Author: Ana Zeballos

Roberto Bissio, Social Watch

The EU has announced its intention to sign “framework partnership agreements” with some global “non-state actors” of its choice. Read more…

Thalif Deen, IPS

When Denmark hosted the World Summit on Social Development (WSSD) in March 1995, one of the conclusions of that international gathering in Copenhagen was to create a new social contract with “people at the centre of development.” Read more…

By Marina Ponti, Social Watch

The year 2015 –amongst many other things- marks the 20th Anniversary of the UN World Social Summit. The Social Summit brought about the principle of universality as its main outcome determined that that all countries have to pursue the objectives of eradicating poverty, achieving full employment and enabling greater social inclusion simultaneously. The Social Summit generated an extraordinary participation by civil society organizations ranging from development NGOs, women’s organizations, trade unions, social movements and other groups focused on domestic issues. It also inspired the creation of the Social Watch[1] network, report and movement. Read more…

The outcome document for the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD3) is being finalized at the United Nations in New York. This is a key moment to make an assessment and influence the issues under negotiation to ensure progress is not lost in the interests of fact-tracking consensus. The outcome document must establish new ground on a range of issues such as combatting illicit financial flows and global tax cooperation. Read more…

Roberto Bissio, Social Watch

At the panel to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the World summit for Social Development, Social Watch coordinator Roberto Bissio said that “as we advance into the post-2015 agenda, some key ideas endorsed by the Social Summit are being reaffirmed. Inequalities are back in the agenda, after having disappeared for 15 years, and universality is recovered, with a strong sense of social protection floor. It is urgent, though, to make serious progress in the implementation of those agreed aspirations. Inequalities are in the title of a goal but nowhere to be found on the proposed indicators and a clear financing commitment on social protection floors (cash transfers/benefits for children, for people of working age in cases of maternity, unemployment, disability or work injury, and pensions for older persons, and other schemes) is still missing, even when now as in 1995, the resources are there.” Read more…

Marina Ponti, Social Watch

The post 2015 process will result in the adoption –by Heads of States at the United Nations on September- of a set of universal and transformative Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets.

The success of this agenda is also connected to the outcome of the discussion on indicators, which is taking place within the Inter-Agency Expert Group and the UN Statistical Commission. Read more…

This table was compiled by Social Watch from quotes of the Sustainable Development Goals as proposed by the Open Working Group and endorsed by the UN General Assembly as the basis for the new development agenda and the “First proposed priority indicator list” compiled by UNSD in preparation of the first meeting of the Inter-Agency Expert Group on SDGs, New York, June 1 and 2, 2015. Read more…

Roberto Bissio, Social Watch

Almost one third of the targets that define the 17 Sustainable Development Goals approved by the governments at the UN are being de facto rewritten or deleted by the Inter-Agency Expert Group proposal of “priority indicators” published June 1 in New York. Important notions included in the SDGs such as labour rights, women rights to property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources and many commitments of developed countries to support the efforts of developing countries are excluded from the proposed list of indicators and would therefore not form part of the UN reviews of the new development agenda. Read more…