Inaugural session of Financing for Development Forum

As reported by IISD, the inaugural session of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) forum on financing for development follow-up (FfD Forum) was held in New York on Monday 18 April with discussions on current global economic challenges, including slow economic growth and massive waves of forced migration, the need for concerted action, and innovative development financing options, as well as on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA)...

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Resolution on universal health coverage before World Health Assembly

Resolution EB138.R5 on “Strengthening essential public health functions in support of the achievement of universal health coverage” will be discussed at the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May.

It acknowledges that Goal 3 “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its 13 health targets and other health-related targets and goals will require strong intersectoral action. It reaffirms that target 3.8 on universal health coverage (UHC), in particular, will contribute to ending poverty and fighting inequality and injustice and defines what is implied by UHC,...

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Health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – Report by the Secretariat

Following the 138^th Session of the Executive Board and adoption of resolution EB138.R5, the WHO Secretariat has issued an updated version of the paper on Health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (A69/15). (See: WHO Paper Recommends ‘Governance for Health’ to Achieve SDGs and WHO Executive Board consideration of Health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development)

The birth of the Sustainable Development Goals

The paper highlights the differences between the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs), outlining some areas that it considers to be of strategic importance to global health. It also includes possible changes...

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Introduction to the 2030 Agenda: A New Agenda for a Sustainable World

We have received the following from UNITAR: 

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research is pleased to announce the launch of a new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on the 2030 Agenda and its related Sustainable Development Goals: “Introduction to the 2030 Agenda: A New Agenda for a Sustainable World”...

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Register for the High-level Mid-Term Review of the Istanbul Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries, Antalya, Turkey

We have received the following information from UN-NGLS:

27-29 May 2016

The High-level Mid-Term Review of the Istanbul Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries will take place in Antalya, Turkey from 27-29 May.

Civil society representatives wishing to participate are invited to express their interest by applying here by 25 April 2016: http://www.unngls.org/index.php/ldc-mid-term-review/registration...

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EGM for CSOs on review and implementation of the 2030 Agenda

UN DESA Division for Sustainable Development will organize an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on 19 April 2016 in New York to provide an opportunity for Major Groups and other Stakeholders, along with invited experts, to discuss how to ensure their effective participation and contribution to the review and implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda in the HLPF, building on the extensive provisions contained in resolution 67/290...

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Forum on financing for development follow-up, 18-20 April 2016 – latest update

The President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has circulated a note on arrangements for the 2016 Economic and Social Council forum on financing for development follow up.

The forum is being held in accordance with General Assembly resolution 69/313. Its modalities of participation are those used for international conferences on finances for development from 18-20 April 2016. The overall theme for the meeting, as decided in the ECOSOC decision 2016/11, will be: “Financing for sustainable development: follow up to the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA)”. It will be chaired by the ECOSOC President and include:...

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First review of draft NGO Position Paper for HLPF 2016

The following email has been received from Jeffery Huffines, CIVICUS:

TO UN DESA NGO MAJOR GROUP & OTHER STAKEHOLDERS

Like last year, the nine major groups and other stakeholders have been invited to submit position papers related to the theme of this year's HLPF "Ensuring that no one is left behind" to be compiled, translated into the 6 official UN languages, and issued as a formal document at the 2016 HLPF. Each paper is to consist of no more than 2,800 words due by Monday, 25 April 2016...

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Technology Facilitation Mechanism: join online discussion/webinar for MGoS

Global online discussion on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs that will be open for one month from 4 April 2016. The discussion will feed directly into the first multi-stakeholder forum on STI for the SDGs which will take place from 6-7 June 2016 in New York. For more information please visit: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/TFM/STIForum/OnlineDiscussion

Webinar on Friday, 8 April 2016, at 11 am (NY time), to provide an update to representatives of Major Groups and Other Stakeholders on the TFM. Ms. Elenita (Neth) Daño, Asia Director of the ETC Group and member of the 10-member UN group to support the TFM, will join the webinar...

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IAEG-SDGs - Day 3

Agenda item 8 – Metadata compilation for global SDG indicators

The open session started with a discussion on metadata compilation for global SDGs.  Insofar as this is a global reporting exercise, a standardized template will be sent to agencies and individual agencies will collect the metadata from countries. 

This template will address, for example, goals and targets; definition of indicators  and methods of computation; rationale and interpretation; disaggregation;  sources and data collection; comments and limitations; current data availability / indicator tier; responsible entities; data collection and data reference calendar; treatment of missing values; sources of differences between global and national figures; regional and global estimates & data collection for global monitoring; references...

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