Fifteen years after the Millennium Summit (2000), in which United Nations (UN) have set the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), we face the debate over the post-2015 development agenda, which should culminate in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Once agreed, these are the goals that will define priorities of international development in the future, including policies and investments in developing countries, particularly low-income countries that depend on international cooperation and funding managed by International Financial Institutions. In addition, the SDGs also represent a framework of possibilities that legitimize certain development models internationally.

Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015)

Fundamental values for international relations of the twenty-first century were listed in the Millennium Declaration of the United Nations (2000): freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature, and shared responsibility for managing worldwide economic and social development. The MDGs were a way to translate these values into action. With annual targets and expressed in quantitative indicators from the base year of 2000, the MDGs had a mission to equip the progress that the international community wanted to see in place by the year of 2015.

The MDGs were of great relevance to legitimize the importance of combating poverty internationally on a period marked by the evident failure of the offensive of market liberalization that characterized the ‘90s. There are also important advances related to its eight goals. However, there is a lot of criticism involving the MDGs, whose formulation was carried out mainly by experts in the UN. Among them: the simplified quantification approaches to developing nations, summarized in eight general goals; universal solutions that do not dialogue with cultural diversity; the lack of a gender perspective; the absence of analysis about inequality as a cause of poverty; the disassociation of other commitments made in multilateral or regional level; and the use of a development matrix still embedded in utilitarianism considering the relations between men and nature, society and market. These are some of the points around which some skepticism on the possibility of innovation of new goals persists.

Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030)

In order to support this global consultation around the SDGs, an Open Working Group established by UN[1] member states worked from March 2013 to July 2014 to produce a report that should enable intergovernmental negotiations throughout 2015 and ultimately become an agreement during the 70^th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2015[2].

The result of this work is reflected in 17 goals inspired by the economic, social and environmental development tripod, proposed at the Rio +20 Summit. The objectives are detailed in 169 guiding targets and should apply universally. It is expected that the combination of global targets with country-specific targets, decided nationally, produces an appropriate result to different realities, capacities and levels of development. The goals and objectives are eminently finalistic and leave open discussions related to means of implementation and monitoring indicators.

The recently launched synthesis report of the Secretary-General “The Road to Dignity by 2030: Ending Poverty, Transforming All Lives and Protecting the Planet,” lists some common ambitions to the future.[3] Among them:

• An universal agenda means that all countries will need to change, each with its own approach;
• Continuation of the MDGs need to be complemented by sustainable approaches;
• Focus on people and the planet should guide strategies;
• Transformation of economies making patterns of growth more inclusive, sustained and sustainable, reforming institutional mechanisms of international trade;
• Economic, social and environmental dimensions need to be integrated into the governments’ legal frameworks and global governance reform;
•  No goal or target should be considered met unless met for all social and economic groups;
•  Participatory review and rigorous monitoring supported by a “data revolution should guide the implementation of goals.

Partnerships for development

Another feature of the post-2015 agenda is the search for partnerships between governments, civil society and the private sector, as well as between the international and local levels. The objectives’ formulation process intended to hear and include interests of local communities and specific population groups. My World, a campaign launched by the UN as a virtual platform, aimed to bring these groups to the formulation of the SDGs; moreover, 11 thematic dialogues and 88 national consultations were performed in different countries, including Brazil, which resulted in the elaboration of the A Million Voices: The World We Want report [4]. In this report, Latin America and the Caribbean listed as priority areas: education of good quality; honest and responsive government; improvement in healthcare; crime and violence prevention, and access to drinking water and sanitation.

 The private sector, gathered at the United Nations Global Compact initiative[5], has also discussed the issue and developed an action plan with several initiatives to support the post-2015 agenda with items like its role and contribution. Among the initiatives are consultations with local UN Global Compact networks and their corresponding publications. The platform “Architects of a Better World – Building the Post-2015 Business Engagement Architecture” adds to the study Corporate Sustainability and the United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda and to the paper The Role of Business and Finance in Supporting the Post-2015 Agenda.[6]

Challenges for the post-2015 agenda

There are many challenges when it comes to defining global development goals to guide investments and international financing to operationalize the goals’ implementation. We highlight three major challenges that are going to be on the agenda in 2015 and involve contents, means of implementation and monitoring.

