In 2011 the project “Building the Post-2015 Development Agenda: Open and Inclusive Consultations” was conceptualized and launched. The overall objective was to "build and lead a strategic coalition of partners that can shape the post-2015 development agenda through global broad mobilization and engagement of government, grassroots, academics, CSOs and other organizations” and “to ensure that the post-2015 development agenda is (1) guided by UN norms, values and commitments, (2) informed and shaped by the arising challenges of the 21st century, including sustainability and equity and (3) built on the momentum and lessons learned from the MDGs”.

At the end of the project, almost 100 national consultations, 11 global thematic consultations, 6 global consultations had taken place. In addition, the project initiated the “MY World” survey with almost 10 million respondents. A large part of the project focused on building a bridge between the people who normally do not participate in this type of agenda setting and the institutional mechanisms in place responsible for such a global process.  Although it was administered and hosted by UNDP, the project was led by UNDG, to allow for a coherent and coordinated approach in which several UN agencies could work together on the development of the post-2015 agenda.

Given the enormous complexity of the context in which the project pursued its ambitions, the evaluation would like to be modest in its recommendations while at the same time providing some guidance for future multilateral policy processes. In recognition of this complexity, some of the lessons are translated into concrete recommendations while others are presented as dilemmas as they have no apparent, easy or straightforward solutions but are likely to be faced again in future multilateral policy processes.

Summary Recommendations

• Look, think and act ahead
• Design flexibly with a matching resource facility
• Guide the UN system and Member States in delivering as one
• Pursue complementary consultations
• Synergize where possible with existing national processes to optimize the added value
• Off-line data collection demands off-line feedback
• Balance between influencing policies and staying out of politics
• Stimulate innovation to reach unprecedented results
• Stimulate progressive integrity and quality of consultations
• Create an actionable integrated agenda at country level