Conference of NGOs

77th session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia & the Pacific (ESCAP)

The seventy-seventh session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) will be held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok and via videoconferencing from 26 to 29 April 2021 under the theme, “Building back better from crises through regional cooperation in Asia and the Pacific.”

The theme study for the 77th Commission session analyses the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic in countries of Asia and the Pacific, takes stock of action so far, and sets out a policy agenda for building back better grounded in regional cooperation and centered around four critical interconnected areas: broadening social protection, investing in a sustained recovery, strengthening connectivity and supply chains; and mending a broken relationship with nature.

Meeting at the ministerial level, the members of the Commission will discuss and decide on important issues pertaining to inclusive and sustainable economic and social development in the region and make recommendations to its subsidiary bodies and to the Executive Secretary. The proceedings will include regional perspectives, initiatives and subregional cooperation for scaled up actions in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and take stock of its socioeconomic impact.

The Commission will also review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific, consider issues vital to the inclusive and sustainable development of least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and Pacific island developing States, and discuss management issues such as the proposed programme plan of ESCAP for 2022.

Credentials and Registration:

Each delegation is required to submit a letter of credentials, duly signed by the appropriate authority of the respective Government or organization, at the earliest convenience and no later than 16 April 2021 to oes.unescap@un.org. Only delegates who appear on the credentials will be recognized in the list of participants.

Once letter of credential has been submitted, all participants are requested to register online as soon as possible.

Only the names of duly accredited and registered participants will be included in the list of participants. For more information, please email the Office of the Executive Secretary at oes.unescap@un.org.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. 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-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. 

109th Session of the International Labour Conference

109th Session of the International Labour Conference

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Labour Office has organized extensive tripartite consultations with a view to enabling the Governing Body to finalize, at its 341st Session (15-27 March 2021), the exact format, dates, agenda, programme and participation modalities for the 109th Session of the International Labour Conference in 2021. The Office will inform in due course member States and invited observers of the decisions made in this regard by the Governing Body.

To stay apprised on information about participation, to view pertinent reports, and to view past International Labour Conferences, check ilo.org/ilc/ILCSessions/109/lang–en/index.htm.

Agenda – Standing items

I.  Reports of the Chairperson of the Governing Body and of the Director-General

A. ILO programme implementation 2018–19

B. Report of the Director-General

Appendix: The situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories 2020  and 2021

C. Reports of the Chairpersons of the Governing Body for the periods 2019–20 and 2020–21

II. Programme and Budget and other questions

III. Information and reports on the application of Conventions and Recommendations

A. Application of International Labour Standards 2020. Report of the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations 

B. Promoting employment and decent work in a changing landscape – 2020 General Survey published by the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR) 

Items placed on the agenda by the Conference or the Governing Body

IV. Inequalities and the world of work (general discussion)

V. A recurrent discussion on the strategic objective of social protection (social security), under the follow-up to the ILO Declaration on social Justice for a Fair Globalization

VI. Skills and lifelong learning (general discussion)

VII. Abrogation and withdrawal of international labour Conventions and Recommendations *

A. Abrogation of eight international labour Conventions and withdrawal of nine international labour Conventions and 11 international labour Recommendations

B. Withdrawal of one international labour Convention

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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 Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. 

High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) 2021

The high-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) is the core United Nations platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The meeting of the HLPF in 2021 will be held from Tuesday, 6 July, to Thursday, 15 July 2021, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. This includes the three-day ministerial meeting of the forum from Tuesday, 13 July, to Thursday, 15 July 2021 as part of the high-level segment of the Council.

The theme will be “Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that promotes the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development: building an inclusive and effective path for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda in the context of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”.

When information on registration and participation becomes available, it will be available here: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf/2021#registration

The HLPF in 2021 will discuss Sustainable Development Goals 1 on no poverty, 2 on zero hunger, 3 on good health and well-being, 8 on decent work and economic growth, 10 on reduced inequalities, 12 on responsible consumption and production, 13 on climate action, 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions, and 17 on partnerships in depth. The Forum will also consider the integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In the 2021 HLPF, participants will be able to explore various aspects of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the various measures and types of international cooperation that can control the pandemic and its impacts and put the world back on track to achieve the SDGs by 2030, within the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development.

