hunger

Education for Sustainable Development: A Driver for Building Back Better

Consisting of a briefing session and a panel discussion on the crucial role of Education for Sustainable Development as a key enabler of successful achievement of the SDGs, especially within the context of Building Back Better from the COVID-19 pandemic, this event will provide a platform for participants from the UN Member States, UNESCO, other intergovernmental organizations and academia will engage with audience members.

Register here.

The virtual briefing will bring together Member States, key UN agencies and education experts around 4 objectives:

  • Highlight ways to harness the transformative power of ESD in achieving sustainable societies and sensitize the UN membership on the latest developments and trends;
  • Share the best practices on how ESD can contribute to building back better from the COVID-19 pandemic;
  • Facilitate exchange of good practices and provide a platform for the UN Member States to engage with key UN agencies and leading education experts on advancing ESD and integrating it into education plans and programmes;
  • Provide updates on the preparation and objectives of the upcoming World Conference on ESD.

The briefing session on Education for Sustainable Development is organized by the Group of Friends for Education and Lifelong Learning, as co-chaired by the Permanent Missions of Argentina, Czech Republic, Japan, Kenya and Norway, together with UNESCO.

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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 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.

2021 ECOSOC Development Cooperation Forum

DCF HIGH-LEVEL MEETING (6-7 MAY 2021)

Preliminary programme (forthcoming) will be available here as it becomes available: https://www.un.org/development/desa/financing/what-we-do/ECOSOC/development-cooperation-forum/2020-DCF

About the DCF:

WHY —The 2021 Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) will advance international development cooperation that reduces risk, enables recovery and builds resilience in the COVID-19 period and beyond.

WHEN — The 2021 DCF will be the DCF’s 7th biennial high-level meeting since its creation by world leaders in 2005.

HOW — The DCF is the principal global platform for policy dialogue on development cooperation. Discussions are reality-based, action-oriented and results-focused.

WHO — Convened by the President of ECOSOC, the Forum is open to all Member States and engages all stakeholders, including civil society, private sector, Parliamentarians, local authorities, international and regional organizations and development banks.

Background:

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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 Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org.

[UN observance] World Pulses Day

Each year on February 10, the United Nations commemorates World Pulses Day. “Pulses, also known as legumes, are the edible seeds of leguminous plants cultivated for food. Dried beans, lentils and peas are the most commonly known and consumed types of pulses.

The nitrogen-fixing properties of pulses improve soil fertility, which increases and extends the productivity of the farmland. By using pulses for intercropping and cover crops, farmers can also promote farm biodiversity and soil biodiversity, while keeping harmful pests and diseases at bay.

Furthermore, pulses can contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing dependence on the synthetic fertilizers used to introduce nitrogen artificially into the soil. Greenhouse gases are released during the manufacturing and application of these fertilizers, and their overuse can be detrimental to the environment. Recognizing their value, on 20 December 2013, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/68/231) proclaiming 2016 as the International Year of Pulses (IYP). The celebration of the year, led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), increased the public awareness of the nutritional and environmental benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food production.” – 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 Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@gmail.com.

Transforming Agrifood Systems and Fostering Inclusive Rural Development in the Context of COVID-19 to End Rural Poverty

FAO, IFAD, WFP, UN DESA, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of China to the UN and the Delegation of the European Union to the UN, invite you to the side-event in the context of the UN General Assembly special session in response to COVID-19

This side event will analyze the economic, social and environmental potential of an inclusive process of agrifood system transformation for the eradication of rural poverty and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Looking towards the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, the discussion will highlight the holistic nature of the 2030 Agenda, and the strong interlinkages between the Sustainable Development Goals, their targets and the entire 2030 Agenda.

Register here.

For more information, please visit: un.org/development/desa/dspd/2020/11/end-rural-poverty.

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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-New York, 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 for Rare Diseases, please visit ngocommitteerarediseases.org. 

Families Coping with COVID: Challenges and Opportunities in Child Welfare

Families Coping with COVID: Challenges & Opportunities in Child Welfare
Please RSVP by 6pm EST Wednesday, Nov. 18th, via this form.
Families around the world are struggling with the added pressures of the COVID-19 health crisis due to the effects of job losses, changes in schooling, and affected family members, especially those which are vulnerable. For families involved in child welfare proceedings, there is an additional risk of prolonging family separation between children and parents who are capable but may need additional support. We are pleased to host Prof. Jane Spinak of Columbia University School of Law , who examines this in “Child Welfare and COVID-19: An Unexpected Opportunity for Systemic Change,” in Law in the Time of COVID-19. Prof Spinak will discuss the impact of covid on child welfare systems and ways in which it may spur reforms which will benefit children and families.
Note: If you were not able to attend our October members meeting, or would like to revisit the excellent remarks of our speakers, the recording is available on our YouTube  channel.
NGO Committee on the Family New York
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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family, visit www.ngofamilyny.org. For information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of the Child, please email the co-chair at marjones@nyc.rr.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN.

Public Dialogue with IATF on FfD: 2021 Financing for Sustainable Development Report

Dear colleagues,

On behalf of the Financing for Sustainable Development Office, you are cordially invited to an informal public dialogue with the Inter-agency Task Force on Financing for Development (IATF on FFD) on the 2021 Financing for Sustainable Development Report (FSDR) on Tuesday, 17 November 2020, 10:00 – 11:00 EDT. Please find attached the draft agenda and link to the draft 2021 FSDR outline.

We welcome the participation of all delegations and all stakeholders to this briefing and look forward to your contributions to the dialogue.

All relevant information on the briefing is available on the Task Force website. Please send any queries to developmentfinance@un.org. Contact/explore the Financing for Sustainable Development Office, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations: www.un.org/esa/ffd

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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-Vienna, please visit https://ngocsdvienna.org/. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development-NY, please visit ngosocdev.org.

Helping Children & Families Thrive in All Circumstances {in honor of the October 1989 adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child}

Please join us [at the NGO Committee on the Family] as we discuss important aspects of family life, in honor of the October 1989 adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Concept Note

In 1989, Member States adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a landmark treaty intended to ensure the protection and wellbeing of children around the world. In the intervening time, nearly every country has ratified the treaty, signaling commitment to its core principles of the best interest of the child, non-discrimination, right to life, survival, and development, and the right of the child to be heard. The Convention also notes that “the family, as the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members and particularly children, should be afforded the necessary protection and assistance so that it can fully assume its responsibilities within the community.”

Since the Convention’s adoption, children’s welfare has improved greatly. Child poverty and mortality before age five have halved since then, and school attendance has risen. Countries have directed more attention, resources, and legislation to reducing child vulnerability and respecting the rights of children. Yet challenges remain. Poverty, natural disasters, conflict, family separation, and now a global pandemic affect children’s wellbeing. Times of crisis place stress on families and put children at risk. How can we ensure that children, even those in vulnerable situations, thrive?

This month, we are pleased to host two expert speakers who will address children’s vulnerability and ways to ensure that children and their families are supported to thrive in all circumstances and despite challenges. Ms. Rima Salah has extensive experience in the protection of children and peace and conflict resolution, through several leadership roles in United Nations entities, including serving as served as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General in the Peacekeeping Mission in Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT), Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and as a member of the UN High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations. Mr. Nuno Crisostomo has worked for child welfare with various non-governmental organizations, with the Portuguese government, and, from 2001, with UNICEF, most recently as an Emergency Specialist in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We hope you will join us as we learn from these two distinguished experts on this important topic.

Please RSVP to attend at https://forms.gle/KajCCPdPak3XtWms7.

Meeting information will be sent out after the RSVP deadline to all registered attendees.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family, please visit ngofamilyny.org.

[Virtual HLPF Side Event] Overcoming systemic challenges to address hunger, unemployment and healthcare

Overcoming systemic vulnerabilities and financing challenges for a fairer and sustainable future- intentional collaborative actions to address hunger, unemployment and healthcare in the context of COVID-19

A virtual conversation organized by the NGO Committee on Financing for Development-NY

Panel discussion: 8:00 – 9:00 am New York Time
Breakout session: 9:00 – 9:30 am

Register by July 12: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUuf-ihrjkvHdblKZvD5FxOqkbpFnnjd1U_

According to recent figures from the World Food Program (WFP), lives and livelihoods of 265 million people in low and middle-income countries will be under severe threat as a result of corona virus pandemic. This is nearly double the 135 million people in 55 countries that the Global Report on Food Crises 2020 has estimated as facing acute hunger as a result of conflict, the impact of climate change and economic crisis prior to the onset of COVID-19. ILO estimates that as many as 25 million people could become unemployed, with a loss of workers’ income of as much as USD 3.4 trillion due to COVID19 globally. The evidence from the drastic effects of the pandemic clearly speaks to a broken system , social safety nets, health care, and social protection systems, that are either severely lacking or completely missing and that will continue to amplify poverty and income, wealth, health, gender, trade, debt and market inequalities in many of the developing and least developed countries.

As Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus shared, “The best defense against disease outbreaks and other health threats is preparedness, which includes investing in building strong health systems and primary health care. […] If we don’t invest in both, we will face not just health consequences but the social, economic, and political fallout that we’re already experiencing in this pandemic.” Now is the time to reevaluate, invest where it is needed the most, and fix these broken systems, because if we do not nobody else will.

The panel will explore financing challenges in the aftermath of COVID -19 and strategize on how best to build effective collaboration and partnerships between, pubic private and civil society organizations to address hunger, unemployment and healthcare. Panelists will share specific challenges faced by migrants, women, workers in the informal and agricultural sectors, and micro small and medium enterprises as they strive to revive their livelihood and economy. We will hear voices from the communities most impacted by the lock downs and fall-out from COVID-19. Panelists will also share positive impacts of measures they have taken to address the challenges and propose further action to reevaluate, reinvest and rebuild.

Moderator:

Anita Thomas, Chair, NGO Committee on Financing for Development

Speakers:
Harsh Mander, Director, Center for Equity Studies, India
Ziada Nabembezi Zalwango, Co-Founder and Programs Director at ZACHEDO, Uganda
UN Member State Representative (TBC)
Representative from ILO (TBC)
Representatives from Sub-national Government / Planning Forum, Kerala, India (TBC)

Cosponsoring organizations:

Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund (DBA Women First International Fund), Salesian Missions Inc., New Humanity Focolare Movement, Global Foundation for Democracy and Development

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CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on Financing for Development is a substantive committee of the Conference of
NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. To learn more about the work of the Committee, visit ngosonffd.org.

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