UNECA Review Conference Harnessing the Demographic Dividend: The future we want for Africa

The upcoming ICPD regional review conference in Africa — Harnessing the Demographic Dividend: The future we want for Africa will be held in Addis Ababa, 30 September- 4 October.

This meeting is a regional review of the status of the implementation of the ICPD programme of Action in the Africa region. The conference is hosted by United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and African Union Congress (AUC), who are holding an experts and governmental meeting.

Registration to participate in this conference is now open.

Countdown to UN General Assembly Special Event, 25 September 2013 No 7

Latest information on the UN General Assembly Special Event

Further information has been made available on the Special Event, which is being held in the Trusteeship Council Chamber and Conference Room 2.

Opening session: Opening remarks will be given by HE Mr John Ashe, President of the General Assembly; the UN Secretary-General; the President of the European Commission; the Prime Minister of Fiji, on behalf of the Group of 77; the US Secretary of State; the Foreign Minister of Belarus; the President of the World Bank; the Administrator of UNDP; Jeffrey Sachs, Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on the MDGs; Bill and Melinda Gates; and Barbara Martinez, Latin American and Caribbean Network of Young People living with HIV.

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Countdown to UN General Assembly Special Event, 25 September 2013 No 6

The Countdown to the UN General Assembly Special Event postings to date have focused on specific meetings or documents. This posting will bring together the some of the other events that involve the private sector and CSOs and are taking place around the Special Event.

An important resource in keeping up-to-date on them is the List of Events related to the Special Event to follow up on the efforts made towards achieving the MDGs, September 2013, New York on the Beyond2015UK bond website. You are advised to check it regularly as the information is constantly changing.

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Countdown to UN General Assembly Special Event, 25 September 2013 No 5

Arrangements for the UN General Assembly Special Event

Information on the arrangements for the Special event of the President of the General Assembly to follow up the efforts made to achieve the Millennium Development Goals is set out in a UN Information Note for delegations, A/INF/68/4, paras 41 – 44, together with those for other high-level meetings that are taking place at the UN between 23 September and 4 October.

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Countdown to UN General Assembly Special Event, 25 September 2013 No 4

Millennium Development Goal success: accelerating action and partnering for impact, High-level Forum, 23 September 2013

Millennium Development Goal success: accelerating action and partnering for impact is the topic for a high-level forum, hosted by the UN Secretary-General, to be held on 23 September 2013 from 10.00 to 18.00 hours, in the Trusteeship Council Chamber.

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Countdown to UN General Assembly Special Event, 25 September 2013 No 3

High-level Political Forum to support sustainable development

According to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, as reported in DESA News, Heads of State and Government will now meet every four years as the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) to ensure that commitment to sustainable development remains at the highest level.

The HLPF, which was called for in the Future We Want, the outcome document of the UN Sustainable Development Conference (Rio + 20), will hold its inaugural meeting on 24 September, the day before the General Assembly Special Event. It will aim to advance sustainable development by providing political leadership and guidance and setting a focused, dynamic and action-oriented agenda and will replace the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD).

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Countdown to UN General Assembly Special Event, 25 September 2013 No 2

Updated on Saturday, September 7, 2013 at 8:53AM by Richard

Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing begins its work

In accordance with General Assembly decision 67/559, the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing held its first meeting from 28-30 August 2013 at UN Headquarters in New York.

The Committee, which comprises of 30 members is an outcome of the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development. It is expected to prepare a report proposing options on an effective sustainable development financing strategy and to conclude its work by 2014. It is also tasked with assessing financing needs, considering the effectiveness, consistency and synergies of existing instruments and frameworks and evaluating additional initiatives. Drawing on technical support from the UN System, the Committee is expected to hold open and broad consultations with relevant international and regional financial institutions and other stakeholders.

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Countdown to UN General Assembly Special Event, 25 September 2013 No 1

Report of the UN Secretary-General — A life of dignity for all: accelerating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and advancing the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015

The long awaited report of the UN Secretary-General, A life of dignity for all: accelerating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and advancing the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015, (A/68/202) has been published. While it is a report that the Secretary-General is mandated to provide each year, it also serves as a key document in the preparations for the UN General Assembly Special Event, both in reporting on progress in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and in making recommendations for further steps to advance the post-2015 development agenda.

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ECLAC: Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development

We have received the following from the International Planned Parenthood Federation:

The Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development was adopted on August 15 by official representatives from 38 member countries and associate members of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), who participated at the First Session of the Regional Conference on Population and Development in LAC, in Montevideo, Uruguay from 12 to 15 August.  More than 800 people participated, bringing together 24 regional and international agencies and approximately 260 NGOs.  

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Good news from ECLAC's meeting

The 1st session of the ECLAC's Conference on Population and Development concluded with a historic agreement that among other things recognize and define Sexual Right, make a commitment to implement comprehensive sexuality education programs and ensure access to youth friendly services, ask governments to consider reviewing the laws that criminalize abortion, among many other things.

The outcome document is currently available and can be downloaded here: 

• English
• Spanish