To
President Asif Ali Zardari
President of Pakistan
President's Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN

16 January 2013

Dear President Zardari,

Re: Protection of Civil Society Members and Respect for their Rights

I write to you from CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, an international alliance of civil society with members and partners in over a hundred countries. CIVICUS supports citizens’ rights and democratic freedoms across the globe, including the freedoms of expression, association and assembly.

Amidst the worsening violence in Pakistan over the last 6 weeks, CIVICUS has become increasingly concerned by the spate of murders targeting male and female NGO workers and campaigners simply for performing their professional responsibilities. In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in December 2012, the shooting of six female workers and one male NGO worker, in addition to the targeted killings of nine polio health care workers, 5 of which were female, have horrified the international community and civil society around the world. Moreover in January this year, the offices of an NGO were bombed and two further aid workers reported killed in separate incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, while a 71 year old charity worker was shot in Lahore.

The African Youth Conference on Post-2015 Development Agenda, held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 12-16 December 2012, has adopted a Youth Declaration on the Post-2015 Agenda. This Agenda identifies 13 actions for accelerating progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and makes recommendations for the post-2015 development agenda.

Convened by the Organization of African Youth, with the support of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, the Conference reviewed progress on the MDGs, discussed the future of youth in the post-2015 agenda and addressed African countries’ commitments on creating jobs and reducing youth unemployment.

Read more at Sustainable Development Policy & Practice

Local NGO, Alliance Lanka has organised a consultation this week in Colombo to discuss civil society’s experience in contributing towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) within the national framework. The meeting will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. The consultation is an important phase of the Breaking Point project, a joint initiative of the Commonwealth Foundation and United Nations Millennium Campaign, the organisation said. ‘Breaking Point’ aims to take stock, discuss what the MDGs have achieved and why, and stimulate thinking on the post-MDG architecture. The consultation will focus on reviewing national experiences of civil society involvement in MDG policy formulation, implementation and delivery, and monitoring, it said in a statement.
The Colombo parley is part of consultations taking take place in 14 Commonwealth countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Grenada, Jamaica, Malawi, New Zealand, Pakistan, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and Zambia.

“Alliance Lanka believes that civil society plays a critical role as a development actor, and as such, it is important that civil society has a prominent voice in the national and global dialogue on the MDGs and post-MDG architecture,” the statement said.

The organisation in August 2012 compiled a comprehensive country report on the status of the millennium development goals focusing not only on the MDGs but also paying emphasis to the targets and indicators, and considering the situation at central and provincial levels.

Read more at The Sundaytimes Sri Lanka Business Times

Despite the significant advances made by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) initiative since its inception in 2000, much is still needed to build on the momentum created by the project and ensure sustainable development in emerging regions.

The United Nations has embarked on eleven global consultations to shape the post-2015 development agenda, to assess the lessons learnt over the past decade and to centre on what was required after the MDGs initiative came to an end in 2015.

The MDGs aimed to tackle eight challenges by 2015, namely poverty and hunger, universal access to education, gender equality, children’s health, maternal health, HIV/Aids, environmental sustainability and global partnerships.

Read more at Creamer Media's Engineering News

The Commonwealth is an association of 54 countries united both by shared values and by great diversity. It consists of developed and developing countries, rich and poor, large and small. It is home to 2 billion citizens of all faiths and ethnicities, more than half of whom are 25 years old or under.

The end of the MDG and EFA period in 2015 will signal a paradigm shift in the global development framework. Commonwealth ministers of education met in London in December 2012 and developed recommendations for post-2015 which are now feeding into the UN discussions and wider debates. This blog post provides a summary.

Read more at Education for All Global Monitoring Report

In 2015, the current global development agenda, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will come to an end. South Africa, Africa’s largest economy, is one of the countries appointed to lead the design of a new global development framework.

