Since their adoption in 2000, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have been the most successful global anti-poverty push in history. They have helped setting global and national priorities, as well as achieving tremendous progress. Targets for halving extreme poverty, improving access to safe drinking water, and improving the lives of 200 million slum dwellers have been met. More children than ever are attending school and gender parity in primary education has been achieved. Child deaths have dropped dramatically (close to four million children are living who would otherwise have died), and targeted investments in fighting malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis have saved millions of lives.

As we approach the MDGs target date of 2015, the international community is galvanizing efforts to accelerate their achievement—focusing on those Goals that are most off-track, in particular in the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, small island developing States and countries affected by conflicts or disasters.

However, there are growing concerns that even if the MDGs will be achieved, much remains to be done. Indeed, more than 1 billion people still live in extreme poverty and disparities within and across countries, as well as among populations, remain daunting.

A new global landscape

This situation can partly be explained by the fact that major new challenges have emerged, while existing ones have been exacerbated since 2000. Inequality has deepened. Environmental degradation has increased. People across the world are demanding more responsive governments and better governance and rights at all levels. Migration challenges have grown, and young people in many countries face poor prospects for decent jobs or livelihoods. Conflicts and instability have halted or reversed progress in many countries. Our future challenges are becoming more and ever cross-regional, intergenerational and transformative.

Sustainable development

As we stand today at the threshold of significant opportunity—to realize our quest for dignity, peace, prosperity, justice, sustainability and an end to poverty—there is a general consensus that the world cannot and must not continue on its current course. The post-2015 development agenda represents an important opportunity to re-invent traditional development tools to meet new challenges, and anticipate future ones.

At the core of the post-2015 agenda, sustainable development provides the conceptual framework for such a paradigm shift. Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The only way to eradicate poverty irreversibly is by putting the world on a sustainable development path. As agreed at the Rio + 20 Conference (June 2012), sustainable development has three interconnected dimensions: economic development (including the end of extreme poverty), social inclusion, and environmental sustainability. Each of these dimensions contributes to the others, and all of them are therefore necessary to the well-being of individual and societies. Sustainable development points to the legitimate aspiration of all people to fulfil their potential within the finite resources of our planet.

A new set of goals/transformative agenda

For this ambitious development framework to take shape and unfold, a business-as-usual approach will not work. In his recent report entitled ‘A Life of Dignity for All’, the Secretary-General provided the broad contours of his vision for the future agenda. The report highlights a growing consensus on a universal agenda – one applicable to all countries and leaving no one behind – with sustainable development at its core. It stresses the need to tackle interlinked challenges and focus on inclusive economic transformation, peace and governance. It also highlights the opportunity for strengthening and developing a new global partnership, which recognizes shared interests, different needs and mutual responsibilities among the UN system, Member States and other actors. Finally, the new development agenda will need to consider from the outset the need for clear means of implementation which will be required to deliver our sustainable future. Goals and targets should take into account cross-cutting issues such as gender, disability, age and other factors leading to inequality, human rights, demographics, migration and partnerships. The new goals should embrace the emphasis on human well-being and include the use of metrics that go beyond standard income measures, such as surveys of subjective well-being and happiness, as introduced by many countries and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

The post-2015 process

Building on the Millennium Development Goal Framework, work to develop a post-2015 sustainable development agenda has begun through a truly open and inclusive process – involving governments, civil society, the private sector, academia, research institutions, and the voices of more than 1.2 million people through online global surveys.

At the MDG Special Event last September, Member States reaffirmed their commitment to the Millennium Declaration and reaffirmed all the principles of the Rio Declaration. They decided to launch a process of intergovernmental negotiations at the beginning of the 69th session of the UN General Assembly (September 2014), which will lead to the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda during a High-Level Summit in September 2015. The work of the international community will be intense over the next two years. The United Nations System will continue to support the Member States as they deliberate and negotiate, and will also ensure that the voices of the people are lifted up and heard.

First posted to El Pais.