Global Policy Watch Blog

Briefings / COVID-19 / UN Meetings

Private Sector Financing of UN Funds and Programmes

By Elena Marmo
Following the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) embarked on an effort to harmonize UN Development System (UNDS) activities with the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs as well as system-wide pressure for greater country ownership of in-country activities. Part of this process includes the 2017 Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (A/RES/71/243) and ongoing reform proposals for the UNDS, all aimed at improving the quality of development and meeting the needs and priorities of host countries and donor governments. Read more

Blog / COVID-19 / LDC5 / UN Meetings

Global Health & Private Sector Partnerships at the UN: The COVID-19 Private Sector Global Facility

By Elena Marmo
The COVID-19 crisis continues to have profound consequences across all sectors of society. Following the initial worldwide shutdown and resulting economic crisis, governments were forced to respond quickly to the virus, while also addressing the profound socioeconomic impacts—widespread job loss, inadequate social protection systems, and industries on the brink of collapse. Read more

LDC5 / UN Meetings / UN Monitor

Heard at the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly High-level meetings

Against the backdrop of COVID-19’s ongoing impact on economies and societies worldwide, the United Nations is bringing the lens of COVID-19 recovery to its High level meetings. September saw the launch of the UN Secretary-General’s ‘Our Common Agenda on 12 September’, the opening of the UN General Debate on 14 September and a series of High-level meetings ranging from sustainable development to nuclear disarmament. Read more

UN Meetings / UN Monitor

Networked Multilateralism, Partnerships, and the Private Sector at the UNGA 76

By Elena Marmo

The UNGA began its 76th session in September 2021 with a series of High-level meetings—in both hybrid and in-person formats—under the theme of ‘Building Resilience through hope to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalize the United Nations’.  As the UN Decade of Action progresses, efforts to secure human, economic, and environmental health are vital. During the UNGA High-level week and throughout the month Member States focused on the need to create a more inclusive future and stronger global cooperation. Read more

Alert / Blog / Publications

PRESS RELEASE: Launch of Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2021

This year’s Spotlight on Sustainable Development Report describes the highly uneven socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis and analyses the policy responses to it. It explores beyond the rhetoric, highlighting deepening inequalities, self-serving and hypocritical policies and governance failures at national and international level.
Addressing the imbalance in global vaccine production and distribution, the report also examines a few key areas where political and structural changes are necessary to correct the limited and asymmetric recovery. Read more

Alert / Blog / COVID-19

Feminists for a People’s Vaccine Campaign

The Feminists for a People’s Vaccine Campaign for equitable, accessible, and affordable COVID-19 vaccines, drugs, therapeutics, and equipment—Access to Medicines or A2M for short.
The FPV Campaign brings the unique perspective of feminists from the Global South and our partners and allies in the North to challenge the causes and consequences of extreme inequalities in access to medicines. Read more

COVID-19 / UN Meetings

2021 HLPF side event: “Voluntary National Reports on the 2030 Agenda: What can we learn for a post-pandemic world?”

On 12 July, Social Watch and Global Policy Forum co-organized together with the Secretariat of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP,  the New School, the HLPF virtual side event “National Reports on the 2030 Agenda: What can we learn for a post-pandemic world?” to launch the CDP Background Paper “What did the 2020 Voluntary National Review (VNR) reports still not tell us?”. Read more