AINA Global Consultation on the Open Working Group Issue Brief on Inequality, 16 December, 2013 – 10 January, 2014

In anticipation of the Eighth Session of the UN Open Working Group (3 - 7 February 2014), the Addressing Inequalities Networked Alliance (AINA) has announced a consultation from 13 December 2013 – 10 January 2014 on the ‘Promoting Equality, including Social Equity’ issue brief of the Open Working Group’s Technical Support Team. This brief will be at the centre of the upcoming deliberations and debates.

You are asked to provide your feedback on the document and your recommendations for the Open Working Group.

To participate, please read the short

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General Assembly meetings in 2014 for post-2015 development agenda: announcement of arrangements

As was announced by the President of the UN General Assembly during its Special Event in September, six meetings will be held in 2014 to operationalize the theme for the 68th session UN General Assembly: The post-2015 development agenda: setting the stage!

There will be three thematic debates and three high level events to enable Member States to begin the elaboration of the priority areas for the post-2015 development agenda, as well as a final high level “Stock-Taking” event.

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Post-2015 parliamentarians meeting

Sixty parliamentarians from 32 countries met at the Houses of Parliament in London from 26-28 November 2013. The purposes of the meeting were to:

• Express their commitment as parliamentarians from across the world to accelerate the process towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs);
• Exchange information, knowledge and examples of good practice with peers and international development experts;
• Build their capacity to ensure that good governance is at the core of the post-2015 development agenda; and
• Commit to holding governments to account to ensure that international commitments to development are implemented at local, national and regional levels

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Looking back at the Addis Conference on Family Planning in the context of the Post-2015 Development Agenda

It is just under a month since the International Conference on Family Planning took place in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.

One of the important issues discussed at the Conference was the Demographic Dividend. Tewodros Melesse, Director-General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) chaired a High Level Ministerial Discussion on this topic, in which several ministers participated. Click here for further information. 

During the Conference ActionAid,

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Sixth Session of the Open Working Group (OWG-6) begins in New York

The Sixth Session of the Open Working Group (OWG-6) takes place this week at the United Nations in New York.

The OWG will have before it three major items for discussion: Science, technology and innovation; the needs of  countries in special situations, African countries, LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS, as well as

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Call for endorsements: Human Rights for All Post-2015 — Deadline Tuesday 10 December 2013

The time is now to amplify our voice to ensure human rights are made real in the post-2015 sustainable development framework to succeed the MDGs! We are making headway, but the next few months before the September 2014 UN General Assembly will determine whether governments heed this call, or instead found the 21st century sustainable development framework on 'bracketed rights’ and broken promises.

In advance of the 6th Session of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals, a group of 70 governments charged with developing the SDGs, civil society organizations worldwide participating in an informal post-2015 human rights caucus have developed a joint statement (below) to urge governments to move beyond rhetoric and effectively align the post-2015 sustainable development framework with human rights norms.

We call on you endorse this joint statement by Tuesday 10 December by indicating your organization’s full name, acronym and country by clicking here.  Please also send your logo if you have one to lholland@cesr.org. 

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Outcome of the Regional Consultation Inclusive and Sustainable Development: Perspectives from Europe and Central Asia on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, Istanbul, 6-8 November 2013

The regional consultation Inclusive and Sustainable Development: Perspectives from Europe and Central Asia on the Post-2015 Development Agend was held from the 6-8 November 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey. It provided an opportunity to ensure the integration of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) into the regional priorities and to engage with other civil society organization (CSOs), including environmental and education organizations on related issues. 

CSO consultation:

The official consultation was preceded by a self-organised CSO consultation, which brought together more than 170 participants from the region

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Open Working Group, Sixth Session (OWG-6)

The 6^th Session of the Open Working Group (OWG-6), Monday 9 to Friday 13 December 2013, will have before it the following for consideration:

• Means of implementation (science and technology, knowledge-sharing and capacity building); Global partnership for achieving sustainable development
• Needs of countries in special situations; African countries, Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Land-Locked Developing Countries (LLDCs), and Small Island

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Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Earth Institute, Columbia University addresses OWG-5

Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Earth Institute, Columbia University addressed the Fifth Session of the Open Working Group (OWG-5 )on Sustained and inclusive economic growth, macroeconomic policy questions (including international, international financial system and external debt sustainability), infrastructure development and industrialization. He described the sustainable development goals (SDGs) as our ‘last best hope for finding the way forward’ and said that they should be “well-designed global goals that can make a powerful difference.” 

He referred specifically to the work of the

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Open Working Group, 5th Session Co-Chairs’ Summary bullet points

The Open Working Group concluded its 5^th Session (OWG-5) on Wednesday 27 November. Its discussions had focused on sustainable and inclusive economic growth, macroeconomic policy questions (including international trade, international financial system and external debt sustainability) and infrastructure development and industrialization and on energy.

The discussions were heavily focused on economic growth, although some countries referred specifically to social perspectives and social inclusion. For example Turkey,

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