DHAKA: Speakers demanded a people-centred Post 2015 development framework ensuring the meaningful participation of all concerned stakeholders where civil society in the process leading up to Post 2015 Summit.
The 69th United Nations General Assembly 2014 that is set to begin next week in New York focuses on the theme “Delivering on and Implementing a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda”.
United Nations is preparing a new sustainable development framework with its member states as the Millennium Development Goal (MDGs) will get end in 2015. Speakers also urged to adopt a strong, inclusive and legitimate Post 2015 framework to success the Millennium Development Goals.
The press conference titled “A Transformative Post 2015 Development Agenda: Citizens’ Demands and Expectations” was held today (Friday) in city’s Dhaka Reporters Unity auditorium organized by a rights group VOICE and Beyond 2015. President of Karmajibi Nari and former senior research fellow of BIDS Pratima Paul Majumder, Executive Director of VOICE Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, Director of Supro and also the member of Beyond 2015 Alison Subrata Baroi, Chief executive of Online Knowledge Centre Prodip Kumar Roy spoke before the press.
Ahmed Swapan Mahmud read out the written statement and said that post 2015 framework must address the multifaceted challenges including current trajectory of increasing consumption, accelerating climate change combined with increasing inequality, deteriorating global social cohesion, and routine disregard for human rights and human security.
There is no way ahead until these are not considered to resolve, he added. He mentioned that full access and meaningful participation of all groups is essential to the transparency and integrity of the forthcoming negotiations of next week in New York.
The post 2015 framework must reinforce international human rights commitments, laws and standards, fight injustice and address how its goals will allow for a progressive realization of rights. It must embrace a rights-based approach to development based on equality, equity and non-discrimination, and ensure the rights of people to participate fully in society and in decision-making, Ahmed Swapan emphasized.
Ahmed Swapan also said that developed countries must comply with their commitment to provide 0.7 per cent of their gross national product (GNP) and the unfinished business and they should align and harmonize their activities to avoid competitions and to be refraining from service overlapping. There should also be more transparency and accountability in delivering services to the communities for whom development is meant.
Pratima Paul Majumder said that United Nations must emphasize women rights in the Post 2015 development framework. She also demanded that government should include gender equality and women rights as priority area in new framework. The post 2015 framework must recognize the global resource constraints and aim at a more equitable distribution of resources, including how it meets the rights and needs of future and present generations.
She urged to ensure decent work environment and living wages for the women labour. She questioned the present mode of corporate based development which is unfavorable for realization of women rights. This model has particularly worsen life and livelihood of rural, indigenous and migrant women.
The Post-2015 framework must be underpinned by the strongest, most robust and comprehensive accountability framework possible, incorporating the commitment to monitor and report on progress and share learning and knowledge.
Alison Subrata Baroi focused on reducing inequality within and among countries which is essential for transformation while he proposed for ensuring progressive taxation and tax governance as a way out of challenges mobilizing own resources for financing development in post 2015. Alison also said that the Post-2015 framework cannot afford an approach that promotes growth at all costs without considering human rights and environmental implications. The framework must demonstrate coherence and integration across the environmental, economic and social dimensions of different goals and targets. He also emphasized access to justice and governance that should be enshrined in Post 2015 framework.
Prodip Kumer Roy said that climate change is s serious threat to the countries like Bangladesh and governments should take into consideration to assert the rights of the climate victims especially for the climate migrants. He mentioned that the post 2015 framework should explicitly specify that no target should be considered met unless it has been met for all, including the poorest and most marginalised groups. This will help build a global partnership towards achievement of the SDGs that makes all actors – governments, civil society and private sector – accountable, he said.
Speakers also put expectations that global leaders including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the delegations from Bangladesh will address the issues concerned in the forthcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York for a just and transformative post 2015 development framework.
BDST: 1907 HRS, SEP 19, 2014
