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Accelerating the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Implementation: Addressing Systemic Barriers, Recovery Gaps and Strengthening Peoples’ Participation

This year, the HLPF focuses on SDGs 4, 5, 14, 15 and 17, in addition to the focus on the theme of impact of COVID-19 pandemic and building back better. It is also understood that the high-level segment of ECOSOC will also discuss multilateralism and international cooperation in relation to sustainable recovery from COVID-19 and achieving the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development aspirational goals. Keeping the above context in perspective, and also building on the aspirations of the civil society community engaging in the process, this side event aims to provide a platform, perspective and dialogue space among MGoS representatives and other stakeholders from across the world, to further discuss the accelerated implementation of SDGs grounded with focus on systemic reforms such as recovery gaps and strengthening of peoples’ participation.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pceGqrjgjHdKMkt0_4Emvo0SHg9Uv5B6p

The following questions will be interrogated through multi-stakeholder dialogue:

What are the civil society proposals on post COVID-19 recovery approaches needed to accelerate the implementation of SDGs across social, economic and environmental dimensions, leaving no one behind with human rights and gender equality in the centre of recovery approaches?

What are the civil society proposals to address structural barriers, inequalities and inequities and systemic reforms required including climate and financial injustice and ensuring inclusive public services – health, including equal access to COVID-19 prevention, diagnostic and therapeutics, education and social protection?

What are the civil society proposals towards strengthening multilateralism and expanding civic space to build back better from COVID-19 with focus on partnerships with the people, and means of implementation?

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-NY, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email its co-chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. 

Alternatives to Debt and Austerity in Latin America

Alternativas frente a la Deuda y Austeridad en América Latina | Alternatives to Debt & Austerity in Latin America

Panel:

  • Oscar Ugarteche, Coordinator of the Economic Observatory of Latin America (OBELA) from the Economic Research Institute (UNAM).
  • Isabel Ortiz, Director of Global Social Justice

Comments:

  • How do austerity policies affect workers? Jocelio Drummond, Regional Secretary of the Public Services International (PSI) for the Americas
  • How do austerity policies affect women’s rights? Verónica Serafini, Latindadd
  • How was the IMF´s return to Latin America? Mario Valencia, Latindadd

Moderator: Patricia Miranda, Latindadd

Register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/5516215289568/WN_lCE-A_smQ_GEr946KztoZQ

Background:
Latin America is going through one of the worst social and economic crises, which drags structural failures of the economic model deepened during the pandemic.

In the face of confinement decisions, developed countries have responded with fiscal stimuli and monetary emissions, and some poor countries have managed to access temporary debt service suspensions. However, middle-income countries -that is to say, almost all countries in Latin America- face difficulties in accessing the neccesary financing to address health and economic emergencies.

Concerns in the region grow around the need to alleviate the situation of millions of people living below the poverty line, closing the deepening gender gaps, applying urgent measures in the face of job losses, preventing lack of education from becoming a structurally lagging factor and also, preventing countries from continuing to depend on the extractive economy as the only form of economic growth, among others.

The financing needs to face the crisis have led countries to borrow, increasing their external and internal debt in the midst of a critical fiscal situation, as well as to implement austerity measures. The IMF has returned to the region and there are no signs of a sustainable recovery in this new lost decade for Latin America. In this seminar we seek to address responses and solutions to the situation in Latin America, in the midst of a multiple crisis. Additionally, we seek to address alternatives leading to the recovery of the region.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@gmail.com.