25 July 2014: The UN Millennium Campaign organized a meeting and teleconference of the Multi-stakeholder Post-2015 Outreach Strategic Planning Group, to inform participants about next steps in the post-2015 process and opportunities for civil society engagement. The briefing covered: reflections on the Open Working Group (OWG) and on the way forward; the “stocktaking event” of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) president; the 65th UN DPI/NGO Conference ‘2015 and Beyond: Our Action Agenda’; and the Action 2015 initiative and civil society campaigning and mobilization plans.

The meeting/call took place on 25 July 2014, in New York, US, and was co-chaired by Ingo Ritz, Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), and Rosa Lizarde, FemTaskForce/GCAP.

On the outcome of the Open Working Group (OWG) and the way forward, Nelson Muffuh, Executive Office of the Secretary-General, underlined the distinction between intergovernmental consultations on the modalities of the Post-2015 Summit, and consultations on the preparatory process of the Summit. He said the Summit will comprise plenary meetings and interactive panels that will include civil society members. He also noted that the incoming President of the UN General Assembly will nominate two co-facilitators of the consultations on the preparatory process, and said these discussions will need to include civil society. On opportunities for advocacy, Muffuh highlighted: the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing (ICESDF) multi-stakeholder dialogue on 5 August 2014; and an Interactive Meeting with Civil Society for the High-level Stocktaking Event on the Post-2015 Development Agenda on 26 August 2014, covering Major Groups’ access to meetings and documents during the preparatory process.

Aqeelah Akbar, Office of the UNGA President, added that the interactive meeting also will provide an opportunity for civil society to reflect on the process to date and provide input into the forthcoming synthesis report of the UN Secretary General. On the 65th Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference, taking place on 27-29 August 2014, Jeffrey Huffines, CIVICUS, said the workshops and the schedule have been finalized, and the conference will provide an opportunity to define an action agenda for civil society in the post-2015 process. The conference will result in a declaration to be shared with the UN system, Member States, global civil society and other stakeholders, and a draft of this outcome will be circulated shortly for contributions from civil society, he noted.

Ritz said reported that 177 global and regional organizations, networks and campaigns have signed up to Action 2015 and begun planning an action on 21 September 2014, before the UN Climate Summit, and on 21 November 2014. The next meeting of the of the Multi-stakeholder Post-2015 Outreach Strategic Planning Group is planned for late August/early September. [IISD RS Sources] [ICESDF Dialogue] [DPI/NGO Conference] [High-level Stocktaking Event] [Interactive Civil Society Meeting on Stocktaking Event]