 Aloha and welcome to Cooper Union, what's happening with human rights around the world. And today we'll be looking at civil society striving for sustainable development, grassroots groups going for the 17 global goals. Today we're very fortunate to be joined by activists from around the world who have been very involved with the sustainable development goals and have also been involved in the process of accountability known as the voluntary national review. We're very fortunate to be able to hear from them from their direct experiences in their community, in the capitals, but also a global civil society where we all to come together at the UN headquarters around the UN high level political forum to make significant change. I'd like to welcome Judith. Judith, thank you so much. How did you first get involved with the SDGs and why are they so important? Thanks, Josh, and thanks for having me. I'm in Zimbabwe where I'm working with an organization that is into police advocacy. So we were already doing work around police advocacy anyway. And we were also involved with the Millennium Development Goals with our partner, Carford. So through that work as an organization, we're already aware of the genesis that the global development was going. So we were aware of the SDGs coming into force. So when they came into force, we had learned lessons working on the SDGs as a single organization and realized that we're not making much impact in terms of even engaging government. So when the SDGs came into force in 2015, we had lessons then which meant we needed to involve other organizations to bring together civil society and work around that. And we realized the importance of awareness raising because with the MDGs, they ended and some people didn't even know that they were MDGs. So we were involved in terms of awareness raising. We did radio programs in conjunction with the UN family with the government itself. So we went on a number of radio programs where we were raising awareness about the SDGs. And also as a way of ensuring that we have a broader participation of civil society, my organization initiated what we are calling the Zimbabwe Civil Society Reference Group on SDGs where we bring together sector apex organizations that represent women, that represent older persons, that represent the media, the youth and all other sectors. So at the moment we have more than 15 apex organizations which each is about over a hundred membership going to grassroots level. So they are working as conduits now for then sensitizing people about the SDGs, getting information in terms of monitoring the implementation. So that's how we are working in Zimbabwe around the SDGs, yeah. Thank you so much. And that does remind me a lot about the MDG campaign and all the work that we did. And I love your idea of the reference book and I have a lot of questions to follow up with. But we'll go to Carol in Mexico. Could you share us how you began to get involved in how the SDGs have been a positive platform for promoting human rights and social development? Sure. Well, so there's like a, like a hybrid story there. There's the involvement that I got at the personal level while I was still a student. I studied international relations. So quite a reference for us was of course the MDGs. And then I had the opportunity to land my first job of the UN headquarters right after I graduated. So it was right at the negotiations of the transition between the MDGs to the SDGs in 2013. And then I encounter one of the mechanisms that the UN facilitated, which you might remember was the My World 2030 Survey, which back then was really successful. So I was in charge of facilitating through a youth group. I mean, 10 years ago, I was only 24. So I had the opportunity to lead a youth group then and the campaign began to start to come up as an organization. So we became IRL Mexico. So we've been involved kind of like a more youth-led organizations ever since the sign of the SDGs were done in 2015. And then we became a social business actually that works kind of like a lot with civil society-led efforts that we continue to lead campaigns which are completely voluntary led. But that's kind of like how we did it. We started with a survey that kind of like caught the interest of many organizations in 2015. And then we established an organization that today has five programs that focus on socializing the SDGs, on helping the private sector and local governments to kind of like translate that into public policy. We have a program for kids. So we accompany schools as well. And we have a campaigns also program that kind of like leads campaigns throughout the year. We have the SDG action week coming up in September, for example. And then we have another one that basically provides services because since we grew a lot, it started like a voluntary led effort, but it grew a lot and got the attention from many sectors. They were the one like pushing us forward to establish an organization that will be able to provide services to help them do this at the institutional level with the SDGs. So that's how I got involved. So now it's an organization with at least 37 people working on the five different programs that we have. And we have more than 100 member organizations and we still have a lot of volunteers leading different efforts with the SDGs. So it's kind of like a crazy journey, but that's how it started. Although that's an excellent example of really actualizing the 2030 agenda at home. And it's exciting because we also did those surveys. I remember doing those surveys at Earth Day and different events. And it was just a way to begin the conversation around the world. So that's exciting, but I did too. We'll now move to Kathy, who's focusing on the SDGs in China. Kathy, how are you and how did you get involved with the SDGs? And why are they so important to you? Yeah, and first thanks for having me as well. Actually, although my nationality, I am a Chinese citizen, but actually my focus on SDGs has been more from an international level and in terms of how I got involved. I think I started with SDG 13 on climate, and which is still my main focus right now. So basically I followed the SDG 13 from the youth perspective and also from the women and gender perspective. And yeah, and also then it's sort of like expanded because SDGs 13 and because all the SDGs goals are mutually reinforcing. And from SDG 13, of course, I'm also the contact point of the youth constituency of UNEPCC on ocean. So there's also SDG 14. And also as