Developing Countries

International Leaders Discuss Bringing Agenda 2030 to Fruition

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This meeting was held to discuss the creation of partnerships between various stakeholders and how they would benefit the 2030 Agenda.

Mr. Lykketoft called for work between the public and private sectors, academia, and foundations in action for the Agenda 2030

Next, Ms. Kingo transitioned by encouraging companies and UN bodies alike to share available resources and collaboration to find new opportunities.

A statement from Ban-Ki Moon was read and it noted the need to move from commitment to action. Wide expertise was called for, as were the inter-linkages supported by the Agenda goals.

Mr. Mitchell spoke on how although there is a conception that business love risk, they ultimately crave stability with the hope of maintaining stakeholder relationships. He noted that it is extremely crucial for governments to establish infrastructure, maintain un-corrupt economics, and protect intellectual property. He also stated that it is crucial to foster economic development in other countries.

Ms. Marini spoke on how the first change that needs to be implemented for partnership development is transparency on the motives of all involved in the partnership. She also noted the need to shift towards putting the food of people first, effectively a shift towards human-centered design. She also touted that it is important to stop “think globally and act locally” to transition to “think locally and act locally”.

Meeting: “From commitments to results: Leveraging partnerships for the 2030 Agenda”

Date/Location: Thursday, March 31, 2016; 10:00-13:00 ECOSOC Chamber

Speakers: H.E. Mr. Oh Joon, President of the Economic and Social Council; H.E. Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, President of the UN General Assembly; Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations; Her Royal Highness Haya Al Hussein, UN Messenger of Peace and Chairperson, International Humanitarian City; Mr. Richard Lui, Moderator, News Anchor, MSNBC; Ms. Alice Albright, CEO, Global Partnership for Education; Ms. Peggy Dulany, Chair, Synergos; Mr. Michael Landau, Chairman, CTI Global; Ms. Mary Chege, Director, Development Finance International; Ms. Lise Kingo, Moderator, Executive Director, UN Global Compact; Mr. Scott Mitchell, President and CEO, Sumitomo Chemical America; Ms. Joy Marini, Executive Director, Johnson and Johnso;  Mr. Igor Runov, Under Secretary-General, International Road Transport Union (IRU);

Written By: WIT Representative Olivia Gong

Edited By: Alex Margolick

International Trade and Development

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Trade and Development

Trade and Development

Mr. Suescum presented a report on debt sustainability. “Rising interest rates and falling commodity price rates suggest an increased risk of sovereign debt problems in the future.” The international community agreed to handle these problems collectively with tighter financial regulations while promoting sustained economic growth and addressing the root causes of underdevelopment in developing countries. There was a general agreement that the trading systems should focus on the Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs) realization.

Mr. Valles spoke next, noting that SDGs are based around trade in many regards. World trade grew 3.2% last year, will grow 3.8% this year, and perhaps 4.8% next year. Most of the growth in 2014 came from Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The 20 largest exporters represented 71% of world exports, indicating a trade inequality that requires policy attention. It is important to “mitigate the risks of trade adjustment mechanisms, especially for the poor.”

Mr. Kim’s report discussed the effect of unilateral economic measures on developing countries. These sanctions have an adverse impact on developing countries, and that the number of sanctions has increased in recent years. This has had some severe consequences, affecting “human rights, public welfare”, and countries’ “long term growth prospects.”

South Africa, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, echoed by Jamaica, AOSIS, and the Group of Least Developed Countries, believes the international trade system should favor developing countries. It is important to eliminate all trade distorting measures.

Ecuador and Zambia, speaking on behalf of the ECLAC and GLLDC, respectively, cited the need for countries to fulfill the pledges they made to send aid to the least developed countries as their stake in the international market has “hovered around 1%” for 40 years. The European Union, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand highlighted their commitment to combatting climate change.

