The High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development will hold its third meeting from 26 June to 8 July 2015 under the theme “Strengthening integration, implementation and review – the HLPF after 2015″. It will reflect on how the post-2015 development agenda, including the sustainable development goals, can best be implemented and reviewed once adopted. More particularly it will consider how it can best deliver its role starting from 2016. To prepare for this event, the UN Regional Commissions will hold fora on sustainable development in May.

The regional dimension will be critical in both implementation and review of the new agenda. Given this importance, the resolution establishing the HLPF invited UN Regional Commissions to contribute to the work of the Forum, including through annual regional meetings, with the involvement of other relevant regional entities and major groups and other relevant stakeholders, as appropriate.

In preparation for the 2015 meeting of the HLPF, UN Regional Commissions are holding Fora on sustainable development, two of which are scheduled for May. The Regional Forum of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) will be held from 5 to 7 May, and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) will hold its Regional Forum on 21 and 22 May. The Economic Commission for Africa’s (ECA) Regional Forum will take place from 16 to 18 June.

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) held their Regional Fora in March and April respectively. The programmes of the different meetings vary, but all include discussions on the regional dimension of implementing the post-2015 development agenda and SDGs, and questions of follow-up and review. The regional fora are considered as crucial to allow a focused preparatory process.

High-level Political Forum’s third meeting

The HLPF is the main United Nations platform dealing with sustainable development. It provides political leadership and guidance, follows up and reviews progress in implementing sustainable development commitments and addresses new and emerging challenges. It also seeks to enhance the integration of economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development and to strengthen the science-policy interface.

The HLPF meets every four years at the level of Heads of State and Government under the auspices of the General Assembly, and annually under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. This year’s meeting is under ECOSOC auspices. UN system and other organizations, as well as the major groups and other stakeholders of civil society will participate. As the main United Nations platform dealing with sustainable development, the HLPF will promote and track progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For more information: High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

The 2015 observance of the International Day of Families on 15 May, aims to raise awareness and mobilize support for action to ensure gender equality and rights of children within families and prevent family violence through fair family law frameworks and a variety of programme interventions.

UN DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) supports the worldwide observance of the International Day of Families by preparing background information on the family for use by Governments, the UN system, including the regional commissions, and UN Information Centres and NGOs.

The observance will feature an expert panel discussion focusing on the following topics:

• Changing families and the need for policy response
• Access to justice in family laws
• Gender equality and women and girls empowerment in family laws
• Children’s rights in family laws
• Regional perspectives on gender equality and children’s rights in contemporary families
• Family laws and family policy development
• Prevention of violence in families and communities

The annual observance of the International Day of Families reflects the importance the international community attaches to families and is an opportunity to demonstrate support to families. Governments, non-governmental organizations, educational institutions and individuals are encouraged to organize observances of the Day to raise awareness of issues relating to families and increase the knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting families. Such observances can promote a better understanding of the functions, strengths and needs of families.

For more information: International Day of Families

On 28 May, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will bring together a wide range of stakeholders for its 2015 Annual Partnerships Forum “The role of Partnerships in achieving the Post-2015 Development Agenda: Making it Happen.”

This year’s discussions and program will focus on how partnerships can engage and support international sustainable development. As in year’s past, the goal is to create an interactive dialogue where participants discuss fresh ideas and new thinking on ways in which partnerships can support the implementation of a new development agenda.

The event will bring together representatives from governments, the UN system, businesses, foundations, civil society, and academia, all of whom have a vested interest in shaping an effective and potentially game-changing Post-2015 development agenda.

Outcomes from the forum, including ‘key messages’ from the dialogues and policy options for Member States will be reported back to the Council’s high-level segment during its 2015 substantive session in July and will inform the Special Summit on the Post-2015 to be held in September 2015.

The morning session will focus on catalysing partnerships for health systems strengthening. The program will build on the 5 December 2014, ECOSOC Special Meeting on “Ebola: A Threat to Sustainable Development,” which highlighted the need to link emergency response to longer-term efforts to strengthen health systems.