In February 2013, the Pan-African Parliament, with the support of the Government of South Africa, UNDP, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the German Government, will be hosting the Global Thematic Consultation on Governance and the Post-2015 Development framework. The consultative meeting will bring together Heads of States, Civil Society Representatives, Businesses, youth and other stakeholders to shape thinking on democracy, economic development, governance/accountability, peace and security in the new global development paradigm. The meeting will highlight progress being made by African countries towards building sustainable democracy and in the management of diversity among other pertinent issues. For more information, please visit http://www.worldwewant2015.org/governance.

Read more at StarAfrica.com

As online consultations move forward regarding the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) post-2015 framework, civil society, academia, governments and the UN continue to grapple with what priorities to set for an agenda that will be a no-holds-barred assault on poverty. Resoundingly, the peoples of the world that have been consulted are calling for an agenda that permanently disrupts the status quo and provides the foundation for many of the stakeholders involved in the talks.

There is one major consideration to the viability of our future; priorities for the post-2015 agenda need to interweave solutions to specific challenges women face. The facet of challenges women face worldwide come with entrenched cultural nuances that must be reflected throughout individual aims that each government should commit to reach. Whereas a universal framework for aims are important for achieving continuity in global standards, the greatest collaboration between civil society (nonprofits and similar entities) and lay persons must be an open process for all ages to engage with.

Read more at The Huff Post

This is the second Thematic Think Piece on Disaster Risk and Resilience developed by UN entities to support discussions on the post-2015 development agenda. The paper outlines the modus operandi of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction partnership in working with and empowering stakeholders to build partnerships and political legitimacy for international agreements in the context of disaster risk reduction. With this approach the paper refers to the directions outlined in the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters.

It calls for localising and leveraging partnerships for risk reduction and asserts that the strength of the Hyogo Framework for Action is the ability to influence and guide diverse groups and generate partnerships amongst a wide variety of stakeholders (not just national governments) including local government representatives, science and technology institutions, parliamentarians, interest groups and community practitioners, the private sector, and media.

Read more at The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction

The political talks towards new global goals are on. The Rio+20 congregation came up with the idea to agree on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that would set the stage for action under the post-2015 development agenda and supposedly define “The future we want” as stipulated in the Rio+20 outcome document.

Meeting calendars and travel schedules now converge to propel the SDG process. For those involved in UN-led development work, this process may appear to be a way to the future we want. As Ross Coggins wrote in his 1976 poem The Development Set: “Our thoughts are deep and our vision global.” New wisdom will no doubt emerge and be shared with everyone that keeps a Twitter account.

Read more at Forest News

Several world leaders, including Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, among others are said to be gearing up to attend the third High Level Panel Meeting on the Post-2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Monrovia from January 30 to February 2, 2013.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to co-chair the upcoming meeting with both leaders in Monrovia.

A release from the Executive Mansion said, the Panel is comprised of 27 members, including Heads of State, Ministers, former Ministers and independent experts. President Sirleaf last week Thursday received several visiting dignitaries in Monrovia and expressed appreciation for their presence ahead of the third High Level Panel Meeting on the Post-2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Read more in allAfrica

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were adopted in 2000 and are supposed to have been attained by 2015, that is, in two years’ time. There are currently a number of on-going consultative processes in the search of a successor agreement. The UN Secretary General has appointed a 27 member High Level Panel with three co-chairs – President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia. Our own Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a member and Amina Mohammed, former Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs is the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General on the process.

For us in Nigeria, it is important that we have a genuine debate over the coming months that goes beyond a list of goals and targets not bound together by a coherent narrative which is consistent with the challenges facing our development process. Nigeria still lags behind and it is now clear that we are unlikely to be able to meet any of the goals by 2015. The three levels of government, federal, state and local, are simply not investing enough to meet the goals and a significant part what is being invested is lost due to massive public corruption and diversion of resources to meet security challenges. As we move forward, I propose six key challenges we need to address to improve the lives and livelihoods of Nigerians.

