Australia
Post-2015 Development Agenda: Intergovernmental Process
21 May 2015
Comments on the revision of targets for the post-2015 development agenda
Statement by Mr Sean Batten
Director, Global Development Section
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
(Check against delivery)
Draft intervention on the goals and targets
Thank you co-facilitators.
I would like to begin by reiterating Australia’s appreciation for our collective efforts in the Sustainable Development Goals Open Working Group last year.
The Open Working Group made significant progress in developing a broader, more integrated and more inclusive agenda, and that the Open Working Group proposal serves as a firm basis for our discussions going forward.
In this regard, we would like to thank the co-facilitators for their hard work exploring how some of the targets could be strengthened.
We welcome the fact that this paper responds to the call – from countries from all regions – to quantify targets with ‘x’ values.
We support many of the changes, such as several of those in goal 4 on education and the greater specificity and alignment with existing international agreements in 3.6 on road deaths.
However further consideration is needed on some of the proposed changes and we note, as others have done, the need for precision when we are dealing with extant legally-binding agreements or contentious issues.
We believe this exercise demonstrates the value and potential of this important work and that it can be done in a way that respects the balance and intent of the OWG.
21 May 2015
Comments on the revision of targets for the post-2015 development agenda
Statement by Mr Sean Batten
Director, Global Development Section
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
(Check against delivery)
Draft intervention on the goals and targets
Thank you co-facilitators.
I would like to begin by reiterating Australia’s appreciation for our collective efforts in the Sustainable Development Goals Open Working Group last year.
The Open Working Group made significant progress in developing a broader, more integrated and more inclusive agenda, and that the Open Working Group proposal serves as a firm basis for our discussions going forward.
In this regard, we would like to thank the co-facilitators for their hard work exploring how some of the targets could be strengthened.
We welcome the fact that this paper responds to the call – from countries from all regions – to quantify targets with ‘x’ values.
We support many of the changes, such as several of those in goal 4 on education and the greater specificity and alignment with existing international agreements in 3.6 on road deaths.
However further consideration is needed on some of the proposed changes and we note, as others have done, the need for precision when we are dealing with extant legally-binding agreements or contentious issues.
We believe this exercise demonstrates the value and potential of this important work and that it can be done in a way that respects the balance and intent of the OWG.
Stakeholders