Editors’ Note

In 2000, all 193 member states of the United Nations established an ambitious global agenda that ranged from halving extreme poverty to providing universal primary education. In eight target areas, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) summarized the global development framework, which went on to guide national political, social, and economic priorities for the next decade and a half. Now, with planning for the post-2015 agenda well underway, the international community is in the midst of negotiating the framework that will define the next fifteen years.

This issue of the SAIS Review of International Affairs, “Sustaining the Millennium: Global Development from the MDGs to Post-2015,” seeks to capture the policy discussion surrounding the creation of the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Featuring authors from six continents, the issue leverages a diversity of voices across a variety of backgrounds in policy and academia. In doing so, the SAIS Review seeks to further our insights into the promises and pitfalls of global development efforts.

John W. McArthur sets the stage by debunking seven myths of the MDGs, offering a thorough explanation of the Goals’ true origins. His insider’s perspective on the creation of the MDGs deepens our understanding of the debate currently taking place to determine the course for the post-2015 agenda.

With misperceptions cleared, Homi Kharas and Christine Zhang contrast the MDG creation process with the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) and the goal-setting process that is underway. Praising the MDGs for their ability to unite and rally a diverse set of actors, they also highlight key shortcomings, and outline shifts necessary for a successful post-2015 framework. Nina Weitz, Måns Nilsson, and Marion Davis articulate one potential shift for the post-2015 goals, describing what they term a “nexus approach,” whereby targets from interacting sectors are united to craft goals. In doing so, they reimagine the goal-setting process, offering practical ideas with great potential.

Another series of authors marshal their expertise to evaluate how the past and present development agenda has fared in aiding the world’s most vulnerable populations. Pointing to the importance of institutional structures and civil society, David Satterthwaite examines urban-rural divides, and argues that limited attention to local government and civil society has contributed to a failure to adequately aid disenfranchised and underprivileged populations. Providing a counterweight, Susan Myers describes the success of the United Nations’ Every Woman Every Child campaign in improving infant and maternal health through a multi-stakeholder partnership at the local and national level. Myers’ efforts showcase not only a victory within the MDGs, but also offer a potential model for the implementation of other health programs in the post-2015 development agenda.

Supporting the vision for goals that “leave no one behind,” Tanvi Nagpal and Mark Radin offer a history of global water and sanitation programs over the past few decades. In doing so, they balance hope with concern in a world where adequate sanitation still reaches only 60 percent of people. For Darío Hidalgo change is also critical, as he demands a different scope for SDG targets through the creation of a goal committed to reducing the adverse human, environmental, and economic impacts of urbanization on dignity and progress.

The authors’ focus on inclusivity is a hallmark of the underlying values behind post-2015 consultations. The Rio+20 outcome document pledged to generate an intergovernmental process open to all stakeholders in the spirit of transparency and inclusivity. With open working groups, online surveys, focused campaigns, and 169 targets, the much-anticipated Zero Draft has served as a forum to conceptualize the next slate of development goals. Andrea Ordóñez presents a stark contrast between the MDGs’ negotiations and the new role of southern voices in the SDGs. It is against this backdrop of new perspectives and leadership that Rachel Quint identifies important outcomes from Africa’s regional consultative meeting in 2013. Her commentary spotlights a continent preparing to speak with a strong, unified voice to rally support for goals that are finally aligned with...