IAEG meeting begins in Bangkok to discuss indicators for SDGs – new documents available

The Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goals will begin its second session in Bangkok with two new documents to guide its work.

The first document is Results of Questionnaire on Summary of Comments by IAEG Members, Including Indicator Groupings. This document contains the summary of the inputs by members of the IAEG on proposed indicators, based on three questions posed to them as to whether they support suggested modifications, additional indicator proposals, or whether they have strong concerns about the suggestions made. Based on their replies the indicators have been grouped under three colours:...

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2030 SD Agenda: Questionnaire on coherent, efficient and inclusive follow-up and review at the global level

Deadline: 15 November 2015

The following letter has been received from Lotta Tahtinen, DESA-DSD

Dear Colleagues, 

As you are aware, in paragraph 90. of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, Member States requested the Secretary-General, in consultation with Member States, to prepare a report, for consideration at the current 70th session of the General Assembly in preparation for the 2016 meeting of the HLPF which outlines critical milestones towards coherent, efficient and inclusive follow-up and review at the global level...

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Programme for CSO Consultations with the 2nd Committee

The  informal consultations with NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC on the agenda and work of the Second Committee will take place TODAY, 22 October 2015, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM in Conference Room 2, at the United Nations Headquarters. Attached is the agenda for the meeting. For further information please visit: http://www.un.org/en/ga/second/70/csocons22oct.pdf.

This is a first consultation of its kind with the Second Committee, and a unique opportunity for civil society to share its distinctive perspective and concrete inputs to Member States' deliberations on the Committee's agenda and work in order to better respond to the challenges of implementing the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. 

Website for IAEG updated

The IAEG websitehas been updated with the latest version of the agenda for the Bangkok meeting.

In addition the responses to the Questionnaire on Indicator Proposals, from a number of Member States, have been posted under the 'Documents' tab.

Second Committee Debates Priorities for 70th Session

As reported by IISD, the implementation of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) were major concerns for consideration in the work of the Second Committee during the 70^th session of the General Assembly. There was also general consensus that the Committee should reinforce the need for a strong and meaningful outcome at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in Paris, France, in December 2015. The General Debate took place from 7-9 October 2015, beginning with a keynote address and group statements...

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Extension of deadline (now 25 October) Technology facilitation mechanism: Call for nominations for 10 representatives of civil society, the private sector and the scientific community to work with the UN inter-agency task team

Forwarding an update from DESA-DSD:

Dear All, 

Regarding the call for nominations for the 10 representatives of civil society, the private sector and the scientific community to work with the UN inter-agency task team as part of the new Technology Facilitation Mechanism, please be advised that the deadline has been extended to midnight on Sunday, 25 October. 

For further information please see: Technology facilitation mechanism: nominations for 10 reps of civil society, private sector and scientific community (deadline 9 October)

Alignment with 2030 Agenda and the exchange of views with civil society discussions in UN General Assembly Second Committee

As reported by IISD, the UN General Assembly Second Committee (Economic and Financial) has been discussing aligning its work with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

Andrej Logar (Slovenia), Second Committee Chair, in opening the session stressed the need for complementarity and for ensuring that the Committee's work is fully aligned with the "integrated vision of" the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA). He also posed questions as to whether the current structure of the Committee's agenda supports the three pillars of sustainable development; whether it covers the main aspects of the 2030 Agenda; whether sustainable development could become the framework for the agenda; and how the Committee should conduct its work in relation with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), and the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF)...

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UNGA 70: Second Committee focuses on 2030 implementation

As reported by IIED, the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) of the UN General Assembly's (UNGA) is focusing on issues related to the implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The General Debate,7-9 October, will be followed by a discussion of the Committee's working methods on 9 October.

Ambassador Andrej Logar Slovenia, Chair of the Committee, stressed the need to define a bold and ambitious action plan forits work, in line with the 2030 Agenda. Items to be considered include: eradication of poverty; macroeconomic policy questions, to be guided by the AAAA; supporting countries in special situations; information and communication technologies (ICTs) for development;...

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Apply to speak at the Informal Consultations with NGOs on the agenda and work of the Second Committee - 22 October 2015

TO NGOS, MAJOR GROUPS & OTHER STAKEHOLDERS 

We received a briefing this afternoon on the Second Committee GA 70th Session by Irena Zubcevic, Senior SD Officer of DESA/DSD; Lotta Tahtinen, Stakeholder Engagement Programme Coordinator, and Alberto Padova, Officer in Charge of DESA/NGO Branch. The briefing was followed by an informal consultation of participating NGOs about our advocacy priorities for the Second Committee as well as for the Third and Fifth Committees. We agreed to continue meeting together on a weekly basis every Wednesday, 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm, while the GA Committees negotiate resolutions relevant to the 2030 Agenda through the end of December. We will circulate today's notes and venue/webex info for next Wednesday's meeting shortly.

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Submission of written statements for CSW60 is now open through CSO-Net

A message from UN Women:

The submission of written statements for the sixtieth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW60) is now open through CSO-Net. Please find the link to the online submission and related guidelines on the CSW NGO participation website at http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/ngo-participation/written-and-oral-statements

The deadline for submission is 16 October 2015. Statements sent by e-mail cannot be accepted.

For more information on NGO participation in CSW60, visit: http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/ngo-participation

For more information on CSW60, visit: http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw60-2016