Read more at The CDD Blog

In 2000, the international community approved the most ambitious consolidated development agenda in history in the form of the Millennium Development Goals. Huge uncertainty remained, however, about whether it would be possible to accomplish the goals by the time they would expire in 2015. Now, as we approach the deadline, the picture has become clearer. On some of the goals, progress has exceeded expectations and the targets have been met. On others however, the international community has failed to achieve the targets outlined in 2000.

As previously mentioned in the RESULTS Blog, the UN is currently in the process of consulting stakeholders around the world to see what should be included in the next set of development goals for 2015.

Read more at RESULTS

The High-level Panel on the Post-2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will meet in Monrovia, Liberia from 30 January to 2 February 2013, where the focus will be on 'National Building Blocks for Sustained Prosperity.' The High-level Panel, which is co-chaired by Prime Minister Cameron, is calling on civil society organizations and individuals from all over the world to contribute their views on development priorities after 2015. Contributions can be made through mobile phones and the “my world” website. Offline surveys will be distributed through a network of grass-roots organizations, faith-based communities, youth groups, private sector bodies and NGO partners around the world.

Civil society organizations as well as individuals can give their opinion on 16 questions which are set by the High-level Panel and derived from the 24 framing questions the Panel identified at the beginning of their work. The Panel’s Secretariat has selected and re-organized the framing questions for the current civil society consultation to avoid repetition of consultation topics already covered in the October / November 2012 civil society consultation.

Read more at United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe

Experts from developing countries will gather in Dhaka early next week to talk about agendas and targets to set following completion of millennium development goals (MDGs) in 2015.

Some 19 experts from South Asia, Latin America and Africa will attend the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD)-hosted three-day meeting, beginning on January 11, on a new global initiative, Southern Voice on Post-MDGs.

As the MDGs approach the 2015 deadline, the international development community is focusing on articulation of post-MDG framework, issues and targets.

Taking note of the global power imbalance, knowledge asymmetry and MDG delivery experience, the initiative seeks to channel its inputs from developing countries' perspectives into the ongoing global discussions.

Read more at Star Business Report

Youth from China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Mongolia adopted a declaration on the post-2015 development agenda, at the conclusion of the North-East Asian Youth Consultation on the Post-2015 Agenda, held in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The Consultation was convened as part of the global UN-led consultations on the post-2015 agenda.

The Declaration, titled “The World We Want: A North-East Asian Youth Vision,” identifies climate change, discrimination, access to quality education, economic burdens of aging populations, environment, inequality, peace and security, and youth unemployment as key priorities for the post-2015 agenda among North-East Asian youth.

Read more at Read more at Sustainable Development Policy & Practice

"Just when we thought they had reached top speed, debates on the post-2015 development agenda continue to intensify – with the UN High Level Panel on post-2015 reporting as early as May this year, and the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals due to kick off soon. So it’s likely that in the coming months we’ll see ever more proposals being added to the mix of what goals should come after the MDGs," writes Gina Bergh, researcher of the Overseas Development Institute in this opinion piece.

The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) has started to track the emerging proposals, and so far they’ve come up with a table that is organised alphabetically by the sector category. They hope it will be useful to those engaging in the debate and putting forward new ideas, to figure out where theirs fit with what’s been said so far. They are calling for experts to add proposals on concrete targets and indicators.

Read more at Prevention Web  

When the General Assembly wound down its 67th session in late December, it underscored the key role for energy in the U.N.’s post-2015 economic agenda by declaring 2014-2024 the “Decade of Sustainable Energy for All”.

The declaration, adopted unanimously by the U.N.’s 193 member states, was followed by grim statistics: over 1.3 billion people worldwide are still without electricity, and more than 2.6 billion people rely on traditional biomass for cooking and heating.

The General Assembly also expressed concern that “even when energy services are available, millions of poor people are unable to pay for them.”

Even before the resolution was adopted, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned, “There can be no sustainable development without sustainable energy.”

