1.BACKGROUND/CONTEXT
The Post‐2015 Development Agenda presents a historic opportunity for the international community to engage the private sector in a dialogue exploring how businesses can best contribute to global sustainability. At the same time, it is a golden opportunity for the business community to elevate their missions and strategies to align with the Post‐2015 vision, fostering innovation, finding solutions and allowing for transformational partnerships to be formed to benefit the society and economy, as well as drive business success.
The Secretary‐General has requested that the UN system builds on the outcomes of consultations already conducted, keeping channels of debate and engagement open as the intergovernmental process moves into its next phase, and that the private sector be strongly engaged. While the first round of consultations on the Post‐2015 Development Agenda focused on the potential issues and areas to be included in a Post‐2015 Development Agenda, the second round of consultations will address the implementation mechanisms.
The UN Country Team in Mongolia supported a round of Post 2015 consultations in Mongolia with various stakeholders, including youth, local representatives, elderly, children, women, and persons with disabilities in December 2012‐May 2013. The consultations were structured around the three thematic pillars of economy, social development and environment and brought together nearly 2000 people from different stakeholder groups across the country. Their voices were captured in a national report which was shared with the High Level Panel and found reflection in their final report to the UN Secretary General.
In the second round of Post 2015 discussions, the UNCT in Mongolia has decided to consult with the
Private Sector with the strong belief that the Private Sector in Mongolia is a key driving force of the economy and economic diversification.
Globally, the co‐leads of the consultations for Private Sector, UNIDO and the UN Global Compact, have identified the following themes to be addressed. The selection of themes was based upon an assessment of the results from the former consultations, i.e. where more information was needed, as well as an interest in addressing components from more than one of the Business Engagement
Architecture’s building blocks:
- Developing Government Policies that Drive Corporate Sustainability
- Enhancing Partnerships
- Mobilizing Private Sustainability Finance
- Localizing the Architecture for SME Engagement
- Building Trust through Enhanced Transparency and Accountability
- Cross‐cutting elements – gender, youth, human rights and global inequalities
The consultations will result in a meeting report that will be publicized on a dedicated website. The Consultations are planned for the period of mid‐June to end August 2014.
UNIDO and the UN Global Compact will use the results of the individual consultations to prepare global report, “Continuing Inclusive Dialogue on the Post‐2015 Development Agenda: Engaging with the Private Sector”, which will be submitted to the Secretary‐General. This report will inform the various processes related to the definition of the Post‐2015 Development Agenda as well as feed into the Secretary General’s synthesis report.
- OBJECTIVES AND KEY CONTENT FOR EXPLORATION OF NATIONAL CONSULTATIONS
Mongolia has developed the Green Development Strategy by which the country is committed to a transition to a low carbon economy that will not only develop programmes to conserve its natural, cultural and historical heritage but will also focus on sustainable human development and environment friendly processes. Under the Strategy the country plans to implement Green Economy mechanisms for the public and private sectors that will enable green financing and investment and develop knowledge based on a multi‐pillar economic structure.
The UN Partnership for Action Green Economy (PAGE)1 is being implemented in Mongolia to support the country in its transition to greener and more inclusive economy. The UN PAGE inception and capacity building workshop was held in November 2013 and one of the findings of the workshop was that Mongolia has just emerged from a regulated economy after the end of the communist era, hence the private sector, which is expected to play a significant role in the transition to green economy, is still developing. The success of the Green Development strategy will hinge on the ability of the private sector operate in a sustainable manner and the development of a competitive value‐chain through networks of productive and efficient SMEs. The Public Private Partnership (PPP) which will serve as a consultative platform to develop appropriate strategies for implementing green development will need to be nurtured and strengthened. Hence the relevance of the planned consultation to engage the private sector in the implementation of the post‐2015 development agenda.
In Mongolia, UNIDO will support the UN Resident Coordinator and the UN Country Team to organize a round of consultations with the private sector on the following areas:
- Building Trust through Enhanced Transparency and Accountability
- Localizing the Architecture for SME Engagement.
While focus in both areas will be the issues of environmental sustainability and social responsibility, cross‐cutting elements (eg gender, youth, human rights and inequality) will also be considered across the whole consultation. Further information on the thematic areas is included in separate papers prepared by the co‐leads to facilitate the consultations.
The MDGs have been predominately implemented by governments, and the Post‐2015 Development Agenda is not comprehensively known among the private sector. For this reason, the consultations will also be used to raise awareness on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the development agenda of the UN, as well as the role of the private sector in implementing the to‐be‐agreed SDGs.
The consultations will involve relevant government officials as well as business representatives from a diversity of sectors in order to capture a balanced perspective with regard to the role of the private sector in implementing the post 2015 development agenda.
- PAGE is a 7‐year programme responding to the Rio+20’s call for the UN system to support countries interested in pursuing green economy policies. It will deploy the joint expertise of four UN agencies – ILO, UNEP, UNIDO, and UNITAR – to progressively assist a total of 30 countries in their efforts to embark on green economy pathways. The collective endeavour ranges from mobilizing social awareness and providing specialized training to identifying critical bottlenecks, formulating and assessing policy options, and enabling policy implementation for greening the economy. The programme also includes global and regional level capacity development, knowledge creation and sharing, and high‐level policy dialogues, all to enrich and strengthen country level assistance.
- In May 2014 the PAGE Partners in collaboration with national counterparts organized a second National Workshop to Advance Green Economy in Mongolia. The workshop provided the forum for an update on the Green Development Strategy and other relevant policy development in Mongolia and reviewed the pertinent issues emanating from the Green Development Strategy stocktaking and green jobs mapping that was undertaken under the PAGE programme. The workshop already discussed five initial priority work streams initiated under PAGE and agreed on further actions.
- METHODOLOGY
Consultations and subsequent activities in Mongolia will be structured along the following principle stages:
- Background information collection of what has already being done/implemented in Mongolia in the selected thematic areas.
- Kick‐off meeting with private sector representatives and organizations to:
- introduce the Post 2015 framework, MDGs and SDGs in order to increase awareness at both the private sector and Government levels on the Post 2015 development agenda
- seek support and participation in the national consultations
- identify lead private sector organizations to organize the 2 national consultations
- Two consultation meetings (one for each theme) in Ulaanbaatar led by a private sector
- representative organization (e.g., business councils, associations etc.)
- Preparation of the final report
- DELIVERABLES:
Key messages and recommendations elaborated on the basis of the discussions at the two national consultations with the Private Sector as well as the background information collected. These messages and recommendations will provide input for the final consultation report on “Continuing Inclusive Dialogue on the Post‐2015 Development Agenda: Engaging with the Private Sector” that will be submitted by UNIDO and the UN Global Compact and presented at the Sixty‐Ninth Session of the UN General Assembly in September 2014.
- ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The co‐leads of the consultations – UNIDO and the Global Compact – will support the Resident Coordinator and the UN Country Team, who will be facilitating the national consultations. National Consultant(s) will be hired by the RC/UNCT to implement specific activities, if deemed necessary.
- TIMELINE:
Activities:
- Kick‐off meeting with private sector representatives, Period: 4 June 2014, Responsible party: RC
- Background information collection of what has already being done/implemented in Mongolia in the selected thematic areas, 1‐30 June 2014, RC/ National Consultants with technical backstopping by UNIDO
- Two consultation meetings in Ulaanbaatar, 9‐20 June 2014, Focal business organization with support of National Consultants and technical backstopping of UNIDO.
- Preparation of the final report,15 July 2014, UNIDO/National Consultants
FOR FURTHER INQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT :
Ms. Amar Tsetsegmaa, UN Coordination Specialist by email tsetsegmaa.amar@one.un.org or phone 976 11 327 585 ext 113.