Open Working Group

The UN General Assembly Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (OWG) had 30 seats which were shared by a group of 70 Member State representatives.

Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals

The UN General Assembly Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (OWG) had 30 seats which were shared by a group of 70 Member State representatives. The creation of the OWG was mandated by the Rio+20 Outcome Document, tasked with preparing a report containing a proposal on a set of SDGs which address the three dimensions of sustainable development (social, environmental, economic) in a balanced way. The OWG's final report was completed in July 2014.

The below diagram provides a timeline of OWG’s Programme of Work:

OWG timeline latest

 

OWG member states

The Open Working Group was formally established in January 2013 – four months later than the deadline set in the Rio+20 outcome document – by Resolution 67/555 of the UN General Assembly. The delay was due to the difficulties in reaching agreement on the 30 representatives that should comprise the Group. Member States eventually decided to institute a innovative, constituency-based system of representation comprised of 70 Member States who share 30 seats.  

Each of the 30 seats of the OWG were shared by 1 to 4 countries, usually with these countries coming from the same UN regional group.  It was the responsibility of each grouping to decide how they would be represented during each of the meetings. It was common practice for members of each grouping to rotate for each meeting.

It is worth noting that although the OWG had the official task of preparing the report on SDGs; representatives of other Member States – those with no seat in the OWG – could still participate and speak on behalf of their countries at the meetings of the OWG.

Member states were represented in different groups within the Open Working Group:

African Group

Asia-Pacific Group

1. Algeria/Egypt/Morocco/Tunisia

2. Ghana

3. Benin

4. Kenya

5. United Republic of Tanzania

6. Congo

7. Zambia/Zimbabwe

1. Nauru/Palau/Papua New Guinea

2. Bhutan/Thailand/Viet Nam

3. India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka

4. China/Indonesia/Kazakhstan

5. Cyprus/Singapore/United Arab Emirates

6. Bangladesh/Republic of Korea/Saudi Arabia

7. Islamic Republic of Iran/Japan/Nepal

LatinAmericanandCarribbeanGroup

Western European and Others Group

1. Colombia/Guatemala

2. Bahamas/Barbados

3. Guyana/Haiti/Trinidad and Tobago

4. Mexico/Peru

5. Brazil/Nicaragua

6. Argentinia/Plurinational State od Bolivia/Ecuador

1. Australia/Netherlands/United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

2. Canada/Israel/United States of America

3. Denmark/Ireland/Norway

4. France/Germany/Switzerland

5. Italy/Spain/Turkey

Eastern European Group

1. Hungary

2. Belarus/Serbia

3. Bulgaria/Croatia

4. Montenegro/Slovenia

5. Poland/Romania

 

OWG Meetings

First session14-15 March 2013

Second session 17-19 April 2013

Third session22-24 May 2013

Fourth session 17-19 June 2013

OWG Reports initial findings to General Assembly

Fifth session 25-27 November 2013

Sixth session 9-13 December 2013

Seventh session 6-10 Juanuary 2014

Eigth session 3-7 February 2014

OWG releases its focus areas for the SDGs

Ninth session 3 - 7 March 2014

Tenth session 31 March - 4 April 2014

Eleventh session 5 - 9 May 2014

Twelth session 2 - 6 June 2014

Thirtenth session 14 - 18 July 2014


Pincos Chavez at the 5th OWG session on sustainable energy and the SDGs
 
 
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Ambassador Jean-Francis R. Zinsou (Benin) at the 5th OWG session on poverty eradication & the SDGs
 
 
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Dr Amalle Daou on maternal mortality as an indicator for inequality
 
 
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