Post 2015 Development Agenda

Author: Tassawar Ali, September 5 2013       After the end of 2015, the MDGs [Millennium Development Goals] will be revised, and the world is looking into the post 2015 development agenda. So, a new development agenda will carry forward the spirit of a new millennium declaration and the best of the MDGs, with a practical focus on things like poverty, hunger, water and sanitation, education and health care. The new declaration not only focuses on promotion of sustainable development, but also will be effective for reducing conflict and violence. In the new declaration, before setting an agenda of post 2015, different consultations have been conducted by a high level panel of eminent persons and this panel listened to the views of women and men, young people, parliamentarians, civil society organizations, indigenous people and local communities.

Most important is that this panel meets thousands of people in the world. This high level panel considered the massive changes in the world. In this declaration and post 2015 agenda, world population is considered a big challenge because in 2030 world population will be eight billion. This post 2015 agenda is called a universal agenda for all countries, aimed at sustaining global prosperity in the coming decades. Post 2015 goals are showing bold commitments in five areas like "leave no one behind", "put sustainable development at the core", "transform economics", "build peace and effective and accountable institutions" and "forge new global partnerships". These commitments are a fundamental shift, to recognize peace and good governance as core elements of wellbeing in the world. There is a new spirit, also part of the agenda - solidarity, cooperation and mutual accountability. These goals are universally relevant and actionable; the new agenda commitments are clear for tackling the causes of poverty, exclusion and inequality.

The government and civil society of Pakistan need to prepare, joining hands and strengthening this post 2015 global partnership, and feel responsibility for achieving our next goals.

"Pakistan's limited success with meeting the MDGs can be attributed to uncoordinated implementation, lack of local capacity in terms of human and financial resources, affecting service delivery, and a dearth of fiscal discipline, contributing towards diversion of pro-poor expenditures into other uses. This is evidenced by recent cuts in public sector development programs in education and health and fund diversion towards short term cash-based social safety nets and to elected representatives for discretionary spending in their own constituencies. Further, the past list of MDGs was not comprehensive enough to address the challenges faced by Pakistan. Issues that were severely neglected include food security, climate change and a comprehensive strategy for youth engagement." From Vaqar Ahmed, Deputy Executive Director, Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Pakistan, Sandee Newsletter No. 25 Spring 2013   

We have needed to improve our stated goals with full responsibility.

There is no hesitation that the scope of the post 2015 is broad, blending social progress, equitable growth and environmental management. We hope to leave the post 2015 agenda impact by 2030 as a world that will be: equal, more prosperous, more peaceful and more just than that of today.