Update on President of General Assembly’s High Level Events, including CSO briefing, Thursday 6 February No 2

High Level Event of the General Assembly “Contributions of Human Rights and the Rule of Law in the Post-2015 Development Agenda” 17 – 18 June, 2014

The High-Level Event on Human Rights and Rule of Law will examine how human rights, including the right to development and rule of law at national and international levels, can support an inclusive people-centred governance agenda. Governance, human rights and the rule of law are pivotal to sustainability and the development agenda. See https://www.un.org/en/ga/president/68/settingthestage/5hrrol.shtml

Stock taking event in early September 

This event is not listed on the website but the President of the General Assembly announced that a stock taking event will be held in early Sept to pull together the findings from all six events and complement other processes converging at the start of 69^th session and intergovernmental negotiations. He noted that we need to learn from MDGs gaps and challenges and examine resources to foster a development approach with freedom from want at the centre. We often don’t monitor our progress in this area, we need to pause and evaluate and review successes and failures to learn from our errors. 

Civil society participation in these high-level events

The President of the General Assembly is considering how to take civil society organizations (CSOs) on board. His office will consider all inputs as it prepares substantive background notes for each of the six events and inputs will also be reflected in short action oriented summaries communicated to the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals, the Intergovernmental Committee on Experts on Sustainable Development Financing and to the Secretary-General for consideration in his synthesis report (see below). He is all too aware of the enormous challenges facing the globe with 2015 deadline looming but he is confident we can come together around one SDG agenda with poverty eradication at the centre and true ownership by government and NGO actors alike.

Remarks by the Deputy SG on behalf of SG

The Deputy Secretary-General said that he sensed the great dynamism of CSOs in UN meeting rooms. They are driving progress on peace, human rights, rule of law, poverty eradication, the SDGs and many other issues and that they rely on CSOs for progress, as they give concrete meaning and local relevance. They are important in preparing the groundwork for the post-2015 agenda and a legal agreement by climate change.

The outcome document of the Sept 25 UN General Assembly Special Event on the MDGs provides a roadmap for the new agenda and benefitted from a very inclusive process involving NGOs, private sector, and academics. The OWG, having finished its stock-taking, will begin working on its proposals in March and finalize them over the summer.

In September there will also be the report of the intergovernmental committee of experts on SDG financing. A synthesis report will be prepared by the Secretary-General by end of 2014 for input to intergovernmental processes. The post-2015 agenda will be endorsed at a Summit Meeting with Heads of State “hopefully” by next year. In the SG’s report last August,  A life of dignity for all, we identified common ideas on post 2015 vision world we want, ambitious but realistic, integrating all three dimensions- economic, social and environmental per Rio while keeping the current MDGs high on the agenda.

The Deputy Secretary-General noted that sanitation is one of the most off-track MDGs and said he has started an initiative on it.  He looks forward to working with CSO through the Major groups, while recognizing the views of 1.7 million people who told UN what world they want to see (through the World We Want consultation).

Now they must intensify engagement with CSO and this meeting is just the first of several. At Rio states created within ECOSOC the HLPF on SDGs, which will be meeting at the end of June. He said that CSOs have great potential for outreach, young people have the knowledge of technology in order to reach out with a youth perspective, you are key development partners and sometimes are agents of change. And somewhat masochistically he would say that they are very careful watchdogs of what goes on in this organization! They have an impressive track record in MDGs and role to play in accountability and will ensure post 2015 vision transformed to reality between 2015-2030.

NOTE: there was no mention in the remarks of the President of the General Assembly, nor the Deputy Secretary-General of health as it is linked to the sustainable development agenda. Neither was it referred to in the discussions about the event on women, youth and CSOs of the ICPD process this year.  Sexual and reproductive health and rights was also not referred to. 

This article was based on a report from Amy Boldosser-Boesch, Family Care International