The Search for a Post-2015 International (Sustainable) Development Agenda: Some Reflections from a European Perspective

With the experience of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it has become evident that the academic world will have a key role to play in researching the efforts and commitments of the EU, its Member States, and all other countries and stakeholders involved in shaping the global development agenda. This contribution focuses on the international (sustainable) development agenda after the expiration of the current MDGs. By pointing to important questions for policy-makers and providing an overview of important research findings on development cooperation and the impact of MDGs, it aims to serve as a reflection on the 'way ahead'. In addition to presenting several institutional and methodological challenges, it highlights how universal concepts are currently discussed in the context of the post-2015 debate, such as sustainable development, governance and rule of law, human rights, security and development, and food security. At the same time, the paper argues that these concepts are prominent features of the EU’s vision on and approach towards development. Looking at the post-2015 development agenda and the EU’s particular objectives, the paper shows that the EU and its Member States will play a vital role in galvanizing a renewed collective global commitment to tackle the increasingly complex realm of development cooperation.