Substantive challenges towards targets

Although the post-2015 agenda presents some answers to criticism of the MDGs, the SDG proposal still represents a minimum development agenda with substantive challenges and contradictions. The scope for participation of civil society - albeit with unequal resources, information and ability to influence - and the adoption of a gender perspective are some examples of the progress already made. Noteworthy is the fact that the SDGs are less ambitious than other sectoral resolutions of the UN system itself and even than some national constitutions. In addition, the lack of targets focused on LGBT populations; timid advances regarding sexual and reproductive rights; the non-recognition of the role of indigenous peoples, fishermen and rural women to climate balance; and the lack of consolidation strategies to ensure the necessary consistency between cooperation, trade and investment are some major challenges ahead.

Monitoring and data

There is no way to promote sustainable development without data support to transparency of governments and monitor the progress of initiatives. In this sense, the scope, quality and quantity of indicators for each SDG goal also stand as challenges and are being treated by the Independent Expert Advisory Group on the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development. Particular attention should be paid to the importance of sharing data advances, as well as methodologies for government monitoring, with actors with lack of resources or knowledge.[7]Moreover, it is expected that the Group will be able to present proposals regarding information concerning most vulnerable groups.

Financing

In a context still marked by the financial crisis that hit developed economies, the discussion on resources development fund is still a debated topic with little consensus. Because of the constraints of low public funding capacity and failure to comply with the target of allocating 0.7% of developed countries’ Gross National Product for international cooperation (MDG 8), a paradigm shift on international development can be noted considering the growing importance of the private sector. Moreover, speeches on public-private partnerships potential, multiactor governance, and the importance of the private sector to development funding are very common at present. However, there is no question about the contradictions related to the causes of social inequality, the financialization of common goods, the environment and the capture of political representation bodies by the economic sector. This has implications for the UN governance and its representative legitimacy, as the proposals do not present mechanisms for monitoring and accountability.[8]It is expected that the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing presents financing options for the implementation of SDGs according to the needs of the countries, as well as the analysis considering effectiveness, consistency, and synergy of the different financing instruments.[9]

Brazil and the post-2015 agenda

The government established an Inter-Ministerial Working group on the Post-2015 Development Agenda[10]for encouraging dialogue between federal, state, and municipal bodies and authorities and civil society, in order to coordinate the guiding elements of Brazil's position.[11]

The group released in September 2014 the guiding document of the Brazilian position with 14 guiding principles, among which: the balance between the economic, social, and environmental dimensions; the balance between differentiation and universality; sustainable consumption and production patterns; disaggregation of information for monitoring; SDGs implementation capillarity; social engagement; poverty eradication; inclusion, equity and rights approach.

Moreover, other approaches add to the post-2015 agenda, such as the support of the principle of "Common but Differentiated Responsibilities" and the emphasis on combating inequalities in addition to eradicating poverty, which culminated with the inclusion of Goal 10 (position signed by G-77 and China). On the other hand, Brazil is critical towards Goal 16, which includes targets for reducing homicides and arms trafficking, ensuring access to justice and freedom of expression, and government transparency. Brazil understands that such goals increase the risk of dispersing global efforts and making the agenda more complex because of controversies surrounding international conflicts and Security Council resolutions, for instance. Brazil supports public funding and the role of the state as a promoter of development strategies.[12]

Engagement of Brazilian Civil Society

Organized civil society, in turn, has coordinated to discuss issues related to SDGs in order to raise public awareness, creating channels for dialogue and participation, and performing consultations to establish a purposeful and representative link between the government and multiple groups of interest. With regard to the dialogue between the government, organizations, and different stakeholders, there were difficulties in establishing a formal channel to exchange information between them, since the consultations were specific and did not provide overall conditions needed for qualified participation (previous information, return on the contributions and continued dialogue).[13]

Among the positions of civil society, we highlight the international financial transaction tax; the need to legally bind commitments to governance, social and environmental impacts to minimize risks involving private financing of public services; the importance of considering that no goal will be achieved unless it is met for all social groups, and the support of Goal 16 based on the assumption that security and access to justice are intimately connected to sustainable development.[14]

Next steps of the process

The advances achieved thus far represent certain level of consensus and adherence among UN member countries. Thus, it is likely that the continuation of the process does not entail substantial changes to goals proposed. Overall, the main disputes until September 2015 will focus on the definition of indicators and on the means of implementation of the objectives.

Deadlines, resources, means of implementation, and responsibilities are major challenges for debates throughout 2015. Note that, in order to achieve such goals it is often necessary political will in addition to substantive reforms in particular sectors domestically. Hence, despite the fact that goals are universal, their implementation necessarily follows an accurate knowledge of specificities of each sector in each country.