Meeting: Second Committee, 19th Session

Date/Location: Monday, October 26, 2015; 15:00-18:00, Conference Room 2

Speakers: Alfredo Suescum, Vice-President of the Trade and Development Board; Guillermo Valles, Director of the International Trade in Goods, Services and Commodities Division, UNCTAD; Alexander Trepelkov, Director, Financing for Development Office, UN-DESA; Dusan Zivkovic, Debt and Development Finance Branch, Division on Globalization and Development Strategies of UNCTAD; Namsuk Kim, Development Policy and Analysis Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs; H.E. Mr. Ramlan Bin Ibrahim, Malaysia; Mr. Thulani Nyembe, South Africa; H.E. Mr. Ahmed Sareer, Maldives; H.E. Dr. Mwaba Patricia Kasese-Bota, Zambia; H.E. Mr. Gerard Van Bohemen; Mr. Adebayo Babajide, European Union; Mr. Fred Sarufa, Papua New Guinea; H.E. Mr. Diego Morejón Pazmiño, Ecuador; H.E. Mr. Abulkalam Abdul Momen, Bangladesh; H.E. Mr. E. Courtenay Rattray, Jamaica; Ms. Caralyn Schwalger, New Zealand.

Written by: Alex Margolick

Edited by: Modou Cham

UN Delegates Speak on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

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UN Flags

Ms. Khalaf presented the Secretary-General’s report on the repercussions of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip. Israel enacted a system in the Gaza strip where citizens are treated significantly more favorably than residents. Free movement restrictions have been imposed, including 65 kilometers of roads to be used only by Israelis. It is “almost impossible” for Palestinians to build without Israeli construction permits. During the summer of 2014 the Israeli offensives killed 551 children, bombed seven schools, and have continued “patterns of excessive use of force.” Since 2000, dependency on UN food aid has increased tenfold in Gaza. There is a heavy water shortage fueling the conflict, where “Israelis are allocated up to seven times the water allocated to Palestinians in the West Bank”. The report concluded by noting that peace is impossible as long as this occupation continues

           The state of Palestine called for peaceful and legal means to salvage Gaza. South Africa, representing Group of 77 and China, noted that Israel has nearly full control of the water resources of the West Bank. Further, a third of Palestinians under occupation are food insecure. Qatar noted that Palestine experienced the highest civilian death toll last year since 1967. Iran noted that it will be almost impossible for Palestine to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.

            Israel dismissed the report as being biased. For example it ignores the fact that Hamas initiated and escalated the 2014 conflict, which caused hardships on both sides. Thousands of Israeli families and children suffered from the missile attacks on their houses over a period of months. The delegation highlighted that the Arab countries attacking it had numerous human rights violations of their own. They then invited these same countries to return to the negotiations table to find a peaceful solution.

Meeting: Second Committee, 18th Session

Date/Location: Monday, October 26, 2015; 10:00-13:00, Conference Room 2

Speakers: Rima Khalaf, Executive Secretary of ESCWA; H.E. Mr. Riyad H. Mansour, State of Palestine; Representative from South Africa; Mr. Mohamed Ahmed Salim Al-Shanfari, Oman; H.E. Mr. Bashar Ja’afari, Syrian Arab Republic; H.E. Mrs. María Rubiales de Chamorro, Nicaragua; H.E. Mr. Ramlan Bin Ibrahim, Malaysia; H.E. Mr. Mohamed Ali Alhakim, Iraq; Mr. Abdulrahman Yaaqob Y.A. Al-Hamad, Qatar; H.E. Mr. Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta, Egypt; H.E. Mr. Ahmed Sareer, Maldives; Ms. Maritza Chan, Costa Rica; H.E. Mr. Gholamali Khoshroo, Iran; H.E. Mr. Mansour Ayyad SH A Alotaibi, Kuwait; H.E. Mr. Frederick Musiiwa Makamure Shava, Zimbabwe; H.E. Mr. Ibrahim O. A. Dabbashi; H.E. Mrs. Dina Kawar, Jordan; H.E. Mr. Desra Percaya, Indonesia; H.E. Mr. Francis Mading Deng, Sudan; H.E. Mrs. Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, United Arab Emirates; H.E. Mr. Wilfried I. Emvula, Namibia; H.E. Dr. Mwaba Patricia Kasese-Bota, Zambia; H.E. Mr. Abdallah Y. Al-Mouallimi, Saudi Arabia; H.E. Mr. Danny Danon, Israel

Written By: Alex Margolick

Edited by: Modou Cham

Effective Humanitarian Assistance

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A panel about the future of humanitarian affairs was convened to discuss methods and strategies towards achieving greater inclusiveness, coordination, interoperability, and effectiveness in humanitarian aid. H.E. Mr. Dabbashi underlined the importance of the dialogue, commenting on how increased humanitarian threats are dangerously stretching the finite number of humanitarian resources available.

Ms. Pizon focused on the importance of local leaders in disaster intervention. If coordination mechanisms work on both an international and local level, a damaged community can be much more resilient. Ms. Georgieva emphasized the different aspects of operational effectiveness, such as the swift deployment of capacities, the coordination of a joint-assessment strategy, and the cohesive interoperability of all sectors. But Ms. Georgieva also stated that this operational effectiveness can only take us so far. Efficient and productive policies, such as those developed for food assistance, are the difference between helping and further damaging a disaster stricken community. While pumping free food and crops into a disaster area may meet short term needs, it kills the local markets, weakening the society’s capacity to be self-sufficient in the future.

Dr. Sani-Sidi continued the conversation by championing Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). NEMA’s departments are categorized into areas for both risk reduction and emergency response, which work in tandem to ensure long term capacity building and prompt response in times of crisis. To close the panel, Mr. Fisher brought attention to the importance of understanding the context of ‘at risk’ countries. As an international community, it is crucial to understand not only the capacities of the country of concern, but also the government situation, the strengths and weaknesses of their institutions, the rule of law, the fiscal management, and all of the other developmental issues that can exacerbate or mitigate the emergency. The effectiveness of response mechanisms is directly dependent on understanding the state of the country, as different situations are more conducive to different methods of humanitarian aid. 

Meeting Title: Panel discussion on “Effective humanitarian assistance”
Speakers: Chair H.E. Mr. Ibrahim O. Dabbashi (Libya), Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council; Moderator Ms. Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator; Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response; Dr. Muhammad Sani-Sidi, Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency, Nigeria; Mr. H. Halil Afsarata, Head of the Strategy Development Department at the Prime Ministry, Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), Turkey; Mr. Nigel Fisher, United Nations Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria; Ms. Inday Pizon, Executive Director, Regional Development Incorporated, National Coalition of Rural Women/PKKK, Philippines; Ms. Barbette Badocdoc, Media and Networking Officer, Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Lawyering Services (IDEALS), Philippines
Location: ECOSOC Chamber, United Nations, New York 
Date: 24 June 2014
Written By WIT Representative: Zachary Halliday
Edited by WIT Representative: Sophia Griffiths-Mark 

Sustainable Support for Peace Building: the domestic and international aspects

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Today marked the annual session of the Peace Building Commission to discuss both the domestic and international elements of sustainable support in the peace building process. H.E. Mr. Patriota opened the dialogue by highlighting the weaknesses in current international aid, specifically the lack of political, technical, and financial assistance in helping these countries secure hard earned peace and stability.

Deputy Secretary General Mr. Eliasson focused heavily on the Commission’s need to sustain international attention beyond the immediate moment of acute crisis. While fighting may have stopped, the scars and public mistrust stemming from these conflicts often continue to be felt. To heal these scars, countries must restore and maintain public faith in the legitimacy of the state and trust in a peaceful road ahead. This requires that governments deliver public services, such as health care, education, and safe water, in a quick and equitable manner. But H.E Mr. Eliasson stressed that simple international aid rarely helps build this new social contract. Instead, it can weaken national ownership if not done in the right manner.

Mr. Eliasson highlighted three concrete areas of assistance for the international community to place high levels of importance on. First, support the development of the country’s own capacities and resources, primarily those that enable them to raise revenues. Second, fight the illicit flow of money, which resulted in losses totaling almost $1 trillion in developing countries last year. Finally, develop a predictable and more stable framework of support to facilitate peacebuilding in these at risk countries. H.E Mr. Ramos-Horta, former President of Timor-Leste, closed the meeting by commenting on his own experience in the successful peacebuilding process of Timor-Leste. Enabling the leaders of the region, both civilian and military, to engage in honest conversations that bridge the existing divide is essential to recovery. The international community must also help cultivate national ownership and national leadership, as foreign actors cannot stand in as the political leaders of an emerging country.

