SDG 16 Plus Forum

Draft Minutes

Dated- 22.09.2021 (9 Am to 12 PM GMT)

 

YouTube link to the Forum- https://youtu.be/UKHUdpc9xzs

 

Panel One: Assessment of SDGs16+ in Asia region

 

? Moderator: Mr. Zia Ur Rahman, National Convener of Pakistan Development Alliance -PDA

 

? Welcome Remarks: Mr. Hideki Wakabayashi, Chair, Asia Development Alliance and Executive Director, JANIC?Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation)

 

• Asia facing a very challenging time, human rights violation, marginalization of communities, women-children-indigenous people muted, increased migration, 

• Efforts to bring peace and justice have not been successful,

• Strengthen global solidarity and call for peace and justice

• Call for UNGA and Security Council to deal with human rights violations through sanctions or travel bans

• International Media should broadcast the voices of people, show solidarity 

 

? Key Notes Speaker: Mr. Amitabh Behar, CEO, Oxfam India

 

• Saluting the courage of Afghan women who have been protesting in the last week,

• MDGs: were defined as ‘minimum’ development goals, the civil society wanted the SDGs to have a higher bar, SGDs are ambitious in many ways, but do not use the lens of human rights justice.

• Goal 16 is weakest among all the goals , we missed the 4th pillar is political , apart from social, economic and environmental

• Today: authoritarian regimes form East to West, which are using the language of democracy with a shrinking space for civil society  (philippines to India0

• BUT remarkable people’s power challenging draconian laws (example Hong Kong)

• Historic moment=t for all of us to move ahead in the wake of challenges of Universal declaration of human rights, that needs t be kept at centre

• How do we ensure a sustainable future? 

•  Rebuild democracy- huge trust in representative democracy ,Ensure citizens dialogue

• HR discourse out of the clutches of technocrats language, its critical and hard work in the patriarchal society, , not by lawyers nd corridors of UN

• SDGs talks of LNOB, how to bring the last person in the line , re-imagine , robust 

• democracy from the eyes of the most marginalised communities 

 

? Mr. Ajay Jha, Co-Chair, Director, CECOEDECON & PAIRVICoordinator, MAUSAM (Movement for Advancing Understanding on Sustainability & Mutuality), Regional Facilitator, Asia Pacific for MGOS at UNEP, Co-Chair, MGOS Coordination Mechanism for the HLPF

 

• Worsening situation of inclusive institutions, governments driving nations in the opposite direction,

• Pandemic used to increased crackdown,

• SGDs architecture does not protect human rights, as its main focus is on poverty, SDGs aspirations are not being met,

•  Asia the only region where there is not a human rights system -> as accountability to the governments,

• All political detainees should be released ‘The Tatmadaw should respect the election

• Restore peace and democracy in Afghanistan

 

? Mr. Nicholas Booth, Governance and Peacebuilding Team Leader Bangkok Regional Hub, UNDP

 

• Member’s state commitment to democracy is uneven- a realistic position

• We have to be realistic about the power of the UN now especially related to the security council

• ASEAN has commitment to democracy in EAST and South East

• we have seen the principal of non-interference prevailing in Myanmar

• Myanmar: deep roots of etnic disimination preventing the country to be fully unified and reach peace, even with previous governments. Military authorities then exploited this lack of ethnic understanding and solidarity,

• Social movements and popular power drive changes in democracy (in thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia) people are now speaking about

• Recommendations: see what you can do at national level- 

• Succeeded in getting the businesses engaged (business and human rights) - embrace the BHR agenda

• Yes, civil society should put pressure on governments and businesses - just as with South Africa before 1993.  Governments and businesses were reluctant to cut their ties with the apartheid government - but it was popular pressure which forced them to do so.   If strong popular movements in ASEAN countries put pressure on their governments to support the people of Myanmar - and on businesses that invest in them - it would be a good start.