Countries will also carry out voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of their implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the 2021 HLPF. For more details, please click here.

The HLPF will adopt a Ministerial Declaration as the outcome of its session. The President of ECOSOC will also prepare a summary to capture the key messages of the discussions. For more details, please click here.

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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. 

ECOSOC High-Level Segment

This year’s ECOSOC High-level segment (including the three-day ministerial segment of the HLPF convened under the auspices of the ECOSOC) will be convened on July 13 – 16, 2021.

To learn more about the functions of the Economic and Social Council, and to stay apprised on how to view/engage in the High-level segment when information becomes available, visit un.org/ecosoc/en/events/2021/ecosoc-high-level-segment-including-three-day-ministerial-segment-hlpf-convened-under.

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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 Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org.

Managing debt, climate and nature in the pandemic recovery

The pressure of growing public debt  is hindering efforts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, and tackling the climate crisis and biodiversity loss in emerging economies.

Join leading thinkers and practitioners to discuss emerging research into the causes and consequences of public debt challenges, how these challenges are impacting efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, and what is being done to advance the most promising solutions.

Speakers include IIED researcher Sejal Patel, Prof Stephany Griffith-Jones, and our Ambassador to the UN the Hon. Bob Rae.

After 10 years running the e-discussion Recovery with a Human Face (2010-20) at UNICEF and ILO, it was closed and replaced by this new discussion on Global Social Justice [GSJ]. Please share your inputs by e-mailing: gsj@list.globalsocialjustice.org. This e-discussion is intended to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and ideas; the views expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the policies of GSJ. We look forward to your participation, and your reactions and thoughts about priorities for the international development community.

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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 Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org.

The Critical Roles of Geriatric Nursing and a Focus on Health Education in Improving Future Care of Older People

IFA Global Cafe: In Conversation with Dr. Tara A. Cortes “The critical roles of geriatric nursing, and how professionals need to focus on education of health to improve the future care of older people”

The current COVID-19 pandemic calls out the need for significant changes in both the systems and delivery of health and social care. In both traditional and nontraditional settings, models that bring together advanced practice nurses and physicians creates real opportunity for change in the policy and practice in geriatric care.

Better healthcare, better outcomes and lower cost can best be achieved by allowing all professionals to function to their full scope of practice. It is critical to bring the voice of nursing to a different forum to allow leaders to disseminate messages, increase collaboration, and further enhance discipline.

This Global Cafe takes place at 07:00 am (Eastern Standard Time) on Friday 2 April 2021 (additional time zones below):

Geneva, Switzerland: 12:00
Lagos, Nigeria: 12:00
New Delhi, India: 16:30
Perth, Australia: 19:00

Register here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMvceigpzstH9HAnOu8Y-1X4ipHXWRjgXI3

This Global Cafe will be recorded and streamed live on Facebook. Should you be unable to participate, a recording will be available on the IFA Facebook page at facebook.com/intfedageing and resources will be available at: ifa.ngo/ifa-virtual-town-hall-resources.

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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-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. 

Access to Justice at the Intersection of Disability and Older Age: A Moderated Discussion

Access to Justice at the Intersection of Disability and Older Age

This event includes a dynamic high-level moderated discussion between two UN experts, the UN Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons, Ms. Claudia Mahler, and the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Mr. Gerard Quinn. Time will also be devoted to Q & A with registrants on Zoom.

Access to justice is a basic principle of the rule of law: a guarantee for people to exercise their rights, and hold perpetrators and decision-makers accountable. However, both older persons with or without disabilities, and persons with disabilities regardless of their age, are disproportionately impacted by abuses to their right to access to justice.

Register here!

Virtual Format Accessibility: The International Disability Alliance will support accessibility and inclusion of participants by providing International Sign (IS) and communication access real-time translation (CART).

Contact: Erin Hardin ehardin@ida-secretariat.org

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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-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. 

