015 summit will be Transforming the world: Realising the post-2015 development agenda. <ul “ul1”> <li “li2”>19-21 January: Stocktaking
<li “li2”>17-20 February: Declaration
<li “li2”>23-27 March: Sustainable Development Goals and targets
<li “li2”>20-24 April: Means of Implementation and Global Partnership for Sustainable Development <li “li2”>18-22 May: Follow up and review <li “li2”>22-25 June: Intergovernmental negotiations on the outcome document <li “li2”>20-24 July and 27-31 July: Intergovernmental negotiations on the outcome document. <p “p1”>The President of the General Assembly has also announced dates and themes for five high-level sessions in the first half of 2015 to complement the debate. The outcome for each of the debates will be a President’s summary, and member states, observers, UN Agencies, and other stakeholders will be invited to participate. <ul “ul1”> <li “li2”>9-10 February: Means of Implementation for a Transformative Post-2015 development agenda <li “li2”>6 March: Advancing Gender equality and empowerment of Women in the Post-2015 agenda <li “li2”>6 or 10 April: Promoting Tolerance and Reconciliation <li “li2”>15 May: Strengthening Cooperation between the UN and regional and sub-regional organizations <li “li2”>29 June: High-Level Event on Climate Change.
Keep an eye on our website and social media pages for more information on how you can get involved in this year’s activities. We’ll be calling on our governments worldwide to make strong commitments for the future of our world, and holding them to account beyond 2015 to make sure they deliver on their promises.
Information on action/2015 is also available in French and Spanish. Please contact us for more information.
Picture credit: www.action2015.org
