social protection

CACCI Policy Advocacy webinar on ESG in South-East Asia and Green-Digital Transformation

CACCI invites you to participate in the CACCI Policy Advocacy webinar to be held on Wednesday, December 14at 3:00PM Taipei Time. The 50-minute session will be moderated by Mangesh Lal Shrestha, YEGAP President.

The two relevant policy issues to be discussed are:

(1) ESG in South-East Asia: Policy Considerations for Improving Performance Across Sustainability and Social Parameters in the EV and Textile Industries by Mr. Arjun Goswani, Director, Public Policy, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

(2) How to Adjust to the Green-Digital Transformation: A Primer for CACCI by Prof. Dr. Güven Sak, Economic Policy Research of Turkey (TEPAV)

The two Executive Summaries can be downloaded HERE for your perusal. The two presentations will be followed by Q&A section. The session will conclude with Mr. Mangesh Lal Shrestha’s Closing Remarks. Your participation is free of charge. Moreover, we encourage you to share this invitation with your colleagues.

Please register HERE.

Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you at the webinar.

Sincerely yours,

David Hsu

Director-General, Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Sustainable Development/NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. 

Language and Minority Rights: A Dialogue Forum with the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues

The United Nations Charter (Article 1) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 2) affirm the right to non-discrimination based on language while the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (Article 2) asserts that persons belonging to minorities have the right to “use their own language, in private and in public, freely and without interference or any form of discrimination.”  Yet linguistic minorities throughout the world continue to experience challenges to their language rights as well as inequitable access to other civil and human rights.

In this session, current Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Fernand de Varennes will discuss the intersection of language and minority rights, including implementational challenges and possibilities. Representatives of NGOs, Secretariat and UN agency staff, colleagues from Member States, scholars, and others interested in linguistic minority rights are invited to participate in an open dialogue with the Special Rapporteur.

Register here by November 27!

About the Special Rapporteur:

Professor Fernand de Varennes, a globally recognized expert on linguistic and human rights, has served as the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues since 2017 Reporting to the Human Rights Council and to the General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur promotes the implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities and guides the work of the Forum on Minority Issues, among other responsibilities.

Programme:

  • 8:45 – 9:00am  Sign In
  • 9:00 – 9:05am  Introduction – Francis M. Hult, Chair, Committee on Language and Languages
  • 9:05 – 9:35am  Fernand de Varennes, Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues
  • 9:35 – 9:55am  Open Dialogue
  • 9:55 – 10:00am  Closing Remarks – Humphrey Tonkin, Vice-Chair, Committee on Language and Languages

_________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on Language and Languages is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. For more information, please email the chair at fmhult@umbc.edu. Likewise, for more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit un-ngocrip.net. 

2022 SDG Investment Fair

It’s not too late to register to the December 2022 SDG Investment Fair! The upcoming edition of the Fair is going to be held virtually on 1-2 December and offers a chance to hear from projects teams in Ethiopia, Armenia, Eswatini, and Malawi pitching bankable SDG-aligned projects in hydropower, sustainable agriculture, telecommunications and more. The Fair also features exciting panel discussions and policy roundtables on:

  • Enhancing public-private collaboration for sustainable development in the Least Developed Countries

Thursday, 1 December, 09:00 – 09:30 (EST)

  • Fostering Private Infrastructure Investment in LDCs

Thursday, 1 December, 11:10 – 12:00 (EST)

  • Strengthening country and regional ecosystems to scale-up private sector participation in advancing SDG financing

Friday, 2 December, 10:00 – 10:50 (EST)

  • Mobilizing investments for the SDGs through innovations in data

Friday, 2 December, 11:00 – 11:50 (EST) View the full programme here.

Register today by filling out this brief form.

For more information about the Fair, visit un.org/development/desa/financing/events/december-2022-sdg-investment-fair.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org.

