UN names high-level panel to map out ‘bold’ post MDG development agenda

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon July 31, 2012 announced the members of a High-level Panel to advise on the global development agenda beyond 2015, the target date for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is one of the three leaders appointed by the Secretary-General as a co-chair of the High-level Panel. The others include President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia and Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom.

In a statement the UN Chief said “I have asked my High-level Panel to prepare a bold yet practical development vision to present to Member States next year.”

“I look forward to the Panel’s recommendations on a global post-2015 agenda with shared responsibilities for all countries and with the fight against poverty and sustainable development at its core,” Mr Ban said.

Officials say the Panel will hold its first meeting at the end of September in the margins of the annual high-level debate of the UN General Assembly in which it is expected to submit a report to the Secretary-General in the first half of 2013.

The work of the Panel will reflect new development challenges while also drawing on experience gained in implementing the MDGs, both in terms of results achieved and areas for improvement, a UN statement indicated.

The Panel’s work will be closely coordinated with that of the intergovernmental working group tasked to design Sustainable Development Goals, as agreed at the Rio +20 Conference.

By Ekow Quandzie