Deputy Secretary-General to address UNDP consultation

28 February 2013
News

Outputs will focus on recommendations on governance and accountability in the post-2015 agenda

Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba is to address the final UN consultation on the role of governance in the new set of global poverty eradication goals being developed.

The two-day Global thematic consultation on governance and the post-2015 development agenda began today at the Pan-African Parliament in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In his opening remarks, the President of the Pan-African Parliament Bethel Amadi stressed that the new process, which will replace the Millennium Development Goals must be “owned by the people most affected” in order to deliver practical solutions to real challenges.

The consultation was designed to provide meaningful global participation from a wide range of interest groups, including government, civil society, human rights institutions, youth groups, parliamentarians and representatives of the private sector.

It follows a series of regional dialogues, a technical expert meeting and an e-discussion which solicited over 200 contributions. It aims to build a shared vision and ownership on key issues, with suggestions on how governance and accountability at all levels can be integrated into the post-2015 agenda.

In 2000, global leaders agreed to a set of eight goals to eradicate poverty by 2015, known as the Millennium Development Goals. While there has been success in many areas, it is now clear that some countries will not reach the targets. In developing a new set of goals, after 2015, discussions have focused on ensuring broad-based input and ownership of the shared agenda.

Earlier, Ms Masire-Mwamba met with the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Development Programme, Olav Kjørven; the former First Lady of South Africa, Zanele Mbeki; and Director of the Democratic Governance Group, Bureau for Development Policy, United Nations Development Programme, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi.