The final meeting of the Post-2015 Thematic Consultation on Governance took place from 28 February to 1 March 2013 in Midrand, South Africa. The consultation, which was co-led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), aimed to build consensus and recommend how to integrate global, regional, national and sub-national governance and accountability with the intergovernmental process on the UN’s post-2015 development agenda.

During the final meeting of the consultation, which was attended by 250 participants and broadcast live on the web, plenary, panel and roundtable discussions were held on identifying key areas and themes of governance, and positioning governance and accountability in the post-2015 development agenda.

The first day included a governance leaders’ panel to kick start the discussion, a moderated plenary and four roundtable sessions on: empowerment and participation to tackle inequality and promote social inclusion; local governance and local development in the post-2015 development framework; strengthening institutions of governance to achieve development objectives; and regional and global governance.

The second and final day included a moderated plenary and roundtable sessions on: implementation and accountability framework for the post-2015 development agenda; addressing gender inequality through responsive governance; governance for development: challenges and opportunities for the post-2015 framework; and good governance and public private partnerships for sustainable development. This was followed by remarks by Graça Machel, member of the High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (HLP), and a summary and wrap-up session.

During the meeting, participants discussed a variety of issues relating to governance and accountability, emphasizing, among other things, the need to: address the challenges of poverty and inequality; empower indigenous peoples; improve the accountability of UN agencies; empower women; promote democratic governance; improve citizens’ awareness of their right to hold their leaders accountable; increase public participation and involvement; and combat corruption. The outcomes of the meeting will feed into an overall report, which will be used to engage with the HLP, the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other key processes in preparation for the General Assembly’s Special Event on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in September 2013 and beyond.

This report summarizes the plenary and panel discussions, and some of the roundtable sessions held during the final meeting. More information...