Featured speakers include: Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti, Regional Director of Africa, WHO, and Mr. Jeffrey Wright, Actor and Founder of the Ebola Survival Fund.  The session will include Ministers of Health from a number of African countries and will be moderated by Professor Paul Farmer, Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on Community Based Medicine and Lessons from Haiti, Co-Founder of Partners in Health.

The afternoon session, entitled “Partnerships for the Post 2015 Era: Reality Check” will expand on ECOSOC’s 27th February Special Meeting on Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Models: Making them work for the post 2015 Agenda which explored critical issues related to measurement and alignment. This session will convey ideas on ways in which multi-stakeholder partnerships can support the implementation of the new development agenda, including through lessons-learned from Millennium Development Goals partnerships, opportunities for catalyzing new initiatives, and measuring results. Featured speakers include Amina Mohammed, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on the Post 2015 Development Agenda, as well as Rolf-Dieter Heurer, Director-General, CERN who will share insight into how issues such as science can be a cross-cutting tool for implementing and devising partnerships as part of the development agenda.

For more information: The role of Partnerships in achieving the Post-2015 Development Agenda: Making it Happen 

The world will look back on the 20 years since the implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY) during a high level event on 29 May, organized by the President of the General Assembly in coordination with the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth and UN DESA.

The World Programme of Action for Youth, adopted by the General Assembly in 1995, provides a policy framework and practical guidelines for national action and international support to improve the situation of young people around the world. The Secretary-Generals’ Synthesis Report on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (2014) notes that in order for the sustainable development agenda to be successful it must be ‘streamlined and employ existing mechanisms and processes’. The success of the Sustainable Development Goals is therefore rooted in ensuring the full and effective implementation of mechanisms such as the World Programme of Action for Youth.

The WPAY remains highly relevant and inspirational, but unfortunately implementation lags behind the commitments made. 2015 is a critical year to generate new ideas on how to revitalize the commitments of Governments and all other stakeholders by looking at ways to link inclusive, participatory and gender-responsive implementation of the WPAY to the post-2015 development agenda.

The main objective of the High-Level Event of the General Assembly is to mark the 20th Anniversary of the World Programme of Action on Youth (WPAY) and offer an important opportunity for Member States and other relevant stakeholders to take stock of progress made in its implementation, identify the gaps and challenges ahead while discussing the best way forward for the full, effective and accelerated implementation of this ground-breaking agreement.

Held on 29 May in the General Assembly Hall at UN Headquarter, it will be a one-day event consisting of an opening Plenary and open debate where Member States will be given a 2-3 minute intervention to address the General Assembly on the implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth and National Youth policies. The morning session will be followed by two interactive panel discussions with the participation of Member States, UN Agencies, youth-led organizations and other stakeholders followed by a closing session.

Panel discussions will cover the following:

• Panel 1: Focus on stocktaking for the past 20 years since the adoption of WPAY
• Panel 2: Focus on the Role of WPAY looking ahead in conjunction with the implementation of the SDGs

The outcome of the High-Level Event will be a President’s summary, which will be circulated to all Member States and other relevant stakeholders.

For more information: Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth

The UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA) met for its 14th Session in New York from 20 to 24 April. Experts from over 20 countries discussed the crucial role of public administration and governance for the achievement of proposed sustainable development goals ahead of the United Nations Summit to adopt the post-2015 development agenda this September.

The 14th CEPA Session, which focused on the theme of Building Trust in Government in Pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals: What Will it Take was opened by Under-Secretary-General Mr. Wu Hongbo. “You are meeting at a historic moment”, Mr. Wu noted referring to the ongoing intergovernmental deliberations to define the post-2015 development agenda before highlighting the crucial role of public administration in achieving the goals of the new development agenda.

“From ending hunger and poverty, to ensuring quality education, healthy lives, gender equality, and access to water, energy, sanitation, employment, infrastructure, and to reducing inequality, emissions, unsustainable consumption, and to protecting oceans and our ecosystems – none of these goals and their related targets could be achieved without efficient, effective, inclusive, accountable and robust public institution”, Mr. Wu said.