United Nations International Day of Older Persons (IDOP2022)–Commemoration in Vienna

Hybrid Commemoration of the UN International Day of Older Persons
3 October 2022 at 13:30 (CEST)
REGISTER HERE.
In 1990, the United Nations’ General Assembly voted to establish October 1st as the International Day of Older Persons [IDOP] (GA Res. 45/106). Each year, the Vienna-based NGO Committee on Ageing organises a commemoration event in early October.
This year’s Vienna event will be celebrated in the afternoon of Monday, 3 October 2022 starting at 13:30, in the main hall of the ÖJAB-Haus (Untere Augartenstrasse 31, 1020 Wien).
The UN-wide general theme of the upcoming IDOP commemoration is “The Resilience and Contributions of Older Women”. You and your colleagues may also register to attend in person. However, those wishing to attend via online are kindly asked to register via this Zoom link.
The event starts at 13:30 hours and finishes at 16:00 hours, after which refreshments will be served. There is an opportunity to follow the parallel IDOP event at UN headquarters which starts at 10:00 hours New York time (16:00 hours Vienna time) via a large TV screen at the OJAB-Haus.
____________________

CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. Likewise, 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 Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com.

OHCHR’s multi-stakeholder meeting on the human rights of older persons

OHCHR’s multi-stakeholder meeting on the human rights of older persons will be held on 29 – 30 August 2022, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m CET, in a hybrid format at the Palais des Nations (Room XVII). More information, including on the panellists, is available here.

Registration for the event is open until 23 August. Once registered via Indico, you will receive the Zoom link a few days in advance of the event.

The meeting will also be webcast live and archived at: webtv.un.org.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

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-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@yahoo.com. 

Transforming Education Summit

Dear ASPBAE Members, Partners, and Asia Pacific Members of CCNGO,

Warm greetings to all! We hope this finds you well.  

We are now three weeks away from the start of the Transforming Education Summit, which will be organized at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 16, 17, and 19 September 2022. 

On 16 September: The Mobilisation Day will be organized and led by youth with the full involvement of a broad variety of stakeholders. Informed by the Summit Youth Declaration, it will serve to convey the collective recommendations of youth on transforming education to decision-makers and policymakers. Additionally, it will emphasize getting the support of the public, youth, educators, civil society, and other stakeholders to support the transformation of education across the world.

On 17 September: The Solutions Day will give partners a platform to rally support for the beginning or expansion of activities linked to the Summit’s Thematic Action Tracks. There will be presentations of coalitions for action and other multi-stakeholder initiatives that will help transform education.

On 19 September: The Leaders Day will be dedicated to the presentation of National Statements of Commitment by Heads of State and Government in the form of Leaders Roundtables. A limited number of thematic sessions will also be held to place a focus on cross-cutting priorities for transforming education. Leaders Day will also feature the presentation of the Summit Youth Declaration and the Secretary-General’s Vision Statement for Transforming Education.

Those interested in participating in the Summit proceedings (16-17 September, 19 September) – including youth and civil society – are invited to fill out the online expression of interest form available on the Summit website using this link: Civil Society Engagements in the Transforming Education Summit Registration. The deadline for registration is 31 August 2022.

National and international commitments to transform education; greater public engagement around and support for transforming education; and a Vision Statement on Transforming Education from the Secretary-General are the Summit’s primary outcomes. The Vision Statement will be formally presented as an input to intergovernmental negotiations on the future of education as part of the preparations for the proposed UN Summit of the Future. To ensure efficient follow-up at all levels, it will also be used as input for the SDG4-Education 2030 High-Level Steering Committee’s work.

For more information, including on the TES-related national consultations, visit the Transforming Education Knowledge Hub. You may also view the TES Information Note and the TES Concept Note and Programme.

Please also keep an eye out for more updates on ASPBAE’s social media channels. Thank you and we look forward to your active participation!

Warm regards from the ASPBAE Secretariat

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Children’s Rights-NY, please visit childrightsny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at fmhult@umbc.edu or tonkin@hartford.edu.

The Impact of Storytelling on Isolation in Older Adults

IFA Global Cafe: In Conversation with Dr. Victor Kuperman and Ms. Nancy Siciliana

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of connecting, communicating, and storytelling within the dialogue of isolation. The “Niagara Stories” project – run through a partnership between McMaster University, the Seniors’ Computer Lab Project, and Cyber Seniors’ Connected Communities Niagara – has allowed the opportunity for open conversations amongst Niagara residents. The project highlights the impact storytelling has on the sentiments of isolation, as well as how people communicate experiences through interaction and language.