The definition of indicators, in turn, far from being a technical discussion, is permeated by important political issues and should result in more focus on each SDG, as well as in the definition of how monitoring and accountability will be met by countries both domestically and internationally.

Discussions on funding are likely to advance during the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, which will take place from 13 to 16 July 2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The conference will bring together Heads of State and Ministers, as well as non-governmental organizations and business sector entities to define an intergovernmental agreement on the main pillars of financing post-2015.[15]The ratification of the SDGs will happen in September 2015 during the 70th UN General Assembly.

For more information, visit www.obs.org.br/pos2015

[1] The group was initially composed of only 30 countries and criticized by its lack of representativeness. In response, it was established a methodology based in the representation of groups of countries. Refer to work method and group composition at http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/1692OWG_methods_work_adopted_1403.pdf Accessed December 2014.

[2] Report available at: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/1579SDGs%20Proposal.pdf Accessed December 2014.

[3] Full report available in English at: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/5527SR_advance%20unedited_final.pdf Accessed December 2014.

[4] Available at: http://www.pnud.org.br/Noticia.aspx?id=3764 Accessed December 2014.

[5]Launched in 2000, the UN Global Compact includes nearly 8000 corporate signatories from 145 countries. It seeks to align business operations and strategies everywhere with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anticorruption. Brazil is the 4^th largest local network, with 600 signatories – corporate and other organizations. Since 2011, UNDP Brazil is in charge of the Executive Secretariat with the objective of promoting and coordinating the Global Compact principles in the country. Available at: http://www.pnud.org.br/Noticia.aspx?id=3865 Accessed December 2014.

[6]Documents available, respectively, at https://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/news_events/9.1_news_archives/2013_06_18/UNGC_Post2015_Report.pdf and https://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/news_events/9.6/Post2015_WhitePaper_2July14.pdf. Accessed December 2014.

[7] Recent report ‘A World that Counts: Mobilizing a Data Revolution for Sustainable Development’ presents recommendations as follows: Develop a global consensus on principles and standards to adopt principles concerning legal, technical, privacy, geospatial and statistical standards; share technology and innovations for the common good; allocate investments, foster capacity development for low income countries; and create a SDGs Data Lab to support the first set of indicators, develop and analyze data. Report available on: http://www.undatarevolution.org/report/ Accessed December 2014.

[8]Melissa Pomeroy and Bianca Suyama analyze contradictions and disputes of post-2015 projects on: http://www.cartacapital.com.br/blogs/blog-do-grri/a-agenda-pos-2015-nocoes-de-desenvolvimento-em-disputa-4328.html

[9]After five work sessions, the Group released the annual report and proposed finance principles for sustainable development: ensure country ownership and leadership in implementing national sustainable development strategies; maximize the impact of international public finance and make sure the use of financing instruments and their concessionality should be appropriate to the level of development of each country; include sustainable development criteria in public budget and private investments; and ensure transparency and accountability of financing at national, regional and international levels. Report available on: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/4588FINAL%20REPORT%20ICESDF.pdf Accessed December 2014.

[10] The IWG was created by Decree 116 - February 2014, and launched on March 31, 2014.

[11] Discussions with civil society representatives started from: “Diálogos Sociais: Desenvolvimento Sustentável na Agenda pós-2015” and “Arena da Participação Social”, which took place respectively in: Rio de Janeiro, February 11, 2014, and Brasília, May 23, 2014.

[12]According to an MRE representative,during the event by ABONG that took place in September 2014, “Os Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável: o que está em jogo nestas negociações? Análises e estratégias da sociedade civil.” Discussion available at http://obs.org.br/sociedadecivil_ods. Accessed December 2014.

[13] The report by the Associação Brasileira de Organizações Não-governamentais (ABONG) “A Agenda pós-2015 – sociedade civil e o futuro que queremos pautar na ONU” highlights the mobilization of civil society representatives that take place since 2012 during Rio+20, United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Available at: http://www.abong.org.br/final/download/docrefseminarioODS.pdf Accessed December 2014.

[14]Civil society proposals to the IWG made available by ABONG at http://www.abong.org.br/final/download/documentocomparativoseminarioODS.pdf

[15]Refer to the conference website for details http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/overview/third-conference-ffd.html. Accessed December 2014.