ABSTRACT
As stated in the Report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post2015 Development Agenda (HLP), no one can deny the important role that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have played around the world. Among other positive indicators, data show that “there are half a billion fewer people living below an international poverty line of USD 1.25 a day. Child death rates have fallen by more than 30 per cent, with about three million children’s lives saved each year compared to 2000, deaths from malaria have fallen by one quarter” (United Nations, 2013, 7). However, the Panel also recognised that there were many issues the MDGs did not address, such as the devastating effects of conflict and violence on development; the important role played by good governance and institutions in guaranteeing the rule of law for ensuring development; free speech; open and accountable government; the need for inclusive growth to provide jobs; and the integration of the economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainable development, which includes the promotion of sustainable patterns of consumption and production.
