Issue 2 - July 2014

This e-newsletter will share with you the latest updates on our SD2015 projects and the most recent information on different post-2015 activities and processes.

For more regular SD2015 updates and insights we encourage you to follow our website: www.sd2015.org

**NEW** POST-2015 ADVOCACY MINI-SITE 

The SD2015 advocacy toolkit in English is now available as an interactive, online mini-site.
New audio-visual content, updates and analysis will be added shortly.


ADVOCACY TOOLKIT AND MEDIA GUIDE
Our post-2015 advocacy toolkit and media guide are now available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese here.

POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA - WHY IS NATIONAL ADVOCACY 
Despite shrinking flows of official development assistance (ODA), the new development agenda that is to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in September 2015 has been creating a big buzz over the past 5 years, especially at the international level. Consultations, reports and meetings have been numerous within the so-called ‘planet New York’. But why is it important to follow and participate in these discussions?
Read our latest blog post and find post-2015 advocacy top tips on our website.

**JOIN CIVICUS ALLIANCE TODAY!!**
CIVICUS is the only global network of civil society organisations and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society around the world. We have a new membership policy which allows both individuals and organisations to join our alliance under two statuses:

• Associate member, a free lifetime membership with basic benefits;
• Voting member, an upgraded paid membership that gives voting rights and other exclusive benefits.

To learn more on how to apply for each membership category and to submit your application directly online, please visit civicus.org/join. 

LATEST POST-2015 NEWS AND EVENTS
Send us your last news, event information or blog posts at post2015@civicus.org or follow us on Twitter @SD2015.
 
HIGH-LEVEL POLITICAL FORUM (HLPF)’S SECOND MEETING: UNTIL 9 JULY
The second meeting of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) is taking place between 30 June and 9 July at the UN in New York. The theme of this meeting is “Achieving the Millennium Development Goals and charting the way for an ambitious post-2015 development agenda, including the sustainable development goals”. The purpose of the Forum is to provide political leadership and guidance, and follow up and review progress in implementing sustainable development commitments, including the SDGs.
 
More than 300 civil society organisations registered to participate in the HLPF, working to ensure that civil society has a seat at the HLPF table. Danny Sriskandarajah, CIVICUS’s Secretary General, is participating in the HLPF plenary this week during the high-Level Ministerial segment in a multi-stakeholder dialogue on “Multi-stakeholder partnerships and voluntary commitments for sustainable development – ensuring accountability for all'”.

Full information on Danny’s event, all other HLPF sessions and the official outcome documents can be found online here.

LAST OPEN WORKING GROUP (OWG) MEETING: 14-18 JULY
A revised zero draft was released on June 30th 2014 in advance of the thirteenth (and final) session of the OWG, which is due to take place between 14 and 18 July at the UN in New York. This zero draft proposes 17 possible Sustainable Development Goals and accompanying targets that will be discussed by governments next week at the OWG. The zero draft can be found online here.
 
The final report of the OWG, which is expected to be released in September 2014, will feed into the Secretary General’s synthesis report on the post-2015 development agenda that will be drafted later this year.
 
Share your own position papers and materials on the post-2015 development agenda on the UN Sustainable Development Platform .Go to the main webpage here and click 'account' on the top right hand corner to get set up.

**NEWSFLASH** POST-2015 HIGH-LEVEL STOCKTAKING EVENT: 8-9 SEPTEMBER
In preparation for the intergovernmental negotiation phase of the post-2015 development agenda, the UN Secretary General has been tasked to make recommendations for further steps to advance this agenda. After many consultations and reports, the latest stocktaking event will take place on 8-9 September 2014 just before the start of the 69th General Assembly. The event will aim to reflect on the key messages from all the high-level and thematic events debates convened by the President of the General Assembly and discuss the outcomes of the various Rio+20 processes, including the OWG and the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing (ICESDF).
 
Find out more about this event at Sustainable Development 2015

HOW TO KEEP TRACK OF POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES
To ensure that you are up to speed on the latest post-2015 news and events and to find out how you can engage in and influence these UN meetings, we encourage you to sign up for NGO UN Major Group regular updates by contacting Jeffery Huffines, one of the NGO Organising Partners based in New York, with your email address: jeffery.huffines@civicus.org
 
Also don’t forget to keep an eye on the post-2015 interactive timeline on our SD2015 website.

JOIN THE GLOBAL ACTION/2015 CAMPAIGN
The action/2015 website is now live on: www.action2015.org.
Guidelines for the action/2015 signifier can be found on the website along with downloadable images.
You can also still register to participate the election process for the campaign Reference Group.
For more information, contact: info@action2015.org.

HUMAN RIGHTS FOR ALL POST-2015 LITMUS TEST
As the OWG’s efforts near completion and the full blown political negotiations begin, the Post-2015 Human Rights Caucus has developed this Litmus Test to be used to evaluate whether proposals for the post-2015 framework respect and reflect pre-existing human rights norms, standards and commitments, in line with the Rio+20 agreement that sustainable development goals be “consistent with international law”.

The Human Rights Post-2015 Litmus Test has received over 100 endorsements, from all regions of the world! Find out more here.