The 69th session of the General Assembly’s Second Committee (Economic and Financial) will be held under the theme of inequality and development and begins its substantive work on 7 October. 

Since the adoption of the UN Millennium Declaration in 2000, when world leaders expressed their commitment to create a more equitable world, the international community has made important progress towards the goal to lift people out of poverty. Inequality, however, has persisted and even increased in many dimensions, ranging from income inequality to disparities in health and education outcomes globally.

Whilst income inequality between countries may have been reduced, inequality within countries has risen within many countries. Additionally, non-income gaps and gender inequality remain high. In light of this, Professor Janet Gornick will deliver the keynote address. Professor Gornick’s work include the co-author or co-editor of three books: Families That Work: Policies for Reconciling Parenthood and Employment (Russell Sage Foundation, 2003); Gender Equality: Transforming Family Divisions of Labor (Verso Press, 2009); and Income Inequality: Economic Disparities and the Middle Class in Affluent Countries (Stanford University Press, 2013). In 2006-2007, she served as Guest Editor for “Work-Family Reconciliation Policies in High-Employment Economies: Policy Designs and their Consequences,” a special double issue of the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice. She is currently working on a book about how and why inequality varies across the U.S. states.

Six side events are proposed during the upcoming session:

Investment promotion regime for foreign direct investment in LDCs

The objective of this event, hosted by the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked developing countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS), will be to explore ways and means to attract and retain increased foreign direct investments in LDCs, including through specific measures, initiatives and mechanisms to be adopted by LDCs, the home countries of FDI, international organizations and other stakeholders, with a view to boosting growth performance, stimulating structural changes and accelerating poverty eradication in LDCs.

Promoting accountability at all levels: Monitoring the post-2015 development agenda

Member States will decide on the elaboration of a framework for global monitoring and accountability as part of the process for agreeing on the post-2015 development agenda and its implementation. An inclusive, comprehensive and coherent accountability framework will need to be designed that ensures that all stakeholders take ownership of the post-2015 development agenda and are incentivized to share in implementing their commitments, as well as evaluating and adjusting policies. The objectives of this event, hosted by UN DESA’s Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination (OESC), will be to further the discussion on monitoring and accountability, as well as to explore practical ways in which progress in implementation of a universal agenda, reinforced by the international community’s commitment to poverty eradication and sustainable development, could be measured within and between countries and entities.

E-Government for sustainable development in SIDS

The proposed panel discussion hosted by UN DESA’s Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM), will provide a platform for e-government officials from Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and development partners to discuss challenges of building-up e-infrastructure and e-government development in pursuing sustainable development. Best practices of e-government will be introduced, including from peer countries such as Fiji and Mauritius, enhancing cooperation among interested stakeholders for knowledge sharing and transfer of innovative e-practices.

Social Market Economy and new Instruments of Social Finance

This event will explore how new instruments of social finance can contribute to achieving development goals, both in industrialized and developing countries. In developed countries, Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) have started to make some inroads in achieving social development goals. In developing countries, a Development Impact Bond (DIB) provides new sources of financing to achieve improved social outcomes in developing country contexts, primarily by engaging the private sector to help improve the management of public services. It will be hosted by the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations and UN DESA’s Financing for Development Office.

Joint meeting of the Second Committee and ECOSOC in collaboration with Project LINK

The topic proposed for this year is secular stagnation, a theory put forward by a growing number of prominent economists including Larry Summers, Tyler Cowen, and Paul Krugman. The theory states that the nature of macroeconomics has changed dramatically in the last seven years. In the absence of a bubble, developed economies are unable to generate enough spending to attain to the goal of full employment. This is due to the slowdown in productivity and labour force growth, permanently lowering the “natural interest rate” into negative territory. Since nominal interest rates cannot be negative, and central banks are targeting positive inflation, real rates are not able to be set low enough to keep the economy out of a protracted slump. This event, hosted by UN DESA’s Development Policy and Analysis Division, will explore this phenomenon in both theory and practice, and will demonstrate if and how it affects the global economy as a whole on the long run. It is hoped that the event will promote discussion on new economic thinking and catalyse innovative economic development analysis.

