Draft Strategy on "Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality" – Open for Comments

Recently, the WHO’s Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM) Working Group released a draft paper which is designed to help set consensus and strategies for maternal and neonatal health in the post-2015 agenda. The draft paper “Strategies toward ending preventable maternal mortality” is now online and open for discussion through the World Health Organization (WHO) website. A companion piece to the Every Newborn Action Plan, the paper is the result of efforts by WHO’s Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM) Working Group to address the direct and indirect causes of maternal mortality and morbidity in a post-Millennium Development Goals world...

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Deadline extended for World We Want 2015 consultation on culture and development

The deadline for the Culture and Development consultation, organized by UNFPA, UNESCO and UNDP, has been extended to 8 August 2915, It is one of six dialogues on implementation of the evolving Post-2015 development agenda which will follow the MDGs (Millenium Development Goals) and contributes to the second phase of consultations, following the global, national and online thematic consultations held in 2012-13. 

Further details on the consultation are available here: World We Want 2015 consultation on culture and development.

Common Africa Position on the Post 2015 Development Agenda

In June 2014 the African Union officially launched the Common African Position (CAP) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It sets out recommendations as to what should replace the existing Millennium Development Goals and was developed by an African Union High Level Committee, chaired by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, following an agreement of the members of the African Union during its 22nd Ordinary Session “to speak with one voice and to act in unity” in the development of the post-2015 development agenda.  

The CAP takes note of the various international initiatives that had already taken place, including the work of the United Nations task Team (UNTT), the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons and the outcome of the 2013 UN General Assembly Special Event on the MDGs. They also acknowledged the outcome document from the UN Conference on Sustainable Development Conference -- The Future We Want -- and the related processes subsequently developed -- the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals; the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing; and the High-Level Political Forum. It also made specific reference to the Africa Regional Consultation on the Sustainable Development Goals...

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Civil Society submissions for President of General Assembly’s upcoming High-level Stock-taking Event on Post-2015 Development Agenda

The following request to provide written input for PGA's Stock-taking on the Post-2015 Development Agenda was received from UN-NGLS:

Dear Colleagues,

At the request of the Office of the President of the General Assembly (OPGA), the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS) has set up an online form for civil society organizations to submit written comments on the subjects to be addressed in the PGA's upcoming High-level Stock-taking Event on the Post-2015 Development Agenda taking place at UN Headquarters on 11-12 September...

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Interactive dialogue with Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing

An interactive dialogue for non-state actors with members of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing (ICESDF) will be held on Tuesday 5 August from 10.00 am – 1.00 pm EST in Conference Room 1 at UN Headquarters, New York. It will inform the fifth plenary session of the ICESDF, which meets from 4-8 August.

As mandated in The Future We Want, the outcome document of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio + 20), the fifth session of the Committee with be finalizing its report proposing options to the UN General Assembly on “an effective sustainable development financing strategy to facilitate the mobilization of resources and their effective use in achieving sustainable development objectives.”...

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Proposed SDGs and Target – Civil Society Reactions

As reported in the IISD Post-2015 Policy & Practice a number of Major Groups and civil society organizations have reacted to the final outcome of the Open Working Group (OWG) on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as agreed at the end of the 13th session (OWG 13). The majority of reactions suggest the outcome is a significant step forward, while highlighting specific concerns... 

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Ministerial Declaration of the 2014 high-level segment of ECOSOC and the high-level political forum, convened under the auspices of the Council

A Ministerial Declaration was agreed at the end of the 2014 high-level segment (Annual Ministerial Review) of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the high-level political forum (HLPF), which was convened under the auspices of the Council. 

The theme for the Annual Ministerial Review was “Addressing ongoing and emerging challenges for meeting the Millennium Development Goals in 2015 and for sustaining development gains in the future” and for the HLPF “Achieving the Millennium Development Goals and charting the way for an ambitious post-2015 development agenda, including the sustainable development goals.”...

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IISD analysis of 13th session of the UN General Assembly’s Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals

The IISD has posted its analysis of the 13th session of the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

The OWG completed its mandate following three complete readings of drafts of the proposed SDGs and associated targets during the  “informal-informal” consultations three days prior to OWG-13, from 9-11 July, and the informal sessions of OWG-13 over the course of the five-day meeting. On Saturday, 19 July 2014, following an all-night session, the final formal session of OWG-13 convened at 10:30...

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PGA's Interactive Meeting with Civil Society in Advance of the High-level Stocktaking Event on the Post-2015 Development Agenda

The following email has been received from Susan Alzner, UN NGLS about the above mentioned meeting for civil society:

On Tuesday, 26 August 2014 from 1:15 – 2:30 pm at UN Headquarters in New York, H.E. John W. Ashe, the President of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, will host an interactive meeting with civil society representatives for the 11-12 September High-level Stocktaking Event on the Post-2015 Development Agenda... 

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Open Working Group adopts Outcome Document on Sustainable Development Goals

After long negotiations, including a marathon session that continued until lunch time of Saturday 19 July, the General Assembly Open Working Group (OWG) adopted by acclamation the outcome document with its proposals for the goals and targets for the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

While it would be true to say that no government got exactly what it wanted and that there were serious concerns with the text, there was general agreement not to open up the final version of the text and to adopt it without any amendments... 

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