High-Level Task Force for ICPD - CSW Event Press Statement

(March 7, New York) At a roundtable meeting on March 5 hosted by the High-Level Task Force for the International Conference on Population Development (ICPD), Government Ministers, delegates to the 57thCommission on the Status of Women (CSW), and representatives from UN agencies and non- governmental organizations—164 individuals representing 36 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East—shared recommendations for action around the event’s theme, Charting a Forward- Looking Agenda–Ending Violence Against Women and Girls and Fulfilling Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for All. 

The full press statement can be downloaded here.

UN Commission on the Status of Women will consider Key gender equality issues to be reflected in the post-2015 development framework

On Thursday 7 March 2013, a panel session will be held at the 57^th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women on Key gender issues to be reflected in the post-2015 development framework.

Among the speakers will be Amina Mohammed, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General on post-2015 development planning who will speak on
The post-2015 development agenda: Processes and opportunities; John Hendra, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director for Policy and Programme, UN Women, and Co-Chair, UNDG Task Force on MDGs who will address
 Gender equality and women’s rights at the center of the post-2015 development agenda; and Ms. Anita Nayar (India/USA), Executive Committee Member, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) 
whose topic is Gender equality and the post-2015 development framework: Perspectives from civil society.

The discussant is Ms. Caren Grown (USA), Economist in Residence, American University, and Senior Gender Advisor, U.S. Agency for International Development.

The issues paper for the session is attached.

Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals – latest information, 5 March 2013

The President of the General Assembly has appointed the Permanent Representatives of Hungary, HE Ambassador Csaba Körösi, and Kenya, HE Ambassador Macharia Kamau,  as the co-facilitators to prepare for the first meeting of the Open Working Group (OWG) on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). First, they will be facilitating consultations on the Group’s leadership, agenda, and programme of work and methods. The Permanent Representative of Brazil, HE Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, has also been invited to work with the co-facilitators. The first meeting of the OWG is expected to take place in mid-March. 

As already reported, countries are sharing their places on the OWG, with differing arrangements. It is important to remind your Government, if a member of the Group, that the expertise of civil society should be fully involved, in accordance with Future We Want, para 248. 

Going forward after the Thematic Consultations – Latest on the General Assembly Special Event

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

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URGENT -- Deadline for applications for CSOs Outreach during the Fourth UN High Level Panel Meeting on Post-2015 extended to 6 March 2013, 4.00 pm Jakarta Time (GMT+7)

The deadline has been extended to 6 March 2013, 4.00 pm Jakarta Time (GMT+7) for applications from national, regional, and global CSOs who want to participate in the upcoming CSOs Outreach during the Fourth UN High Level Panel Meeting on Post-2015 to be held in Bali, Indonesia. Interested organizations/networks/social movements should fill in this application form, and submit it to bali@infid.or.id. 

The fourth meeting of the High Level Panel will take place from 25 – 27 March 2013 under the theme of: “Global Partnership”. The first day of the HLP meeting will be an outreach and consultation day, where the Panel of Eminent Persons will take stock of key constituencies’ emerging positions and new evidence, including global CSOs.

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Recommendations from Countdown2015Europe to the High Level Health Consultation in Botswana 5-6 March

The health working group of the Countdown2015Europe has forwarded the attached recommendations to Swedish Government, as one of the co-chairs for the health consultation

The recommendations include addressing the health needs of women and girls from the start; universal access to sexual and reproductive health rights as the fast way forward; and equal access and equal rights as the right thing to do. In the framing of the future agenda for health they point to the importance of maximizing healthy life expectancy; low levels of risk factors; universal health coverage; and paying more attention to measuring decreasing social, cultural and legal barriers and national policies that prevent equal access to health services. 

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Sign on Letter on SRH and the next MDGs

In preparation for the forthcoming High Level Health Consultation in Botswana 5-6 March and the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons for Post 2015 meeting in Bali 25-7 March, IPPF is coordinating a sign on letter to present to delegates to  ask them to include SRH indicators in the health component of the next development framework.

Organizations wishing to the letter to go to the  Botswana meeting should note that no changes to the text can be accepted. 

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Latest news … Population Dynamics Outcome document just posted on website

A Call to Integrated Population Dynamics into the Post-2015 Development, Recommendations of the Global Thematic Consultation on Population Dynamics the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the outcome document for the Thematic Consultation has just been posted on the World We Want 2015 website. You are invited to review and add comments to the 40-page document.

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Latest information on Population Dynamics Thematic Consultation 26 February 2013

The Outcome Document from the Consultation (including inputs from Civil Society) is going to be made available for comment shortly. In the meantime, please make sure that you comment on the e-discussions that are still open. In addition to the Outcome Document, the Dhaka High Level Leadership Meeting will be negotiating the Dhaka Declaration, which is a policy document. It is important to find out if your Government is going to be represented at this meeting and, if so, through which Government Ministry. 

Population Dynamics Civil Society Consultation

Over 40 representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs) working in the following areas: population growth, sexual and reproductive health and rights, aging, migration and urbanization participated in a consultation convened in Geneva on 18-19 February, by the Governments of Bangladesh and India, UNFPA, International Organization for Migration, the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs and UN Habitat. The International Labour Organization and UNAIDS also were present at the meeting.

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