UN DESA

[HLPF side event] Stakeholder Group on Ageing presents “COVID-19 Pandemic: A Stress Test of Global Ageing”

SGA Official Side Event at the UN High-level Political Forum

Older persons have been among the first and hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. In many respects the pandemic could be viewed as a test of how prepared/or not Member States are for the rapidly ageing society.

Pandemics disrupt and have the potential to drive change. Only a whole-of-society, whole-of-government approach can respond effectively to the dynamic challenges of this time.

In his report, the UN Secretary-General presented new research on how longevity has the power to transform labour markets, economies and societies. The recently released WHO Global Report on Ageism shows that one in two people hold ageist attitudes towards older people.

This side event will focus on: Health and Long Term Care, Economic Development and Work and Technology in ageist environment during the pandemic

Register here: zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUofuqrrD4rG9XfaonPbRnBxmTDIDOXF4yw

Program

Welcome: Ms. Erica Dhar, Co-Chair, Stakeholder Group on Ageing

Keynote address: Prof. Andrew Scott, Professor of Economics, London Business School

Panel moderator: Dr. Jane Barratt, Secretary General, International Federation on Ageing

5 Minute Lightning Round Interventions

  • H.E. Ms. Barbro Westerholm, Member of Parliament, Sweden
  • Dr. Ad van Berlo, Chief Executive Officer and R&D Manager, Smart Homes
  • Ms. Aura Sevilla, Programme Consultant for South East Asia and Older Workers, Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO)
  • Ms. Grace Chan, Business Director, Hong Kong Council of Social Service

Closing remarks: Ms. Amal Abou Rafeh, Chief of the Programme on Ageing Unit, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)

This event will be available at no cost and a recording will be available following the live event. For more information regarding the programme and speaker biographies please visit ifa.ngo/driving-our-agenda/united-nations.

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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. 

Financing Global Climate Action and Promoting Digital Solutions

Financing Global Climate Action and Promoting Digital Solutions

Session 4 of the UN DESA Global Policy Dialogues for Climate Action

  • How has the COVID-19 crisis put climate finance at risk? 
  • What are examples of good projects that are leading the path to jumpstart more investment in climate mitigation and adaptation efforts?
  • What are some of the innovative applications of digital technology for mitigating the climate crisis?

Join UN DESA, finance experts, policymakers, and climate and sustainable development practitioners for a discussion of the best approaches for ensuring that climate financing measures are included in rebuilding efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that such efforts are inclusive and help the most vulnerable. Additionally, experts will discuss emerging digital solutions to the climate crisis, including ideas related to the Internet of Things, for climate adaptation and mitigation and ways to scale them up.

Register here by 29 June 2021: bit.ly/climate30june

More information: bit.ly/DESAdialogues

The event is free and open to all, and will be streamed live on UN DESA’s Facebook page. It will be held in English with captions available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. The event is made possible by the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund. All are welcome!

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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.

Strengthening Sustainable Forest and Ocean Management to Mitigate Climate Change

Session 3 of the UN DESA Global Policy Dialogues for Climate Action

Wednesday, 26 May 2021, 8:00 – 9:30 am EDT

  • How do the restoration and protection of forests and the ocean help address the climate change and biodiversity crises?
  • How should countries and the private sector best identify, finance and mentor sustainable forest and ocean management systems? 
  • How do we ensure that sustainable forest and ocean management is inclusive?

Leading voices in the fields of forest and ocean ecosystem restoration and management will discuss practical approaches for using these natural resources in ways that minimize the impacts of climate change, all in the context of recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Cross-cutting issues such as financing, governance, data and leaving no one behind will be part of the discussion.

Register here by 25 May 2021: bit.ly/climate26may

The event is free and open to all, and will be streamed live on UN DESA’s Facebook page. It will be held in English with captions available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. The event is made possible by the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund. All are welcome!

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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. For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. 

2021 International Day of Families: “Families and New Technologies”

Please join the International Day of Families online webinar, “Families and New Technologies” on Friday, May 14 from 10 to 11:30 am EDT. This is sponsored by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
The focus will be on the megatrends of new technology, analysis of their impacts on family life, and recommendations for responsive family-oriented policies to harness the positive aspects of those trends and counteract their negative facets. Discussion will follow-up on the theme of the 59th session of the Commission for Social Development “Socially just transition towards sustainable development: the role of digital technologies on social development and well-being of all.”
Watch the event live on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/UNDESASocial

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family-NY, please visit ngofamilyny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN.

Special session of the General Assembly on challenges and measures to prevent and combat corruption and strengthen international cooperation

Special session of the General Assembly on challenges and measures to prevent and combat corruption and strengthen international cooperation

United Nations Headquarters, June 2-4, 2021,

For the upcoming General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) against Corruption, kindly note the following guidelines for NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC, as per resolutions 73/191 and 74/276, as well as decisions 74/568 and 75/562 entitled “Special session of the General Assembly against corruption”:

  • According to Paragraph 2 (d) of UN General Assembly resolution 74/276, representatives of non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council are invited to participate in the special session in accordance with the established practice of the General Assembly.
  • In line with this paragraph, the representatives of non-governmental organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC are invited to register to participate in the special session by Wednesday, 5 May 2021, until 5:00 p.m. Proceedings of the special session will be webcast and all ECOSOC accredited NGOs will be provided by DESA with the link to the UN Web TV, where the proceedings of the special session can be virtually followed live. Additional information related to the special session can also be accessed in advance through the website of the Office of the President of the General Assembly (https://www.un.org/pga/75/special-session-against-corruption/) which will be regularly updated.
  • Additionally, as per paragraph 2 (c) of resolution 74/276,  plenary meetings of the special session shall include “statements by […] and, time permitting, a limited number of representatives from relevant organizations attending the special session, in line with subparagraphs (d) and (e) below, selected by the President of the General Assembly, in consultation with Member States, with due regard for geographical balance and gender equity…”
  • Should your organization also wish to be considered for making a statement at the plenary meeting, time permitting and if selected in accordance with the General Assembly resolution 74/276, please indicate your interest to DESA by no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, 5 May 2021

*Please note that this indication does not guarantee a speaking opportunity. Only a limited number of representatives from relevant organizations, selected by the President of the General Assembly in accordance with resolution 74/276 will be contacted in due course.

  • As per subparagraph (a) of General Assembly decision 75/562,  those who are invited to participate in line with paragraphs 2 (d) and (e) of its resolution 74/276, may submit a pre-recorded statement, which would be played in the General Assembly Hall after introduction by the President of the General Assembly at the special session.

To register their interest, NGOs are therefore invited to do so at: https://indico.un.org/event/35977/ by no later than Wednesday, 5 May 2021, by 5:00 pm.

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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 Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org.

NGO Committee on Social Development [monthly meeting]

The NGO Committee on Social Development will hold their regular monthly meeting at 10:00 am EST on May 19. Register here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwrcOqqpj8uHtHqW8yFsbkrjk4wp3k-jSYv

About:

The NGO Committee for Social Development, is dedicated to promoting a People-Centered Development through the United Nations. We are dedicated to raise awareness on social development issues taken up by the United Nations (UN) System and in particular by the UN Commission for Social Development.

In partnership with UN DESA and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Foundation, the NGO Committee on Social Development hosts the Civil Society Forum which creates a special space for Civil Society to interact with states members of UN Commission on Social Development and other multi-stakeholders.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org.

Imagining the Carbon-Neutral Future: Transformations in Energy and Transport

Session 2 of the UN DESA Global Policy Dialogues for Climate Action

Wednesday, 28 April 2021, 8:30-10 a.m. EDT

Energy and transport can be agents of sustainable urban and rural development that prioritize equity and inclusion while also moving us closer to our zero-carbon goals. This session, the second in a four-part series on “Building a Global Coalition for Sustainability after COVID-19,” will bring together leading voices in the fields of clean energy and sustainable transport with experts from the UN system to discuss practical solutions and ways to reform these systems minimizing their effect on the environment, in the context of recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Organized with UN-Habitat, the event will also discuss cross-cutting issues such as financing, governance, gender, data and statistics, as well as how the world can best make systemic transformations to a more sustainable world while leaving no one behind.

Register here by 27 April 2021: bit.ly/climate28april

More information: bit.ly/DESAdialogues

The event is free and open to all, and will be streamed live on UN DESA’s Facebook page. The event will be held in English with captions available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

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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.

54th session of the Commission on Population and Development

Dear NGO representatives,

In the context of the fifty-fourth session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD), the co-facilitators, Ms. Cristina Popescu (Romania) and Mr. Nizar Kaddouh (Lebanon), would like to invite you to an online informal consultation with NGOs on the zero draft of the resolution on population, food security, nutrition and sustainable development (attached).

The consultation will take place Thursday, 1 April 2021 from 9.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. New York time (EDT).

The weblink for the consultation is: https://undesa.webex.com/undesa/j.php?MTID=m6218bcc8c492f6b946c20d9f79492

The meeting will be open from 08.30 am onwards. Please call in before the meeting starts to test your equipment.

Kind regards

Population Division, UN DESA

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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. 

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. 

[IFFD Virtual Briefing] Parenting in the Digital Age: Policymaker Perspective

IFFD virtual briefing on “Parenting in the Digital Age” through a policymaker perspective

Co-organized by UN-DESA Division for Inclusive Social Development, with the participation of Center for Educational Research and Innovation – OECD, UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti, Common Sense Media

Background Note

The global pandemic crisis has shown the great value of new technologies, especially for families. New technologies have enabled many people to continue working at home. They have helped many teachers and parents to continue to provide an education for their children when the schools closed. They have provided ways to stay connected with friends and relatives. They have been a way to reach out for help getting food and medicines. They have been a much-needed source of entertainment.

At the same time, new technologies have shown a darker side. Parents around the world are concerned about what impact the Internet is having on their children’s lives. Their concern is not so much about if they are spending too long online but more about how their online interactions are impacting on their health, happiness and wellbeing. They also worry about them being cyber-bullied, what their kids’ digital legacy will be and if they are safe online.

The event will focus on how policymakers can help parents and families to develop character and cyber-wisdom in their children. At the same time, it will spur parents’ proactivity in seeking to cultivate values, qualities and skills in their children.

Discussion Points

1. What is access and opportunities to digital technologies among different families? Digital opportunities and access for all (Curitiba Manifesto)
2. How does the digital gap impact the suitability and efficiency of parenting? (Venice Declaration)
3. How can policymakers, industry leaders and global media partners support parents in building a digital world that works better for every child, family and community? (Common Sense Media)

Register here!

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family-NY, please visit ngofamilyny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Children’s Rights, childrightsny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. 

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