global security

67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women

The sixty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place from 6 to 17 March 2023.

Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world are invited to contribute to the session.

Themes

  • Priority theme: Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls
  • Review theme: Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls (agreed conclusions of the sixty-second session)

Bureau

The Bureau of the Commission plays a crucial role in facilitating the preparation for, and in ensuring the successful outcome of the annual sessions of the Commission. Bureau members serve for two years. In line with ECOSOC decision 2002/234, the Commission holds the first meeting of its subsequent session, immediately following the closure of the regular session, to elect new members of the Bureau as needed.

The Bureau for the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (2023) comprises the following members:

  • H.E. Ms. Mathu Joyini (South Africa), Chair (African States Group)
  • H.E. Ms. Antje Leendertse (Germany), Vice-Chair (Western European and Other States Group)
  • Mr. Māris Burbergs (Latvia), Vice-Chair (Eastern European States Group)
  • H.E. Ms. Maria del Carmen Squeff (Argentina), Vice-Chair designate (Latin American and Caribbean States Group)
  • Ms. Chimguundari Navaan-Yunden (Mongolia), Vice-Chair designate (Asia and Pacific States Group)

For more information on the session, please visit: unwomen.org/en/csw/csw67-2023

For more information regarding NGO Participation, please visit: unwomen.org/en/csw/ngo-participation

For more information regarding accessibility, please visit: unwomen.org/en/csw/ngo-participation/accessibility

If you have additional questions, please contact csw@unwomen.org.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on the Status of Women/NY 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 the Status of Women/Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women/Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@yahoo.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. 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 the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit un-ngocrip.net. For more information on the NGO Committee on Mental Health, please visit ngomentalhealth.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family/NY, please visit ngofamilyny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Migration, please visit ngo-migration.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family/Vienna, please visit viennafamilycommittee.org.

Joint meeting of NGO CSW/Vienna and NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna

Dear colleagues,

The members of the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna and the NGO Committee on the Status of Women/Vienna are looking forward to seeing you on Thursday, Dec. 15th!

The NGO CSW Vienna meeting will begin at 3pm.

The joint meeting of the CSW and the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna will begin at 4pm.

The meetings will be both in-person (VIC Room C0237) and via Zoom (see link below). This will be our first hybrid meeting, so some technical glitches might occur.

Topic: NGO CSW Vienna’s Zoom MeetingTime: Dec 15, 2022 03:00 PM Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Stockholm, ViennaJoin Zoom Meeting:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86567349768?pwd=UVA4Q21TV3pKcnE2c0xTc3dmZ0VDQT09

Meeting ID: 865 6734 9768Passcode: 601882

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/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 the Status of Women/Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.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 the Status of Women/Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women/NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. 

Civil Society FfD List Sign-on Letter: Implementation of UN Resolution on International Tax Cooperation

Photo: https://csoforffd.org/

We invite you all to sign on to the letter, and the deadline for doing so is Friday 16 December 2022. You can find the letter here and the form to sign on is here. 

__________

To the kind attention of:

Permanent Representatives and Permanent Observers to the United Nations in New York

United Nations Secretariat, Agencies and Programmes

 

X December 2022

 

Subject: Implementation of UNGA Second Committee resolution on promotion of inclusive and effective international tax cooperation at the United Nations (A/C.2/77/L.11/Rev.1)

 

Your Excellencies distinguished representatives of UN Member States,

 

We, the undersigned civil society organisations and trade unions, strongly support and welcome the UNGA resolution on promotion of inclusive and effective international tax cooperation at the UN (A/C.2/77/L.11/Rev.1). We commend the Africa Group for its excellent leadership on this issue and for finally ensuring implementation of the long-standing demand of developing countries for a UN intergovernmental negotiation process on international tax. We urge all UN Member States to maintain and reinforce the spirit of international cooperation that resulted in the adoption by consensus of this historic resolution. 

 

Furthermore, we are writing to you with a call for all governments to work constructively towards the urgent and efficient implementation of the resolution. This includes: 

 

  1. Supporting a speedy approval in the UNGA Fifth Committee of the required budget allocation for the implementation of the resolution, in line with the related Programme budget implications analysis (A/C.2/77/L.75). The budget requirement, totaling US$ 432,700, was presented to Member States ahead of the adoption of the resolution. We now count on all UN Member States to stand by the consensus agreement reached with the resolution and confirm the allocation of the required resources. We also urge all UN Member States to keep in mind that international tax cooperation is urgently needed, not least to combat tax-related illicit financial flows, which are costing governments hundreds of billions of dollars in lost tax income every year. This must therefore be a matter of high importance and urgency.

 

  1. Supporting strong stakeholder involvement in the consultation process related to the UN Secretary General’s report as mandated by the resolution. We strongly welcome the fact that stakeholder consultation is explicitly included in the text of the resolution, and we stand ready to make our contributions. We, the undersigned civil society organisations and trade unions, bring in-depth knowledge from all regions of the world about the devastating impacts of the failure of international tax cooperation, including the continued bleeding of public resources in the form of illicit financial flows. We also bring concrete and specific proposals for solutions, including for how a future UN Convention on Tax could be designed. 

