Parliamentarians and civil society representatives from 13 Asian countries have issued the “Manila Declaration by Parliamentarians and Civil Society on the MDG Acceleration and the Post-2015 Development Agenda.” The Declaration calls for gender equality, a human rights-based approach, and integrated discussions about the post-2015 agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
22 November 2012: Participants at a recent high-level event on accelerating achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the post-2015 development agenda have issued the “Manila Declaration by Parliamentarians and Civil Society on the MDG Acceleration and the Post-2015 Development Agenda,” according to the UN Millennium Campaign.
Over 100 representatives of parliament, civil society and development organizations from 13 Asian countries met in Manila, Philippines, on 21-22 November 2012. The resulting Declaration affirms the core principles of the Millennium Declaration and the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action, and notes that the MDGs have not maximized their potential for accountability.
The Declaration calls for: formulation of the post-2015 agenda to be based on lessons learned from the MDG experience and other development agendas including the ICPD+20 review; gender equality in human rights, democratic governance and sustainability; and full alignment with international human rights standards and principles, including adoption of a human rights-based approach in both the content and process of accelerating the MDGs and post-2015 discussions. The Declaration also addresses special needs of the least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS), environmental justice, and financing commitments, among other issues. It calls on the UN to ensure a clear and integrated processes for discussions of the post-2015 agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with development goals that are global and universal. It requests the UN to facilitate meaningful engagement of parliamentarians and civil society organizations (CSOs) with the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (HLP).
Addressing the event, Indonesian Member of Parliament Nurhayati Ali Assegaf highlighted the role of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as co-chair of the HLP, and said the Government is committed to playing a leadership role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region in this regard.
Minar Pimple, Regional Director of the UN Millennium Campaign, observed that one of the region’s greatest successes has been in moving people out of poverty. He noted existing inequalities and exclusions, which he said should be addressed as a precondition to a credible post-2015 development agenda. [UN Millennium Campaign Press Release] [Event Documents] [Publication: Manila Declaration by Parliamentarians and Civil Society on the MDG Acceleration and the Post-2015 Development Agenda]