they require a set of pre-MDG goals in order to get them to the starting line. Of particular interest for this paper, is PSG 2 on security, which recognises the fundamental role that security plays in enabling progress in other MDG areas. The New Deal goes on to note that: ‘We will work towards full consideration of the PSGs in the post-MDG development framework beyond 2015 and, after Busan, towards the consideration of the PSGs by the 2012 United Nations General Assembly and other for a’ (IDPS 2011: 2).
Since HLF4, the g7+ has continued to develop its agenda, holding meetings in New York, Dili, Copenhagen, Paris and Nairobi. Indicators are being developed for each of the PSGs, UN Ambassadors and special representatives are being engaged in New York, and meetings have been held with the UN Peacebuilding Support Office, UNDP and the World Bank. The g7+ have decided not to opt for a UNGA resolution in September 2012, but rather will be holding a side event to increase awareness and support for the New Deal, potentially moving towards a resolution in 2013.
Throughout this process, the g7+ has garnered significant political support, including from some key figures. The UN Secretary General has expressed his support for the New Deal and PSGs on a number of occasions. In his opening address at HLF4, the Secretary General noted he was:
very encouraged that the g7+ core of conflict-affected countries has been working with OECD donors and the United Nations to develop a “new deal” for more effective engagement … this new deal is an opportunity to focus much-needed attention on peacebuilding and state building. I urge all to pursue this important work (cited in g7+ 2011).
More recently, in a presentation to the Centre of Strategic and International Studies, the Secretary General’s comments went further, supporting the idea of incorporating the PSGs into the post-MDG framework: