SDGs

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.

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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. 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.

President of the General Assembly Town Hall meeting with Civil Society Organizations

Dear civil society colleagues,

You are kindly invited to join the President of the General Assembly for a Town Hall meeting with Civil Society in the Trusteeship Council Chamber (UN Headquarters, NY) on 2 December 2022, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. The meeting will also be webcast live on UN WebTV.

Background and Objective

In his vision statement, His Excellency Csaba KŐRÖSI, President of the seventy-seventh session of the General Assembly stated “It is my intention to hold impact-oriented consultations with civil society organizations, youth representatives, science-based knowledge centres and representatives of business communities, key finance institutions and faith-based organizations. I hope to be able to encourage them to bring their contributions to the General Assembly while keeping in mind the interlinked nature of the risk factors we face and the integrated character of the solutions we need.”

The PGA has further asserted that a more effective and responsive United Nations will require engagement with an array of relevant stakeholders, including civil society, businesses, philanthropic organizations, academia, the scientific community, and other partners on the key issues under discussion in the General Assembly. While Member States remain the decision-makers of the United Nations, all stakeholders must assume their role as decision-shapers.

In this light, the PGA will convene a Town Hall with civil society representatives to discuss his priorities for the seventy-seventh session, with a particular aim to hear proposals for solutions directly from civil society representatives. This Town Hall is supported by the Department of Global Communications, with additional support by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Format

The moderated event will consist of an opening statement by the President of the General Assembly followed by five short keynote statements from civil society representatives that will address the following topics:

  • Solutions through solidarity:  The pandemic has demonstrated how solidarity within societies and among countries has an impact on social and economic stability and security. In times of crisis, focusing on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable is more important than ever. Civil society is on the ground. What does sustainable solidarity look like?
  • Solutions through sustainability: We must get back on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Next year’s SDG Summit at the UN will be a key opportunity to take stock of gaps and recommit to the achievement of the SDGs. Best practices that can be replicated are needed. Civil society will play a key role in this endeavor.
  • Solutions though science: Our efforts to tackle global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the digital revolution have provided us with convincing proof of the role science can play in shaping decisions on complex issues. This transformative agenda must be based on scientific evidence and the political wisdom of negotiators.
  • Solutions from youth: It would be difficult to fix present crises and prevent new ones while adhering to the same mentality and logic that led to their onset. Youth already have a voice, but they need to be heard, particularly as every negotiating process affects them and future generations. In September, the General Assembly decided to establish a UN Youth Office to promote meaningful, inclusive and effective engagement of youth and youth-led organizations in the work of the UN.
  • Solutions through partnership: In times of interlocking crises, no country —without exception— can effectively address global challenges alone. Similarly, the complexities of these problems make it so that governments alone, even when working together, are unable to sustainably implement solutions without partnerships that reach beyond the State. Civil society participants are critical partners in highlighting best practices and lessons learned so that partnerships become the international default when addressing common threats.

The floor will then be opened for discussion and for questions from civil society representatives.

Logistics

Civil Society Organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC, formally associated with the Department of Global Communications, and other stakeholders are invited to attend the meeting in the Trusteeship Council Chamber in person.

All in-person participants are required to register in advance here.

For in-person events at the UN headquarters, the use of masks is strongly encouraged. By registering to attend in-person, all participants attest that their COVID-19 vaccination record is up to date to access the UN Headquarters complex in New York, based on the guidelines provided by local health authorities.

Please note: Civil Society Representatives are reminded to carry proof of COVID-19 vaccination while on UN premises in New York and must be prepared to show them if requested to do so by UN personnel.

To register an interest in delivering a keynote statement, please fill in the online form here no later than 14 November. CSO representatives will be selected by taking into account geographical and gender balance, as well as thematic diversity.

Due to time limitations, it will not be possible to accommodate all requests for interventions. A limited number of speakers will be contacted by the Secretariat. We appreciate your understanding. The time for interventions will be limited to 4 minutes for each speaker.

To ensure a wider participation from all geographical regions, CSO representatives will also have the opportunity to submit pre-recorded questions, a selection of which will be presented during the questions and answers segment of the event. Please register your interest in submitting a pre-recorded question here no later than 14 November.

Provisional Programme

  • Introductory remarks by moderator
  • Opening statement by the President of the General Assembly
  • Remarks by keynote speakers from Civil Society Organizations
  • Discussions, questions and answers with the PGA
  • Closing statement by the President of the General Assembly

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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 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 Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at tonkin@hartford.edu or fmhult@umbc.edu. 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 Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. 

Open Forum on CSW67

Join the NGO Committee on the Status of Women/NY on Wednesday, November 16, at 9am to learn more about CSW67, coming up in March 2023!

We’ll address the following during the Open Forum:

  • CSW67 priority and review themes;
  • Overview of the UN CSW process;
  • Ways to participate in the NGO CSW67 Forum and the different events that will be happening;
  • How to promote your work or organization at the Forum.

We’ll also have a Q&A session at the end to answer all of your questions on the CSW67, NGO CSW67 Forum, Parallel Events, Exhibit Booths and Handbook Ads, and our new and improved virtual portal.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAkdeqhrDsvEtI166TGPYHdst_AleNqjz8N

Interpretation will be available in English, Spanish, and French.

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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/Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. 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 Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@yahoo.com. 

61st Session of the Commission for Social Development

The 61st United Nations Commission for Social Development (CSocD61) will take place from 6 to 15 February 2023 in Conference Room 4 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Priority Theme:

Creating full and productive employment and decent work for all as a way of overcoming inequalities to accelerate the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Review of relevant UN plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups:

(i) Outcome document of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the realization of the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed development goals for persons with disabilities: the way forward, a disability-inclusive development agenda towards 2015 and beyond;

(ii) World Programme of Action for Youth;

(iii) Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002;

(iv) Family issues, policies and programmes.

Full schedule of events, more info on NGO participation, and background documents available here.

Hosting Side Events:

Most CSocD61 side events will take place virtually. In person side events are ONLY open to Permanent Missions, intergovernmental organizations and United Nations system entities.

Each side event organizer is responsible for hosting and choosing their virtual event platform. All participants of the CSocD and users of the CSocD online platforms, and any contributions they make, must comply with the United Nations Code of Conduct.

General Instructions for Side Events

Deadline for submission of online application forms for side-events is 22 December 2022 for in person events and 6 January 2023 for virtual events (EDT – New York Time).

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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 the Family/NY, please visit ngofamilyny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family/Vienna, please visit viennafamilycommittee.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Migration, please visit ngo-migration.org.

Eliminating Extreme Poverty and Hunger Amongst Older Persons & People with Disabilities by Implementing a Supplementary Income Program: Evidence from Ethiopia

The NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity (COIGENS) proudly invites you to the first meeting in their new series on Social Trauma and Intergenerational Solutions! This inaugural meeting will focus on:

Eliminating Extreme Poverty and Hunger Amongst Older Persons and People with Disabilities by Implementing a Supplementary Income Program: Evidence from a Program in Lalibela, Ethiopia

To attend this exciting virtual event, please contact COIGENS Program Coordinator Kevin Brabazon at NGOcommittee.COIGENS@gmail.com to receive the Zoom access link, which will be sent out prior to the meeting.

About Nov. 11 Meeting:

This first meeting will focus on the traumas of extreme poverty and hunger and will offer a simple approach to eliminating both traumas. The social protection program that is often found in social security systems (in the USA it is referred to as Supplementary Security Income or SSI). This meeting will introduce you to a demonstration project in Lalibela, Ethiopia that is sponsored by COIGENS. The Mayor of Lalibela will introduce five recipients of the supplementary income part of the Lalibela Project and will interview them to show how their lives have changed since joining the program. This will be a live feed so attendees will be able to ask questions in the last 30 minutes of the program.

In the Lalibela Project, Supplementary Income is provided to eligible participants on a monthly basis. The income is set above the Extreme Poverty level and is intended to show the government and international observers that this “social trauma” could be eliminated on a national level by implementing a 1% income tax.

Program:

  • Keynote Speech: Dr. Kurt Johnson, Pioneer in the Knowledge Field of Science and  Religion Interface, “The Three Generational Family Model at the Interface of Social and Economic Sciences and Religion”
  • Program Presentation: Abebe Fentaw Sisay, Director of the Lalibela Project, “Honor Your Father and Mother and Love Your Neighbor as Yourself as a Basis for Social Development”
  • Mayor Tesefa Habte, Mayor of Lablibela, will introduce and interview five of the elders who have been lifted out of extreme poverty by the supplementary income program in the Lalibela Project

Please note: You do not need to be a member of COIGENS to join the Zoom meeting though we are offering free membership extended from December to run through April of next year. Any time you wish to join, let us know and we will add you to the list of members. If you prefer to follow our meetings as a non-member, we welcome that too. We are interested in building a community of common interests in which we can share ideas and shape the way the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be realized.  –  Dr. Susanne Seperson, Acting Chair, COIGENS; United Nations Representative, Generations United

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CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity 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 Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. 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 the Family/NY, please visit ngofamilyny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family/Vienna, please visit viennafamilycommittee.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. 

Financing for Development in a Fractured World

Join the NGO Committee on Financing for Development for an important look at FfD in a contemporary context, knowing that the repercussions of COVID-19 and climate destruction are here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future.

Date and Time: 8:30 am – 10:00 am EST on November 9, 2022

Please register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwuduutpjguGtENOtCZCf-EtA7AD0azr_Wu

Objective: The General Assembly will decide during the current session whether it is ready to convoke the fourth Financing for Development (FfD) conference in the next few years. The global economy is in a difficult situation, especially for development, underlining the need for more effective international economic and financial cooperation. While it is not obvious that the international community as a whole is currently ready to effectively address the pending issues, it is time to start to try to build a new global consensus on financing for sustainable development.

The objective of the NGO Committee on FfD in organizing this workshop is to build the capacity of NGOs/CSOs that focus on a range of economic, social, and environmental issues to engage effectively in the FfD processes and to share updates on the current FfD discussions. While the session is geared towards NGOs/CSOs already engaged with UN processes, it is open to anyone interested in gaining an understanding of FfD. Speakers will provide a perspective of the FfD processes, clarify the larger impact of FfD-related decisions on the achievements of the 2030 agenda, and share insights on current developments and areas that require urgent action and strengthened advocacy efforts.

Read the full concept note here!

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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. Likewise, for more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/NY, please 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 the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP.

Climate Action Day

In light of the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference, COP27, students and teachers from across the world will get together at a global online discussion to share ideas, solutions, and innovative projects for climate action. In an interactive session, youth leaders and innovators will present their ideas and recommendations. The online event will be an opportunity for schools to showcase their sustainability practices and environmental projects. It will also present the outcomes of the Climate Action Project, a six-week climate education initiative that has reached over 2.7 million people in 149 countries. Climate education for all!

Registration is open for all global classrooms. Watch live here on Thursday, November 3rd: youtube.com/takeactionglobal

View full event details here: climateactionday.net

Register here: bit.ly/cop27tag

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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 the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit un-ngocrip.net. 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 Children’s Rights/NY, please visit childrightsny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the vice chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. 

2022 Vienna Discussion Forum: Women on the Move

The Permanent Missions of Finland, Norway, and Sweden in Vienna, together with UNODC and UNIDO, invite you to the 2022 Vienna Discussion Forum: “Women on the Move – Surviving Forced Displacement and Building a New Life

The VDF is a hybrid meeting, taking place in MS Teams or in person in the Vienna International Centre, Conference room 4 (7th floor C-Building). Register here!

Agenda:

Opening Remarks

· Ghada Waly, Executive Director, UNODC 

· Fatou Haidara, Managing Director, Directorate of Global Partnerships & External Relations, UNIDO

· Johanna Sumuvuori, State Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland

· Nadia Murad, Nadia’s Initiative, UNODC Goodwill Ambassador and survivor of human trafficking

Panel Discussion

· Ilias Chatzis, Chief, Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section, UNODC

· Ciyong Zou, Managing Director, Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development, UNIDO

· Anna Ekstedt, Ambassador-at-large for Combating Trafficking in Persons, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden

· Sarah A Tobin, Research Director, Christian Michelsen Institute

Closing Remarks

· Felipe González Morales, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants

 

Background:

The 2022 Vienna Discussion Forum (VDF) will discuss the importance of ensuring that measures to address migration and displacement are gender-responsive and take a human rights-centred approach. This includes understanding the gendered displacement patterns caused by human insecurity and conflict situations, providing effective support for both women and men in their transit to their final destination, safeguarding them from human trafficking and migrant smuggling, as well as supporting them once they have arrived in their final destination through economic empowerment.

Through drawing on the mandates of UNODC and UNIDO, the discussion will identify how the organisations can support the international community in developing gender-responsive policies, programmes and measures to address migration and displacement.

The Vienna Discussion Forum is an annual event to discuss gender equality and the empowerment of women in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals. Details on the 2021 Forum can be found here and here. Details on the 2020 Forum can be found here and here. Details on the inaugural 2019 Forum can be found here and here.

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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/Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. 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 Migration, please visit ngo-migration.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee to Stop Trafficking in Persons, please visit ngocstip.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP.

NGO CSW/NY regular monthly meeting

Join the NGO Committee on the Status of Women/NY’s regular monthly meeting on November 17 at 8:00am EST. Meeting details will become available on the committee’s website soon.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMsdu2rqzovHtwA5dN2h_SEO2vbHVlZ3whz

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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. 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 Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org.

UNESCO-UNFCCC COP27 webinar #7: Climate Change Education

From April to September, UNESCO-UNFCCC hosted the first six webinars of eight for the Webinar Series, Climate Change Education for Social Transformation: On the Road to COP27, which is dedicated to the goal of greening every education policy and curriculum to be climate ready. Taking place on the last Tuesday of every month, each episode will explore the critical role of climate change education, and how to harness its transformative power, in leading up to COP27.

The seventh session, Getting Ready to Scale Up Climate Change Education at COP27, takes place on Tuesday, 25 October 2022 from 10:00 – 11:00 CET, and reviews the gaps, challenges, and opportunities in promoting climate change education for social transformation in education and sustainable development policies and curriculums. The discussion will present concrete strategies to promote the greening of every education policy and curriculum, particularly around COP27.

Register here!

The session will be in English with interpretation in French. The forthcoming Session 8 (November), next and last in the series, will focus on: “Post-COP27 climate change education: Where do we go from here?”

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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 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 Children’s Rights/NY, please visit childrightsny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP.

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