 

  1. Supporting a strong intergovernmental UN process to strengthen international tax cooperation. Through the resolution, all UN Member States have agreed to “begin intergovernmental discussions in New York at United Nations Headquarters on ways to strengthen the inclusiveness and effectiveness of international tax cooperation”. We strongly welcome this vital initiative, and stress the importance of moving forward with urgency. As stated in the adopted resolution, combating illicit financial flows is an essential development challenge, and developing countries are particularly susceptible to the negative impact of illicit financial flows. Therefore, we believe that the modalities for the foreseen process must be adopted as a matter of high priority, and this should take place no later than the seventy-eighth session of the UN General Assembly. Furthermore, we would like to stress the importance of ensuring that the modalities provide for a transparent and inclusive member state-led negotiation process with full participation of stakeholders, including civil society. 

 

Despite the fact that international tax rules and standards affect all countries and people of the world, there has until this point been no inclusive international body where all countries were able to participate on an equal footing in the decision-making on international tax matters. This injustice is at the heart of the failure of the international tax system, which has continued to be characterised by injustice, inefficiency, incoherence, unilateral actions and beggar-thy-neighbor policies. All countries have paid a high price for this failure, but the impacts on developing countries have been particularly hard. The UN remains the only truly universal body where all countries participate as equals, and the consensus adoption of the UN resolution, including the decision to begin intergovernmental discussions on international tax matters under the auspices of the UN, constitutes a truly historical shift towards fairness and inclusivity. 

The urgency of this matter cannot be overstated. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic and the “cost of living crisis”, the fight to increase domestic resource mobilisation and combat illicit financial flows has never been more vital. In 2021, the State of Tax Justice report estimated that countries around the world are losing over US$450 billion per year due to international tax dodging and abuse by multinational corporations and wealthy individuals. Faced with the challenges of financing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and combatting the global environmental crises, it is clear that the international community must take urgent action to strengthen international tax cooperation and stop the immense bleeding of public resources. 

We remain at your disposal if you would like to receive more information or would like to meet to discuss this issue further. 

 

Yours sincerely,

Civil Society Financing for Development Group (www.csoforffd.org)

 

Signatories

 

  1. Civil Society Financing for Development (FfD) Group
  2. Global Alliance for Tax Justice (GATJ): Alliance of five continental tax and fiscal justice networks in Asia (Tax & Fiscal Justice Asia), Africa (Tax Justice Network Africa), Latin America (Red de Justicia Fiscal de América Latina y el Caribe), Europe (Tax Justice-Europe) and North America (Canadians for Tax Fairness & FACT Coalition), collectively representing hundreds of organisations. 
  3. European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad)

 

Consultations by the ECOSOC Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations

Dear Representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs),

As you may have already been informed by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), the ECOSOC Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations is holding consultations with NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC to discuss questions of interest to the Committee or to the organizations relating to the relationship between the NGOs and the United Nations, in line with paragraph 61 (a) of its resolution 1996/31.

The hearing will take place at the UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday, 13 December 2022 from 10:00am – 1:00pm NY time (16:00pm – 19:00 pm GVA time) and will provide an opportunity for NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC to present and exchange views with members of the Committee on the issues outlined in the attached Concept Note.

The event will be webcast live on UN WEB TV: https://media.un.org/en/webtv.

The Committee is keen to ensure broad consultations, and to facilitate the participation of NGOs from all regions of the world. The three duty stations away from Headquarters have been assigned three slots each for interventions by NGOs. In view of the technical limitations related to the virtual component of the meeting and the time constraint, NGOs who wish to speak at the hearing from different UN duty stations will be given up to three minutes to make their intervention and will be selected on a first come first serve basis. The deadline for registration (at unog.ngo@un.org) is 3:00 pm on Monday, 28 November 2022.

UN WEB TV will provide interpretation in all 6 UN languages, but all remote interventions from other duty stations, such as Geneva, must be made in one language, either French or English.

*NGO representatives in Geneva wishing to follow the consultations in person can do it from the Palais des Nations in Room XXII. Only NGO representatives in possession of a valid UNOG Grounds pass will be able to attend.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

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 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.

High-Level Launch Event Of The International Decade Of Indigenous Languages

UNESCO, in co-operation with the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the members of Global Task Force for Making a Decade of Action for Indigenous Languages, will organize and host a High-level launch event on 13 December 2022 from 10.00 to 18.00 (Central European Time) at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France (Room II).

The High-level launch event will primarily target high level representatives of UNESCO Member States, Indigenous leaders, the UN system, civil society national researcher organizations and representatives from the public and private sector.

The High-level launch will:

  • Mark the launch of the International Decade of Indigenous languages and raise awareness primarily among duty bearers on the critical situation of Indigenous languages around the world,
  • Foster international cooperation, sharing of experiences and creation of multistakeholder partnerships for the preservation, revitalization and promotion of Indigenous languages,
  • Reflect on immediate actions to be taken by all actors to implement the Global Action Plan of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (UNESCO 41 C/INF.14).