 

Meeting Title: Peacebuilding Commission annual session: Sustainable support for peacebuilding, the domestic and international aspects
Speakers: H.E. Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, Chair of the Peace Building Commission and Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations; Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary General; H.E. José Ramos-Horta, United Nations’ Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Integrated Peace-building Office in Guinea-Bissau former President of Timor Leste General;
Location: United Nations HQ, New York City
Date: 23 June 2014
Written by WIT Representative: Zachary Halliday
Edited by WIT representative: Sophia Griffiths-Mark

 

Women’s Empowerment at the Regional Level: Focus on Developing Countries

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womenThe Annual Session of the UN Women Executive Board 2014, under item 6 of the agenda, discussed efforts towards empowerment of women at the regional level, and gender related challenges faced by developing countries.

A report on the joint field visits of the Executive Boards of UNDP/ UNFPA/ UNOPS, UNICEF, UN Women and WFP to Panama and El Salvador, was presented at the United Nations headquarters today. The purpose of these visits was to learn about the role, functions and efforts of various UN entities at the regional level, where delegations visited project sites in different areas.

The highlight of today’s meeting was Ciudad Mujer (Women’s City), which is a flagship project of the El Salvador Government. The Secretary for Social Inclusion of El Salvador, Dr. Vanda Pignato, emphasized that women undergo numerous disadvantages due to lack of opportunities through various dimensions of human development. Ciudad Mujer, therefore, deals in the areas of sexual and reproductive health, response to violence, education and vocational training, processes to strengthen economic autonomy, food security and integral childcare, all in compliance with the Millennium Development Goals. This initiative by El Salvador has inspired other delegations in their efforts towards women’s empowerment.

Delegations highlighted the importance of collaboration between government institutions and civil society with support from several UN agencies to combat violence against women, which is widespread in developing countries. They also highlighted the importance of ensuring that women’s rights are protected and fulfilled.

H.E. Mr. Gonzalo Koncke Pizzorno, in support of developing countries, underscored that the method used to classify developing countries in the UN forum does not take into account the challenges faced by these countries. The challenges are multifaceted and therefore, developing countries require special consideration through holistic answers and approaches.

 

Meeting Title: 5th Meeting of the Annual Session of the UN Women Executive Board 2014
Speakers: H.E. Mr.Gonzalo Koncke Pizzorno, Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Uruguay and President of the Board of Executive Directors of UN Women; Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka Executive Director Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations; Ms. Lakshmi Puri Deputy Executive Director, Intergovernmental Support and Strategic Partnerships Bureau Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations; Mr. John Hendra Deputy Executive Director, Policy and Programme Bureau Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations; Dr. Vanda Pignato, Secretary for Social Inclusion of El salvador
Date: 19 June 2014
Location: CR 2, CB, United Nations HQ, New York
Written by WIT representative: Nusrat Laskar
Edited by WIT Representative: Marli Kasdan

 

#Youth2015: Realising the future they want

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Opening of the Forum on Youth 2014 

“The future is yours so you have your own prerogatives to raise your voices. There is no plan B because there is no planet B. ”

– H.E. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

As emphasised by H.E. Secretary General, today’s youth are leaders in all areas from technology to politics, the arts to science. Already young people are making their mark on history by altering traditional power structures. H.E. Ban Ki-moon asked that the youth continue to play their crucial role challenging and transforming the future.

H.E. Martin Sajdik, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), praised our youth as catalysts for change, as their imagination and energy innovates societies to grow and achieve a greater quality of life. H.E. Martin Sajdik asked the world to include the youth population, totaling 1.8 billion, to revolutionize our global system as providers, problem solvers and mentors.