Read more at Inter Press Agency News Agency

The UN High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post 2015 agenda has invited inputs from Civil Society Groups on what the future framework for the Millennium Development Goals would look like.  CIVICUS has provided inputs to the process through the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service on (i) the shape and content of the post 2015 framework, and (ii) partnership and accountability for development. These inputs have been provided in advance of the High Level Panel’s meeting in Monrovia, Liberia from 28-30 January 2013.

CIVICUS Responses to NGLS Questionnaire on Post-2015 Framework

In accordance with Resolution ACHPR/Res.230 (LII) 2012, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders has issued a call to Civil Society Groups soliciting information on the situation of women human rights defenders in Africa and their protection needs. CIVICUS has contributed to the process, presenting research on (i) the risks and challenges that women human rights defenders and those working on women's rights and gender issues experience in carrying out their work, and (ii) measures national, regional and international stakeholders must take in order to protect women human rights defenders and those who work on women's rights. The Special Rapporteur will present the final report to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in April 2013.

CIVICUS makes an intervention on the situation of women human rights defenders in Africa in preparation for a report to be presented to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) in April 2013.

Deadline extended! CIVICUS – FACTS Reports Special Issue: Local Democratic Innovations
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, in partnership with the FACTS Initiative, is pleased to announce a call for proposals on local democratic innovations. Contribute and send an abstract on any innovative project or initiative on governance, participation and accountability at the local and national levels. It can be selected to be published in a special issue of the FACTS Reports to be released in the summer 2013.

Send a 300-word abstract of your proposed paper, in English, French, Spanish or Portuguese, with your CV and a one paragraph biographical statement to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before 28 February 2013.

Background
As a worldwide alliance of citizens and civil society organisations based in the global South, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS) is committed to strengthening youth participation in civil society. At the CIVICUS Youth Assembly in September 2012, momentum gathered within the CIVICUS alliance to explore the creation of a new youth initiative. This brought a strong call for the creation of a representative Youth Advisory Group to help guide CIVICUS’ work on youth participation. CIVICUS is pleased to now issue an open call for applications from individuals to join our Youth Advisory Group.

About the Youth Advisory Group
The Advisory Group’s primary role will be to provide strategic, informed advice on how youth participation issues can be better mainstreamed in CIVICUS’ programmes, and on how CIVICUS can develop new activities to strengthen youth participation in civil society. Working with the support of the Youth Advisory Group, CIVICUS intends to build new partnerships and secure increased resources to scale up new initiatives on youth participation.  

If current trends in consumption continue, by 2030, the world would have the impossible task of producing at least 50 per cent more food, 45 per cent more energy and 30 per cent more water just as arable land, energy sources and clean and safe water shrink at historic rates. The continuity of climate-related disasters, growing food insecurity, sky-rocketing unemployment and lack of decent work (particularly among youth and migrants) and gaps in care provision are only some of the most urgent indicators of the seriousness of what is at stake.

Read more

• CIVICUS calls for immediate release of Iranian activist Nasrin Sotoudeh
• African youth: Fulfilling the potential - Jay Naidoo
• CIVICUS: Reprisals against Bahraini human rights defenders must end
• Addressing conflict and violence from 2015: Saferworld issue papers
• Addressing conflict and violence from 2015: Saferworld issue papers
• Bahraini civil society leaders meet in The Hague and call for international support to stop repression and promote respect for human rights in Bahrain
• Bono and Jim Kim discuss steps to end poverty
• Philippines: President Aquino praises NGOs
• Russia: What changes lie in store for Non-Profit Organizations?
• Sierra Leone: Civil Society slams illegal detention of NEC staff
• The CIVICUS Secretariat is expanding - apply for a job now!
  
  • Research Manager (application deadline 23 Nov 2012)
  • United Nations (UN) Advocacy Officer (Application deadline 23 Nov 2012)
  • Research Officer (Application deadline 23 Nov 2012)
  • Senior Communications Officer (application deadline 30 Nov 2012)
  • Senior Convening Officer (application deadline 30 Nov 2012)
  • Senior Resource Mobilisation Officer (application deadline 30 Nov 2012)

Read this issue online or subscribe to recieve all future issues.