The event will provide an open space for discussion, sharing of good practices, and presentation of concrete projects. It will also feature a cultural performance by Indigenous artists. A global social media campaign is being carried out in conjunction with the launch event, to increase awareness about the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.

Register here by Dec. 6!

Interpretation services

  • Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in English, French, Spanish and Russian.
  • Live Captioning Services will be provided in English.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the chair at fmhult@umbc.edu or the vice chair at tonkin@hartford.edu. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit un-ngocrip.net. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. 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 Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. 

Parliamentary action to ensure equal participation and sustainability in disarmament initiatives

Dear colleagues,

PNND cordially invites you to “Women’s Leadership, Gender Perspective and Gender Approaches in Disarmament Action,” an online event on effective policies and parliamentary action to ensure inclusivity and sustainability in disarmament initiatives.

This is the sixth in a series of international parliamentary events in follow-up to the publication of Assuring our Common Future: a parliamentary handbook on disarmament for security and sustainable development.

Session A: Timed for Asia/Pacific: 7:00 – 8:30 CET. Register here!
Session B: Timed for the Americas/Europe/Africa: 16.00 – 17:30 CET. Register here!

The UN Secretary-General’s report, Securing our Common Future, recommends that in order to sustainably rid societies of the weight of armed violence, disarmament and arms control processes should include all relevant stakeholders and impacted parties. This includes empowering women and ensuring their equal and meaningful participation.

Following in the footsteps of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on “Women, Peace and Security”, which recognizes the importance of including a gender perspective in peace-related efforts, parliaments should seek to identify and address the barriers that limit the participation of women in peace and disarmament-related matters.

Gender approaches to disarmament and security also address the different and disproportionate impact of weapons proliferation and armed conflicts on women, and incorporate a full range of perspectives and frameworks for security, including national/military, human and common security. These contribute to international processes and parliamentary practices that can make peace and disarmament efforts more inclusive, effective and sustainable.

The event will draw from relevant sections of Assuring our Common Future, including the section on ensuring the participation of women in peace and disarmament.

Objectives of the event:

1.    Increase awareness of the value of gender perspectives and approaches in disarmament processes;
2.    Enhance knowledge of Resolution 1325 (Women, Peace and Security) and good practices for its implementation;
3.    Share examples of effective policies and parliamentary practices that better include  women and gender approaches in disarmament-related efforts.

Languages:

The event will take place as an online webinar. Session A in English. Session B with simultaneous translation in English, French and Spanish.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women/NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women/Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women/Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. 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@yahoo.com. 

State of Big Tech: Dismantling Digital Enclosures

IT for Change invites you to the State of Big Tech Dialogue, an online panel discussion to mark the launch of our upcoming report,  State of Big Tech: Dismantling Digital Enclosures on the 21st of November,  from 7:00- 9:00 PM IST / 2:30 to 4:30 PM CET / 8:30 to 10:30 AM EST.

We invite you to come listen to a panel of key voices – including some of the the volume’s contributors – reflect on the report, the state of the contemporary struggle against Big Tech, the stakes around important battle-grounds being formed today, as well as the potential inherent in current forms of resistance and projects for building an alternative digital economy.

Please register here and a personalized zoom link will be emailed to you.

About the State of Big Tech:

Envisioned as an evolving, year-on-year endeavor that will track and unpack the developments in the Big Tech space, our debut edition of the State of Big Tech is a powerful volume of essays that brings together important perspectives on the corporatization of digital technologies from across regions and constituencies, that touch upon themes including data value chains, sectoral deep-dives, regulatory stalemates, the neo-colonial dimension of the digital economy, the state of platform labour, as well modes of resistance and experiments in building progressive models  towards new digital futures.

Complemented with stunning and evocative art work and select expert interviews, the compendium is a critical, inspiring and original contribution that attempts to capture the current phenomenon of digital capitalism.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. 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. 

Building A Dependable U.S. Financial Commitment to the UN

With renewed attention on the United Nations and a lengthy 2023 global “to-do list,” please join for a discussion on how sustained and dependable U.S. financial investment in the UN can advance U.S. national interests and improve the international body’s effectiveness and global impact.

The session will consider the diplomatic, political and practical management opportunities that would result from both regular and dependable U.S. payments. It will also showcase that a foundational element of renewed U.S. global leadership is engagement in the international system beyond financial contributions.

Register here!

Featured Speakers:

  • Christopher P. Lu, Ambassador, United States Mission to the UN
  • Sara Jacobs, Representative, California’s 53rd Congressional District
  • Jordie Hannum, Executive Director, Better World Campaign
  • Andrew Hyde, Senior Fellow, Peace Operations and Protecting Civilians in Conflict Programs, Stimson Center (Moderator)

This is part of a series under the project U.S. Financial Leadership in Multilateral Organizations.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

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 the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com.

1 2 3 … 5

Recent Posts