Reconfirming rights, recognizing limits, redefining goals

The international conference “Advancing the post-2015 sustainable development agenda: Reconfirming rights, recognizing limits, redefining goals” in Bonn will bring together about 250 civil society activists and representatives from key stakeholders in March in order to draw together civil society inputs into this relevant debate.

The meeting will take place on 20-22 March 2013. Funding for a limited number of participants, mainly from developing countries, is available.

At present, a multitude of discussion and consultation processes is going on worldwide: some in the context of the Rio+20 process, others preparing the Post-2015 agenda, some with a specific sector focus, others on national or regional level.

While the international institutions welcome the make up of wide-ranging and participatory processes, there is a need to gain a better overview on civil society perspectives and demands in order to advocate more effectively for their implementation.

“Advancing the post-2015 sustainable development agenda” aims at providing such an overview by bringing together key actors in the discussion and helping them to exchange information and learn from each other.

Supported by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the conference is being shaped by a Steering Committee composed of many of the major international civil society networks such as Social Watch, CIVICUS, Beyond 2015, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP), Global Campaign for Climate Action (GCCA), VENRO and the Baltic Sea Forum.

The conference strives to bring together key actors in the Post-2015 Sustainable Development discussion helping them to exchange information, learn from each other benefiting from our sector’s diversity and agree joint demands and strategy where this is possible

The main objectives of the conference are:

■ Bring together civil society organizations and coalitions active in monitoring, reporting, advocacy and campaigning on issues of social, economic and gender justice, environmental sustainability and human rights, with special attention to a strong representation of those from developing countries, from social movements and from socially excluded groups.

■ Draw together and report on initial findings from the different discussion and consultation strands which, at present, are being undertaken at global, regional and national but also thematic levels.

■ Develop a full and fair global overview of CSOs' perspectives on Post-2015 with special attention to a strong representation of those from developing countries, from emerging social movements and from UNDESA minority groups.

■ Identify differences among the various CSO perspectives and define how to position the different perspectives as a strength rather than a weakness of our sector.

■ Identify common CSO agendas, including overarching visions and narratives, and agree on campaigns, strategies and tactics on how to promote these agendas.

■ Develop a CSO timetable towards the UN General Assembly in September and clarify roles and responsibilities in interacting with national Governments, regional bodies and the UN.

■ Identify options for further CSO engagement from September 2013 until 2015.