Open Working Group Co-Chairs circulate revised zero draft

The revised zero draft on the Introduction and proposed goals and targets on sustainable development for the post2015 development agenda were circulated yesterday by the Co-Chairs. These will form the basis for the eight days negotiations that remain for the 13th session of the Open Working Group (OWG).

In their accompanying letter the Co-Chairs said: “We have adjusted the document to more closely reflect areas of agreement and expressed priorities. We have also sought to simplify and harmonize the phrasing of some of the goals. And, as promised, we have tightened the draft by substantially consolidating the number of targets.”

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PMNCH Partners Forum: Parallel Session 4E

July 2014 • 2.30 pm - 3.40 pm

Join us for an interactive chat show style discussion at parallel session 4E of the PMNCH Partners Forum. Coupling recent scientific evidence with experience, panellists will present the need for SRHR and family planning to be directly included in the post-2015 agenda from the perspectives of health, equity, human rights, poverty alleviation, gender, and youth. and especially on improved maternal, newborn, and child health.

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PMHCH 2014 Partners’ Forum begins in Johannesburg, South Africa:

Now it is in our hands

The 2014 Partners’ Forum for the Partnership on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) opened today in Johannesburg, with delegates gathered to consider all that still needs to be done in the next 500 days for women’s and children’s health.

Following video messages from former US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton and Ban Ki Moon, United Nations Secretary General, Mrs Graça Machel, PMNCH Chair and African Ambassador for A Promised Renewed, opened the Forum saying “we come with a united message that the needless deaths of women, newborns and children must stop“. She spoke of the importance of using this moment to draw on the lessons learned from the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to date and in looking forward to the next 500 days ahead. She remarked that contributions from unique partnerships such as PMNCH as well as individual contribution and accountability are vital and urged participants to create a social pact to save every single life possible in every single country. “We must do more and we must do better”, she said, “we must push and push then push some more, we have 500 days, every day accounts, every action counts and every life counts”.

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Report of International Conference on Human Rights

In conformity with General Assembly resolution 65/234 and the related concept note for the ICPD beyond 2014 review, the ICPD Beyond 2014 International Conference on Human Rights was held in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, from 7 to 10 July 2013. 

Organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Government of the Netherlands, the conference brought together over 300 participants from 127 UN Member States, civil society organizations, academia, parliamentarians, human rights defenders, young people, and service providers, as well as United Nations agencies. 

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Next steps for the work of the OWG in developing the Sustainable Development Goals

During the meeting with civil society organizations on Wednesday 18 June, Ambassador Kamau, OWG Co-Chair, gave an explanation of his expectations of the process going forward. 

He stressed that the document would need to be shrunk without losing any of the “good suggestions.” These suggestions, even if they are not included in the limited number of targets, will be available when we move into intergovernmental negotiations in the General Assembly setting. They would also be useful when member states plan their national development strategies. The issue now was to work to strategize and “squeeze them down.”

Looking at interlinkages, it was absolutely important to understand that we have an integrated agenda for what are often “three-dimensional goals.” The next iteration will include what has come from the informal process, after which it will then be necessary to go through the same exercise again, looking for concise language.

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Summary of 12th Session of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (OWG-12) as it relates to sexual and reproductive health and rights

Informal consultations: The 12^th session of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (OWG-12) was preceded by “informal-informal” consultations on 9-11 June 2014, at UN Headquarters in New York, as previously announced by the Co-Chairs. They focused on options for merging goal areas; views on the 17 goal headings contained in the zero draft; and the targets proposed under goal areas 1-6.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights were discussed under Proposed Goal 3: Attain healthy life for all at all ages as part of health in general and under Goal 5:  Attain gender equality, empower women and girls everywhere under gender equality and the empowerment of women.

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Civil society cluster statement on Proposed Goal 3 of the OWG: Attain healthy life for all at all ages at OWG-12

A presentation on behalf of the Women’s Major Group, the Major Group on Children and Youth and others was given during the civil society session of OWG-12 on 18 June 2014.

In the statement a number of proposals were made including  the inclusion of the right to health in the chapeau and a revision for target 3.1 to “by 2030 eliminate preventable maternal mortality and reduce morbidity.”

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Next steps for the work of the OWG in developing the Sustainable Development Goals

During the meeting with civil society organizations on Wednesday 18 June, Ambassador Kamau, OWG Co-Chair, gave an explanation of his expectations of the process going forward. 

He stressed that the document would need to be shrunk without losing any of the “good suggestions.” These suggestions, even if they are not included in the limited number of targets, will be available when we move into intergovernmental negotiations in the General Assembly setting. They would also be useful when member states plan their national development strategies. The issue now was to work to strategize and “squeeze them down.”

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Cross regional statement for annual full-day discussion on women’s rights during the 26th Human Rights Council

This statement was delivered by the Netherlands on behalf of Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Slovenia, Iceland, Italy, Finland, France, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Uruguay at the annual full-day discussion on women’s rights during the 26th Human Rights Council:

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Briefing from Co-chairs for Civil Society at beginning of 12th session of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (OWG-12)

Ambassador Kamau at the beginning of  Co-Chairs meeting with civil society organizations at the12^th session of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (OWG-12) on Monday 16 June, said that the informal informals had been “amazingly interesting and dynamic.” Grand-standing was now over and this had allowed for significant progress. There had been positive responses from Member States, which had given the Co-Chairs “a lot of comfort”.

The full session of OWG-12 beginning at 10.00 would pick up from where they had left off last time. It was important to get a sense of how Member States felt as to where they now were. There were only 10 days left for the work of the OWG and even if there are continued informal sessions, they only had until 19 July to complete it. 

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