Quick Perspective on UN Secretary-General’s Vision for a Post-2015 Agenda

This World Resources Institute briefing provides a perspective on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Synthesis Report, "The Road to Dignity by 2030," which outlines a vision for the post-2015 development agenda to succeed the Millennium Development Goals. While the briefing acknowledges the report's compelling narrative and endorsement of 17 goals and 169 targets, it identifies several gaps in specificity regarding target values, the role of the private sector in accountability, and the definition of partnerships.

• The UN Secretary-General's Synthesis Report endorses 17 goals and 169 targets established by the Open Working Group (OWG) for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are intended to replace the Millennium Development Goals. The report advocates for a universal sustainable development agenda that integrates human well-being, inclusive economic growth, and the preservation of healthy ecosystems, while centering the agenda on an international human rights framework.
• The briefing notes a lack of specificity in the Synthesis Report, particularly regarding the 169 targets, many of which currently lack quantification or deadlines. The Secretary-General has called for a "technical review" by UN actors to improve target specificity and values to ensure accountability and consistency with legal obligations.
• Regarding finance, the report suggests examining the role of development finance institutions and proposes an expert group to analyze the link between development aid and climate finance. However, the briefing argues the report failed to propose a higher aid target for the most vulnerable and least developed countries or a clear review process for finance institutions.
• The report advocates for replacing GDP with alternative measures of progress that include social and environmental dimensions, and it calls for mandatory environmental, social, and governance reporting for corporations.
• The briefing identifies a missing role for the private sector within the proposed accountability framework and institutional mechanisms, such as the High Level Political Forum. It also notes that the report lacks a nuanced definition of 'partnerships' and does not provide a concrete proposal for funding national data collection capacities.

APA

World Resources Institute (2014). Quick Perspective on UN Secretary-General’s Vision for a Post-2015 Agenda. https://www.wri.org/insights/quick-perspective-un-secretary-generals-vision-post-2015-agenda

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Quick Perspective on UN Secretary-General’s Vision for a Post-2015 Agenda. 2014. https://www.wri.org/insights/quick-perspective-un-secretary-generals-vision-post-2015-agenda.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Quick Perspective on UN Secretary-General’s Vision for a Post-2015 Agenda |date=10 December 2014 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/quick-perspective-un-secretary-generals-vision-post-2015-agenda |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2014quick, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Quick Perspective on UN Secretary-General’s Vision for a Post-2015 Agenda}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2014}, month = dec, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/quick-perspective-un-secretary-generals-vision-post-2015-agenda}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }