Distilling the SDGs at country level

The MDGs were brief enough to fit on the back of a business card. The 17 goals currently agreed are something different. One difference is how they tackle national obstacles (in developed and developing countries). The UN family and the Brazilian government, one of the leading champions of sustainable development in the world, have opened up a new dialogue mechanism to assess what works best in Brazil.

The United Nations Task Force on the Post-2015 Development Agenda is composed of representatives of the following Agencies, Funds and Programs in Brazil: UNDP, as well as the UNDP/IPC-IG, FAO, UNESCO, UNFPA, UN Women, ECLAC, PAHO/WHO, UNODC, UNIDO, UNOPS, UNAIDS, ILO, UN-Habitat, UNISDR-CERRD, UNICEF, UNV, WFP and UNEP. The group will also have the participation of Brazilian Federal government, represented by the Ministry of External Relations, the Ministry of Environment, Secretariat-General of the Presidency of the Republic, and other members of the Interministerial Commission on the post-2015 development agenda.

The proposed SDGs have 17 goals and 169 targets. What does this mean in Brazil?

Rooted in Rio+20, the dialogue will help shape cooperation and activities to carry out the post-2015 development agenda in Brazil. It builds on a year of intense work by the Open Working Group (OWG-SDG), which produced the proposal for the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to replace the MDGs at the end of 2015. The proposal of the Group is the main basis for the process going forward.

Moving from global to intergovernmental debate

Many voices have informed the debate over what comes next after the MDGs. Global consultation and negotiation has been extensive. In the current stage, the process to design the post-2015 development agenda is increasingly intergovernmental in nature, although outreach and consultations are still on-going. Country ownership, already strong, is about to drill down on specifics.

The most immediate challenge: indicators

The most immediate challenge is to identify and establish indicators, especially at national and local level, focused on measurable outcomes. The OWG-SDG gives some guidance:

• Aspirational global targets accompany the SDGs. Each government should set its own national targets, guided by the global level of ambition but taking into account national circumstances;
• Goals and targets will be further elaborated through indicators focused on measurable outcomes;
• Indicators will need to take into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respect national policies and priorities.

Objectives of the task force

The UN Task Force is an institutional mechanism for consultation and dialogue that aims to support the country as it defines and implements the post-2015 development agenda. It also looks at the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) to make sure the issues are taken into account. It creates a platform to share with the country how the UN family is working and to explore opportunities for cooperation.

How the task force works

In his December 2014 report, the UN Secretary-General said “in the coming months, the Member States will negotiate the final parameters of the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda”. That time is now, and governments are being guided not only by the aspirational nature of the goals and targets, but also by the reality of their societies translated into indicators.

The task force has a fast-paced work plan in first part of the year. Meeting frequently, separate thematic technical groups will be taking deep dives into 16 priority areas. The consultation and dialogue between the UNCT and the government partners on the range of thematic issues related to the post-2015 development agenda is taking place in a dynamic and frequent basis.

The leading agency will be UNDP, represented by me. The Task Force will be co-chaired by the Brazilian federal government, represented by the Ministry of External Relations through Mr. Mario Mottin.

In order for the SDGs to be judged a success, what do we need to do by 2030?

This year, with its UN Summit and other high-level international meetings, will be fundamental to chart a new era of sustainable development. Your suggestions about how to make the most of 2015, in Brazil and in other countries, are welcome.