Taking Stock: A brief analysis of the UN Sustainable Development Summit

This briefing analyzes the UN Sustainable Development Summit, which focused on the adoption of the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It examines the successful negotiation process led by the Open Working Group (OWG), initial national commitments to implementation, and outstanding requirements such as the development of indicators and the outcome of the Paris Climate Change Conference.

• The UN Sustainable Development Summit served two primary goals: the formal adoption of the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" for the next 15 years and a public demonstration of commitment to its implementation by all countries.
• The Open Working Group (OWG) on SDGs is credited with building universal ownership through a two-phase process: a "stocktaking" phase from March 2013 to February 2014 to gather knowledge, followed by a deliberation phase from February to July 2014 to propose goals and targets.
• The OWG's success was attributed to its unusual composition of 30 "troikas" (small groups of countries), which expanded to accommodate 70 Member States, helping to break traditional positions and find consensual solutions.
• Several nations announced specific financial and environmental commitments during the Summit: China pledged a US$2 billion assistance fund for South-South cooperation and US$12 billion in investment for LDCs by 2030; the Russian Federation wrote off US$20 billion in debt; and Panama committed to restoring 50% of its deforested areas over 20 years.
• The 2030 Agenda is considered incomplete without the finalization of indicators by the UN Statistical Commission, expected by March 2016, and the establishment of a detailed follow-up and review mechanism, including the organizational arrangements of the HLPF.
• Participants emphasized that the success of the SDGs is inextricably linked to the outcome of the Paris Climate Change Conference, noting that failure to meet climate objectives would negatively affect all SDGs.

APA

Bhandary, R., Leone, F., Mead, L., Paul, D., Risse, N., & Wagner, L. (2015). Taking Stock: A brief analysis of the UN Sustainable Development Summit. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/taking-stock-brief-analysis-un-sustainable-development-summit

Chicago

Bhandary, Rishikesh, Faye Leone, Leila Mead, Delia Paul, Nathalie Risse, and Lynn Wagner. Taking Stock: A brief analysis of the UN Sustainable Development Summit. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2015. https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/taking-stock-brief-analysis-un-sustainable-development-summit.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bhandary |first1=Rishikesh |last2=Leone |first2=Faye |last3=Mead |first3=Leila |last4=Paul |first4=Delia |last5=Risse |first5=Nathalie |last6=Wagner |first6=Lynn |title=Taking Stock: A brief analysis of the UN Sustainable Development Summit |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=30 September 2015 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/taking-stock-brief-analysis-un-sustainable-development-summit |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bhandary2015taking, author = {Bhandary, Rishikesh and Leone, Faye and Mead, Leila and Paul, Delia and Risse, Nathalie and Wagner, Lynn}, title = {{Taking Stock: A brief analysis of the UN Sustainable Development Summit}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2015}, month = sep, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/taking-stock-brief-analysis-un-sustainable-development-summit}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }