DESA NGO News - 18 March 2013
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NEWS
CSW57 adopts global plan to end
gender-based violence
On 15 March, top United Nations
officials welcomed an agreement by more than 130 Member States on the
prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women and
girls, and urged governments to translate the outcome of the 'historic'
gathering into concrete actions to protect and promote women's human
rights and fundamental freedoms. “Violence against women is a
heinous human rights violation, global menace, a public health threat
and a moral outrage,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a
statement. Thousands of representatives of governments,
inter-governmental organizations, civil society, the private sector and
UN partners collaborated on the outcome document of the two-week 57th
Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York. The
17-page 'Agreed Conclusions' of the Commission condemns pervasive
violence against women and girls, and calls for increased attention and
accelerated action for prevention and response.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44405
Fourth meeting, HLP on Post-2015 Development Agenda, Bali,
Indonesia
The fourth meeting of the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the
Post-2015 Development Agenda will be held in Bali, Indonesia across
25-27 March 2013 and will include a full day of outreach events –
Stakeholder Outreach Day - organized on 25 March. The purpose of the
Stakeholder Outreach Day is to enable substantive interactions of the
Panel with civil society, the private sector, academic institutions,
youth, parliamentarians and other elected representatives as well as
global and regional governance institutions relevant to the dialogue on
the post 2015 global development agenda. The deadline for applications
was 6 March 2013.
http://www.post2015hlp.org/outreach/
First meeting of the Open
Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals Concludes its first
Meeting
One of the main outcomes of the United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development (Rio+20), held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012,
was the agreement by Member States to launch a process to develop a set
of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Rio+20 did not elaborate
specific goals but stated that the SDGs should be limited in number,
aspirational and easy to communicate. The goals should address in a
balanced way all three dimensions of sustainable development and be
coherent with and integrated into the UN development agenda beyond
2015. A 30-member Open Working Group (OWG) of the General Assembly is
tasked with preparing a proposal on the SDGs. The Open Working Group
was established on 22 January 2013. The Member States have decided to
use an innovative, constituency-based system of representation that is
new to limited membership bodies of the General Assembly. This means
that most of the seats in the OWG are shared by several countries. It
started its work in a two-day meeting on 14 and 15 March.
http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu=1549
International Women's Day 2013: All women and girls have a
fundamental human right to live free of violence
Worldwide today, up to 50% of sexual assaults are committed against
girls under the age of 16. Globally, 603 million women live in
countries where domestic violence is not yet considered a crime. Up to
70% of women in the world report having experienced physical and/or
sexual violence at some point in their lifetime. Over 60 million girls
worldwide are child brides, married before the age of 18. In the face
of such unacceptable figures, the international community is strongly
committed to change the plight of women. This year’s theme for
International Women’s Day, “A promise is a promise: Time
for action to end violence against women” seeks to strengthen
international community’s commitment to put an end to violence
against women. Acclaimed singers and musicians, women and men, have
come together to spread a message of unity and solidarity: We are "One
Woman", a song that was launched on 8 March.
http://www.un.org/en/events/womensday/sgsmessage.shtml
Contribute to the GA meeting
on Disability and Development, 23 September 2013
DESA in collaboration with UNICEF is currently conducting online
moderated consultations from 8 to 28 March to gather views from a broad
range of stakeholders on how to include disability in the post-2015
development framework, in order to contribute to the ongoing work in
preparation for the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on
disability and development to be held on 23 September 2013. Responses
are invited for Arabic, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, French and
Chinese languages.
http://www.worldwewant2015.org/node/315485
United Nations Innovation Award: call for stories on people's
empowerment
The Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) of the United
Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) seeks to
find and bring to scale the most incredible stories on people’s
empowerment around the globe. You can nominate yourself, or another
person you admire who empowered you and therefore your unique and
special story. We truly believe that the major social challenges of our
time can be solved only with the full participation of people at all
levels of society. This innovation award represents DSPD’s
commitment to the promotion of people’s empowerment and social
development globally. The deadline is 14 May 2013.
http://empowerment.unsdn.org/
UN Member States begin negotiations on
High-Level Political Forum
One critical outcome of the Rio+20 Conference was the decision to
establish a universal intergovernmental high-level political forum, to
follow up on the implementation of sustainable development. It is to
build on the strengths, experiences, resources and inclusive
participation modalities of the Commission on Sustainable Development,
and subsequently replace the Commission.
http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu=1556
Working
group on the global partnership for development beyond 2015: Thematic
Think Pieces
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have served as a shared
framework for global action and cooperation on development since 2000.
