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Zero Draft of Post-2015 Summit Outcome Document: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/7261Post-2015%20Summit%20-%202%20June%202015.pdf
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Response to the Zero Draft of the
Post-2015 Summit Outcome
Document, “Transforming Our World by
2030: A New Agenda
for Global Action” by the Asian-Pacific
Resource and
Research Centre for Women (ARROW),1 Partners and
Allies
We welcome the opportunity to be able to comment on the “Zero
Draft of the
Outcome Document for the UN Summit to Adopt the Post-2015
Development
Agenda—Transforming Our World by 2030: A New Agenda for Global
Action.”
Overall, we find that the document is a good starting point for
the first intergovernmental
negotiations on the outcome document happening on 22-25 June
2015. However, it still needs a lot of work to reflect a truly
ambitious and
transformative sustainable development agenda towards a world we
want that leaves
no one behind. We, women’s groups from the Asia-Pacific and the
Global South and
allied civil society and social movements, are committed to work
with governments
and UN institutions in order to fill in the gaps and make this
happen.
GENERAL COMMENTS
Our overarching comments are as follows:
1. The outcome document must recognize and address power
imbalances and
structural barriers, which are the root causes of inequalities
within and between
countries, and of economic and social inequalities and injustices,
including
gender inequality, amongst others. The call to change fundamental
systems
such as neoliberal globalization and patriarchy is currently
absent from the
document. It also should not shy away from tackling challenges
around social
marginalisation, such as gender and sexuality, which were hard
worn at Beijing
and Cairo.
2. We also wish to raise that while the overall concern is with
inequalities within
and between countries—the focus is very much on least-developed
countries,
landlocked countries, small island countries, countries in
situations of conflict,
and Africa. While this is needed, it should also not be forgotten
that inequality
exists in developed countries, and that it is in middle-income
countries (MICs)
where inequality is the greatest and where a large number of poor
people live.2If
the SDGs aspire to eradicate poverty, the fact that majority, more
about three
quarters of world's poor by income measures live in countries classified
by World
Bank as Middle Income Countries should be acknowledged.3 Continued support
to MICs, including receipt of Official Development Assistance, and
greater
considerations towards the distribution of aid are needed.
1 ARROW is a regional, non-profit women’s
organization based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with
consultative status with UN ECOSOC. We work to
promote and defend women’s rights and needs,
particularly in the areas of health and
sexuality, and to reaffirm women’s agency to claim these rights.
We are also doing inter-movement work on
issues such as migration, poverty, food sovereignty, food
security, and climate change. We work in
partnership with national organisations and regional and
global networks.
2 Sumner, A. 2011. Poverty in Middle-Income
Countries. The Bellagio Initiative. The Future of
Philanthropy and Development in the Pursuit of
Human Wellbeing Commissioned Paper.
http://www.ids.ac.uk/files/dmfile/Bellagio_Sumner1.pdf
Accessed
June 10.
3 Sumner, A. 2012. Where do the world’s poor
live? A new update. Working Paper, Vol 12. No. 393.
Retrieved from
http://www.ids.ac.uk/files/dmfile/Wp393.pdf
3. We would like to also bring up that the lessons of the past
show that coverage
does not equate access, with regards universal health coverage. In
order to
make a difference to the poor and marginalised, this needs to be
thought
through by governments and all stakeholders.
4. We wish to reiterate that the targets under means of
implementation should
always be tied back to the achievement of targets under the goals
and not seen
as separate targets to achieve these goals.
5. The role of business and the private sector, as well as of
public-private
partnerships in implementing the SDGs, has been prominently
highlighted in the
zero draft. We are concerned that this is not matched with
appropriate
accountability measures to ensure that any such actions should
adhere to
human rights standards, and be age, disability and
gender-responsive. This
should also be matched with grievance mechanisms in cases of
violations of
human rights, including women’s human rights.
6. Achieving gender equality in all realms has to be considered
integral to
achieving sustainable development and it cannot be separated from
it, and as
such it has to be integrated in all goals. Gender equality cannot
be achieved
without ensuring sexual and reproductive health and rights of all
women.
7. Member states should adhere to the spirit of participation and
accountability, and
report regularly (at least 5 times in 15 years) on the
implementation of the post-
2015 development framework. The process should ensure that
critical feedback
is given by civil society at all levels—national, regional and
global—and taken
into consideration by governments to accelerate progress for all
as global
citizens under this new agenda.
SPECIFIC COMMENTS
Our specific comments follow
:
Preamble
• We find it problematic that the Preamble does not refer to
inequality or the
structural causes and power dynamics that are its root causes.
Mentioning
catchphrases like “freeing the human race from the tyranny of
poverty” and
“no one will be left behind” in the Preamble would be empty unless
it
promises to address the root causes of inequalities within and
between
countries, and of economic and social inequalities and injustices,
including
gender inequality, amongst others.
• The Preamble should also put human rights, including women’s human
rights,
fundamental freedoms, equality, shared responsibility, and good
governance
at the center, and tackle issues that have been excluded from the
agenda,
such as sexuality, which were hard worn at Beijing and Cairo.
Achievement of
the SDGs has to ensure that human rights as promised in the
Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of
All forms
of Discrimination of Women (CEDAW), the Convention on Rights of
the Child
(CRC) etc., all of which came before the MDGs and related
processes, have
to be upheld by all stakeholders at all levels.
Introduction
• The zero draft should call for changing structural and systemic
barriers that
have resulted in getting us to where we are and in not being able
to achieve
the MDGs.
• Para 3: The ending of discrimination of any kind and the
achievement of
human rights, including women’s human rights, sexual and
reproductive
rights, right to food and nutrition, and right to development,
amongst others,
should be included here.
Our Commitment and Shared Principles
• Para 10: Include outcomes of conferences, such as the
International
Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action (ICPD
POA) and the Beijing Platform of Action (BPFA), and their
follow-up
intergovernmental processes at global and regional levels.
• Para 11: The zero document should also reference human rights
agreements,
such as conventions like the International Covenant on Civil and
Political
Rights (ICCPR); International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural
Rights (ICESCR); Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW); Convention on the Rights of
the
Child (CRC); the Convention on the Rights of People with
Disabilities
(CRPD); the International Convention on the Protection of the
Rights of All
Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families; the International
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination; their
Optional Protocols; Human Rights Council (HRC) Resolutions 11/8,
15/7, and
18/2 on preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human
rights; HRC
resolution 17/19 and 27.32 expressing concern on violence and
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender
identity; and
others.
The New Agenda
• Para 17: We would like to revise the sentence to this: “It will
work to ensure
that fundamental rights and freedoms are enjoyed by all without
discrimination on grounds of race, colour, gender, age, sex, sexual orientation
and gender identity and expression, language, religion, culture, migratory and
citizenship status, political or other opinion, national or social
origin,
geographic location, economic situation, HIV and health status, marital
status,
pregnancy status, occupation, birth or disability.”
• Para 18: Sexual and reproductive health and rights must be added
as a
critical part of right to and access to health, and comprehensive
sexuality
education added as critical part of right to and access to
education.
• Para 18: While both boys and girls experience inequality,
discrimination and
violence, they experience these in different ways and at different
levels, with
girls experiencing it more heavily. The sentence should reflect
this.
• Para 21: Instead of vulnerable sections of the population, which
implies that
they do not have agency, we would like to use the term “marginalised.”
As
well the list need to be broadened to include people living with
and affected
by HIV, persons of diverse sexualities, and all that are socially
excluded in its
full diversity.
• Para 22: Comprehensive sexuality education should be added as
critical part
of right to and access to education.
• Para 23: The term universal health coverage does not equate to
access; it is
more limited in its meaning and refers only to “attempts to remove
financial
barriers to access through suitable health financing mechanisms
adopted by
the health system.”4 Instead
of “universal health coverage,” we would like to
use “universal access to health.” Additionally, after “...universal
access to
sexual and reproductive health care services, including for family
planning,
information and education” we would like to add “and the right to
have control
over and make decisions on matters related to their sexuality and
reproduction.”
• Para 27: “…accelerating the reduction of global greenhouse gas
emissions”
needs to be time-bound.
Implementation
• Para 30: The role of business and the private sector in
implementing the
SDGs has been prominently highlighted in the zero draft. We are
concerned
that this is not matched with appropriate accountability measures
to ensure
that any such actions should adhere to human rights, environmental
and
labour standards, and be age, disability, migrant, and
gender-responsive.
This should also be matched with grievance mechanisms in cases of
violations of human rights, including women’s human rights.
• Para 32: The greatest inequalities exist in Middle Income
Countries, and it
has the highest number of poor people. Move up from low income to
middle
income classifications does not mean reduction in the number of
poor people;
nor does it mean that social inequalities have been addressed, nor
that
human rights of all, including sexual and reproductive rights,
have been
recognized, protected and fulfilled. As such, ODA remains critical
for Middle
Income Countries.
• Para 37: Add women’s, youth and community-based groups amongst the
list
of stakeholders to engage in. Governments must also pledge to
promote an
enabling environment for civil society, with their right to
organise, and
freedoms of expressions, speech, the media and the internet are
guaranteed.
Follow-up and Review
• Para 38: Beyond follow-up and review, the Outcome Document must
include
accountability and at all levels, including the local level.
• Para 39: Disaggregated data needs to be specified by gender,
income, age,
race, ethnicity, migratory and citizenship status, disability,
sexual orientation
and gender identity and expression, geographic location,
occupation, HIV and
health status, marital status, pregnancy status, and other
characteristics
relevant in national contexts.
• Para 39: Mentioning the role of business and the private sector in
implementing the SDGs needs to be matched with appropriate
accountability
measures to ensure that any such actions should adhere to human
rights
standards, and be age, disability and gender-responsive. This
should also be
matched with grievance mechanisms in cases of violations of human
rights,
including women’s human rights.
I.
