ADA Monthly Newsletter - April 2017

Dear ADA Members,

Kindly ignore the newsletter that I sent earlier today since most of the links could not open due to a technical error (created by me)!!  My Sincere apologies for this inconvenience. Please find below the revised newsletter for your information and further action.

Keep Connected,
My Best Regards,
Jyotsna
ADA-Coordinator

Table of Contents

ADA and Members Activities. 3
International Activities. 3
OECD Global Platform on Development: Working Together to achieve the sustainable Development Goals, Paris, April 5, 2017-05-04   3
Development of Voluntary Supplemental Indicators for SDG16 : SDG16 Final Group of Experts Meeting Oslo, Norway, April 6, 2017   3
National Activities. 4
Coordination Meeting of Nepal SDGs Forum, Kathmandu, April 12, 2017. 4
SDG workshops on Goal 5, April, 11th, 2017, New Delhi, India. 4
SDGs in Bangladesh: The Missing Links and where International Assistance is our Legitimate Right, Dhaka, 08 April 2017  5
SDGs and Voluntary National Review (VNR) in Bangladesh: Perspective Citizen Participation, Dhaka, 22nd April, 2017  5
Information. 6
Useful Documents. 6
Regarding High-Level Committees formed by the Government of Nepal for Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – CSO’s from Nepal 6
Press Release by National Planning Commission, Nepal 6
Practical Guide for Indigenous Peoples - Leaving No One Behind. 6
Korean Civil Society Report?for 2017 HLPF on Sustainable Development 6
For Your Action. 7
2017 HLPF: inviting proposals for side events (deadline 10 May 2017) 7
Nominations to receive travel funding for the 2017 HLPF now accepted – Deadline- 22 May, 2017  7
 
 
 
 

 ADA and Members Activities

 International Activities

OECD Global Platform on Development: Working Together to achieve the sustainable Development Goals, Paris, April 5, 2017-05-04

The workshop deliberated the issues around optimizing the private sector’s role in advancing sustainable development, financing SDGs, the role of SMEs in promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, the Public-private dialogue in support of better national policies and the SDGs and the role of the private sector in delivering sustainable urbanization in Africa.

Broad and bold partnerships between governmental and non-governmental actors are instrumental in making sure no one is left behind. Resources, expertise, and innovative solutions are among the incredible assets the private sector brings to their partnerships. Now is the time to explore what already is working, what can be further catalyzed and what the OECD can do to optimize the private sector’s role in advancing sustainable development. The detailed discussions can be read here

Development of Voluntary Supplemental Indicators for SDG16 : SDG16 Final Group of Experts Meeting Oslo, Norway, April 6, 2017

Given the centrality of Goal 16 and its targets for inclusive, just and peaceful societies for realising Agenda 2030, the Community of Democracies (CoD) has partnered with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Open Government Partnership (OGP) to create a framework of Voluntary Global Supplemental Indicators (action led by the CoD), which will be made available for all countries as a voluntary non-prescriptive tool to use in the national level monitoring processes.

The CoD convened a one-day final Global Group of Experts Consultation to discuss and review a draft, Goal 16 Supplemental Internationally-Relevant Indicators Framework developed by Dr. Havard Mokleiv Nygard, Technical Lead of the project.

• Discuss and review the proposed draft complementary and supplemental indicators under each of the 12 targets of Goal 16. ?
• Discuss the proposed methodologies for measuring the effectiveness of the supplemental indicator framework at the national level. ?
• Provide inputs into the finalisation of the indicator framework of internationally-relevant indicators for Goal 16 ?

More than 20 experts from all over the globe participated in this important including many ADA members.

National Activities

 Coordination Meeting of Nepal SDGs Forum, Kathmandu, April 12, 2017

NGO Federation of Nepal (NFN) has organized a coordination meeting of Nepal SDGs Forum on 12 April 2017. The main purpose of this meeting was to discuss on implementation aspect of SDGs in the country. Representatives of constituencies, thematic groups, and INGO were the participants of this meeting. Altogether there were 35 organizations in this meeting including NFN officials.  The detailed report can be read here

SDG workshops on Goal 5, April, 11th, 2017, New Delhi, India

National Consultation on  SDGs5 gender equality and empowerment was organized by Research and Information system for Developing countries (RIS) in New Delhi in partnership with NITI Aayog United Nations India.The  Keynote Address was given by Parliamentarian Ms. Smriti Zubin Irani, followed by Inaugural Address by Mr. Arvind Panagariya, Special Remarks by Amb. Hardeep Singh Puri, Chairman, RIS.
Main outputs

• Localizing SDGs
• Interlinkages with other ministries
• Need to bring issues relate to humanization of targets
• Goal to be desired and special instruments to achieve other goals
• How to address the whole issue of empowerment –decision-making agencies
• Learning process on property rights, domestic violence
• Women living in mountain areas and their contribution to participation and decision-making
• Due lessons on community leadership from Madhya Pradesh, reference to Kerala's 5 years plan document, and their gender responsive budgeting, gap analysis
• How anti-discrimination law going to be priority, multi-dimensional approach by some UN agencies, terms of gender inequality, violence against women,multi-sectorial approaches, institutional mechanism for access to justice for women
• Lack of disaggregated data and monitoring needs to approach, to bring in distinction in tracking and survey, indicators focus on targets,
• Participatory safety audit, reliability n access to data,

More details of the workshop can be found here
 

SDGs in Bangladesh: The Missing Links and where International Assistance is our Legitimate Right, Dhaka, 08 April 2017

A group of 23 Rights Based Civil Society Network has urged the government for effective and pragmatic strategic actions to reduce inequalities towards the realization of the SDGs. Strengthened democracy with inclusiveness are also must to achieve the SDGs in Bangladesh, they opined. The group placed these suggestions and demand from a press conference held today at the National Press Club. The full report can be read here
 

SDGs and Voluntary National Review (VNR) in Bangladesh: Perspective Citizen Participation, Dhaka, 22nd April 2017

A consultation was organised at National Press Club, Dhaka with the title “SDGs and Voluntary National Review (VNR) in Bangladesh: Perspective Citizen Participation” jointly organized by ADA (Asia Development Alliance), EquityBD (Equity and Justice Working Group Bangladesh), SUPRO (Shusashoner Jonny Procharavizan), GACP (Global Campaign against Poverty) and SDG Watch Bangladesh.  The right based civil society group urged the government for ensuring effective strategy and action to increase human capacity in order to achieve the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goal). They also opined that the developing human capacity, the government should strengthen her institutional capacity, especially to ensure inclusive civil society participation in this regard. The detailed report can be read here
 

Information

ADA is delighted to welcome Mr. Hideki Wakabayashi, the new secretary general of JANIC, into its steering committee as a successor of Mr.Eiichi  Sadamatsu, former secretary general of JANIC. Before JANIC, Mr.  Wakabayashi served as the Director of Amnesty International Japan for 6 years. 
 

Useful Documents

Regarding High-Level Committees formed by the Government of Nepal for Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – CSO’s from Nepal

Press Release by National Planning Commission, Nepal

Practical Guide for Indigenous Peoples - Leaving No One Behind

AIPP has just finalized the production of its Practical Guide for Indigenous Peoples on the SDGs with the title “Leaving No one Behind”. This practical guide aims to provide some basic information for indigenous peoples in Asia and around the world about the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development in a simpler and easy-to-understand way. The guide also gives concrete guidance on how indigenous peoples can engage in the 2030 Agenda processes from national to global level.

Korean Civil Society Report?for 2017 HLPF on Sustainable Development

This report aims to deliver the position of Korean civil society groups on themes of 2017 HLPF for SDGs implementation in Korea even though Korean government does not submit its Voluntary National Review for 2017 HLPF. SDG 1, 5, 9, 14 and 17, and two cross-sector issues of disability and participatory governance are reviewed. Initially, the review of all 7 SDGs including SDG 2 and 3 have been promoted but in the end, SDG 2 and 3 were dropped out of the final report because of difficulties of capabilities in its finalization. The full report can be read here

For Your Action

2017 HLPF: inviting proposals for side events (deadline 10 May 2017)

Nominations to receive travel funding for the 2017 HLPF now accepted – Deadline- 22 May 2017

DESA-DSD, with thanks to a generous grant from the European Commission, will be funding a number of representatives of Major Groups and Other Stakeholders from developing countries to participate in the 2017 session of the HLPF taking place from 10-19 July in New York. The selection will be done by DSD in collaboration with the MGoS HLPF Coordination Mechanism Steering Group. The selected colleagues will receive funding to support airplane tickets, two days of daily subsistence allowances and terminal expenses during the HLPF. Please complete this form, no later than 22 May 2017, to apply for the funding. An accessible MS Word document form is attached for persons with visual impairment.

Please note that candidates that have been selected for funding should be prepared to submit their travel related documentation, including a copy of their passport bio page and any travel forms, no later than by close of business (NY time) on Thursday, 7 June 2017. Please note that there will be no exceptions to this deadline and that the secretariat will not be able to process travel for any individual who is not able to provide their necessary documentation by this deadline. Please also note that selected individuals will be responsible for making their own visa and transit visa arrangements.

DESA/DSD is pleased to launch the registration process for the high-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) in 2017, convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. The meeting will be held from Monday, 10 July, to Wednesday, 19 July 2017; including the three-day ministerial meeting of the forum from Monday, 17 July, to Wednesday, 19 July 2017. 

The theme will be "Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world". The set of goals to be reviewed in depth will be the following, including Goal 17. “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development” that will be considered each year: 

• Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere 
• Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture 
• Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages 
• Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 
• Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation 
• Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 

For more information on the forum, including the 44 countries that will be making their voluntary national presentations, please see the following website: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf 

1 June 2017 is the last day for Non-Governmental Organizations to apply for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), in order to have an opportunity to take part in UN deliberations. ECOSOC consultative status is governed by ECOSOC resolution 1996/31, which outlines the eligibility requirements for consultative status, rights and obligations of NGOs in consultative status, procedures for the withdrawal or suspension of consultative status, the role and functions of the ECOSOC Committee on NGOs, and the responsibilities of the UN Secretariat in supporting the consultative relationship. Consultative status is granted by ECOSOC upon recommendation of the Committee on NGOs, which is composed of Member States. 

•  ADA's official website has been renewed. All the information related to the implementation of SDGs in Asia and actions conducted by Asian CSOs will be accumulated on this website. Please visit www.ada2030.org
• ADA's Facebook page has been activated! The page will channel useful information among civil society actors in Asia. Feel free to tag @AsiaDevelopmentAlliance in future collaboration. The page is accessible with this web address: https://www.facebook.com/ada2030/