Joint meeting of the Second Committee and ECOSOC on a renewed global partnership for development 

A unified and universal post-2015 development agenda must be supported by a renewed global partnership for development to mobilize the unprecedented financial resources and other means of implementation needed. Both private and public financing from domestic and international sources are necessary, and both need to be effectively utilized to fill the large needs for support. The ability to mobilize public and private resources and smartly use them to leverage action for development will be decisive in supporting implementation of the new development agenda. To this end, the event will analyse how a renewed global partnership for development and successor arrangements to MDG8 could bring the Monterrey and Rio tracks together and usefully feature climate change financing. The joint meeting will be hosted by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the UN and UN DESA’s Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination (OESC).

For more information:

UN General Assembly’s Second Committee (Economic and Financial)

Side events of the Second Committee

The International Day of Older Persons (1 October) will be celebrated this year under the theme of “Leaving No One Behind: Promoting a Society for All”. The commemoration will take place on 9 October at UN Headquarters in New York.

Living up to the Secretary-General’s guiding principle of “Leaving No-One Behind” necessitates the understanding that demography matters for sustainable development and that population dynamics will shape the key developmental challenges that the world in confronting in the 21st century.

Almost 700 million people are now over the age of 60. By 2050, 2 billion people, over 20 per cent of the world’s population, will be 60 or older. The increase in the number of older people will be the greatest and the most rapid in the developing world, with Asia as the region with the largest number of older persons, and Africa facing the largest proportionate growth.

Not addressing older persons means not addressing 20 per cent of the global population by 2030, where there will be more people over 60 than children under 10, with the most rapid change in age structures occurring in the developing world. If our ambition is to build the future we want, we must address the population over 60 which is expected to reach 1.4 billion by 2030.

UN DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) and the NGO Committee on Ageing are celebrating the 2014 International Day of Older Persons. The commemoration will be held on Thursday, 9 October 2014 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at the United Nations Headquarters.

For more information: International Day of Older Persons 2014

CERN, the world’s leading laboratory for particle physics, is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a series of events in Geneva; at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, where the CERN Convention was signed, and at UN Headquarters in New York on 20 October.

The organization is pleased to announce that the celebrations will be brought to a close with a special high-level event at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, sealing the close relationship between CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire/European Council for Nuclear Research) and the UN. The event will be held under the auspices of the President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The event will consist of a series of speeches and an open discussion, using CERN as an example to highlight the role that science has played in peaceful collaboration, innovation and development, and to consider how this legacy can be used to address present and future global issues. The engagement of ECOSOC in this event builds on the Council’s 2013 Annual Ministerial Review (AMR) on the role of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) and the potential of culture for sustainable development.

Featuring contributions from eminent politicians and scientists, the event will:

• celebrate the values promoted by science – neutrality, inclusion, and co-operation;
• highlight the role of science and scientific education in sustainable development;
• promote, through an open discussion between the fields of science and politics, the idea of better integrating science into global decision-making processes.

Celebrating with the international community

This event will include interventions from eminent personalities representing science, diplomacy and politics, who will highlight the role of science in the sustainable development of society and peaceful international cooperation.

Under the chairmanship of the President of ECOSOC and following an introduction by the President of ECOSOC, the President of the General Assembly, the UN Secretary-General, and CERN Director-General, invited speakers from the scientific, political and diplomatic spheres will present their views on science’s role in peacefully uniting international communities whose sole aim is the advancement of knowledge. The President of the General Assembly of the United Nations will close the meeting with his testimony on the role of science for the peaceful and sustainable development of the society.

The scientific community, and CERN in particular, offers governance and operational models that successfully manage complex scientific missions on which thousands of people from different cultures, nationalities and religions collaborate. Such models contribute to creating bridges between cultures and promoting exchanges between all countries, independent of their bilateral relations.

For more information: United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

Tenth session of the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters will be held from 27 to 31 October at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

As the Committee is working towards updating the United Nations Model Double Taxation Convention between Developed and Developing Countries (“UN Model”) before the end of their current term, which lasts until June 2017, the Committee will discuss various related issues.

