17 October 2013: The World We Want Platform hosted two events in the ‘People’s Voices’ series on 17 September and 17 October 2013. The events brought together representatives from NGOs, community groups, UN agencies, the private sector, and UN Member States to discuss issues of poverty, peace, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the post-2015 development agenda.

The 17 September event, held at UN Headquarters in New York, US, focused on the theme of ‘Peace, Poverty and the Post-2015 Development Agenda.’ The discussion was moderated by Henk-Jan Brinkman, UN Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), who highlighted the importance of addressing conflict and violence to build a foundation for development. Panelists discussed the need for community dialogue and improved community dialogue to break cycles of violence, as well as the need to engage women in the peace process. Questions from the audience and online participants focused on inclusion of diverse voices in the post-2015 development agenda.

The 17 October event on ‘MDGs, Poverty and the Post-2015 Agenda – working together for a world without discrimination’ took place at UNICEF Headquarters in New York, US. The event marked the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, and reviewed ideas for global development and inclusion. John Hendra, UN Women, moderated the panel discussion, emphasizing that poverty cannot be eradicated without addressing inequalities between people. The panelists from international universities, NGOs and UN campaigns discussed issues of inequality within and between states, and stressed the importance of consultation. Amina Mohammed, UN Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development Planning, discussed the need for an economic transformation of resources and better care for the needs of young people, saying, “If we don’t take care of youth today, they won’t take care of us tomorrow.”

The World We Want is a platform created by the UN and civil society to amplify people’s voices in the process of building a global agenda for sustainable development. The next event in the People’s Voices series will take place on 18 November 2013, on the theme of ‘Children, Poverty, and Post-2015.’ [People’s Voices Series] [IISD RS Story on Previous Events in Series] [World We Want Website]