As the world approaches 2015, the overall target date for achieving the
MDGs, thinking has begun on how to advance the global development
agenda beyond 2015. To support this effort, the UN Secretary-General
has taken several initiatives. He has established the UN System Task
Team on the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda, launched a High-level
Panel of Eminent Persons and appointed his own Special Advisor on
Post-2015 Development Planning. These processes are complemented by a
set of eleven global thematic consultations and national consultations
in over 60 countries facilitated by the United Nations Development
Group. In September 2012 the UN System Task Team established a new
working group on the global partnership for development beyond 2015. A
set of think pieces prepared by the group focuses on lessons learnt
from MDG8, and a series of specific themes relevant to renewing global
partnerships in the post-2015 development agenda. These pieces will be
synthesized in a report to be published in March 2013. A number of
thematic think pieces was recently published and is available from the
link below.
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/untaskteam_undf/them_tp2.shtml
The UN Post-2015 Development Agenda -
an overview
What is the “post-2015 UN development agenda”? What will
become of the MDGs? What is the link to ‘SDGs’ and to the
followup to the Rio+20 Conference? Who is involved in the consultations
on the post2015 development agenda? What is the High-Level Panel? How
will the voices of the poorest and most vulnerable people be included?
What happens next? Click on the page below to get started, including on
a FAQ sheet, and all of the websites you need to know about, such My
World, the World We Want, the Panel's website, the Sustainable
Development Knowledge Platform, and many more.
http://csonet.org/index.php?page=view&nr=160&type=230&menu=14
Make sure to submit your quadrennial
report in time
Many organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC have received a
notification by email to remind them of their obligation to submit a
brief report of activities to the Committee every four years. If you
have not received such a notification, it is advisable to review the
lists of organizations that have a report due or overdue. Not
submitting the report in time has lead to suspensions and withdrawals
of status.
http://csonet.org/index.php?menu=85
UPCOMING EVENTS
18-28 March: Final United
Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty
Member States gathered in New York in July 2012 for an historical
initiative in the area of conventional arms: to negotiate an Arms Trade
Treaty (ATT). The Treaty would establish high common standards for
international trade in conventional arms. The Conference could not
reach agreement on a treaty text. The General Assembly of the United
Nations has decided to convene a Final Conference on the ATT, in March
2013, to conclude the work begun in July 2012.
http://www.un.org/disarmament/ATT/
20-23 March: Advancing the Post-2015
Sustainabe Development Agenda
This event, to be held in Bonn, Germany, will bring together about 250
civil society activists and representatives from key stakeholders in
order to draw together civil society inputs into the Sustainable
Development and Post-2015 discussions. The deadline for applications
was 13 January 2013.
http://www.berlin-civil-society-center.org/shared-services/post-2015/
22 March: High-Level Dialogue,
International Year of Water Cooperation, 2013
Building on previous events, The President of the General Assembly will
convene an event to discuss the fundamental role of water cooperation
in achieving water security. This event is open to NGO representatives
with valid grounds passes only.
http://www.unwater.org
http://www.un.org/en/ga/president/67/
27 March: Shaping tomorrow’s
innovators: Leveraging science, technology, innovation and culture for
today’s youth
This full-day event is organized as part of the preparatory process for
the 2013 ECOSOC Annual Ministerial Review (AMR) on “Science,
technology and innovation, and the potential of culture, for promoting
sustainable development and achieving the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs)”. The key objective of the Youth Forum is to provide a
platform for youth to engage in dialogue with various stakeholders to
explore possible ways and means for promoting global and sustainable
development building upon the potential of Science, Technology,
Innovation (STI), and culture. Key recommendations coming out from the
ECOSOC youth forum will be shared with Member States at the High-level
Segment of ECOSOC in July 2013. For registration, a programme and a
background note please see the link below.
