Urgent deadlines

(a) 27 April deadline for May 2015 UN General Assembly interactive hearings for the Post-2015 Development Agenda

We wish to remind you that the deadline for speaking during the two full days of interactive hearings for stakeholders in informal interactive dialogue with Member States on 26-27 May at UN Headquarters in New York is 27 April. See posting: Apply to speak at the 26-27 May 2015 United Nations General Assembly interactive hearings for the Post-2015 Development Agenda

These hearings come at a particularly important time: right after the conclusion of the "stocktaking" part of the inter-governmental negotiations on post-2015, and days before the release of the zero draft,

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World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings Address Climate Change, FfD and Post-2015 Development Agenda

(Based on report by IISD Reporting Services)

The World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) addressed a range of issues including financing for development (FfD) and the post-2015 development agenda at their annual Spring Meetings, 17-19 April 2015, in Washington DC.

Addressing the Spring Meetings, the UN Secretary-General emphasized that financing will be key for creating and unveiling an ambitious post-2015 development agenda and that the public and private sectors will need to cooperate to create incentives and regulatory frameworks to encourage long-term sustainable development.  He also called for “a paradigm shift in financing sustainable development.”...

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Post-2015 joint FfD and post-2015 session, 21-24 April — No 3: Interactive dialogue with civil society

Statement by Jennifer Vinas-Forcade, Alianza Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Juventudes (LAC Youth Alliance), Post 2015 Intergovernmental Negotiations, April 23^rd

Good morning. On behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean Youth Alliance as part of the Youth Leadership Working Group, I am grateful for this opportunity. 

It was not easy to prepare a statement for this week’s negotiations. After all, what are we really talking about when we speak of “implementation”? And when we use terms like “partnerships”, “empowerment”, “participation”, “investment”, a “transformative” and “universal” agenda? The overuse of these UN jargon “keywords” has turned them into “buzzwords”, emptying them of meaning...

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Post-2015 joint FfD and post-2015 session, 21-24 April – No 2: Opening statements

The joint FfD and post-2015 session was opened on 21 April by Co-facilitator, Ambassador David Donoghue, who stressed its importance within the overall project. The two processes must work together with two headline adjectives, namely ‘universal’ and ‘ambitious’. ‘Universal’ included the recognition of different nationalities and capacities, while ‘ambitious’ should be tempered with realism. Ambition should be considered in the context of sustainable development and a universal agenda, and Member States should be willing to back up political will with real changes. There should be a willingness to mobilize all stakeholders, including ordinary citizens, in a comprehensive agenda. 

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Next steps on Indicators, based on briefing for NGOs by Stephan Schweinfest, Director of UN Statistics Division

On Monday 20 April  Stephan Schweinfest, Director of the UN Statistics Division (UNSD), accompanied by Francesca Perucci gave a briefing for NGOs.

First Francesca Perucci spoke on the transition from the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) to the sustainable development goals (SDG) indicators, including the work of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group (IAEG).

Recapping on the outcome of the political negotiations in March on the approval of the Statistical Commission roadmap, it should be noted that the Statistical Commission is in charge of the process. It is therefore a technical, not a political process. They also require more time than originally thought and are aiming at a draft by Dec 2015. 

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Statements on gender equality in Second drafting session for the Addis Conference on FfD and the ECOSOC high-level meeting on sustainable development

As stated previously (See: Second drafting session for the Addis Ababa Conference on Financing for Development (FfD3) – day 5) a cross-regional statement was made by Switzerland on behalf of over 30 countries, highlighting the importance of integrating gender equality and women’s empowerment strongly in every section of the FfD3 outcome.

In addition, a statement, including a strong reference to gender equality, was made by Sweden in the ECOSOC high-level meeting on sustainable development.

Training workshop on the participation of civil society in intergovernmental processes related to sustainable development and the agenda for after 2015

On May 4, 2015, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations (DESA) Division for Sustainable Development (DSD) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will hold a capacity building workshop on the participation of civil society in intergovernmental processes related to sustainable development and the post 2015 agenda. The workshop will be held in ECLAC headquarters in Santiago (Chile).

Participants in the workshop will also have the opportunity to put into practice the knowledge acquired during the workshop at the first meeting of the Negotiating Committee for Principle 10. Civil society is invited to participate in both events.

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Summary of the second drafting session of the outcome document of the Third International Conference On FfD

iisd Reporting Services' summary of the second drafting session of the outcome document of the Third International Conference On Financing For Development is now available to download. 

Registration / application for special accreditation REQUIRED to attend for the 26-27 May post-2015 hearings — deadline 12 May

Please be informed that registration IS NOW OPEN for the informal interactive hearings of the General Assembly with non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, major groups and the private sector in preparation for the United Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda.

1) Organizations with any of the following accreditation need to simply register, by clicking here:...

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Post-2015 joint FfD and post-2015 session, 21-24 April – No 1

Summary of Background Note on Technology Facilitation Mechanism 

The background note on Possible arrangements for a technology facilitation mechanism and other science, technology and innovation issues has been posted on the Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform, together with the Summary of the General Assembly Structured Dialogues on Possible arrangements for a facilitation mechanism to promote the development, transfer and dissemination of clean and environmentally sound technologies in preparation for the discussions on the Technology facilitation mechanism that will take place on Wednesday.

The importance of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) for sustainable development was first emphasized in Agenda 21 adopted at the Earth Summit in 1992. The Rio+20 outcome document The Future We Want, in the section on Means of Implementation, (para 273) calls for “assessing the technology needs of developing countries, options to address those needs and capacity building.”

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