Our focus at HLPF 2022 is to share our eight calls to action developed by members in reflection of the Sendai Framework Mid-Term Review – and integrate the voice of civil society on localisation and risk-informed development.
Becky Murphy, GNDR Policy Lead and UNDRR Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism (SEM) Co-Chair is representing GNDR at the UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York from 5-12 July 2022.
These are the messages coming from key sessions in day six of the conference:
Vision of civil society: Leaving no one behind in recovering better from Covid-19
Key points
- The role of the Major Groups and Other Stakeholders (MGoS) in the implementation, follow-up and review of the Sustainable Development Goals was established by the General Assembly in its resolution 67/290 and in paragraph 89 of the 2030 Agenda
- The role of civil society in ensuring that no one is left behind cannot be underestimated
- This session, organised by the Coordination Mechanism of the MGoS, discussed pathways for moving forward in the post Covid-19 recovery and advancing the 2030 Agenda
- It called for the urgent need for expansion of policy and fiscal space of developing countries through systemic reforms and financing policies that can ensure better alignment between social, ecological, economic and climate priorities
- When governments engage with their stakeholders the progress that can be made is incredible
- We must work together and include civil society involvement at the national level
- It improves data collection, decision making and implementation
- We can see the evidence that when we engage with stakeholders, we make greater progress on the SDGs
- Grassroots movements are essential to tackle the challenges of climate change, displacement, conflict, poverty, hunger and food insecurity
- Civil society are essential to leave no one behind and protect communities, the environment and the economy
- Stakeholders are essential – we are stronger together
- Stakeholders and civil society are essential for the transformation that is required to achieve the SDG
- Major groups and other stakeholders co-host the session to make stakeholders heard
- We need to work together to make sure men and women can work towards a better life
- Today, as stakeholder groups, we are not happy, there has been some progress but the Covid pandemic and its aftermath has delayed progress and together we must now overcome these challenges and tackle poverty and hunger
- We urge you to listen to voices of our stakeholders
- Meaningfully include them in decision making, hear what they are saying, give political commitments which can really leave no one behind
- Today, there have been many men and women who have been left behind and we need to make sure we recover the aims and ambitions we had in 2015 and respond with specific action and political action to support those being left behind
- Everybody must continue to realise that we can achieve things, together and listen to all stakeholders
- Governments must recognise the role that civil society and volunteers play in the SDGs – we are essential in order to leave no one behind
- We must work together to curb the level of suffering in the world today
- We must rethink corporation legislations, so corporations are playing their part
- We must increase fiscal space for low and middle income countries
- The conflict in Ukraine is not just a war on Ukraine but a war on the SDGs; we call for an immediate ceasefire
- Member states supported this call for meaningful engagement of civil society
- We can serve our people better if we listen to them and understand their needs
- The president of ECOSOC also invited everyone to join a high-level session this time next week (20 July) focused on the African Union and recommendations for strengthening the SDGs in the African region; this will lead on directly from HLPF and connect into COP27
CADRI official side event: The value of partnerships to reduce disaster and climate risk
The panellists included representatives from IOM, REAP, UN RC from Timor Leste, Government focal point on SDGS from Armenia, GNDR and UNDP. Shivangi Chavda, Senior Regional Lead represented GNDR.
Key points
- There requires an integrated and cohesive approach to tackle the issues of DRR and climate change
- Building back better cannot happen without effective partnerships on the ground and without listening to the communities most at risk
- Development of common understanding on issues of disasters and climate risks through participatory approaches is imperative for developing integrated solutions to the complex disaster environment
- Cross learning across borders facing similar situations should be conducted by the Partners and CSOs
- From the GNDR standpoint we emphasised the need to listen to the communities and the local government and CSOs should partner with them to invest in development processes which are informed by risks of these communities
UNDRR SEM side event: Whole of society, whole of government for risk-informed development
Adessou Kossivi, GNDR Lead for Africa moderated this important event.
Key points
- For a long time development was seen as a mission of the government; in the face of the multiple challenges that humanity is increasingly confronted with, in the face of limited financial resources and the diversification of problems it has become apparent that the state alone can not carry the destiny of the people
- Local communities, CSOs, the private sector, women and youth have become development agents whose views are key for sustainable and coherent development
- The Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism (SEM) plays a very important role shifting the development process from the top to the communities; it supports initiatives that contribute to building communities’ resilience for sustainable development
- In Bali, DRR actors adopted the Bali Agenda for Resilience that promotes an integrated approach to comprehensive risk management
- Risk-informed development cuts through any and all SDG implementation efforts because sustainable development is resilient development
- To achieve the Agenda 2030 we must ensure a cohesive policy approach that breaks the silos among different existing agenda frameworks, such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Agreement, the SDGs and others
- The event discussed effective partnership mechanisms between governments, local communities and civil society stakeholders that create a whole of society approach in building policy links to deliver resilient communities, and how to engage across community, local, national, and global levels to achieve a whole of policy approach to implement the Agenda 2030