The Consul-General of South Korea in Lagos, Pilcheen Pak and the Chief Resident Representative, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Nigerian Office, Abuja, Mr. Jung Sang-Hoon, have pledged their country's commitment to the Federal Government in the areas of contributing to alleviation of poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Pak and Sang-Hoon spoke in Lagos during the meeting of KOICA Alumni Association (KAAN), South-West Branch, in Lagos.

The officials, while making the pledge, also tasked the KAAN alumni who were beneficiaries of Korean capacity-building in Seoul to efficiently employee the knowledge they learnt during their various courses in development of Nigeria.

Read more at The Guardian Nigeria

In her guest blog about the launch of Bread for the World’s 2013 Hunger Report, Asma Lateff argues that the MDGs have been remarkably successful in focusing the world’s attention on hunger and poverty.  Now it’s time for a strong push to meet the MDG targets by 2015.

Read the full blog

The high-level panel appointed by the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, to draw up a post-2015 development agenda might well be casting envious backward glances at the small team that drafted the Millennium Development Goals. Lord Mark Malloch-Brown explains how he and the small group wrote up the MDGs in the basement of the UN office in New York in "relative casualness", so much so they almost forgot to include a section on the environment – MDG seven on environmental sustainability.
Read more at the source: Guardian UK

The Global Youth Forum, held from 4-6 December in Bali, Indonesia, is a joint effort of the UN, NGOs, young people and the private sector to give young people a stronger voice in the ICPD2014 Operational Review process. Over 900 youth delegates will attend and develop recommendations to address five pressing issues. All recommendations will in turn feed directly into the designing of the future development goals.
 
As a member of the International Steering Committee, CIVICUS will attend the Global Youth Forum in Bali through its youth focal point, Natalie Akstein. She will be actively participating in the discussions, and reporting back through blogs and social media. However, we also want to make sure that the voice of our youth members and partners who cannot participate in Bali are heard throughout the Forum, via online and offline activities!

The core team of the UN System Task Team is organizing a Facebook chat on the post-2015 development agenda on Tuesday, 27 November 2012, 9.00 - 11.00 am.

This live chat will offer an opportunity for those following or interested in the post-2015 process to engage with members of the UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda. Rob Vos of UNDESA and other UN experts will share thoughts and answer questions. To participate in this interactive chat, go to this link: https://www.facebook.com/events/267857236670287/ .

A short video on the event can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUZOh32C5Ac

•  Unravelling the significance of Rio+20 and the multi-stakeholder approach - Akashni Pillay, Akashni Pillay, Policy and Advocacy Intern at CIVICUS
• CIVICUS Board Member wins Minerva Award
• Add your voice to our growing global alliance - join CIVICUS today
• CIVICUS urges the Sri Lankan Government to reconsider rejection of UPR recommendations and stop persecution of civil society
• International CSOs urge the Ethiopian Prime Minister to make essential reforms before joining UN Human Rights Council
• Stakeholder Forum launches website to connect stakeholders on beyond 2015 agenda
• Cambodia: ASEAN adopts ‘flawed’ Human Rights declaration
• Ethiopia: German NGO pulls out
• India: Rise of civil society activists
• Philippines: Thoughts on NGOs/CSOs
• Russia: Putin to review foreign NGO law
• Empowering civil society is right approach to disaster recovery
• How much do non-profits budget for technology annually? Please participate in sector research
• State of the third sector in Belarus in 2009-2011: Data of monitoring carried out by United Way Belarusian National Non-Governmental Organization
• Exploring Sustainable Development: A multiple-perspective approach
• Job: CIVICUS - Research Manager (application deadline 23 Nov 2012)
• Job: CIVICUS - United Nations (UN) Advocacy Officer (Application deadline 23 Nov 2012)
• Job: CIVICUS - Research Officer (Application deadline 23 Nov 2012)
• Job: CIVICUS - Senior Communications Officer (application deadline 30 Nov 2012)
• Job: CIVICUS - Senior Convening Officer (application deadline 30 Nov 2012)
• Job: CIVICUS - Senior Resource Mobilisation Officer (application deadline 30 Nov 2012)

Read this issue online or subscribe to recieve all future issues.