http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/youth2013/
8-19 April 2013: United Nations Forum
on Forests, 10th session, Istanbul
The tenth anniversary session of the UN Forum on Forests will be held
at Istanbul, Turkey, from 8 to 19 April 2013. The Forum on Forests
welcomes the participation of the nine major groups as identified in
Chapter 23 of Agenda 21, including: women, children and youth,
indigenous people, non-governmental organizations, local authorities,
workers and trade unions, business and industry, scientific and
technological communities, and farmers and small forest landowners.
Major groups organizations with ECOSOC consultative status and those
accredited to the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) are
encouraged to participate. Deadline for applications is 25 March 2013.
http://www.un.org/esa/forests
8-19 April: 4th Session, Committee on
Enforced Disappearances, Geneva
At its forthcoming 4th session in April 2013, the Committee on Enforced
Disappearances will examine the efforts to implement the International
Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced
Disappearance.
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CED/Pages/CEDIndex.aspx
10 April: The Role of International
Criminal Justice in Reconciliation
A one-day interactive debate is being organized by the Office of the
President of the General Assembly to share experiences on relations
between national and international criminal procedues, and to share
views on the impact of the international criminal justice on
reconciliation. This event is open to NGO representatives with valid
grounds passes only.
http://www.un.org/en/ga/president/67/
15 April: The United Nations and
Global Economic Governance
Ongoing discussions on how to improve global economic governance are
growing in significance. Over the past few years, the G20 has risen in
prominence, serving as a forum in which its members make economic
decisiions that have worldwide impolications. The thematic debate will
examine various forms of interaction between the G20 and the rest of
the world. It is timed to take place just ahead of the spring meetings
of finance ministers and central bank governors that will take place in
Washington. This event is open to NGO representatives with valid
grounds passes only.
http://www.un.org/en/ga/president/67/
15-26 April: 18th session, Committee
on Migrant Workers, Geneva
The 18th session of the Committee will take place at the Palais Wilson,
First Floor Conference Room. Representatives of non-governmental
organizations wishing to attend the session should register online.
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cmw/cmws18.htm
22 April: Third Interactive Dialogue
of the General Assembly on Harmony With Nature
To commemorate International Mother Earth Day, the UN General Assembly
will host an interactive dialogue on harmony with nature.
http://www.harmonywithnatureun.org/
22-26 April 2013: 46th session,
Commission on Population and Development
The 46th session of the Commission will be held from 22 to 26 April
2013. Its theme will be "New trends in migration: demographic aspects."
http://www.un.org/esa/population/cpd/cpd2013/cpd46.htm
20-31 May 2013: 12th session,
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
The twelfth Session of the Permanent Forum will be held at UN
Headquarters, New York in May 2013. It will be a review year of the
Forum. A provisional agenda of the session is posted on the page below.
http://social.un.org/index/IndigenousPeoples/UNPFIISessions/Twelfth.aspx
21-30 May 2013: 2013 resumed session,
Committee on NGOs
The 2013 resumed session of the Committee on NGOs will meet from 21 to
30 May 2013. It is expected to adopt its report in early June 2013.
http://csonet.org/index.php?menu=80
USEFUL LINKS
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NGO Liaison Office, United Nations Office at Geneva
http://unog.ch/ngo
United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS)
http://www.un-ngls.org
UN Department of Public Information, NGO Relations
http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection
OHCHR Civil Society Section
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/AboutUs/Pages/CivilSociety.aspx
OHCHR Civil Society Update Subscription
http://conta.cc/can6Gf
AT YOUR SERVICE
How to Apply for Consultative Status
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