“The vital role of institutions is built into the sustainable development goals themselves,” said Ms. Margaret Saner, the Chair of CEPA, making particular mention of Goal 16, which will call for effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels, in tandem with promoting peaceful and inclusive societies and access to justice for all. It was noted throughout the week long discussions that the proposed sustainable development goals (SDGs) present both tremendous opportunities as well as complex challenges to public institutions.

Mr. Wu underlined the importance of changing mind-sets noting that many government institutions work in silos. “With the adoption of the SDGs, which emphasise the three interlinked dimensions of sustainable economic growth, social progress and environmental protection, this traditional mind-set will no longer work. We must therefore get rid of silos, think out of the box, and try to bring the holistic approach into the mainstream of public institutions”, he said.

Highlighted in this year’s session was the importance of building citizens’ trust in government. For example, 2012 data from OECD showed that only 40 per cent of citizens in OECD countries trust their government. “There is need for governments to dialogue with their citizens more effectively to better understand citizen expectations: to keep as close as possible to citizens in designing, developing and implementing policies and programs that affect them. This will be particularly important in attempts to achieve progress on the SDGs”, Ms. Meredith Edwards, CEPA Member noted.

Assistant-Secretary-General Thomas Gass made a presentation on the status of the SDG negotiations and the expected historic impact of the SDG and the post-2015 development agenda; Assistant-Secretary-General Lenni Montiel held an interactive discussion with CEPA on the role of public administration and governance in implementing SDGs and the post-2015 development Agenda; Deputy Executive Director of UN-Women Lakshmi Puri spoke on gender equality and empowerment in advancing sustainable development. Colleagues from the Division for Sustainable Development, the Statistics Division and the Office of ECOSOC Support and Coordination also made presentations to CEPA Members.

Next year’s session of CEPA will be held from 18 to 22 April 2016. The Committee has proposed “Moving from commitments to results: transforming public institutions to facilitate inclusive policy formulation and integration in implementation and monitoring of the SDGs” as the focus of its work.

For more information: UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA)

With three months to go until world leaders meet in Addis Ababa to reach an agreement on financing sustainable development, the Conference logo and website were unveiled at the UN Headquarters in New York on 14 April.

Speaking at the second drafting session of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development outcome document – known as the Addis Ababa Accord – Conference Secretary-General Wu Hongbo presented the new logo and explained its meaning. “The circular form symbolizes the global nature of the Conference,” Wu said, adding that other graphic elements had a distinct African references to pay homage to the Conference’s location.

To ensure sustainable development for all, a multi-faceted finance framework is needed, including inputs from domestic, international, public and private sources. The arrowheads in the logo represent this multi-stakeholder Financing for Development process, Wu said, while “the sun implies the outcome of the Conference, including a comprehensive financing framework and concrete deliverables.”

The newly-launched website (www.un.org/ffd3) will play an important role “as the main online information platform for the Conference,” Wu added, clarifying that it will contain “substantive and organizational information, materials and documents regarding the host country, the Conference venue, the preparatory process, the Conference programme and the outcome document”.

Cristina Gallach, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information also addressed delegates at the Financing for Development drafting session, providing the bigger picture on public and media outreach planned ahead of the upcoming Conference. The meeting in Addis Ababa is “a major milestone” in a critical year, she said, positioning Conference communications in the context of the UN’s flagship “2015: Time for Global Action” campaign.

Outlining the next steps for Financing for Development outreach, Gallach mentioned the production of multilingual posters, banners and promotional materials, the engagement of global media outlets, and collaboration with the international network of 63 United Nations Information Centres. “Our aim is to ensure that the message reaches every corner of the world,” she said.

H.E. Ambassador Tekeda Alemu, Permanent Representative for Ethiopia, emphasized that “Addis is ready,” explaining that the logistical preparations for the meeting are already well underway and that it will be “a great honour and privilege” for Ethiopia to host high-level delegates from around the world in July.