For example, the application of treaty rules to hybrid entities will be part of their deliberations with the goal to discern whether current rules sufficiently protect countries from aggressive tax planning that would inappropriately make use of tax treaty benefits. The concept of “permanent establishment”, i.e. the economic presence in any country that would give rise to taxing rights, and the meaning of “connected projects” will also be discussed, especially in light of a more digitalized economy and keeping in mind the specific concerns and realities of developing countries.

Relatedly, and recognizing the importance that some developing countries have placed on this aspect including in their tax treaty practice, the cross-cutting issues of the taxation of services will be debated. At their last meeting, the Committee decided to include a separate article on fees for technical services in the UN Model. The upcoming session will also address this issue in more detail.

Another element is the work that the Committee is doing towards updating and enhancing the United Nations Practical Manual on Transfer Pricing for Developing Countries. The Manual provides guidance on the policy of inter-group pricing in accordance with the arm’s length principle with a special focus on developing countries. The envisaged update aims to give more precise guidance on how to deal with intra-group services and management fees, which are identified as key areas of concern for many developing countries in relation to profit shifting.

Between its annual sessions, the Committee of Experts carries out its work through subcommittees, which then report and present drafts for adoption to the Committee as a whole. During the session, the Subcommittee on Extractive Industries Taxation Issues for Developing Countries, for example, will introduce the outcome of its two meetings and present preliminary drafts on the tax treatment of the decommissioning of extractive facilities, capital gains taxation, tax treaty issues and value added taxation as well as a projected work plan, including tax aspects of extractive contract negotiations.

Other issues on the agenda of the session include work towards the next update of the Manual for the Negotiation of Bilateral Tax Treaties between Developed and Developing Countries, the issue of base erosion and profit shifting and its consequences for developing countries as well as capacity development. Observers from countries, civil society and business have played an important role in the work of the Committee and are encouraged to participate. The session is held in accordance with ECOSOC decision 2014/220 of 13 June 2014.

For more information:

Tenth session of the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters

United Nations Practical Manual on Transfer Pricing for Developing Countries

On 22 September 2014, the General Assembly held a special session on the follow-up to the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).

Seventy-three representatives of Member States, including 18 Heads of State took the floor to reaffirm their commitment to the ICPD agenda, to recount the progress their countries have made in implementing the agenda, and to underline the challenges remaining in the further implementation of Programme of Action of the ICPD. Many more countries were prepared to make statements, but given time constraints were not given the opportunity to take the floor. However, they were urged to submit their statements to the Secretariat so that the statement could be included in the verbatim report of the meeting.

The President of the General Assembly, the Secretary-General and the Executive Director of UNFPA opened the session. “The world agreed in Cairo that when women and girls get the education they deserve, societies are more productive,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. “When their rights are protected, societies are more just. And when they are empowered to determine their own future, societies become stronger.” In addition, five representatives of non-governmental organizations accredited with ECOSOC gave statements focusing on youth, women and sexual and reproductive rights. Dareen Abu Lail from the Global Youth Action Network asked how it was possible to celebrate the Cairo action plan when terrible things were still happening around the world.  It was not enough to listen, but action needed to be taken, as well.

Other entities of the United Nations system and observers for intergovernmental organizations also attended. Following the request by the General Assembly for an effective participation of civil society, about 100 participants from non-governmental organizations also attended, including some civil society organizations not in consultative status with ECOSOC.

Overall, Member States addressed a wide range of population and development issues, including

• persistent socioeconomic inequalities, and inequalities in access to basic services such as education and health services, including access to sexual and reproductive health services;
• population growth and the importance of investing in adolescents and youth and to harness the demographic dividend (especially in Africa);
• population ageing and strengthening social protection systems (especially in Europe and Latin America);
• urbanisation, building of sustainable cities and strengthening rural-urban linkages;
• international migration and protecting migrants’ rights;
• eliminating gender-based violence and harmful practices;

Countries reported on the many achievements that have taken place since Cairo, in education, reproductive health, and reduction of child and maternal deaths, among others. They also highlighted remaining challenges, especially on the limited progress on gender equality; lack of adequate reproductive health services, especially for youth; unwanted pregnancies and unmet need for contraception; harmful practices such as child and forced marriage and FGM; and the impact of climate change if left unabated, to name a few. Growing inequalities within and between countries, high unemployment especially among youth, the impact of unsustainable consumption patterns as well as the management of labour migration were also raised.

