From 25 to 27 November 2013, the UN Headquarters provided the venue for the fifth session of the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) of the United Nations General Assembly on sustainable development objectives.

In attendance at this fifth session, were OEWG members and other Member States, observers and representatives of UN agencies and major social groups. Over a period of three days, they discussed a number of thorny issues relating to:

(a)   sustainable and inclusive economic growth, macroeconomic policy issues (including international trade, the international financial system and external debt sustainability), infrastructure development and industrialization,

(b)  and energy.

Co-chaired by Macharia Kamau, the Permanent Representative of Kenya and Csaba Körösi, the Permanent Representative of Hungary, the session allowed participants to air convergent views on:

• the prerequisite to achieving economic growth for poverty eradication;
• industrialization and infrastructure development as key drivers of  economic growth;
• open, fair and rule-based trade;
• access to safe, reliable and affordable energy;
• the key role of renewable energies in the energy system;
• the central roles of energy efficiency and conservation as elements of sustainability.

For more information on the conduct of the fifth OEWG session and its main findings, please view the documents under this link: Here