Speaking at the start of the High Level Panel’s meeting in London Dr Charles Reed, the Church of England’s International Affairs Policy Advisor, commented: “If we are to learn anything from the way MDGs were negotiated it is that if the post-MDG development agenda is to command widespread legitimacy it can not be defined by a group of experts and technocrats working behind closed doors in a way that leaves unchallenged a model of development centred on the concerns of donors”

Dr Reed, who will be attending the High Level Panel’s outreach with Civil Society on 2 November, said: “As a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, the Church of England obviously has particular issues and priorities close to its heart that we would like to see reflected in a post-2015 agenda. That is only natural. But it is important that all parties step back from selling a particular agenda or prescriptive view of human development to focusing instead on ensuring that the voices and expertise of those directly affected by poverty and injustice are heard and valued.”

“As a Church we are committed to working with our partners from all around the Anglican Communion to ensure that their voices are heard fully and directly in the consultation process. A practical proposal from a faith based NGO in rural Kenya should receive as much attention as an idea from the Gates Foundation.”