High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, statement by Frances Zainoeddin of the Gray Panthers NY

Statement At The Opening Of The High-Level Political Forum On Sustainable Development - Strengthening integration, implementation and review – the HLPF after 2015 Friday, 26 June 2015 as presented by Frances Zainoeddin of the Gray Panthers NY

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High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development begins its work

The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), with the theme  Strengthening integration, implementation and review – the HLPF after 2015  began its work today and will continue until 8 July.

As set out in the Integrated Programme speakers in the opening plenary included Martin Sajdik, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); Rudolf Hundstorfer, Federal Ministry for Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection, Austria and Thomas Gass, on behalf of the UN Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs. Representatives from Major Groups and other Stakeholders, Kadir Topbaş, Mayor of Istanbul and President of UCLG;...

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Post-2015 development agenda intergovernmental negotiations, 22-25 June No 3: Civil society statements

The statements below were among those given during the meeting with Major Groups and other Stakeholders:

• Marianne Haslegrave, Commonwealth Medical Trust, on behalf of members of the Post-2015 Health Coalition
• Hendrica Okondo from Kenya, speaking on behalf of civil society organizations from all regions
• Marisa Viana, Women’s Major Group and Realizing Sexual and Reproductive Justice (RESURJ)
• Micah Grzywnowicz speaking on behalf of a Post-2015 SOGI constituency 

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Civil society speakers selected for United Nations President of General Assembly's 29 June 2015 High-level Event on Climate Change

At the request of the Office of the President of the UN General Assembly, UN-NGLS facilitated a nomination process to identify 3 civil society speakers for the President's High-level Event on Climate Change. The event will take place on 29 June 2015 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. 

The President of the General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Sam Kahamba Kutesa, has now selected the following civil society speakers:...

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Mogens Lykketoft of Denmark is elected President of the upcoming 70th session of the UN General Assembly

The United Nations General Assembly has elected Mogens Lykketoft of Denmark, as President of its upcoming 70th session by acclamation. 

Mr. Lykketoft, who has served both as Denmark’s Foreign and Finance Ministers, declared in addressing the Assembly that his Presidency would be marked by a “commitment to action” towards building “a more fair and stable world” in line with the objectives set out by the UN Millennium Development Goals. The three priorities that, he said, would define his mandate, including a commitment to action, a surge in UN efforts to cement international peace and security, and a clear effort to support further progress for human rights...

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Post-2015 development agenda intergovernmental negotiations, 22-25 June No 3: more information on possibilities for civil society inputs

As can be seen in the draft programme for the intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda, there will be a meeting with Major Groups and other Stakeholders on the morning of Wednesday 24 June. Civil society is being invited to comment on two parts of the zero draft, namely the Declaration and the follow-up and review. 

In order to have your views be included in the process please note the following information that has been circulated by DESA-DSD and UN-NGLS on 16 June:...

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Major Groups and Other Stakeholders Workshop on Governance, Transparency and Accountability, 18-19 June

A two day workshop is being coordinated by the HLPF Working Group in collaboration with UN DESA-DSD to discuss ways in which the mechanism of Major Groups and other Stakeholders (MGoS) could be adapted to best function in the context of the review architecture to be put in place for the sustainable development agenda at the national, regional and global levels, including the HLPF as well as the other platforms where the review of post-2015 is expected to occur. (The WMG, like all the Major Groups and interested other stakeholders, is part of the HLPF Working Group.)...

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Third drafting session for the preparatory process for the Third International Conference on Financing for Development FfD 3) begins in New York

In accordance with General Assembly resolution 68/279, informal meetings of the plenary as part of the preparatory process for the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (third drafting session) are taking place at the UN in New Your, from today, Monday, 15 June, to Friday, 19 June 2015. The session is being chaired by Co-Facilitators George Talbot, Permanent Representative of Guyana, and Geir Pedersen, Permanent Representative of Norway.

This session follows the Third Additional Session, which was held from 1-5 June 2015. Throughout this five-day session, which was an informal meeting of the plenary, delegates completed the second reading of the revised FfD3 draft outcome document, which they had begun during the second additional session...

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UN Statistics Division issues IAEG-SDGs draft main conclusions for meeting, 1-2 June 2015

Following the first meeting of the Inter-agency and Expert Group on the Sustainable Development Goal Indicators (IAEG-SDGs), the UN Statistics Division (UNSD), as its Secretariat, has issued the draft version of the main conclusions of the meeting, which took place on 1-2 June 2015 (See: Meeting of the UN Statistical Commission Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goals, 1-2 June 2015. They were circulated to members of the group for their review on 5 June 2015.

In the draft conclusions, the IAEG-SDGs agreed that global indicators should be limited in number, while including multi-purpose indicators that address several targets at the same time. Some targets might require multiple indicators, and the need to address the issue of disaggregation systematically and “to leave no one behind” is recognized...

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Post-2015 development agenda intergovernmental negotiations, 22-25 June No 2: Further information

The intergovernmental negotiations (IGN) in June will consider the Zero draft of the outcome document for the UN Summit to adopt the Post-2015 Development Agenda, dated June 8. The eight sessions will open with one on general statements and the declaration, followed by a session devoted to the declaration; two sessions on the goals and targets; a meeting with Major Groups and other stakeholders; two sessions on follow-up and review; one on means of implementation; and a closing session.

With this draft programme before the IGN, it is most likely that there will be more general comments on the various parts of the zero draft, rather than more detailed or line-by-line negotiations. This could then take place in July.

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