To share their comprehensive insights, the Niagara Stories project organizers – Professor Victor Kuperman and Ms. Nancy Siciliana – will be leading a discussion on “The Impact of Storytelling on Isolation in Older Adults” in the IFA Global Cafe series.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUlf-2sqjkqHtdEuypehon2jHv5tF0fp9fh

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

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 the co-chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at tonkin@hartford.edu or fmhult@umbc.edu.

UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent

The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent would like to invite all interested civil society representatives and people of African descent to an interactive consultation meeting on its mandate and activities. The meeting will also be an opportunity to discuss human rights concerns, opportunities in 2022 and recommended action to prevent racial discrimination faced by people of African descent.

The meeting will be held on Friday 19 November from 14:00-16:00 hrs in Room XVII at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The Working Group encourages civil society to attend in person if possible, and invite online participation for those who cannot attend in-person.   

For in-person participation, please register using the following link: https://indico.un.org/event/36496/

For online participation, we encourage all civil society organizations interested to participate in the discussion to register by sending an email to Joyce Fucio (jocelyn.fucio@un.org) by 17 November 2021, indicating participation and providing the participants name, organizations’ name and email address.

The link for online participation using the remote simultaneous interpretation platform Interprefy, and instructions on how to use the Interprefy platform will be sent to those who have sent their confirmation of participation one day prior to the event.

Best regards,

WGEPAD Secretariat

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@gmail.com or bknotts@uua.org.

Revisiting Financing for Development

In preparing to mark the 20th  anniversary of the first United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development held in Monterrey, Mexico in March 2002, a process that promised so much, it is only prudent to reflect on the history of the Financing for Development (FfD) processes, especially considering the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on efforts to curb the widening of the gap between the rich and poor, both within and among countries. During these trying times, the poor and the most vulnerable are left at the mercy of ineffective regional and global policies. We are also witnessing the erosion of personal freedoms, even within the so-called bastions of democracy. Individual and corporate greed seems to be dictating the direction of these financial policies.

In light of the pandemic and a looming global recession, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sounded the alarm: “We must act quickly and decisively to protect people and strengthen societies in the face of this shock, which comes on top of a global climate emergency, soaring inequality and growing discontent with the economic and social order in general.”

The premise of the FfD process has been to eradicate poverty, achieve sustained economic growth and promote sustainable development in an inclusive and equitable global economic system. There needs to be a systemic transformation of the global financial architecture and global division of labor towards achieving a just, green, equitable and gender-sensitive recovery in the current and post-COVID-19 scenario.

Financial regulations that turn a blind eye toward tax-havens are indicators of the extent to which the privatization of wealth has generated today’s culture of shortsightedness. Morality is not arbitrary. The well-being of our planet and its 7.5 billion human inhabitants require a readjustment of perspective that justly distributes wealth, recognizing that shared prosperity sustains life.

As civil society organizations, we have the moral obligation, the responsibility and needed insights, and opportunities to join in advocating to change this narrative. This moment calls for a greater vision of the world that ought to be, than the empty promises of our current global social compact.  This is the time to join forces to remove the malignant growth of addiction to individual/private gain/profit and promote communal gains and wellbeing by advocating for financial structures that support collaboration, transparency, and accountability.

We, as civil society, have the ability and insight to change the narrative. Let us start by reviewing our individual and collective roles and the prospects of the FfD process to invigorate our plan of action to bring about the change for which we have been clamoring.

Register here!

__________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, an official Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations, please visit ngosonffd.org. Likewise, for more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit congocsd.wordpress.com. 

Redefining Health: New Approaches for How We Live and Age

Please consider yourself officially invited to join “Redefining Health: New Approaches for How We Live and Age,” the AARP’s global conference on Wednesday, October 27th and Thursday 28th from 17:00- 20:00 GVA time (11:00-14:00 NY time).

This virtual conference will bring together a roster of premier leaders and experts to discuss proposed solutions and ideas aimed at shaping the future of health, longevity, and ageing.

Registration: https://landmarkventures.brandlive.com/AARPGlobalConference/en/registration

__________________________________________________________________________________________

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

1 2 3

Recent Posts