Going forward after the Thematic Consultations – Latest on the General Assembly Special Event
Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 5:10AM March will see the end of most of the Thematic Consultations and the process will move on with their outcomes being included in a report that will go to the General Assembly High Level Event in September 2013.
Date announced for Special Event
A second round of consultations on the arrangements for the Special Event, facilitated by HE Ambassador Anne Anderson, Permanent Representative of Ireland, and Doctor Mashabane, Deputy Representative of the Republic of South Africa, took place in New York at the end of February. It will be a one-day event to take place on 25 September 2013. The proposed format is an opening and closing plenary and up to four high-level interactive, multi-stakeholder roundtable sessions. Some countries suggested different themes in the morning and afternoon. Some delegates also spoke on the involvement of non-state stakeholders, stressing that they should “follow the procedural rules of the UNGA”. Others requested large participation of non-state stakeholders in the roundtables, including civil society.
Possible outcome of the meeting
Some delegates asked for an action-oriented, intergovernmental negotiated outcome document. Others preferred a non-negotiated Chair’s Summary, which would be forward-looking, reflecting the achievements and additional work that needs to be done on the MDGs, and reaffirm promises to achieve them. Some speakers also considered that the outcome document should serve to launch a post-2015 negotiating process. See: http://post2015.iisd.org/news/member-states-advance-preparations-for-mdgs-special-event/)
Civil society input into the process
At the time of the 10-year review of the achievement of the MDGs at the High-level meeting of the General Assembly, there was a day of presentations by civil society organizations (CSOs), in which some governments participated. It is important to watch to see how civil society will be invited to participate into the process leading up to the Special Event and in the meeting itself.
Given the fact that the outcomes of the 11 Thematic Consultations will be included in a single document to go to this meeting, it will be necessary to ensure that Governments include issues such as sexual and reproductive health and rights in their interventions in the high-level interactive, multi-stakeholder roundtable sessions.