Most Member States acknowledged the importance of population dynamics for future development planning and expressed strong support for integrating population dynamics into the post-2015 development agenda, including commitments on population and development made in regional outcomes from the ICPD review process.

The special session on ICPD marked the beginning of the final year of negotiations on a new post-2015 development agenda before a summit in September 2015, when world leaders are expected to adopt an ambitious, long-term agenda to improve people’s lives and protect the planet for future generations. “We must renew our pledge to protect people – especially women and girls – as we strive to eradicate extreme poverty, protect the rights and dignity of all people and secure the future of our planet for generations to come,” Mr. Ban said.

For more information:

Special Session of the General Assembly on the follow-up to the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development beyond 2014

UN DESA’s Statistics Division has issued a note on ‘Work on the indicator framework for the post-2015 development agenda,’ in the context of the 24th Session of the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities, which took place in Rome, Italy, on 11-12 September.

According to the note, the goals and targets of the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN General Assembly (UNGA) outcome on the post-2015 development agenda will serve as the basis for the framework, which will provide indicators to monitor and report progress on the agenda.

The note discusses the: purpose and basis of the indicator framework; arrangements for the development of the indicator framework; principles for the design of the indicator framework; and principles for the selection of individual indicators.

For more information:

Work on the indicator framework for the post-2015 development agenda

300 partnerships between governments, businesses and civil society organizations from all over the world have been registered to support small island developing states bringing the total value of these commitments to over USD $1.9 billion, the United Nations announced at the conclusion of the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States.

The partnerships, which were registered in the lead up to and during the Conference in Apia, Samoa, seek to boost the capacity of these group of countries to achieve sustainable development.

“Without a doubt, these partnerships leave a legacy with impact,” said the Secretary-General of the Conference, Wu Hongbo. “Many of the initiatives announced here are looking at the unique position of small island developing states as an opportunity to accelerate advancements on renewable energy, disaster preparedness and sustainable food systems, to name just a few key areas.”

Representatives from 115 countries attended the meeting, which was the third global conference to tackle sustainable development of small island developing states, and the first to be held in the Pacific region. The Conference reaffirmed the need to consider the special circumstances faced by small island developing states in achieving sustainable development.

“Today marks a beginning, not an end,” said Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi, in his closing statement on 4 September.

“Samoa is by no means the final destination for responses to small island developing states’ development challenges. But it is an important launch point to key future stops on our journey to sustainably employ the few resources available to small island developing states to improve and raise the standard of living for our communities.”

The meeting brought global attention to the issues that people on the islands are facing, and the solutions they have developed. It also provided a foundation for many of the issues that were addressed at the Climate Summit on 23 September in New York, where more than 100 Heads of State and Government announced actions on climate change.

With genuine and durable partnerships as its theme, the Conference brought representatives from governments, businesses and civil society together to concentrate on forging long-lasting joint initiatives.

The partnerships include 166 states and governments, 85 United Nations entities/inter-governmental organizations, and nearly 1,200 major groups and other stakeholders. The established partnerships are addressing a wide range of issues including climate change, disaster resilience, environmental protection, access to energy and social development, among others.

“These issues are a priority for small island developing states because of their unique circumstances, remote location and high vulnerability, but we must remember that some of these issues, such as climate change and disaster resilience, have global consequences, and we must all work together to ensure a sustainable future,” Mr. Wu said.

“Never before have multi-stakeholder partnership dialogues been so integral to a UN Conference. The understanding that achieving sustainable development is a joint endeavour by all, is reflected in this approach. I believe it is the approach of the future,” he added.

New partnerships for sustainable development

Over one-third of the 300 partnerships registered were announced during the four-day Conference. These new initiatives have the potential to mobilize some USD $625 million, while existing partnerships made new commitments that will go beyond 2014, amounting to USD $1.28 billion.

