G8
House of Lords

Lord Judd (Labour)

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the best possible engagement with civil society in future G8 meetings, and in the work of the UN Committee on the Post Millennium Development Goals to be chaired by the Prime Minister.

Baroness Northover (Whip, House of Lords; Liberal Democrat)

The Prime Minister and his fellow co-chairs of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General's High Level Panel on the post-2015 Development agenda-President Yudhoyono of Indonesia and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia-have made clear that they want to encourage all parties to engage, including citizens (especially the poorest, most vulnerable and marginalised), the private sector and civil society. We expect the High Level Panel to have an active engagement and outreach strategy over the course of its life. We also expect the UN Secretary General to appoint panellists who are drawn from civil society organisations. The Secretary of State for International Development has already established regular meetings on post-2015 with United Kingdom (UK) development non-governmental organisations (NGOs) through the umbrella organisation Bond. As it develops its G8 agenda the UK Government will likewise consult regularly with a broad set of civil society organisations.