UN Friends of Mental Health and Well-Being in Times of COVID-19

Dear colleagues and members of the Group of Friends of Mental Health and Well-Being,

Please consider yourselves invited to an event on Mental Health and Well-Being in Times of COVID-19 being held on March 30th from 9:00 to 10:15 am EST. This event is co-organized by the World Health Organization, the Co-Chairs of the UN Group of Friends of Mental Health and Well-being, UNICEF, the International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the UN System Workplace Mental Health and Well-being.

Presenting experience from professionals in the field and examples from member states, the event will share practical tools, best practices and resources, as well as self-care tools, to help navigate through this difficult time and to strengthen and support our mental health and psychosocial well-being.

We hope you will be able to join us for this important conversation. Please register here!

Best regards,

Pierre-David Jean
First Secretary (Political) | Premier Secrétaire (Politique)
pierre-david.jean@international.gc.ca

Tel. (212) 848-1136 
Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations |
Mission Permanente du Canada auprès des Nations-Unies
Government of Canada | Gouvernement du Canada

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Mental Health, please visit ngomentalhealth.org. For more information on the NGO Committee for Rare Diseases, please visit ngocommitteerarediseases.org.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Human Rights of Older Persons: An International Dialogue

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Human Rights of Older Persons: An International Dialogue

As part of the 11th Session of the United Nations Open-ended Working Group on Ageing, this official side-event entitled “The Impact of COVID-19 on the Human Rights of Older Persons: An International Dialogue” is hosted by the International Longevity Centre Canada with the support of our funders, the Canadian Medical Association, Home Instead and our partner, the International Federation of Ageing, with the support of UN DESA, UN OHCHR and the Government of Canada.

This important event unites UN officials and global leaders in the fields of ageing and beyond to address the need for a UN Convention on the Rights of Older People. Register here!

This webinar will feature interventions from global leaders of the highest calibre, including:

  • The. Hon. Patricia Bovey, Senator, Senate of Canada
  • Dr. Ann Collins, President of the Canadian Medical Association
  • H.E. Mr. Omar Hilale, Ambassador of Morocco to the United Nations
  • Dr. Alexandre Kalache, President of the International Longevity Centre Brazil
  • Dr. Claudia Mahler, Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons
  • H. E. Mr. Bob Rae, Ambassador of Canada to the United Nations
  • H.E. Ms. Maria del Carmen Squeff, Ambassador of Argentina to the United Nations

This event is free of charge and will be recorded and broadcast live on UN WebTV (webtv.un.org) and IFA’s Facebook channel (facebook.com/intfedageing).

Live interpretation will be available in French, Spanish, and American Sign Language.

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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-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. 

Hybrid Commemoration of the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda

Dear NGO representatives,

The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Rwanda and the United Nations Office at Geneva will mark the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda during a hybrid ceremony to be held on Wednesday, 7 April 2021 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The ceremony will include the message of Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, read by Ms. Tatiana Valovaya, Director‑General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, followed by her own remarks and the statements of Ms. Ghada Waly, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna and Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, of H.E. Mrs. Marie Chantal Rwakazina, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Rwanda to the United Nations Office and other international organizations at Geneva, of Mrs. Nadia Galinier, survivor of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and of Mr. Cesar Murangira, President of the Association of Genocide survivors IBUKA, Memory and Justice (Swiss section). This year’s ceremony will also include a poem read by Ms. Sarah Burckhardt. Interpretation will be provided in English and French.      

You are cordially invited to this important event through this link. You can also watch live at webtv.un.org.

Provisional Program:

  • Introduction by the Master of Ceremonies, Ms. Alessandra Vellucci Director, United Nations Information Service
  • Lighting of candles
  • Observance of a minute of silence
  • Message of Mr. António Guterres Secretary-General of the United Nations, read by Ms. Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, followed by the Director-General’s remarks
  • Remarks by Ms. Ghada Waly Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna and Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
  • Remarks by Mr. César Murangira President of the Association of Genocide survivors IBUKA, Memory and Justice (Swiss section)
  • Testimony by Mrs. Nadia Galinier Survivor of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda
  • Reading of a poem by Ms. Sarah Burckhardt
  • Remarks by H.E. Mrs. Marie Chantal Rwakazina Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the United Nations Office and other international organizations at Geneva

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@gmail.com.

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