 

• Mr. Riccardo Mesiano- UNESCAP

• SGD16+ an important goal, but covid slowed down progress, 

• Data gap present a key challenge especially at the regional level. The progress in the ASia Pacific isn’t good - SDG 16 there is a huge gap of data

• Regression on some targets of the SDG16: the goal is not really advancing in the region (increased violence against women and girls,children, etc)  

• To improve national capacities of the available data

• Asia Pacific Forum on Development next March to discuss this 

 

•  

 

? Ms. Deirdre De BURCA, Advocacy Coordinator, Forus

 

• Fall of myanmar to military rule and afghanistan to taliban a major blow to the peace process

• SDG 16 plus goe beyond SDG - promoting peaceful and inclusive societies , catalyst for attainment of all the SDGs

• Peace , a deeper positive peace , changing in attitude of conflicting parties

• Reiterating the shared belief from across the region on ethics, values and position, we need to reinforces our shared values

• SDG 16 Plus forum needs to be held annually to monitor the gaps m growth and progress

• Regional and national workshops to engage with the grassroot communities to develop indicators for SDG 16 plus, for effective monitoring and tracking 

• ADA and Forus have already collaborated on SDG 16 Plus indicators by the CSOs in Asia

•  

 

? Ms. Beckie Malay Former Co-Chair, GCAP Global

• SDG 16 has already been suffering especially during the Pandemics as it has further created a vast gaps and inequality,

• The restrictions of people’s movements are badly restricted , especially in Phillipines on people’ protests. 

• SDG16 setback even before the pandemic, 

• Recommendations: Build a strong UN system, we should work together and redesign the system for multilateralism to be based on solidarity, 

 

? Mr. John Romano, Global Coordinator, Transparency, Accountability & Participation (TAP) Network

 

• Interlinkages between SDG 16 plus and other SDGs

• Especially during COVID 19, how do we get the govt to see this individually and as a whole, 

• Get governments to commit more towards urgent action on SDG16+, and outline what they are doing regards the 2030 agenda,VNRs are an opportunity to do that,  

• Role of Spotlight reporting as an accountability tool

• SDG 16 plus CSO toolkit, on how CSOs can work at the local level 

 

Q&A - main points:

• Governments know they are not going to be held accountable (voluntary agenda),

• “Our Common agenda” has recommendations for the UN to be closer and more responsive to civil society.  

• Ongoing capacity building with different stakeholders especially to educate communities at the grassroot level (+ for young people) should be strengthen + involvement of experts, , especially related to the rule of law, crime prevention, criminal justice, democracy and human rights, before we speak about bigger issues related to SGD 16

• SDG 16 would be the best framework to set the agenda right for capacity building to address human rights, criminal justice, and upholding rule of law. This could also be the essence of training content to empower the grassroots communities .

 

Panel Two: Sharing County Cases including Good Practices

? Moderator: Prof Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria, Malaysia CSO-SDG Alliance for SDGs

 

? Hon Dato Saifuddin Abdullah, Foreign Minister Govt of Malaysia.

 

• Next week the Prime Minister will launch a plan which will also deal with SDGs;

• Malaysia is multi-racial and multi-religion but peaceful cohexistion,

• Bi-partisant work between government and opposition in some fields of work,

• Priority to assist the Afghan people through humanitarian programme, 

• We must strengthen partnership - state-business and CSO

• Interface between the CSOs and the Govt in Malaysia (the foreign minister in Malaysia assist to facilitate, could be a good initiative )

 

? Ms. Khin Ohmar Myanmar CSO

• Myanmar - critical situation, people rejecting the coup, 

• On the verge of civil war, 

• Military is cutting on the humanitarian aid and using people as human shields

• In Myanmar, one has to go beyond SDGs 

• Myanmar hasn't fallen because people have not given up 

• ASEAN is the only entity to see the crisis, but they lack capacity to help, however countries like malaysia and indonesia can work with the ASEAN to help the people of Myanmar, and people’s representative govt ofMyanmar

• The young generation has taken up arms to fight the junta

• There is an urgent need of regional and global institution 

 

? Prof. Sanjay Paswan, Former Union Minister & Member of Legislative Council, India

 

• Need jail reforms in India

• Prison reforms must be a priority

• Prisons of war in Afghanistan needs to be heard by the international law and justice

•  

 

? Mr Jerald Joseph, Human Rights Commissioner, Malaysia

 

• Failure to democracy happens because its journey is not completed (example Myanmar),

• Role of independent bodies: must be functioning, no matter if the govt changes,

• 5 countries in Asia still lack national human rights institutions  

• HR institutions must comply with 8 points of Paris principals

• ASEAN is not strong, neither is its human rights commission 

• Myanmar dialogue on Democracy - by Malaysian govt (hundreds of thousand myanmar 

• refugees are in Malaysia)

• Push politicians to stand not for populist ideas but for what is good,

• Stop corruption, independent police in Malaysia to check excessive power 

• Strengthen a global solidarity commitment 

 

? Ms. Kaisha Atakhanova ARGO, Kazakhstan 

• Kazakhstan created a portal to monitor anti corruption agencies,

• Political will to improve women rights, 

• Human Rights Action Plan recently signed to improve the mechanism of interaction on the UN treaty body and special procedure

• 

 

 

• Jaeeun Shin, KCOC

• ODA to be implemented by expanding the cooperation with civil society,

• 7 percent of Korean ODA are provided to support the partner countries,

• Civil society perceived as being against the govt, 

• In 2019, gvtm and civil society created a framework for partnership,

• Demand increased partnership with civil society in Asia  

 

? Mr. Jan Mohammad Afghanistan CSO

 

• Victimization of Afghan civilians, 

• Today’s Afghanistan is the result of wrong politics, need to transfer political power to civilians, 

• The situation in the country will affect the whole region

• Afghanistan people suffer now, but who's next??

• Need to get the regional and internal solidarity and support for Afghan People

 

? Mr. Rilli Lappalainen FINGO-Finland

 

• Best Practices from Finland

• Civil war 100 years ago after - every govt that Finland had, was a coalition govt (works best)

• Finland was the first country to come up with the Voting rights for the Women

• Finland has a very strong Civil society, that helps a lot to understand the need of human being

• Role of education, in 1921, Finland decided that every child has to go to school which is important to help HR and 

• Again the coalition govt and program is based on agenda 2030, that looks at the overall development of the country

• One big no. of indegenous people in N part of Finland, and finally in 2021, the work on establishing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sámi People will continue during the current government term. The aim of the commission’s work is to collect Sámi people’s experiences of the actions of the Finnish state and its various authorities and to make this information visible to the public.

• Finland has established the rule of law center, based on the finish experience building on democracy.

 

Panel Three: Strategic Actions to Accelerate SDG16+ in Asia (no need for notes as Rapporteurs will) 

? Moderator – Daya Sagar Shreshtha, Focal Point, Focal Point-South and SouthWest Asia and Member-Regional Coordination Committee, Asia-Pacific Regional CSOs Engagement Mechanism (AP-RCEM)

 

? Ms. Wardarina, Programme Officer of Feminist Development Justice and Breaking Out of Marginalization, Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), Co-chair of Asia Pacific Regional CSO Engagement Mechanism (AP-RCEM)

• SDG16 also about justice, 

• Geopolitical shift in Asia, Asia as a geopolitical battleground. 

 

Closing Remarks and Vote of Thanks 

Ms. Jamila Asanova

ADA Co-Chair and Director, ARGO, Kazakhstan

• Goal 16 is weakest among all the goals , we missed the 4th pillar is political one, apart from social, economic and environmental

• Today: authoritarian regimes form East to West, which are using the language of democracy with a shrinking space for civil society  (philippines to India0

• BUT remarkable people’s power challenging draconian laws (example Hong Kong)

• Historic moment for all of us to move ahead in the wake of challenges of Universal declaration of human rights, that needs t be kept at centre

• Now how do we ensure a sustainable future? 

• Rebuild democracy- huge trust in representative democracy ,Ensure citizens dilaoig

• HR discourse out of the clutches of technocrats language, its critical and hard work in the patriarchal society, , not by lawyers nd corridors of UN

• SDGs talks of LNOB, how to bring the last person in the line , that would be done by  re-imagine , robust democracy from the eyes of the most marginalised communities 

•  Asia the only region where there is not a human rights system -> as accountability to the governments,

• All political detainees should be released ‘The tatmadaw / Junta should respect the election

• Restore peace and democracy in Afghanistan

•  Its time , civil society should put pressure on governments and businesses - just as with South Africa before 1993.  Governments and businesses were reluctant to cut their ties with the apartheid government - but it was popular pressure which forced them to do so.   If strong popular movements in ASEAN countries put pressure on their governments to support the people of Myanmar - and on businesses that invest in them - it would be a good start.

• Ongoing capacity building with different stakeholders especially to educate communities at the grassroot level (+ for young people) should be strengthen + involvement of experts, , especially related to the rule of law, crime prevention, criminal justice, democracy and human rights, before we speak about bigger issues related to SGD 16

• SDG 16 would be the best framework to set the agenda right for capacity building to address human rights, criminal justice, and upholding rule of law. This could also be the essence of training content to empower the grassroots communities 

 

We will put all these points in the draft statement and  share with you for your final inputs before sharing with the global and regional institutions.

