HLPF 2019 Bulletin #4

By IDA

 - May 9, 2019

May 2019

On this page:

  1. Register! Registration for the July 2019 High-level Political Forum now open
  2. Apply! UN funding available to attend the HLPF
  3. Let us know! Will you attend the HLPF?
  4. INPUT! Survey: Collection of inputs for Statements to Voluntary National Review Sessions
  5. Resource! Webinar recording - Practical information about how to engage in the July HLPF
  6. Resource! Regional Sustainable Development Forum Reports
  7. New resource! SDG Accountability Handbook: A Practical Guide for Civil Society
  8. Information! Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals
  9. Reopening the process! Apply to become the Alternate Representative of the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities - all are encouraged to apply
  10. Reopening the process! Apply to be part of the Selection Committee to elect the Alternate Representative of the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities

1. Register! Registration for the July 2019 High-level Political Forum now open

Registration to the July 2019 High-level Political Forum is now open. Kindly read the instructions below to register. If you intend to participate on behalf of the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities and your organization has ECOSOC consultative status with the United Nations, you will be able to self-register. If you intend to participate on behalf of the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities but your organization does not have ECOSOC consultative status, kindly inform us by emailing HLPF2019 [at] ida-secretariat.org and we will assist with your registration. The deadline to register is 15 June 2019.

2. Apply! UN funding available to attend the HLPF

The Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities invites you to apply to receive UN funding to participate at the 2019 High-level Political Forum. Please carefully read the application and selection process. All funded participants representing the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities will be identified through these processes.

The 2019 High Level Political Forum (HLPF) under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council will be held in New York from 9-18 July 2019. The theme for the forum is "Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality". More information is available here: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf/2019. 

UN DESA will provide travel support and daily subsistence allowance (DSA) to a limited number of representatives of Major Groups and other Stakeholders who are nationals of developing countries to attend the HLPF.

Below is information regarding applications to receive UN funding to attend the July 2019 HLPF:

  • Persons with disabilities must apply to receive UN funding by filling out the application form below.
  • The application form was developed along the lines of the customized UN form.
  • Those applicants, who are selected by the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities, will be put forward to the UN to be considered for funding.
  • The UN will take the final decision as to which participants from the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities will receive funding to attend the July 2019 HLPF.

All applications will be reviewed by a Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities' Selection Committee. The Selection Committee's mandate will be to review all applications for funding and finalize the list of participants who will be put forward to the UN to receive funding. *The deadline to apply is Monday, 20 May 2019 11:59 EDT*

3. Let us know! Will you attend the HLPF?

Please let us know if you intend to participate at the HLPF by filling out this short SurveyMonkey.

4. INPUT! Survey: Collection of inputs for Statements to Voluntary National Review Sessions - If your country reports bring messages critically important to the national disability community to the global level!

The 2019 High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development (HLPF) will take place, under the auspices of ECOSOC, between 9 and 18 July 2019. During the second week of the Forum 48 countries will make Voluntary National Reviews’ (VNR) presentations, regarding their progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Persons with disabilities will have an opportunity to deliver short comments and ask key questions following each VNR presentation.

The following survey has been designed to allow the submission of inputs and suggestions from all those interested, including those that are not in attendance to the HLPF (this survey is available in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and German).

We encourage all organizations and networks (on global, regional, national and grass-roots levels) that are engaged in national implementation and may have participated in any stage of the VNR preparation to provide comments. It is also possible for organizations and networks to provide thematic and cross-cutting comments.

You may:

  1. analyse the VNR reports - if available already - submitted by their respective governments and published on the HLPF website and/or
  2. compare and draw on respective governments ́ previous VNR reports and/or
  3. base comments and contribution on national experiences and pertinent issues relevant to the SDGs implementation.

More information about the process is available here. We are looking forward to hearing from your experiences and receiving your input until the 16th of June.  

 *Please feel free to disseminate these surveys to your respective networks.*

5. Resource! Webinar recording - Practical information about how to engage in the July HLPF

If you missed our webinar which provided practical information about how to engage in the July HLPF, you can find a recording of the webinar with International Sign interpretation here.

6. Resource! Regional Sustainable Development Forum Reports

All regional sustainable development forums were attended by representatives of the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities. Regional reports have been compiled for the European and Latin America and Caribbean forums.

More reports are forthcoming.

7. New resource! SDG Accountability Handbook: A Practical Guide for Civil Society

The TAP Network just released the SDG Accountability Handbook: A Practical Guide for Civil Society. This handbook is ‘a capacity development resource that seeks to support national-level civil society to hold their government accountable for 2030 Agenda promises, better understand specific approaches to hold governments accountable for the SDGs, and guide them through the practical steps they can take to improve accountability for the 2030 Agenda in their country.’

The handbook includes ways in which civil society can monitor and follow-up on SDG implementation. Click here to download the SDG Accountability Handbook.

8. Information! Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals

The fourth annual Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum) will take place next week from the 14th to 15th of May at UN Headquarters in New York City. The theme of the Forum will be: "STI for ensuring inclusiveness and equality, with a special focus on SDGs 4, 8, 10, 13, and 16".

Follow this link for more information about the STI Forum 2019.

The Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities will promote the messages conveyed in the European Disability Forum’s (EDF) “Plug and Pray?” report during an official speaking slot on the 15th of May.

Click here to read EDF’s ‘Plug and Pray?’ report.

9. Reopening the process! Apply to become the Alternate Representative of the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities - all are encouraged to apply

The Alternate Representative’s mandate expires every two years. As such, we are initiating an open, transparent and participatory application process to identify the next Alternate Representative of the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities.

The core responsibilities of the Alternate Representative in collaboration with the Permanent Representative of the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities are:

  1. To facilitate the public representation of the SGPWD and to provide strategic direction and guidance.
  2. To promote and coordinate the active participation of members in national, regional and global meetings related to sustainable development, and to conduct advocacy meetings in New York and regional meetings on behalf of the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities.
  3. To ensure coherence and synergies between the different Working Groups of the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities.

More information about the roles and duties can be found in the Terms of Reference of the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities here. We strongly encourage and welcome nominations of all persons with disabilities – and particularly those from underrepresented groups – in rural and urban areas, including persons with psychosocial, intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as women, older persons and indigenous persons with disabilities.

Click here to apply. Deadline: 14th of June!

10. Reopening the process! Apply to be part of the Selection Committee to elect the Alternate Representative of the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities

The Terms of Reference for the Stakeholder Group of Persons with Disabilities foresees that an open, transparent, inclusive and accessible nomination process shall be conducted, and the election of the Alternate Representative shall be undertaken through a Selection Committee.

The Selection Committee is open to all who wish to partake. Members of the Selection Committee will be requested to review applications received. The Selection Committee will rank the candidates through a secure and accessible online survey platform. This will be followed by an online call, where Selection Committee members will discuss their choices and will aim to agree on a final decision. The work of the Selection Committee will remain confidential.

Click here to apply to be part of the Selection Committee. Deadline: 14th of June! 

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