The current drafting session of the Addis Ababa Accord will continue in New York until 17 April, with the third and final drafting session taking place in the same location from 15 to 19 June. From 13 to 16 July, countries will gather at the third International Conference on Financing for Development at the UN Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, to help unlock public and private resources and direct long-term investments that deliver results.

Source: United Nations 2015 Time for Global Action website

Nearly 200 participants representing governments, parliaments, academia, private sector and the local and regional level attended the Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) High-level Symposium co-organized by UN DESA and the Republic of Korea in Incheon on 8 – 10 April to discuss the future of development cooperation post-2015.  

Co-chaired by Wu Hongbo, UN DESA’s Under-Secretary-General and Yun Byung-se, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, the DCF High-level Symposium’s discussions were held under the theme “Development cooperation for people and planet: what will it take?.” Questions such as aligning commitments on financing and other means of implementation, implications of a universal development agenda, improving ODA allocation and monitoring and accountability of development cooperation were tackled in interactive panel discussions and workshops with active participation.

The objective of the Symposium was to feed into the negotiations on the way to the Third International Conference on Financing for Development held in Addis Ababa in July and the post-2015 Summit in New York in September. Several key messages were derived from the results of the DCF Symposium, directly contributing to the negotiation efforts on building the new global development agenda post-2015 and its implementation.

It was emphasized that international development cooperation, in all its forms and facets, supports national efforts in strengthening economic and social development and global challenges. Development cooperation will continue to be of relevance to all countries in a post-2015 world. All resources will need to be more strategically used and combined to generate long-term impact. A renewed global partnership is needed to help mobilize resources needed to go beyond economic and social development to sustainable development in all its dimensions.

The discussions in the Symposium highlighted the crucial role of capacity building, ownership and inclusiveness. People, planet and participation are the most crucial elements in bringing the new global development agenda and its implementation to the local level. Access to technology, innovation as well as the role of the private sector was also emphasized in the debates. Ownership is crucial in order to make the sustainable development goals everyone’s goals.

The Symposium also underscored the need to strengthen the Financing for Development follow-up process. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) should have a central role, especially due to its engagement with the World Bank, IMF, WTO, UNCTAD, UNDP and other institutional stakeholders. The Development Cooperation Forum under the auspices of ECOSOC remains a central part of the monitoring, review and follow-up on the means of implementation for the post-2015 development agenda, given its intergovernmental, inclusive, focused and forward-looking character.

ECOSOC President Martin Sajdik said in his closing statement: “There is broad consensus that the agenda’s successful implementation will depend on a comprehensive financing framework for sustainable development. This framework must be relevant to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in all regions and for all income groups, and should seek coherence and maximize synergies with other financing streams.”

Mr. Wu also stated: “In the area of international cooperation for development, no stone should be left unturned. Policies and solutions exist. Past lessons tell that the post-2015 development agenda will only succeed with means and implementation and a strong follow-up process and mechanisms.”

The DCF Republic of Korea High-level Symposium proved once again the DCF to be an inclusive policy space to discuss the implications of a unified and universal agenda for development cooperation. It will continue to advocate for development cooperation, in order to keep it at the heart of the global partnership for sustainable development post-2015. The trends and effectiveness of development cooperation will also stay at the forefront of the DCF’s work, including South-South cooperation as a complement to North-South cooperation.

The preparations for the next DCF, to be held in New York in the summer of 2016, were launched in Incheon. Following the Incheon Symposium, discussions will continue in the next High-level Symposiums to be held in Uganda in November 2015 and in Belgium in April 2016.

For more information: DCF Republic of Korea Symposium

More than 200 million people in the world are currently looking for a job, and almost half of the world’s employed population are working in vulnerable conditions. As UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson indicated “Decent jobs that provide a fair income, good working conditions, access to social protection and freedom of association remain out of reach for too many”.