• Will Barack Obama live up to Civil Society expectations? by Mandeep Tiwana, Policy and Advocacy Manager
• Human rights defenders in Bangladesh are at constant risk: An interview with Adilur Rahman Khan on Bangladeshi CSO Odhikar
• Add your voice to our growing global alliance - join CIVICUS today
• Join up to the Ottawa Declaration: Recognition for volunteering on the global development agenda
• Join the Discussion: Global Thematic Consultation on Addressing Inequalities in the post-2015 development agend
• Burma: Civil Rights are key for democracy said the 88 Generation Students platform
• Egypt: The nationalisation of Egypt’s civil society
• Laos: International civil society warns nations of ‘resource grabbing’
• Tajikistan: Closure of the NGO "Amparo"
• Reaching for the sky: The importance of women's leadership
• Register Your Organization with the Youth Division of the AUC
• South African Civil Society Information Service (SACSIS)
• Job: CIVICUS - Research Manager (application deadline 23 Nov 2012)
• Job: CIVICUS - United Nations (UN) Advocacy Officer (Application deadline 23 Nov 2012)
• Job: CIVICUS - Research Officer (Application deadline 23 Nov 2012)
• Job: Greenpeace - Chief Operating Officer (application deadline 20 Nov 2012)

Read this issue online or subscribe to recieve all future issues.

Many members of civil society felt that the Rio+20 final outcome document was a disappointment, but many also believed that the call to establish sustainable development goals (SDGs) creates an important and potentially transformative opportunity to positively shape the global human development agenda. As the UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 Development Agenda reported to the Secretary-General earlier this year, ‘Continuation along previously trodden economic growth pathways will exacerbate inequalities, social tensions and pressures on the world’s resources…There is therefore an urgent need…for new development pathways.’ The proposed SDGs are regarded by many as the best vehicle for responding to that pressing need.

Read more

The event 'Post-Rio to Post-2015: Planning International Stakeholder Engagement' brought together Major Groups and Stakeholders to identify entry points for their involvement in the follow-up processes of Rio+20 and discuss ways to enhance multi-stakeholder engagement in the Post-2015 development agenda. As a result of the discussions, the co-Chairs of the event, Farooq Ullah, Executive Director of Stakeholder Forum, and Oliver Greenfield, Convenor, have prepared a Co-Chairs’ statement as an outcome document.  The statement concluded that when working with governments, the UN System and other stakeholders, we must seek to achieve coherence and integration across all decision-making processes within the post-Rio+20 and the post-2015 development agenda time period.

To read the full statement click here. For a full summary of the event, click here.

UNGA Update - 9 November 2012

Member States mandated 12 intergovernmental processes to implement Rio+20 outcomes to be established this fall by the 67th session of the UN General Assembly where NGOs and Major Groups have no official means to interact with Member States. As a first priority, the President of the General Assembly asked Brazil to coordinate the establishment of a 30 member Open Working Group for Sustainable Development (OWG) by September as required by the Rio+20 outcome document. Despite repeated attempts to do so, as of this date the UN 5 Regional Groups under the guidance of Brazil have been unable to come to agreement upon the number of seats each group will have on the OWG. Consequently, a "Committee of the Whole" comprised of all Member States managed by a bureau is now being considered. All other intergovernmental bodies mandated by Rio+20 have been put on hold until the establishment of the OWG.

