Dear Members and Colleagues,

We invite you to join us in reviewing and commenting on the proposed goals for the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda!

In January 2013, the Open Working Group was established as one of the key outcomes of Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro on June 2012. In that meeting, member states agreed to launch a process to develop a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 30-member states of the Open Working Group has since held 12 sessions, each focusing on a range of themes and issues, and the concluding sessions are scheduled this coming July. With the Post-2015 Development Agenda expected to be adopted by Heads of States in fifteen months, the Open Working Group co-chairs have released a document with the Proposed Goals and Targets for the Post-2015 Development Agenda . We now have an opportunity to make sure that our collective goals and targets are reflected in this document.

The edited document, called “OWG Proposed Goals–APWLD comments” reflects APWLD’s suggested changes to the latest draft of the proposed Sustainable Development Goals. This set of goals was discussed by governments at the last session of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals and should continue to inform discussion at the next Open Working Group (OWG 13) later this month, although a more refined document is likely to be released in the next few days. Even if another draft of the goals is produced before the next OWG, it’s useful for us to develop bottom lines for our advocacy on the issues that are a priority for APWLD and its members. On that basis, the edited document doesn’t address all of the proposed goals: it focuses on the goals on poverty; food sovereignty and hunger; gender equality and women’s human rights; decent work and economic development; inequality; industrialisation; and means of implementation.

Please note that we have chosen not to comment on the climate change goal for now because its form and content is particularly uncertain at this point, and it’s possible that the OWG process will ultimately rely on the outcome of COP21 next year. The approach to the climate change goal is likely to become clearer during the next OWG, so we can reconsider our advocacy strategy at that point

This is a very important moment in our advocacy for Development Justice! Please provide us with your suggestions and comments by following some guidelines below:

  • Please use track changes to provide suggestions for specific language in the document or send us the suggested language directly in the body of your email.
  • Should you wish to provide comments/explanation, please feel free to follow the format we used as detailed in the “OWG Proposed Goals- AWPLD comments”
  • Please send all comments to Feminist Development Justice PA, Leanne@apwld.org
  • Deadline for inputs is Saturday, 5 July 2014

Last but not least, you must have heard about our campaign for Days of Action for Development Justice. Please let us know if you plan to do any campaigning locally or if you are interested in engaging with government or media to further our call for Development Justice!

Warm regards,

APWLD Secretariat