THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT CONSULTS WITH CIVIL SOCIETY ON THE POST-2015 INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

· The consultations are being held in order to take the views of non-governmental actors into account while shaping the new international development agenda.

· All those interested are invited to submit their proposals for the agenda here: Social Participation

The Mexican government believes that the post-2015 international development agenda should reflect the broad and inclusive participation of all stakeholders. Therefore, it has joined the international movement that exists in various regions and offered to host consultations on the agenda with Latin American and Caribbean groups, civil society organizations, the private sector, academics and groups of indigenous peoples, women, youths and those of African descent and with disabilities.

With the backing of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the government of Jalisco, consultations will be held in Guadalajara from April 17-19 with groups from Latin America and the Caribbean under the guidelines for UN consultations with civil society (The World We Want 2015). The Latin American and Caribbean governments have been invited as observers.

These consultations are a milestone in setting the global development agenda; there were no consultations with international civil society in 2000 when the Millennium Development Goals were adopted. Mexico, one of biggest promoters of this international issue, believes the negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda—expected to begin late this year in the United Nations—should be inclusive and participatory in nature.

The outcome of the Guadalajara consultations will be communicated to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The panel is made up of 27 individuals from various sectors and countries; a report with their recommendations will be submitted to the Secretary-General in May. Former Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa is participating on the panel in a personal capacity.

The Mexican government invites all sectors and stakeholders in Latin America and the Caribbean to submit proposals for the new international development agenda here: http://participacionsocial.sre.gob.mx/post2015.php. This is an unprecedented initiative that should be used to consolidate this new way to participate in decision-making at the global level.

The participants’ recommendations will inform negotiators worldwide in the construction of a new international development agenda, an issue that involves us all. Let us create a post-2015 development agenda that meets the expectations and needs of the majority of the world population.

More information can be found on these two sites: The World We Want 2015 and High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda