New Sustainable Development Initiative announced by UN Secretary-General

According to IPS (the Inter Press Service) the Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has announced the launch of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a new independent global network of research centres, universities and technical institutions to help find solutions for some of the world’s most pressing environmental, social and economic problems. It will work with a wide range of stakeholders, including business, civil society, UN agencies and other international organizations to identify and share the best solutions to achieve sustainable development.

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Update on Global Survey on relaunched ICPD Beyond 2014 website

The ICPD Beyond 2014 website has been re-launched and provides up-to-date information on the Global Survey process. It can be found on the Global Survey webpage with links to the Global Survey tool, Country Implementation Profiles and details of Regional Conferences on the UN Economic Commissions’ websites. Those for the UN Economic Commission for Europe and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific are currently active. 

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High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda appointed

The UN Secretary-General has appointed the other 23 members of the High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Framework. All members, who will serve in their personal capacities, are representatives of governments, the private sector, academia, civil society and youth, taking into account geographical and gender balance. The three co-chairs had been appointed: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia; President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia; and Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom.

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Putting it all together… (revised)

While ICPD Beyond 2014, as defined in GA Resolution 65/234, is centrally important for the future implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action, it cannot be viewed in isolation as several other initiatives are taking place in the period leading up to 2015 that may also have an important impact.

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ARROW report now available

ARROW has announced that its latest publication - "Action for Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights: Strategies for the Asia-Pacific beyond ICPD & the MDGs" the proceedings report of the meeting - Beyond ICPD and MDGs: NGOs Strategising for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the Asia-Pacific Region is available on its website. 

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Keeping our promises from the London Summit on Family Planning -- establishment of an independent Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) accountability reference group

Following the London Summit on Family Planning, held in July 2012, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) has announced that in order to hold themselves and the global community accountable for reaching the goal of giving access to family planning to 120 million girls and women in some of the world’s poorest countries by 2020, an independent Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) accountability reference group will be set up to ensure that they deliver their promises. This will involve a champions group to provide leadership at the highest level, mobilising additional commitments and maintaining political momentum. The group will be supported by a FP2020 task team which will have day-to-day responsibility for overseeing progress towards the summit's goals. Commitments made at the summit will be published in the next few weeks in an outcome document and added to the UN Secretary General’s ‘Every Woman Every Child’ website. 

Call for abstracts — Global Maternal Health Conference 2013: Improving quality of care

GMHC2013 is a technical conference for scientists, researchers, and policy-makers to network, share knowledge, and build on progress toward eradicating preventable maternal mortality and morbidity by improving quality of care.

The conference is co-sponsored by Management and Development for Health, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and the Maternal Health Task Force at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA.

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Maria Jose Alcalá appointed Director of the Secretariat for the High Level Task Force for ICPD

The High Level Task Force (HLTF), which is co-chaired by former Presidents Tarja Halonen of Finland and Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique has appointed Maria Jose Alcalá as the Director of its Secretariat. 

The Task Force will help to “galvanize political will to support and advance the ICPD and subsequent agreements on sexual and reproductive health and rights as part of the ICPD+20 and MDGs+15 review processes and the follow-up work on Rio+20”. It will produce a position paper based on wide national and international consultations to provide “a bold strategic vision that will be used to inspire both government leaders and civil society to mobilize the strongest possible support for sexual and reproductive rights in the ICPD+20, MDGs+15, and the post 2015 development agenda.”

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Beyond 2015 – creating a post-2015 development framework

Updated on Tuesday, December 18, 2012 at 6:42PM by Richard

Currently, the UN Development Group (UNDG) is facilitating national post-2015 consultations in over 50 countries to stimulate discussion amongst national stakeholders (government representatives, NGOs, civil society, community-based organizations (CBOs), indigenous peoples, women’s and social movements, youth and children, and the private sector) and to gather inputs and ideas for a shared global vision of The Future We Want.  The consultations are taking place between June 2012 and the end of the first quarter of 2013. The results of the country consultations are expected to have been recorded by June 2013 to be included in a global UNDG report that is expected to inform the post-2015 discussions.

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Register for Women Deliver

Registration is now open for the 3rd Women Deliver Global Conference through the www.wd2013.org website. Early bird registration is available un to 31 January 2013. 

More than 5,000 participants are expected to attend from over 150 countries. The website also gives up-to-date information on the programme including the Plenaries and Sessions and the Forums and Satellite Events — the Ministers Forum; the Parliamentarians Forum and the Partner Events and Meetings.

All sessions will relate to the overarching themes of Investing in Girls and Women; Reducing Unmet Need; and Looking to 2015 and Beyond