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) demonstrated how the creation of sufficient good quality jobs would be critical for the realization of the post-2015 development agenda during its recent Integration Segment (30 March-1 April).  The meeting brought together the President of Tanzania, the Prime Ministers of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and Sweden, a number of Ministers, the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Mobility, the United Nations system, Nobel Prize laureates (Professor Stiglitz and Professor Shiller), media representatives (CNN, Al Jazeera America, The Economist), non-governmental organizations, trade unions, academia, and the private sector.

The discussions generated a number of substantive responses to central issues such as jobless economic growth, youth unemployment, informal employment, rising inequalities, climate change, the international labour standards, jobs and skills mismatch. “Getting to the core of these issues has demonstrated that policy choices have both trade-offs and long-term benefits, and must be addressed in an integrated way if we are to successfully implement the post-2015 development agenda” according to Mr. Thomas Gass, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs of UN-DESA.

Economic growth has not generated jobs as expected, due to insufficient demand in both developed and developing economies. Governments were called on to stimulate aggregate demand through financial and tax policies. Professor Joseph Stiglitz called for a carbon tax and a financial transaction tax that could help stimulate the economy and address the rising inequalities.

Rising income inequality was considered a major factor inhibiting economic growth, increasing social tensions and exacerbating political instability. Income inequality also has long term negative consequences for productivity and human capital development. Mitigating the widening gap between rich and poor will require a greater focus on living wages, collective bargaining and the social protection floor. In relation to this,

Professor Robert Shiller proposed subsidies for low-income employment, as well as an emergency plan to address rising inequalities by raising taxes on the rich and subsidizing the poor.
Infrastructure and industrialisation were considered to be critical pillars for economic growth and job creation in Africa. President Jakaya Kikwete of the United Republic of Tanzania stressed “Another challenge we have to content with is that of the striking the proper balance between preserving the environment on one side and promoting growth and creating jobs to meet urgent problem of unemployment on the other. This is an African and a global dilemma that needs to be addressed”.

Experts demonstrated that environmental sustainability and job creation can be mutually reinforcing, and transitioning to more environmentally sustainable approaches can have a positive impact on job creation, quality and productivity. The transition to a green economy, however, needs to be a just transition for workers.

Youth unemployment continues to be a major challenge in countries of all income levels. This represents an enormous wasted opportunity, given that youth tend to be societies’ main source of innovation – they are typically the most technologically literate, are early adopters of new trends, more likely to take risks and start new ventures.  Acknowledging this challenge, Prime Minister Perry Gladstone Christie of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas said “I pause here to pay special tribute to the youth of CARICOM and once again pledge the commitment of all governments in the region to address the issue of the integration of young people into our economies”.

Combining hard skills, in particular trades and professions, with soft skills, such as creative thinking and team work, should be a key feature of all programmes tackling youth unemployment. The international community must harness the potential of technology in reducing the jobs and skills mismatch.

New innovative forms of social dialogue—drawing on the participation of trade unions, civil society, governments and businesses—are needed to adequately address evolving labour markets and consequent challenges in the 21st century. Prime Minister Stefan Löfven of Sweden called for a new “Global Deal” among governments, trade unions, businesses, and key international institutions to promote growth, jobs and decent work. He added that “a Global Deal between the stakeholders will make an important and concrete contribution to the work on sustainable development in all three of its dimensions”.

“Implementation of International Labour Standards is critical for ensuring the dignity of workers” said ILO Director General Guy Ryder. Trade unions in many parts of the world, however, continue to face barriers to organizing workers and unfortunately economic growth has not eliminated abuses of core international labour standards. Greater emphasis will be required on implementing the norms and labour rights in implementing the post-2015 development agenda.

At the conclusion of the Segment, Vice-President of ECOSOC Ambassador Vladimir Drobnjak announced the proposal to launch a Global Network of Stakeholders on Employment Creation and Decent Work for Sustainable Development, to be co-convened by him and the Director-General of the International Labour Organization. This network will be ECOSOC’s contribution towards addressing this global challenge of monumental proportions.

For more information: ECOSOC 2015 Integration Segment