ADA Monthly Newsletter- December 2017
Dear ADA members and Friends,
Hope you had a very productive 2017. As the year ends, we have come up with some important events that took place in December 2017 and proposed activities/events for 2018.
Please remain in touch to get the latest news and updates on SDGs, development and democracies!
Please show your solidarity by contributing any news, information or article from your country/ region to our newsletter.
Hope it is useful for your reflection… Please see below for details how to get involved and share your activities for greater impact!
We wish you A very Happy , Productive and Prosperous New Year 2018!!
In solidarity,
ADA Secretariat
Table of Contents
ADA and Members Activities
Regional Activities
Asia-Pacific Conference on Resilience of Democracy with the theme “21st Century Solutions for 21st Century Challenges to Democracy”- 13-14 December, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Global Activities
International civil society Week : Fiji
ADA in TAP Steering Committee (2018-2019)
Useful Documents
For your Action
Busan Democracy Forum (BuDF) 2018: UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Democracy “Promoting Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies in Asia and beyond“ Grand Hotel, Busan, Republic of Korea, 22-24 Jan. 2018(Mon.-Tue.)
ADA AGM – 24th January, Busan, 2018
Global SDG 7 Conference, 21-23 February 2018, Bangkok
Webinar.
High-Level Political Forum 2018.
Voluntary National Review (VNR)
Registration for the HLPF 2018
Regional Preparatory Meetings
ADA and Members Activities
Regional Activities
Asia-Pacific Conference on Resilience of Democracy with the theme “21st Century Solutions for 21st Century Challenges to Democracy”- 13-14 December, Colombo, Sri Lanka
 Globally, democracy is at a crossroads and cannot be taken for granted. While democracy has spread over the past 40 years, recent events have raised alarm bells across the globe due to the growing popular distrust towards political actors and parties, the rise of populist movements, and the concentration of executive power in the hands of presidents and prime ministers. These dire times, therefore, require a coalition of social actors who can engage to protect the values of democracy.
Taking these as a background, the conference was jointly organized by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and Democracy Reporting International (DRI), held on 13-14 December 2017 at Hotel Mövenpick, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The Conference’s goal was to create actionable solutions to identified challenges, which the participants themselves could implement. The participants from Asia and the Pacific found innovative solutions to specific challenges of democracy and focussed on collaborative problem-solving, instead of passive listening. At the end of the Conference, participants were agreed upon a set of solutions to identified challenges ready to be followed up in their respective countries. The conference envisaged participants from Asia and the Pacific region comprised of institutional and/or individual experts, namely: - Policymakers and relevant government officials - Civil society representatives including NGOs, the academe, think tanks - Media-savvy young professionals - Up-and-coming political actors - Members of the media (traditional and new media) It is proposed to have around 15-20 participants per Lab. Over the two days, the participants were encouraged to discuss the topics in an ‘IDEAThon’ format with Innovation Labs where participants brainstormed new initiatives or approaches based on the publication’s recommendations. The second day of the conference also included high-level panel discussing conditions for democracy’s resilience.
The conference also served as the formal launch of the Global State of Democracy publication. International IDEA’s new Global State of Democracy publication analyses and assesses the state of democracy worldwide based on data from International IDEA’s new Global State of Democracy indices. The publication includes an overview of global and regional democracy trends and developments, current challenges, and crises, as well as evidence-based and actionable recommendations for policymakers and democracy practitioners worldwide. Lastly, this conference addressed three significant issues of democracy in the region, namely, money in politics, inclusive peacebuilding in conflict-afflicted states and threats to democracy backsliding.
Global Activities
International Civil Society Week: Fiji
International Civil Society Week (ICSW) is a key global gathering for civil society and other stakeholders to engage constructively in finding common solutions to global challenges. In December 2017, CIVICUS in partnership with the Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (PIANGO) organized this event in the Pacific region to meet and discuss climate and social justice in continuation to several key intergovernmental initiatives, including COP 23, the UN’s Oceans Conference and the UN international year of sustainable tourism for development that Pacific hosted successfully. ADA was represented by its few members during the event and represented in key events especially those organised by AGNA and Innovation for Change (I4C).
AGNA
AGNA Peer Exchange: #MembershipMatters - 5 December
On 5 December 12 AGNA members led a peer exchange for member-based organizations, alliances, and movements on membership topics, including member benefits, recruitment and retention, member databases and communications. Participants joined 2 sets of concurrent breakout sessions to share strategies and best practices about membership matters.
The workshop discussed issues related to managing diversity within the membership so to avoid t he tensions that tend to rise and end up affecting the campaign for social change.
Following were the peer facilitators for the event:
ADA in TAP Steering Committee (2018-2019)
Results of the election of the 2018-2019 TAP Network Steering Committee. These results were independently reviewed and verified by representatives of the current Steering Committee, WFUNA and American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative.
Organizations from the “Global North”:
- Namati
- Transparency International
Organizations from the “Global South”:
- Asia Development Alliance (ADA)
- Human Rights First Rwanda Association (HRFRA)
- SDG Kenya Forum
Useful Documents
Synthesis of Voluntary National Reviews 2017: The Division for Sustainable Development (DSD), from the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), has just published a report with a synthesis of the VNRs presented this year at the UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF). You can find it here: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/17109Synthesis_Report_VNRs_2017.pdf
Update of the VNR Guidelines:
collective paper with concrete recommendations on how to improve the current VNR guidelines, including to government delegations in New York, United Nations and civil society partners.
Arelys Bellorini (World Vision) and Naiara Costa (Together 2030 International Secretariat) signed a guest article at the IISD SDG Knowledge Hub page highlighting the main points from our paper. You can find it here: Improving the Accountability Cycle: Recommendations for Stronger VNR Guidelines.
World Vision has also issued a report with concrete recommendations to update the VNR guidelines (please, see here). You can find very interesting data about how governments have been using (or not) the current guidelines.
For your Action
Busan Democracy Forum (BuDF) 2018: UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Democracy “Promoting Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies in Asia and beyond“ Grand Hotel, Busan, Republic of Korea, 22-24 Jan. 2018(Mon.-Tue.)
The Busan Democracy Forum (BuDF) 2018 is a joint initiative of the Permanent Secretariat of the Community of Democracies (PSCD), Asia Democracy Network (ADN), Asia Development Alliance (ADA), the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of Busan and in cooperation with the government of the Republic of Korea and the Metropolitan City of Busan.
The Forum, under the theme “Promoting Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies in Asia and beyond”, will take place at the Haeundae Grand Hotel located in Busan, South Korea from 22 to 24 January (Monday-Wednesday) 2018.
The Forum’s main aim is to promote Goal 16 of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as the enabler of all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and discuss the inter-linkages with other Goals and Targets.
More specifically, the Forum will provide a platform for a wide range of stakeholders to share experiences on advocacy initiatives, implementation, national level reporting and available tools for measuring progress towards SDG 16 which is one of the global priorities at the UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in 2019. Furthermore, the Forum will seek to share the experiences of democratization and democratic governance in Asia and beyond, highlighting the importance of democracy for sustainable development.
ADA AGM – 24th January, Busan, 2018
ADA will organize its Annual Meeting with its members and few observers on 24th January to review 2017 and strategic actions for 2018-2020.
Global SDG 7 Conference, 21-23 February 2018, Bangkok
Recognizing the importance of energy for sustainable development, the United Nations in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has devoted Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) to energy - the first-ever universal goal on energy, with five targets on access, efficiency, renewables and means of implementation. SDG 7 is inextricably interlinked to other SDGs and related targets, including those relating to poverty eradication, food security, clean water and sanitation, health, education, infrastructure, innovation, job creation, and the empowerment of youth and women. Access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all is fundamental to realizing the vision of the 2030 Agenda. A shift toward sustainable energy solutions is also essential to the achievement of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The ambition of the 2030 Agenda calls for equally ambitious means of implementation, including enabling environments, effective institutions, technology cooperation, capacity building, scaled-up financing and multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve sustainable development.
In this context, the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), serving as the central platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, will undertake the first global review of SDG7 in July 2018, under the auspices of Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). To help provide a solid substantive foundation for the review of SDG7, a global preparatory meeting in support of the review of SDG7 at the 2018 High-Level Political Forum, jointly organized by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), will be held on 21-23 February 2018 at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. The global preparatory meeting will help facilitate the exchange of lessons, insights, and experiences among the Member States, UN entities and other international organizations and all stakeholders, and consider challenges and opportunities for accelerating progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. This conference is supported by the Governments of Norway, the Republic of Korea (through DESA’s UN Office on Sustainable Development), the People’s Republic of China (through the UN Peace and Development Fund), Germany, The Netherlands, and the European Commission, among others.
The registration for the Global SDG 7 Conference is now open to participation from all stakeholders.
More information about the conference can be found at https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/EnergyConference.
Registration to the Conference (deadline: 15th January 2018) https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/EnergyConference/registration
Side Event and Exhibits Application (deadline: 31st December 2017) https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/EnergyConference/sideevents
We look forward to your participation in the conference and working with all of you in preparing for a successful 2018 meeting of the HLPF, under the auspices of ECOSOC
Call for proposals of exhibitions sponsored by Member
Please note that DSD has launched a call for proposals of exhibitions sponsored by Member States, UN system and other Inter-Governmental Organizations as well as accredited Major Groups and other stakeholders, which will be welcomed at the UN Headquarters in New York, on the margins of the High-Level Political Forum 2018 (HLPF 2018).
Any entity interested in participating in the exhibition must submit a proposal using the online exhibition request form and provide a detailed description of the proposed exhibition, including an explanation of how its thematic focus relates to the exhibition theme “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies”, and the six goals that would be the focus of HLPF 2018, namely;
- Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
- Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
- Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
- Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
- Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
- Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
The deadline to submit proposals is 28 February 2018.
Guidelines for submissions can be found here.
The submission form can be found here.
More information on the HLPF 2018 can be retrieved at: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf/2018
Webinar
Join CSOs from around the world and take part in this webinar on holding governments to account for their implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
January 18th, 2018 | 9:00 am (EST) - 2:00 pm (GMT)
Hosted by the International Forum of National NGO Platforms, and with the support of other international networks.
This webinar will only be in English, but a summary will be circulated after in French and Spanish.
Civil society organizations are not the only ones holding governments to account for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2016, National Auditors from around the world – independent bodies that critically assess their government’s activities – agreed to audit their respective governments’ preparedness to implement the SDGs.
In the next few years, National Auditors globally will be reviewing or auditing how prepared their governments are to implement the SDGs, including in relation to specific SDG targets or indicators.
Join us to hear about this initiative, and how you can work with their findings to pressure your governments to do more.
- What? A webinar about a national body that you may not have known existed, but that can help you to hold your government to account on implementing the SDGs
- When? Thursday, January 18 | 9:00 am (EST) / 2:00 pm (GMT)
- How? Please register for the Zoom webinar by January 12th 2018
- Who? National Auditors and representatives from Audit Institutions around the world will speak, including:
- Andrea Connell | Head of International Affairs, Netherlands Court of Audit
- Julie Gelfand | Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Office of the Auditor General of Canada
- Khalid Hamid | Executive Director, State Audit Institution of the United Arab Emirates
- Dominika Dayvera Rosana | International Relations, The Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia (tbc)
- Archana Shirsat | Deputy Director General, the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions Development Initiative
The meeting of the high-level political forum on sustainable development in 2018 convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council will be held from Monday, 9 July, to Wednesday, 18 July 2018; including the three-day ministerial meeting of the forum from Monday, 16 July, to Wednesday, 18 July 2018.
The theme will be "Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies". 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 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
- Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
- Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
- Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
- Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Voluntary National Review (VNR)
In 2018, 48 countries will be conducting voluntary national reviews at the HLPF. For more details, please click here.
The following countries from Asia will be presenting their VNR in (10): Bahrain; Bhutan; Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Lebanon; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Singapore; Sri Lanka; United Arab Emirates; Vietnam
Registration for the HLPF 2018
Governmental and non-governmental representatives planning to participate in the high-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) must be accredited to the United Nations in order to register for this meeting.
The following participants may attend or be represented: States Members of the United Nations and States members of specialized agencies, inter-governmental organizations, United Nations system, major groups and other stakeholders, and media.
Further information on registration will be forthcoming.
Regional Preparatory Meetings
ECE :1-2 March, Geneva
ESCAP: 28-30 March, Bangkok
ECLAC: 18-20 April, Santiago
ESCWA: 24-26 April, TBC
ECA: TBC
- 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 @Asia Development Alliance in future collaboration. The page is accessible with this web address: https://www.facebook.com/ada2030/
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