Seeking to hold Member States accountable to their promise to "establish an inclusive and transparent intergovernmental process on sustainable development goals that is open to all stakeholders" (para 248), the Organizing Partners (OPs) of the Major Groups put forward a "Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group" (MAG) proposal originally drafted by Louise Kantrow (OP Business & Industry) and Farooq Ullah (Stakeholder Forum) that was edited, discussed and approved by all OPs and forwarded to the missions of Mexico, Brazil, Pakistan, Switzerland, Denmark, EU and Canada. The OPs formed a fact finding mission that met with Amb. George Talbot, Chair of UNGA Second Committee (Economic & Financial) responsible for Rio+20 outcomes, at the Mission of Guyana on 24 October. Amb. Talbot welcomed the Major Groups MAG proposal as an important step to help ensure an open and inclusive intergovernmental process. He informed us that he expected the General Assembly to conclude its work at the end of November as scheduled which would be devoted to putting these various intergovernmental processes into place so that substantive negotiations could begin after the New Year.

Global Environmental Health and Sustainable Development Innovation Collaboration Webinar Series

IOM webinar series organized with support from:
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and The Pan American Health Organization PAHO/WHO
Webinar #2

"INTEGRATING THE MDGS WITH THE PILLARS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT"

November 15, 2012 – Time: 11:00 am – 12:30 pm EDT ( Washington DC USA)

To check local time in WDC against your time zone, see the World Clock
This Webinar will be delivered in English with simultaneous translation to Spanish and close-captioned for the hearing impaired

Webinar Goals and Objectives:
• Discuss how the global development framework may evolve to include environmental, economic, and social goals of sustainable development.
• Provide a vision for integrating health and achieving intersectoral collaboration with the post-2015 development agenda process.
• Identify metrics for assessing trends and tracking progress on shared goals of global environmental health and sustainable development.

Read More

We are pleased to share with you the Beyond 2015's paper for the UN thematic consultation on inequalities (see English version here- French and Spanish versions will be available soon). Thanks to the Drafting Team lead by the Bahaâ’i International Community’s United Nations Office and all of you for your feedback and active participation throughout the drafting process.

Climate Action Network (CAN) International will be the lead agency for the new UN thematic consultation on Energy. Since energy is already part of the thematic consultation on environmental sustainability it makes a lot of sense for CAN-I to lead on the energy consultation as well.

If you would like to be involved in this process, please contact Pascoe Sabido from CAN-I at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 16 November 2012.

As many of you know, Beyond 2015 is coordinating campaign input into the consultations in order to influence the official UN process and to help us build our own civil society position on the content of a post-2015 framework. A new consultation has recently been added on water and sanitation.

At this stage, we encourage participating organisations who are interested in being the coordinating CSO which would bring together campaign input for the Water and Sanitation consultation to make Expressions of Interest in this role. Please ensure that your Expressions of Interest cover the following points:

• Why your organization would like to be the coordinating organisation on thematic input
• What expertise your CSO has on this theme
• How your organization would ensure that input represents the full range of civil society views
• Who would be the lead contact within your CSO

Please submit your expressions of interest by 19 November to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Beyond 2015 is providing a platform for civil society to contribute to the nine thematic consultations being organized by the UN on the post-2015 framework. In this connection, the  Consortium of Christian Relief and Development Association, Consortium of more than 360 Local and INGOs is  serving as the coordinating organization for the Beyond 2015 position paper for the UN thematic consultation on Population dynamics being organized by  UNFPA ( as the UN lead agency).
 
As with all global thematic consultations, this consultation will feed into the broader inter-governmental processes shaping the post-2015 agenda, including the work of the recently established UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel. We believe this consultation will provide a significant opportunity to ensure that population issues including:
•    high fertility and population pressure;
•    poor reproductive health facilities;
•    unacceptably high rate of morbidity and mortality;
•    severe pressure on ecosystems and natural resources;
•    older people who do not have minimum social safety nets and
•    Other crucial emerging factors related to population dynamics would  receive  a central place on the post-2015 development agenda setting.

