February 2014: The Office of the President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) has released a background paper and draft programme for the high-level event on ‘The Contributions of Women, the Young and Civil Society to the Post-2015 Development Agenda.’ The paper, which follows on a concept note released in January, addresses the main challenges to achieving equality, inclusiveness and participation, and guidance questions for each of the two interactive panel discussions.

The event, convening from 6-7 March 2014, in New York, US, is part of a series of three high-level events and three thematic debates that UNGA President John Ashe is hosting to encourage consensus-building and concrete action on implementation of the post-2015 development agenda.

On women, the paper asks if there should be a stand-alone Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on gender equality, women’s rights and women’s empowerment, supplemented by cross-cutting targets under other goals. On the young, it suggests discussing a goal or target to monitor young people’s empowerment at all levels through education, better health care and access to better job opportunities. On civil society, the document asks how governments can improve the operating space to ensure that civil society makes meaningful contributions to implementing the post-2015 agenda.

The first panel will focus on ‘Closing the inequality gap: efforts for addressing inequalities and meeting new and emerging global developing challenges for the eradication of poverty through the meaningful contributions of women, the young and civil society in the post-2015 agenda.’ The second panel will focus on ‘Strategies for the effective, inclusive and participatory roles for women, the young and civil society in the Post-2015 Development Agenda: identifying best practices, tools and mechanisms, and exploring opportunities for new, transparent and sustainable outcomes.’

The Office of the UNGA President developed the background paper using inputs from the UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, UN entities and stakeholders, following a request for online inputs on the UNGA President’s website. [UNGA President’s Website on ‘Setting the Stage!’] [Publication: Background Paper] [Draft Programme] [IISD RS Story on Concept Note]