 

Last and not the least, I on behalf of ADA Steering Committee , want to thank the Global people’s Assembly for accommodating this First SDG 16 Plus Forum. We also want to thank Forus and TAP networks for your constant support. Finally , we want to thank NACASUD for their technical support. Our gratitude to ADA members, partners and all the participants for your active involvement.

 

1. Country Specific Best Practices and Recommendations

 

1. Cambodia

 

1. The Cambodia government must stop using the law to jail even children with mental disabilities just because their parents are political opponents and immediately release all the environmental advocates and political dissenters.

2. Land-grabbing measures disguised as "development" which result in people leaving their motherland in search of a better life must stop

3. No wood products traceable to the trees of Cambodia should be allowed in the international market.

4. The rights of all political parties and their members to participate in free and fair elections should be reinstated

5. Establish ad-hoc tribunals to review all the government-sponsored measures that have resulted in landlessness, homelessness, displacement, disenfranchisement, environmental destruction, starvation, and death of the Cambodian people.

6. .The UN security council should use political and economic sanctions where the Hun Sen government is concerned until free and fair elections supervised by the UN and  the Human Rights Principles of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements which the Hun Sen government itself pledged to abide by, are re-established in Cambodia.

7. .Stop government surveillance, abduction and un-transparent vaccinations followed by death attributed to Covid while under government detention, disguised as pandemic containment measures.

8. .Report and account for all deaths from Covid and vaccination-side effects to the WHO.

 

For Thailand:

 

1. Stop the extrajudicial refoulement or deportation of political refugees, such as when the government of Thailand handed over to the government of Cambodia Sam Sokha, the Cambodian woman who threw a shoe at a poster of Mr Hun Sen, despite having earlier been granted refugee status by the United Nations' refugee agency, against the ICCPR principles. She is still serving her 4-year prison sentence.

 

1. Ensure the rights of migrant workers and protection against exploitations and abuse by employers and the police.

 

For the US:

 

1. Encourage the public to understand that appetite for wood products is causing the homelessness and misery and slow death of millions of other people in Asia and Africa: as when the trees are cut,  water is removed at its source. When there is no water there are no crops, no food, no income, and seawater levels rise. 

 

Japan:

 

1. Japan must be more conscientious to link its foreign aid and development to the promotion of democracy, human rights and environmental protections.

 

South Korea:

 

1. South Korea must be more conscientious to link its foreign aid and development assistance to the promotion of democracy, human rights and environmental protections.

 

1. Malaysia

• Malaysia is multi-racial and multi-religious but its people live in peaceful coexistence

• Bi-partisant work takes place between government and opposition in some fields of work,

• Priority to assist the Afghan people through humanitarian programmes, 

• Interface between the CSOs and the Govt in Malaysia (the foreign minister in Malaysia assists to facilitate, could be a good initiative )??

 

1. Kazakhstan

• Has transformed the relations between CSOs and the state during the period of democratic reforms

• Emergence of new forms of civic activism in response to internal political and global financial , economic and political processes.

• Development of a modern system of human right mechanisms in Kazakhstan and their contribution to the Sustainable Development in the country.

• Urbanisation and the development of civic initiatives in urban planning. Urban social relations , the participatory planning ( in response to the Kazakh Regional Development program until 2025

• Local self government , participatory rural development and the democratization of politics at the local level

 

1. Finland

• Civil war 100 years ago after - every govt that Finland had, was a coalition govt (works best)

• Finland was the one of the very first countries to come up with the Voting rights for the Women

• Finland has a very strong Civil society, that helps a lot to understand the need of human being

• Role of education, in 1921, Finland decided that every child has to go to school and the philosophy of education is based on the human rights and democracy

• Again the coalition govt and program is based on agenda 2030, that looks at the overall development of the country

• One big number of indegenous people in the Northern part of Finland, and finally in 2021, the work on establishing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sámi People will continue during the current government term. The aim of the commission’s work is to collect Sámi people’s experiences of the actions of the Finnish state and its various authorities and to make this information visible to the public.

• Finland has established the rule of law center in the University of Helsinki, based on the finish experience building on democracy.

JAMBOARD: https://jamboard.google.com/d/13yJqtwk3DE67SSjTwVLl_YJYPQ1kldiyPZMfqkGehUw/viewer?f=0