Watch out for a live chat on DESA's Facebook page on the post-2015 development agenda on 20 November from 9:00 to 11:00am. This event offers a unique opportunity for the online community to share opinions, questions and concerns about the post-2015 process. Join the discussion and contribute to an ambitious development agenda!

Read more at the source: UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs

The World Bank's Global Monitoring Report (GMR) Team recently announced the launch of MDGs and Beyond, a monthly newsletter focused on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and what comes after.

Read more at the source: The World Bank

 The Stakeholder Forum has announced the launch of a new project in partnership with the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) to develop a Global Network of National Councils for Sustainable Development (NCSDs).The project aims to strengthen NCSDs and support them in   engendering sustainable development at the domestic level. The network is open to multi-stakeholder bodies set up by Governments as NCSDs, or other government related bodies working on issues of sustainable development.

Read more at the source: United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development News

As the UN General Assembly's Third Committee opened its session on 8 October; voices and concerns of young people from across the globe were conveyed. With commitment and a huge amount of enthusiasm, UN Youth Delegates took the stage to deliver messages on education, employment and other issues of importance to youth. "This is one of the best moments in my life, because I represent youth at a crucial time," said Caesar Suarez from Mexico. He also underscored the importance of youth participation, and making the voices of youth heard. "Look to the youth and let us participate in a responsible and democratic way," he said.

Read more at the source: UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Inequality in developing countries is twice as high among children as among the general population, as this report reveals, with new quantitative analysis of 32 countries. Born Equal assesses the effects of inequality on child development. Drawing on eight case studies from Brazil, Canada, China, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and the UK, it looks at which policies and interventions have reduced inequality and delivered better outcomes for children. The report concludes with four recommendations to seize the major opportunity presented by the year 2015, when a new global development framework will be established.

Read the report at the source: Save the Children

The International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) and the International Disability Alliance (IDA) have recently drafted a position paper on the post-MDG framework. In the position paper, IDDC and IDA include a number of recommendations to be taken into account in order to create a more equitable and inclusive post-MDG agenda.

Read more at the Source, The International Disability Alliance.

The panel tasked with advising on the global development agenda beyond 2015, the target date for achieving the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), reaffirmed its commitment to work together on a framework to combat poverty in a High Level Panel Meeting in London. According to a news release, discussion among the Panel members covered human development, jobs and livelihoods, and how to reach the marginalized and excluded. The three-day meeting also allowed Panel members to gather input from international civil society, private sector representatives and global youth, answering Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's call for transparency and inclusiveness in its consultations.

Read more at the source, United Nations News.

Through this summary report, the Education Caucus provides a detailed account of their many successes at the conference, lessons learned, and partnerships made.

Read more at the UN CSD Education Caucus

In this 2 day highly interactive conference, the EU Sustainable Lifestyles Roadmap and Action Plan to 2050 will be presented for the first time. This conference is focused on actions for more sustainable living across Europe. It presents a unique opportunity for policy-makers, business, innovators, designers, civil society, citizens, and researchers to accelerate current work and activate new ideas within the Sustainable Lifestyles Roadmap Framework. For any questions, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Read More at Spread Sustainable Lifestyles 2050

Dr. Shannon Orr is running a study of Civil Society participation at Rio+20. Contribute with your thoughts on the Rio+20 meeting, and the role of organizations such as yours within the United Nations.

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This note provides a brief overview of the first meeting of the Secretary General's High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, on 25 October 2012. The High Level Panel is committed to an open, transparent, and inclusive process. We are particularly keen that stakeholders are kept up to date with substance and process of the Panel's work. To that end, we propose to send out regular updates in this form.

Read the Report

The UK hosted the first high-level panel last week on what comes after the millennium development goals (MDGs). Progress on the MDGs has been mixed, however, with persistent inequalities both within and between countries. We've pulled together the key data on the eight goals. Although the MDG framework may seem overly technical, with its dozens of time-bound, results-based targets and indicators, it's the product of very political negotiations, with some issues receiving more attention and prominence than others.

Read more and Source: The Guardian