 H.E. John Ashe, President of the sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly, explained his desire for youth to get involved especially as nations are working together towards setting agendas post 2015. These ‘sustainable development goals’ aim to transform our world by 2030, a period that will be run by leaders who are the youth of today. Therefore youth participation is essential so that their vision is encapsulated in the UN’s mission.

Youth Advisor for CIVICUS Alliance, Ms. Brittany Trilford shared that 85% of the youth population lives in developing countries. These people are the next generation of workers, leaders and activists. Therefore they should be targeted in development schemes.

Mr. Ahmad Alhendawi, the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth, explained the global connection amongst young people, through the same struggles to realise the same aspirations. Mr. Alhendawi believes an important element to the post 2015 agenda should be the role of young women as assets and drivers for development.

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Meeting Title: United Nations ECOSOC Forum on Youth 2014: Opening Session
Performance by: Lisa Russell Spoken Word Artists
Speakers: President of the Economic and Social Council H.E. Martin Sajdik,  Secretary-General of the United Nations H.E. Ban Ki-moon, President of the sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly H.E. John Ashe, Youth Advisor of CIVICUS Alliance Ms. Brittany Trilford, and United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Mr. Ahmad Alhendawi
Location: United Nations HQ, New York
Date: 2 June 2014
Written by WIT representative: Sophia Griffiths-Mark

Global Health 2035: A World Converging within a Generation

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United Nations, New York Headquarters, 15 January 2014

The Permanent Mission of Norway and The Lancet Commission on Investing in Health hosted an event at the UN headquarters titled, “Towards a Grand Convergence in Global Health: What Convergence Means for Health after 2015.” Mrs. Jeanne d’Arc Byaje, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Mission of Rwanda to the UN, replaced the Permanent Representative of Norway and gave introductory remarks. She said that health is one of the top priorities and goals on the post 2015 agenda. She noted that the report produced by an independent group of commissioners from the Lancet commission on investing in health analyzes why we should be leaning towards a grand convergence in global health.

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Dr. Margaret E. Kruk, Assistant Professor in Health Policy and Management, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and one of the 25 commissioners of the report, introduced the panel. She said that the world diverged in many different ways 200 years after the industrial revolution. The Lancet report, she said, is an independent academic analysis of how to narrow the gap and bring the world back to convergence. The report highlighted that dedicated and targeted investments into the health systems can bring low and middle income countries like Chile, China, Costa Rica and Cuba to a point where their mortality rates are quite similar to most developed countries. Such investment in the health sector, Dr. Kruk said, “will not only bring great health outcomes but also vibrant economic growth because people will be productive.”

Dr. Gavin Yamey, one of the report’s lead authors, highlighted the four key findings of the report. It says that a grand convergence in global health can be achieved within our lifetimes. The commissioners found, from their analyses, that the returns from investing in health are enormous. The report also suggested that fiscal policies, particularly tobacco taxation, are very powerful for curbing non-communicable diseases and injuries. Fourth finding is that pro-poor pathways are an efficient and fair way to achieve both health and financial protection.

H.E. Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, Minister of Health, Rwanda, said that Rwanda is one of the rare countries which are going to achieve their MDGs. She said that “we have prepared the country by managing the communicable diseases to be ready for non-communicable diseases.” Dr. Ariel Pablos Méndez, Assistant Administrator for Global Health, USAID, said that the international donor community needs to engage the lower and middle income countries in new ways and encourage them to mobilize their own domestic resources. Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of India, ended the presentations with a quote saying, “If we do not create the future, the present extends itself.”

Meeting Title: Towards A Grand Convergence in Global Health: What Convergence Means for Health after 2015

Key Speakers: Mrs. Jeanne d’Arc Byaje, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Mission of Rwanda to the UN; Dr. Margaret E. Kruk, Assistant Professor in Health Policy and Management, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health; Dr. Gavin Yamey, Lead, Evidence-to-Policy Initiative, Global Health Group, University of California, San Francisco; H.E. Dr. Agnès Binagwaho, Minister of Health, Rwanda; Dr. Ariel Pablos Méndez, Assistant Administrator for Global Health, USAID; Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of India.

Written by WIT intern: Shan Cheema