STATEMENT: John Podesta on the Release of the Post-2015 Development Agenda

New York, NY — Today, in a new report, the U.N. High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons fulfilled its mission to deliver a bold, yet practical post-2015 development agenda to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The panel’s report builds upon the strong accomplishments of the Millennium Development Goals and envisions a world beyond 2015 where a sustainable, cooperative, and inclusive development agenda completely eradicates extreme poverty. John Podesta, U.S. representative to the High-Level Panel and Chair of the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:

The report produced by the High-Level Panel and released today to the public is the result of a long dialogue not just between the 27 of us on the panel but between civil society, international organizations, governments, businesses, and impassioned activists, citizens, and young people around the world. Our ambitious report calls for the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger by 2030. But we also recognize that, if we are to build upon the successes of the Millennium Development Goals and to end poverty for future generations, we urgently need to create more environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive economies and societies. We must leave no one behind.

That’s why the High-Level Panel’s vision for a post-2015 development agenda includes standalone targets to achieve gender equality, empower women and girls, and to end child marriage and violence against children. That’s why, in addition to seeking an end to preventable child deaths, we call for universal literacy and numeracy, increased skill-building and employment among youth and young adults, and increased access to energy, infrastructure, and basic finance for the poor. And that’s why we weave the issue of environmental sustainability throughout our recommendations. We must begin working immediately to foster better natural-resource management, to increase the share of renewable energy being used around the world, and to help vulnerable populations become more resilient in the face of climate change and environmental degradation. If we don’t, the remarkable progress we have made in reducing extreme poverty since the new millennium will be for naught.

I’ve said before that this report is the first chapter, and not the last word, in the post-2015 agenda. That is still true today. But I urge the American people—and U.S. policymakers—to take seriously the recommendations in the High-Level Panel’s report, and to begin thinking about how we can work together to achieve the world we want in 2030. The generations living today can be the first to see a world without extreme poverty. We must not squander this opportunity.

Related resources:

• A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economies Through Sustainable Development
• VIDEO: John Podesta on the U.N. Post-2015 Development Agenda
• First chapter for ending extreme poverty by John Podesta (Reuters)

To speak with John Podesta about the post-2015 development agenda, please contact Madeline Meth at [email protected] or 202.741.6277.

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