Sustainable Development Goals and Targets
• We would like to reiterate our call on the non-reduction of
targets.
• Para 4: This should also reference conventions like the Universal
Declaration
of Human Rights, CEDAW, CRC, ICESR, and ICCPR, as well as
agreements
like ICPD POA and BPfA and their follow-up processes both at
regional and
global levels; processes like the International Political
Declaration on
HIV/AIDS, COP, and 2nd International Conference on Nutrition; and various
related regional inter-governmental processes.
4 Ravindran, TKS. (2012). “Universal Access to
Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Asia-Pacific
Region: How Far Are We from the Goal Post?” In
Action
for Sexual and Reproductive Health and
Rights: Strategies for the Asia-Pacific
beyond ICPD and the MDGs; Thematic Papers presented at the
Beyond ICPD and the MDGs: NGOs
Strategising for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in
Asia-Pacific, 2-4 May 2012, Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: ARROW.
• Indicators should comprehensively address the targets, and should
be robust,
time bound, relevant, and specific markers of progress. They
should be
measurable and include a mix of quantitative and qualitative data
points – to
show extent and provide in-depth information.
• Disaggregation of data should be done for all indicators across
all goals and
targets by gender, income, age, race, ethnicity, migratory and
citizenship
status, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity and
expression,
geographic location, occupation, HIV and health status, marital
status,
pregnancy status, and other characteristics. This should reflect
diversities at
the country level, as well as allow for cross-country and
cross-regional
comparisons.
• Inclusion of strategic gender and health indicators, including
sexual and
reproductive health indicators, are critical in order to help
realise a
transformative sustainable development agenda.
• Civil society engagement in the development of indicators has to
be ensured.
II.
Means of Implementation and the Global Partnership
• It is very concerning that the targets related to MOIs have been
presented
without the matching SDG targets, opening to the possibility that
implementing the SDGs would only mean focusing on achieving these
targets. It has already been indicated that these MOI targets will
be discussed
at length at the Third International Conference on Financing for
Development.
This would be very detrimental to achieving the goals and targets.
For
example, for goal 3, the target for implementation 3.a on
implementing the
WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control would not enable
implementation of any of the 9 targets identified in the SDG 3, which
address
issues as diverse as maternal mortality, communicable diseases,
universal
access to sexual and reproductive health care services, road
traffic accidents
and, substance abuse, and hazardous chemicals and pollution. We
thus wish
to reiterate that the targets under means of implementation should
always be
tied back to the achievement of targets under the goals and not
seen as
separate targets to achieve these goals.
• We applaud the inclusion of MOI target 3.b to “provide access to
affordable
essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha
Declaration
on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right
of
developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the
Agreement on
Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding
flexibilities to
protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to
medicines for all.”
• Certain goals such as Goal 1 include MOI targets that focus on
resource
mobilization; as such Goals 3 and 5 should also have similar
targets to
guarantee allocation of resources, including financial resources.
• 8.a: We are concerned with the promotion of Aid for Trade for
developing
countries as this will come attached with conditionalities, and
that women’s
rights, including sexual and reproductive rights, would be traded
away.
• 8.b: The greatest inequalities exist in Middle Income Countries,
and it has the
highest number of poor people. Move up from low income to middle
income
classifications does not mean reduction in the number of poor
people; nor
does it mean that social inequalities have been addressed, nor
that human
rights of all, including sexual and reproductive rights, have been
recognized,
protected and fulfilled. As such, ODA remains critical for Middle
Income
Countries.
• Para 6: Aside from disaggregation by gender, we should also add
disaggregation by income, age, race, ethnicity, migratory and
citizenship
status, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity and
expression,
geographic location, HIV and health status, pregnancy status,
occupation,
and other characteristics relevant in national contexts.
III. Follow-up and Review
• Follow-up and review processes should be inclusive and transparent
at all
levels (including local) and to all themes for civil society. This
should be
matched by funding and capacity strengthening support for diverse
civil
society, particularly those who serve and represent women, youth,
and
marginalised groups, and those coming from developing and
middle-income
countries.
• Para 3a: Add that human rights principles and standards, including
women’s
human rights, should be the basis for implementation of the SDGs.
• Para 3.e: Add disaggregation by citizenship status, HIV and health
status,
marital status, pregnancy status, occupation, and sexual
orientation and
gender identity and expression. Both qualitative and quantitative
data must be
used to show extent and provide in-depth information.
• Para 5: At the national level, include national human rights
institutions, as well
as women’s youth and community-based groups, and social movements
amongst those playing a role in the reviews.
• Para 8: To ensure coherence, the HLPF should take into account and
link
with other processes, including those for major UN conferences
like CEDAW,
CRC, CRPD, ICPD and BPFA.
• Ensure that accountability mechanisms are in place for States, as
well as for
the private sector, and public-private partnerships, adhering to
the highest
standards of human rights and social justice. These should be
linked to other
existing processes, such as the Human Rights frameworks.
SIGNATORIES
1. Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre
for Women (ARROW), Regional (Asia-
Pacific)