January 2013: The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UN Women, the co-leaders of the Post-2015 Global Thematic Consultation on Inequalities, have released an online newsletter on the Consultation. The newsletter features the release of the Draft Report on Global Thematic Consultation on Inequalities, which is now available for comments, and online discussions taking place in January and February 2013.

The first issue of the newsletter also highlights six background papers on addressing inequalities, and lists upcoming events.

Ongoing e-discussions on the World We Want 2015 website are focusing on: Young People and Inequalities; Urban Inequalities; and Minorities and Inequalities. The newsletter notes that since the inequalities e-consultation was launched in October 2012, it has attracted 3,400 registered members and 1,067 responses to discussions.

Background papers on addressing inequalities cover multiple focus areas, including children and young people, gender inequality and measurement of inequalities. The Beyond 2015 campaign submitted a paper arguing that a holistic, human rights-based approach to development is necessary to ensure that the most marginalized benefit from development and growth. A paper by Jo Boyden, University of Oxford, examines impacts of poverty and inequalities on children in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Viet Nam. Gaspar Bergman, UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA), examines political representation and women’s empowerment. [Publication: Online Newsletter, January 2013]