Date/Location: Tuesday, June 18, 2013; 10:00-1:00; Trusteeship Council Chamber

Speakers: Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Representative of Zambia, Representative of Cypress, Representative of France, Representative of Peru, Representative of the Netherlands, Representative of India, Representative of Belarus, Representative of Columbia, Representative of Bulgaria

Written by: Marli Kasdan

Attended by: Norah Crossnohere, Alyssa Strasser, Iman Yashruti, Candace Tang, Janice H.W. Wong, Marli Kasdan, Sunny Hor

Today in the Trusteeship Council, the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals held a follow up meeting where employment and decent work for all, social protection, youth, education, and culture were all discussed. Representatives of various delegations gave their statements and views on each of the topics and how these core principles should be worked into the post 2015 development agenda. The recommendations and conclusions are as follows:

 Iran:

* Call for concise and concrete goals in the post 2015 agenda with disaggregated data based on age, gender, and other population dynamics provided when defining the SDGs

* Employment and decent work for all as an overarching aspect of poverty eradication

* Education as a cross cutting issue for all development goals

* Culture as an enabler and driver for sustainable development-a “one size fits all formula” will not work for every development goal and target so SDGs must be culturally sensitive

 Zambia:

* Call for SDGs to embrace employment and decent work for women and young people

* SDGs must focus on early childhood education as well as primary, secondary, and tertiary education and skills training programs

* Call for a shift in programming and implementation of education: teacher training and curriculum development essential

* Call for social protection, social justice, and inclusiveness in the post 2015 agenda

 Cypress:

* Employment as an issue for developed and developing countries

* Youth unemployment is a major world problem-especially in conflict and post conflict societies

* Universal access to nationally determined social protection and equal access to education to reduce inequality

* Sustainable tourism, eco-tourism, and culture as drivers of revenue generation

France:

* Promotion of micro-finance

* Universal health coverage

* Youth unemployment: In Europe, youth unemployment levels in some countries is over 50%

* Promotion of productive jobs (including green jobs), increasing social protection for all, respect for human rights, need to take culture into account

 Peru:

* Call for increased equity, gender equality, labor rights, appropriate and fair wages

* Universal social protection with an institutional framework for success and poverty reduction

* Promotion of economic growth through creative industries

Netherlands:

* Youth agenda: youth are not present in discussion, need youth to be present and involved in the discussion of the future

* Youth priorities: education, employment, equality, good governance

* Youth innovation as a prominent role in the new development framework

* Call for intergenerational partnerships

India:

* Urgent call to work towards ensuring full and productive employment

* Universal access to education and health coverage

* Focus on noncommunicable diseases and women’s health

* Importance of learning form indigenous healthcare practices

Belarus:

* Stand alone goal in SDGs and post 2015 development framework needed for: employment, social protection, education, youth, culture, and health

* Focus on demographics and migration which affects development and requires a stand alone goal in the SDGs

Columbia:

* Highlighted interlinkages between education, employment, health, energy resources, and water

* Highlighted shifts in economic and political geography and changing demographics

* Call for a universal development agenda and a flexible framework

Bulgaria:

* Call for international, common standards regarding decent work

* Social protection as a cross cutting issue directly linked with employment and decent work

* Call for respect for human rights, green economy, eradication of poverty, and culture as an instrument for job creation

* Education: necessity of a clear linkage between education programs and job market demand