Monthly Archive: March 2015

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Christian Aid and CESR working paper: Indicators for a post-2015 ‘fiscal revolution’

The Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) and Christian Aid have published an interesting paper on a set of preliminary global indicators for the SDGs, which was prepared for discussion by the UN Statistics Commission at its meeting this week. For the original discussion paper, click here. For a longer background paper on the proposal, click here.

The CA/CESR working paper can be downloaded in pdf format here. Read more…

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Development: South needs policy space to meet post-2015 agenda

By Kanaga Raja. SUNS.

Developing countries need sufficient policy space in particular in the areas of trade, finance and industrial development if they are to meet the goals of the post-2015 development agenda, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). In its latest Policy Brief (No. 31 of February 2015), UNCTAD said that buoyant demand at the global level and effective industrial policy at the national level have been key ingredients of successful development in recent decades.

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Can taxation be the answer?

By Marina Ponti, Social Watch.

Over the past twenty years we have heard constantly that the world has the resources to address global development challenges such as poverty, environmental degradation, diseases and inequalities. However, despite the resources “being there” human development plans have been consistently underfunded.

Clearly, existing “trickle-down” and redistribution mechanisms are not being effective and will be woefully inadequate to fund the implementation of the universal SDGs agenda.
Read more / Spanish version

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Is the UN fully equipped to respond to the needs of a changing world and of a new universal agenda?

By Marina Ponti, Social Watch.

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations discussed on 23-25 February the Secretary General report on the implementation of the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review requested by the General Assembly. Under a cryptic title, the meeting addressed core issues, such as the UN development system’s role (and its relevance) in the post 2015 agenda.
Read more / Spanish version

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SDG 3: THE NEED TO STRENGTHEN PUBLIC FUNDING FOR THE WHO

A strong and dynamic World Health Organisation (WHO) is critical for the achievement of the SDGs, especially SDG 3 on health and well-being. The WHO constitution mandates the organization “to act as the directing and co-ordinating authority on international health work”. However, its ability to fulfill this mandate is circumscribed by the nature of its financial resources. WHO’s biennial budget for 2018-2019 is US$ 4.42 billion, 2 just over a quarter of the total sales of the top-selling medicine Humira (Adalimumab) in 2016 (US$ 16.08 billion). In part this is because many of the organization’s donors share the view that WHO may not need a huge budget to carry out its constitutional mandate. Read more here

Ways to improve donor reporting across United Nations system

The United Nations and system organizations should engage with donors in a dialogue at the strategic level for the adoption of donor reporting templates and accommodating the common information needs, demands and requirements of donors and the regulatory frameworks and capacities of the organizations. This is one of the main recommendations highlighted in a new report by the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU), an independent external oversight body of the UN system, reviewing donor reporting requirements across the UN system. The JIU review focused on the UN system organizations that have the highest number of donor reports and on the 16 major donors to the UN system, including the European Commission. Read more here.

DPI NGO changes

As of 1 January 2019, the name of the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) has changed and is now Department of Global Communications.
The new name anticipates the new ways of working underscoring the interactivity and co-operation in information management between the United Nations and its stakeholders. Due to the expansion of activities of our Unit, NGO Relations (DPI NGO) is changing its name to become Civil Society Unit.
The Liaison functions of the former Non-governmental Liaison Service (NGLS) are a new addition to the Unit which will allow for a well-rounded coordination of the civil society engagement in the United Nations activities.
Read more here