In the recent past a media report has been issued by the United Nations Office in Nairobi who hosted the 2024 United Nations Civil Society Conference under the theme- Shaping a Future of Global and Sustainable Progress. The attention in this meeting was on how the world is neither on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) nor in leveraging emerging opportunities to effectively address global concerns such as extreme hunger, poverty, conflict, and climate change.
More than 2,000 participants from civil society organizations, academic institutions, think tanks, member states, private sector companies, UN entities, change-makers, and other relevant stakeholders from across the globe, quite correctly, expressed their concerns and pointed out that international cooperation had been affected through osmosis and this was affecting progress with regard to different dimensions pertaining to the achievement of the SDGs. A global perspective was missing because of lack of sufficient interest from relevant stakeholders across the globe.
Discussion during the meeting underlined that civil society engagement had remained a critical component in the wheel of development. This view was generally accepted. In this context it was also reiterated that greater partnership between civil society organizations, governments, and the private sector was urgently required particularly in Africa – where instability had surfaced in several countries.
In this regard Joyce Chimbi reported that one participant correctly referred to the denotation of the existing crisis- “Indeed, civil society participation will contribute greatly towards meeting the aspiration of an international system that is better prepared to manage the challenges we face now and, in the future, for the sake of all humanity and for future generations.”
It needs to be mentioned that since 1947, sixty-eight civil society conferences have resulted in successful outcomes due to previous interactions with civil society organizations. However, this particular conference in Nairobi was the first of the UN’s civil society conferences to be held in Africa.
Born in Zimbabwe and currently working in South Africa as a human rights defender, Constance Mukarati from the African Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders reasonably highlighted the role of civil society organizations and human rights defenders who are all aiming to achieve a scenario where no one is left behind. Mukarati also pointed out that “SDG 5 is really SDG 1. As a matter of urgency, women and girls everywhere must have equal rights and opportunities. We are still in an era where girl child education is not a priority and a gathering such as this is an opportunity for a revolution in how we think about issues of national and global concern, how we talk about these issues, who is in the room and how we execute and implement commitments towards sustainable development.”
This gathering of civil society and other stakeholders was the focal point for not only preliminary discussions but also a meeting for gathering data ahead of the world’s leaders’- Summit of the Future meeting- to be held on September 22–23, 2024, at the UN Headquarters in New York. The Summit is being hoped to be part of a monumental effort to reset global cooperation towards accelerating efforts to meet our existing international commitments and take concrete steps to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities.
Analysts have indicated that this meeting in New York will be a stage for rethinking what multilateralism means in a world characterized not only by plummeting levels of trust in public institutions and glaring wealth inequalities but also where a majority of the world’s population in underdeveloped and developing nations are being left furthest behind, falling deeper into extreme hunger and poverty.
Media has also reported that in order to address global concerns, the Summit will produce three international frameworks- (a) the Pact for the Future, (b) the Global Digital Compact and (c) the Declaration on Future Generations.
All these factors have stressed that it is most urgent that the UN systems relook and redesign how they engage its global citizenry so that the citizens can in turn engage the UN more effectively. It is believed that such a course of action will help to bring the SDGs back on track. Eric Omondi another Nairobi based activist drew attention to what the people are saying about the multiple challenges they face today. It was underlined that there is a feeling within the civil society movement that governments’ voices are prioritized within the UN system.
Consequently, the forthcoming meeting in New York will give activists to place their thoughts in front of others along with potential acceptable solutions. There was general consensus that the forthcoming meeting in New York will end up being a historic gathering where participants will set forth claims aimed at galvanizing collaboration and reinforcing civil society organizations engagement in sustainable development.
Florence Syevuo, Executive Director, SDG Kenya Forum, and Co-Chair, Coalition for the UN has also pointed out that “we recognize that our generation stands at a critical junction where every action we take can significantly shape the future of our shared planet”. She has also stressed that the need to recognize the urgency of addressing global concerns such as climate change has never been more tangible as the effects of human interactions with nature become even more evident, underpinning why the outcome of the conference matters to all.
The Civil Society Conference and the Summit of the Future are going to be critical platforms for deepening the engagement of citizens in international cooperation. As a prelude to the Summit of the Future, the Civil Society Conference will also feature in-depth dialogues, a variety of workshops, and exhibits centered on three main objectives: inclusivity, impact, and innovation.
Inclusivity, one must remember, helps broaden the scope of discourse on global issues by enhancing the visibility and impact of diverse voices. Participants in this exercise are hoping to shape global multi-stakeholder coalitions to advocate for and push the key issues that will be the outcome of the September Summit of the Future.
As the curtain fell on the landmark civil society conference, there was consensus around the need to promote civil society’s insights and initiatives to bolster the Member State-led Summit of the Future process. There was emphasis from all directions that a reinvigorated, organized civil society group can more effectively hold governments and powers accountable for progress towards a just, fair, and equitable shared future.
It would also be correct at this juncture to point out that extensive promotion of sustainable development goals through social media can also reach a mass number of people. Nowadays the world revolves around social media platforms. Consequently, social media tools can be used to spread the word about the sustainable development goals. Awareness and informative ads about good health and sanitation, quality education, gender equality etc. can be posted through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. With these ads people will know more about sustainable development goals. Focus should however be on promoting one or two specific goals at a time, and facts and figures should be used to teach people about the goals’ importance.
Facebook’s fundraiser option could also be an appropriate example of social media’s relationship in achieving sustainable development goals. For example, if we want to promote clean water and sanitation, we could encourage them to donate to a river cleaning initiative. Once we convince people to make public and voluntary commitments, they will feel a psychological pull to continue supporting the sustainable development goals.
Muhammad Zamir, a former Ambassador, is an analyst specialized in foreign affairs, right to information and good governance, can be reached at [email protected]