One of the new partnerships, the Small Island Developing States Lighthouse Initiative, developed by the International Renewable Energy Agency, will seek to raise USD $500 million to assist small islands in increasing their share of renewable energy, enabling them to meet or exceed their renewable energy targets. This is of particular importance to this group of countries where fossil fuels can cost three times more than in mainland markets. The initiative will also provide training for policymakers to make them aware of what is needed in terms of legislation and outreach to the publics to transform their country’s energy sector.

Another new initiative, the Pacific Island Oceanic Fisheries Management Partnership, aims to mobilize over USD $94 million to help 15 small island developing states in the Pacific meet their international obligations regarding sustainable fishing. This partnership is supported by the UN Development Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Global Environment Fund, Forum Fisheries Agency and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

Other initiatives include the South-South Technology Transfer Facility for SIDS, which will mobilize nearly US$5 million to provide small island developing states transfer technology in areas such as global health and agriculture, and The Programme for Strengthening the Resilience of our Islands and our Communities to Climate Change, budgeted at over US$5 million, which will strengthen the ability of the Cook Islands to manage the anticipated consequences of climate change.

For a list of all the existing and new partnerships, please visit the SIDS 2014 Partnerships Platform. All partnerships will be monitored by the United Nations, with the goal of increasing accountability.

“We want these partnerships to last, and we will be creating opportunities for partners to update us on the status of their initiatives,” said Nikhil Seth, Director of UN DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development.

The SAMOA Pathway

UN Member States formally adopted the outcome document of the Conference, the Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action – or SAMOA Pathway – in which countries recognize the need to support and invest in these nations so they can achieve sustainable development.

The Samoa Pathway also recognizes that financing – from all sources – is critical for the sustainable development of small island developing states. In the document, Member States reaffirmed their commitment to help these countries strengthen their domestic policies and help them gain access to financing for development.

“The motto of this Conference was ‘Island voices, global choices,” said Mr. Wu at the closing plenary. “The islands have made their case in a convincing way. Together, we have agreed on what needs to be done. It is now for the international community to take up these calls when the post-2015 development agenda is negotiated.”

For more information:

Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

On 10 September, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that paves the way for the incorporation of sustainable development goals into the post-2015 development agenda.

In adopting the “Report of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals established pursuant to General Assembly resolution 66/288” the Assembly decided that the Open Working Group’s outcome document would be the main basis for integrating the SDGs into the future development agenda.  The resolution states that other inputs would also be considered during the intergovernmental negotiation process at the upcoming General Assembly session.

At its thirteenth and final session in July 2014, the Open Working Group on SDGs had completed its report containing proposed SDGs. The proposal contains 17 goals with 169 targets covering a broad range of sustainable development issues.

At a stock-taking event on 11 September, during which UN Member States shared their views on the post 2015-development agenda, the President of the 68^th session of the General Assembly, John Ashe, said that this agenda “must represent our collective commitment to end poverty and ensure that sustainable development becomes the norm for all nations, societies and economies…[it] must pick up where the MDGs left off, fill in its gaps and take us to the next level.”

“The SDGs build on the MDGs and incorporate economic and environmental dimensions. They break new ground by including issues such as energy, economic growth, inequality, cities, sustainable consumption and production, as well as peaceful societies,” he added.

At the opening of the 69th session of the General assembly on 16 September, the body’s new President, Sam Kahamba Kutesa, declared the theme of this year’s general debate “Delivering on and implementing a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda” and said the framework must strive to eradicate poverty and hunger and promote sustained and inclusive economic growth.

Commenting on the Open Working Group’s report after its final session in July, UN DESA’s Under-Secretary-General Wu Hongbo had said that “the proposal of the Open Working Group brings together a breadth of economic, social and environmental issues in a single set of goals like never before. All those involved in crafting these 17 goals can be proud of themselves. Member States have shown a determination and willingness to work together for people and planet that bodes well for the General Assembly’s negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda.”

The proposed sustainable development goals are:

Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture

Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all

Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all

Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

Next steps

The post-2015 sustainable development agenda is expected to be adopted by UN Member States at a summit in September 2015. By the end of 2014, the Secretary-General will produce a synthesis report bringing together the results of all the different work streams on the post-2015 development agenda to facilitate the General Assembly’s further deliberations. The report of the Open Working Group on SDGs will be among the inputs to this synthesis report.

For more information: Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform