Myanmar Coup: Democratic Process Paralysed
This crucial information (though from February) has been shared since we received this while in the process of publishing the January newsletter!!

The military of Myanmar overthrew the country’s fragile democratic government in a coup d’état on Feb. 1, arresting civilian leaders, shutting off the internet, and cutting off flights.
The coup returns the country to full military rule after a short span of quasi-democracy that began in 2011, when the military, which had been in power since 1962, implemented parliamentary elections and other reforms.
Two days after troops took control of the Parliament and other state institutions, criminal charges were made public accusing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s ousted civilian leader, of violating an obscure import law. The move was widely seen as a pretext to keep her detained and completely paralyzed the democratic process in the country.
We request urgent attention as the democratically elected leaders including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint along with senior government officials, and the elected members of parliament have now been detained by the military.
The military coup council had frequently ordered the internet to be shut down in Myanmar so it is so hard to raise people's voices. Civil disobedience campaigns spread across the country and health professionals are forefronts of it. Many young students, workers, and ethnic youth are joining protests across the country to demand the end of military dictatorship once and for all. The pans and pots bearing campaign still going on at every night 8 PM. The longer the military dictatorship lasts, the more human rights will be lost in Myanmar and of course, it will have a devastating effect on the whole world.
We need your urgent appropriate action and intervention to stop this military coup to protect the people of Myanmar (Burma) and the democratically elected National League for Democracy Government.
People of Myanmar urgently need help. !!
8th GALA Last Capacity Development Workshop – January 8th, 2021

Participants from 12 Asian countries shared their draft SDG 16 Plus reports highlighting challenges within the scope of the study. ADA will launch this 12 countries SDG 16 Plus report in March 2021.

Pacific VNR Connect – Marshall Islands CSO Perspective 9am-12:00 noon (Fiji and RMI time) each day from the 27-29 January, 2021

The three days event began with three global speakers shared their stories so far in their journey of SDGs and VNRs and there experiences in using the SDG toolkit. The PIANGO secretariat based in Fiji well coordinated the workshop with its members based in Marshall Island to share their SDGs implementation status in the country
Unpacking stories from case studies. Looking at the good, the bad, the takeaways, the lessons, and how their work ensures the full implementation of #Agenda2030 for #SustainableDevelopmentGoals by the EU and its Member States.

Announcement: 9th Glocal Advocacy Leadership Academy ; 23-25 February, 2021
 

8th Asia - Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development - 23-28 March 2021

• APFSD 2021 will be held under the theme of: “Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia and the Pacific”.
• It will be organized from March 23-26, 2021 in a hybrid mode. Meaning, some sessions will be organized as hybrid sessions, enabling physical presence in the UNCC, while other sessions (i.e. parallel roundtables on in-depth reviews of SDGs) will be organized entirely as online events  
   
• The goals to be reviewed this year: Goal 1 (poverty), 2 (hunger), 3 (health), 8 (decent work), 10 (inequalities within and between countries), 12 (sustainable consumption and production), 13 (climate), 16 (peace and justice), 17 (MOI and global partnership) -  (side note from my end: it's very appalling that goal 5 on gender equality is not going to be reviewed, and not recognised as a pathway to sustainable recovery from COVID-19 pandemic. 
• VNR countries this year: Bhutan, North Korea, China, Indonesia, Japan, Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar (?? Coup for one year),  and Thailand 
• You can see APFSD 2021 information here: https://www.unescap.org/apfsd/8
• Kindly note that registration through UNESCAP Events Portal is already open from 20 January - 10 March 2021. 
• APFSD Agenda (4 hours session everyday, with lunch break in between)
  •  Day 1 
    • AM: 10-12: Opening (possible CSOs speaker)  Youth Dialogue (possible CSO youth speaker)
    • PM: 2-4: Regional Progress on the Implementation of 2030 Agenda (plenary, no panelist only presentation from UNESCAP secretariat follow by intervention by CSOs) 
  • Day 2: Roundtable Discussion on the Cluster Goals (Goal 1,2,3,8,10,12,13,16,17) 
    • 3 time slots (10am-12noon, 12-2pm, 2pm-4pm). Each time slot will have 3 goals to be discussed in parallel roundtables  
    • Reference groups from the UN will be the organisers of each goals roundtable. 
    • Format,: panel speakers (UN to discuss goal profile, speaker from member states, speaker from CSOs), followed by breakout groups to discuss issues, systemic challenges, and policy recommendation) 
  • Day 3: 
    • AM:: 10-12am: Voluntary National Review - possible CSOs speaker 
    • PM: 2-4pm: 
      • Report from the Roundtable   
      • Report from Regional UN Wide-System 
  • Day 4: 
    • AM: High-Level Dialogue and Side Events 
    • PM: Reporting and Closing. 
  • Please note that the call for side event is already open, kindly see it (Deadline February 7, 2021)HERE: https://edit.unescap.org/apfsd/8/side-events

• Online Peoples' Forum on Sustainable Development, Please Save the Date!: 17 - 21 March for the online Peoples Forum, 22 March
• Youth Forum organised by APRCEM Youth Constituency, Youth Lead, Y-PEER, ARROW, 14-16 March 2021.

NGO Major Group Updates
 NGO MG Updates and Resources
 

1. NGO MG Donations / Contributions -- Thank you for the contributions received!
 
Please check the link for information on donations / contributions to NGO Major Group. We suggest a contribution of US$50.00, but please feel free to adjust the amount to your organization´s or individual capacities. Please have in mind that everything we have done thus far has been on a voluntary basis - imagine what more we could do if we had a little bit of funding!
 
 
UN (and international organizations) Updates
 
1. CSW65: Registration for NGOs is OPEN – Deadline: February 22, 2021
 
The sixty-fifth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65) will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 15 to 26 March 2021.
 
Priority theme: Women's full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
Review theme: Women's empowerment and the link to sustainable development (agreed conclusions of the sixtieth session).
 
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CSW65 is scheduled to take place virtually/online (including the general discussion, ministerial round tables and interactive events), with the exception of two in-person meetings (opening and closing) that will take place with the participation of New York-based delegates. Negotiations of Agreed Conclusions would likewise take place virtually. All side events and parallel events will take place fully virtually.
 
Representatives of ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world are invited to attend the session. CSW65 registration for NGOs in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is open from 28 December 2020 to 22 February 2021 online via the United Nations Indico registration system. Please click here to register for CSW65. Online registration is mandatory. Registrations by email are not accepted.
 
2. UN DESA Report: “World Economic Situation and Prospects 2021”
 
A once-in-a-century crisis—a Great Disruption unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic—hit the world economy in 2020. The pandemic reached every corner of the world, infecting more than 90 million and, so far, has killed close to 2 million people worldwide. Governments around the world responded rapidly—and boldly—to stem the health and economic contagion of the crisis. Fiscal and monetary stimulus packages were quickly rolled out to save the economy. The crisis responses, however, entailed difficult choices between saving lives and saving livelihoods, between speed of delivery and efficiency, and between short-term costs and long-term impacts.
 
While timely and massive fiscal interventions helped to prevent the worst, they did not mitigate the broader discontent that stems from the marginalization of the most vulnerable population groups and the stark inequality that divides the haves and the have nots. The path to recovery and progress on SDGs will critically hinge on the ability and political commitment of countries to make sure that the crisis response builds resilience against future economic, social and climatic shocks.
 
World Economic Situation and Prospects 2021: full report and executive summary
Video: 5 Things you need to know about the world economy
 
 
Other NGO Updates and Opportunities
 
1. Civil Society Forum 2021 during CSocD59. Register now!
 
Dear colleagues,
 
The NGO Committee for Social Development follows and echoes the work of the UN Commission for Social Development each February, amplifying the many voices that are left behind and highlighting local examples of resilience, solidarity and hope moving forward communities in spite of the systemic obstacles they face every day. 
 
For the first time ever, the NGO Committee will hold a 5-days Virtual Civil Society Forum (CSF 2021) with the support of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and UN DESA. The CSF 2021 will include an all-virtual Orientation and Networking event, three Thematic Sessions and a Closing Session. Please register separately for each event: Civil Society Forum 2021. and click here to read and sign the Civil Society Declaration! 
 
2. Online launch of the book “Critical reflections on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)” – Friday, 5 February 2021 at 4:15 pm CET
 
I'm writing to invite you all to the online launch of the book entitled "Critical reflections on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)", edited by Jasmine Gideon (Birkbeck Geography Department) and Elaine Unterhalter (Institute of Education, University of London). 
 
The session will take place on Friday 5th February from 2:30 PM - 4:15 PM CET. 
 
The studies in this newly-published book argue that despite the hype within many policy circles, there is little evidence to support the presumed benefits of PPPs in reducing poverty and addressing inequalities in the provision of and access to public services. The book adopts a cross-sectoral comparative approach to investigate how PPPs have played out in practice, and what the implications have been for inequalities. Participants at the session will be commenting on the issues raised in the book, notably the implications of the growing reliance of PPPs as a means of funding and delivering key services, and what this means for inequalities.   
 
Online registration is mandatory: https://lshtm.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIof-6tpzoqHNw5qh63BP-4GbixY5431aMH (but the event is open for everyone!)
 
There is also a 30% discount code for the book included in this link: https://lidc.ac.uk/event/book-launch-critical-reflections-on-public-private-partnerships/
 
 
3. Major Groups and other Stakeholders (MGoS) Webinar: “Decade of Action: Turning Lessons into Impact to Achieve the 2030 Agenda” – Watch the recording and some quotes and visual attached!
 
On Thursday, 28 January, the MGoS hosted a webinar to discuss the urgency for the HLPF to provide political leadership, guidance and recommendations on some key issues that have been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  There has been a tendency to view SDG implementation within national boundaries, ignoring the interconnectedness of issues and countries, and under-estimating the global implications and impact of inaction.  Even before COVID-19, it became clear that many targets will not be met.  A new approach is urgent and necessary. The webinar drew attention to the work of some of the MGOS and discussed proposals for HLPF action on a number of issues that require immediate attention.
 
With an audience of more than 170 participants nearly throughout the webinar, there were Member States and UN institutions among them.
 
Please kindly find some quotes and visuals from the webinar attached as well as the recording of the meeting at:  http://bit.ly/MGoSWebinarRecording
 
4. IISD / SDG Knowledge Hub Story: “Guide Supports Statisticians in Measuring SDG 1 for Most Disadvantaged Groups”
 
Story highlights:
- The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) released guidance to help governments measure poverty in their countries by producing granular data to identify the most vulnerable or disadvantaged groups, who often experience the highest levels of poverty.
- Poverty eradication is the first Goal in the 2030 Agenda: SDG1, “end poverty in all its forms everywhere”.
- The authors note the need for legal and policy processes in addition to methodological changes, in order for NSOs to product disaggregated measures of poverty.
 
Read the full story here.
 
5. IISD / SDG Knowledge Hub Story: “Development Goals can Work, Even Amid Crisis, But We Need to Measure Better”
 
Story highlights:
- Five years into the 2030 Agenda, the use of global goals as a measurement framework for development is being tested.
- Despite the world being off-track on the SDGs, however, they may still offer the best option for an effective global response to COVID-19.
- In order to direct targeted action to the most vulnerable, data on people´s challenge must be disaggregated by gender and age, among others.
 
Read the full story here.

• 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/ 
• ADA Twitter account @alliance_asia