Action points and summary from meeting on global civil society

engagement on the post-215 agenda after 2015, June 23 18.1520.00, UN Church Center, New York
Participants
Nurgul Dzhana, Forum of Women
NGOs of Kyrgyzstan
Bob van Dillen, MADE Codaid
Tanya Khokhar, Ford Foundation
Joseph Donnelly, Caritas International
Saba Loftus, Social Watch
Savio Carvalho, Amnesty International
Sarah Dayrinkel, BioRegional
Lina Dabbagh, CAN International
Christine J. Mulvad, The Danish 92Group
Borghild Krokan, ForUM Norway
Rupert Heindl, MGCY
Jasmin Burgenmeister, Youth delegate
Germany
Marwan Bishtawi, Pax Romana
Michael Strauss, Earth Media
Roberto Bissio, Social Watch
Margo La Zaro, NGO Comm. on
Sustainable Development
Bette Levi, International World
Federation for Mental Health
Phil Colton, LDS Charities
Barbara Colton, LDS Charities
Christopher Dekki, MGCY/CIVICUS
Myrna Coffino, National Space Society
Elisabeth Shuman, ACEI
Jeffery Huffines, CIVICUS
Meagan Shuman, Human Rights Watch
Celine Paramunda, Medical Mission
Sisters
Teresa Kotturan, Sisters of Charity
Federations
Rose Olouch, WWF
Jacqueline Burton, Ford Foundation
Ana Marie Argilagos, Ford Foundation
Bill Ocme, GFMD
Guillermo Velario, nrg4SD
Barry Herman, Social Justice in Global
Development

David Kirshbaum, Non Violence

International
Marie DAmato-Rizzi, Soroptimist Intl
Oli Henman, CIVICUS
Houcy Geudelekian, Armenia Relief
Society
Viktor Christyakov, Russian Fair Trade
Organization
Takumo Yamada, Oxfam
Papa Dembele, Global Family
John Romano, TAP Network
Isabela Cunha, Beyond 2015
Donna Scheeter, IFLA
Arelys Bellorini, World Vision
Katsuju Imata, GCAP Japan
Karin Nilsson, RFSU
Nelson Muffuth, HN/EOSAL/P2015
Danny Sriskandarajah, CIVICUS
Wael Hmaidan, CAN International
Naiara Costa, Beyond 2015
Elsa Muttathu, International
Presentation Association
Jeremiah Salia, The Campaign for
Human Rights and Development Sierra
Leone,
Homa Mungapen, FEMNET
Sofia Garcia-Garcia, SOS Childrens
Villages
Freya Seth, Save the Children
Linda Nordin, UNA Sweden
Mwangi Waituru, VSO International
Hanna Hansson, CIVICUS/CONCORD
Sweden

Summary of key points and next steps

For more detailed notes, see separate document.
Interest to continue conversations and collaboration

Interest for joint civil society engagement, after initiatives such as

action/2015 and Beyond 2015 come to an end in 2015.
Speakers talked about the importance to continue these
conversations and collaboration and joint action after September,
and December 2015 and that we must not let ourselves run out of
energy. The important work begins with implementation
Civil society space: we have to keep the momentum that we have
now and cant go back to business as usual which is why this
conversation is so important
The SDGs are not legally binding, so is lacking a legal mechanism
for implementation. This means more work and responsibility on
civil society, in many ways successful implementation will rely on
the strength and engagement of civil society.
This structure should enable and strengthen civil society through a
strong joint structure.
Demands to build from national realities, particularly in global
South: accountability will be shaped by the national level.
Must be accessible for all people, importance of building this in
several languages was stressed
The So Now What group and the conversations are open to all
CSOs to join. Email Hanna or Mwangi to join the mailing lists and
Google Group.
So Now What is still an informal structure but decision on how to
make these conversations a more concrete commitment to create a
movement must and will be made soon.

Objectives and key activities

Presentation of 3 objectives and how they have been agreed. Was first
discussed in meeting in Tunis in March during WSF, then over a number
of phone calls and finally a working group on objectives, which was
open for anyone to join, was tasked with drafting the objectives. The
objectives were then shared and signed off by the So Now WhatGoogle Group in early June 2015.

Objectives:
1. Ensure full and successful implementation, follow-up and monitoring of
the post-2015 agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals at all
levels (global, regional, national and local);
2. Ensure and support real citizen and civil society participation in the
implementation, follow-up and monitoring of the post-2015 agenda;

3. Build a global movement with inclusive and participatory processes

and with a balanced leadership from the Global South and North,
representing all regions.
It was suggested that this movement would focus on at least 3 key
activities, building on- and bridging between different initiatives
coming to an end, such as action/2015 and Beyond 2015:
o Awareness: we need everyone to know what the SDGs are
about
o Advocacy: coalitions such as Beyond 2015, Human Rights
Caucus, TAP network: in the next 15 years we will need to
keep the Advocacy. We can and should build on the energy
and relationships we have already created.
o Accountability: using our own networks to come up with
new innovative and effective bundles (e.g. citizen generated
surveys/data)
Focus on implementation of the post-2015 at all levels.
Need for effective participation, so that people are able to contribute to
the implementation and monitoring of the agenda;
Participants were asked to respond to the objectives and say whether
these were something they could join.
A general support for the objectives was expressed, stating that they
were broad enough to cover what this initiative would and could do.
Questions on what it would mean to join these objectives and what this
would imply more concretely. Too vague to only join 3 broad objectives.
Outreach and communication

A need to work with media and build a good media strategy was
identified, to build attention around SDGs and also to build
awareness.
We should reach out to NGOs that are not engaged with the UN
and those at the national and local level.
Several people raised the importance of working in multiple
languages.
An interactive webpage will be set up in the end of July:
www.looomio.org to allow conversations about this initiative to
take place online and for people to be included and updated on
discussions and decision-making

Membership and governance

Participants express a clear need for more clarity on what this is,
beyond the objectives. Need to answer the questions on what type of
structure is being set up, need clarity on if it is a network/campaign or
other.
The need to identify and develop a way of making decisions.
Request were made to clarify what it would imply to be a member and
what one is offered, and asked to do when joining this.

Suggested that different levels of membership/partnership are

identified and offered.
Soon people will be asked to join this and the structure will go from
informal to a more concrete movement.
Participants were asked to bring question of participation back to their
organisations to prepare to possibly join and support this movement.
Should include participants from CSOs across constituencies (e.g.
human rights, development, environment, and climate).
Agreement that group would work on clarity on membership and
governance and that this will be presented and further discussed in
upcoming meetings and online.
Suggestions to inherit and combine structures of action/2015 and
Beyond 2015.
Varying capacities between different CSO actors was noted as
challenge to participation in a coalition. This should be addressed.

Timeline
Meeting in New York on June 23 to continue conversations. Open to all
civil society actors.

Meeting in Addis Ababa, July 13 to continue conversations. Open to all

civil society actors.

Notes from the meeting in Tunis on 25 March and meeting in New York
June 23 and Addis Ababa on 12 July to be shared with a wide range of
members of civil society.

Webpage (www.loomio.org) to be launched in late July, to communicate

the initiative and invite people to join and interact;

June-September 2015: Continue conversations via email, webinars,

webpage and phone meetings

July-August: a number of webinars to reach out to member of civil

society at the national and local levels. .

Proposal ready to be discussed at the time of the Post-2015 Summit,

25-27 September 2015. Kick off meeting on September 28 9.00-12.00
in New York. Open to all civil society actors.