the youth constituency of UNEPCCC, we work very closely with the youth constituency of our sister convention, the CBD. So also 15. And then also at on climate, one of my main focus is technology. So besides, so basically my main focus are technology, finance, capacity building, and a few others. But yeah, technology of course is highly related to energy. So seven and also because I follow climate from a youth perspective and a women and gender perspective that also touch base on SDG 5. So yeah, many nexus in between. So that's in terms of how I got involved. Yeah, basically. Thank you. And it's true when you look at the interconnectedness of the SDGs, what's important is maybe what Judith can get into is how we expanded the MDGs from those eight to the 17 sustainable development goals and was a big campaign to make sure that SDG 5 focusing on gender justice was still in existence. Also SDG 6 on the right to water. I remember Palau really leading the way on that to recognize really those first seven are sort of economic, social and cultural rights. Maybe Judith, can you share on why was so important to expand from eight to 17? And I think the other point that maybe we can all share is why the lead no one behind is so significant in the transition from MDGs to SDGs as well as furthest behind first and how that's been a guiding principle in the work that you do in Zimbabwe as well as Mexico and around the world. Judith. Thanks, Joshua. I think the world just realized that the reality is poverty anywhere is poverty everywhere. So really we know that with the MDGs it was almost like it's meant for the globe of South to implement with the global North giving technical support and all that. But then development, especially in this globalized world does not work like that because we are now one global village. So if there's negligence in terms of addressing whether it's human rights, whether it's poverty whether it's gender issues in one corner of the globe invariably it's going to affect and impact in one way or another to the rest of the world. So I guess that was the realization. So really I think it is important that by broadening the SDGs to cover all aspects of human life and to ensure that it's development for all but leaving anyone behind and that all the UN members that signed onto it are committing to implement for themselves and by extension for the rest of the world. So it's important in that way. I think the MDGs were too limited, focused on a few things. And even in terms of saying we want to have poverty meaning the other half was already condemned to be left behind. So the SDGs really are broader, moving like that. Josh, what was your next question? What was the other part of the question? It was exactly that of the leaving no one behind and furthest behind first and how that's guided your work in Zimbabwe. It guides our work in the sense, like what I shared with you with the reference group where there are organizations that work at a classroom level doing various interventions some are into direct support some are into provision of services and it's mostly for the marginalized and especially drawing from Zimbabwe where the economy is not doing very well. So while it is the government's obligation to meet the needs of its people it always fails to do that. So civil society comes into compliment what government is doing. So the SDGs are really key in that it gives room for civil society to come in and fill the gap, the development gap that is left by government's inability to meet all the needs of its people. And because most of these organizations work at grassroots level it means those that are usually left out in the national development interventions they have an opportunity of their needs being addressed through the work of civil society. And when you are informed and you are promising your work when they leave no one behind it means there is that consciousness that we need to have everybody on board. So civil society plays a key role in terms of complimenting government efforts to meet the needs of the marginalized. Thank you. And Carol can you share the same response looking at Mexico and the work that you're doing there? Yeah, I think that from the very design of the Sustainable Development go and see was clear that it got people's attention to participate. I mean, the numbers were there the stakeholders were there in a demand even if you go back to September 25th with Malala and a few of us were there the call was clear like we're looking at you was because we adopted collectively this is something that didn't happen with the MDGs as you know, they were adopted closed doors they didn't have a consultation they were basically the demands of the Global Nord with the Global South and stuff like that. So, and we had a totally different world even though it was only 20 years ago it was it's totally different from what we have now. So the challenges increase the accountability increase we have technology on our side to make people participative in this process. And of course we have bigger issues that need collective action. I mean COVID is a great example of this what happened in one place in the world can impact another completely different part of the world. So we need to revalue how important the SDGs are when you look up all of the international processes because this is the first time that we put so many ambitions together in one place we know what to do we have the responses there to make it happen they're not perfect because many things were left aside of course but this is something that definitely make a turning point when it came to the SDGs. I witnessed it at a grassroot level people wanted to be involved in an international process people wanted their priorities to be there people were clear about the fact that governments are not are not gonna cover all of the needs and the emergencies that we have so people wanted to be involved. And I think that we as civil society need to keep that spirit forward and even expand it because we now have the answers that we have the plan there but we need to get more people more stakeholders, more sectors involved. So in the case of Mexico again, what I've witnessed at the grassroot level is that interest especially from youth I would say that something that it's to stand out of this agenda is the role that young people are having people fighting for climate justice people fighting for gender equality inequalities and other forms of involvement and you see that that we're gonna maybe we're gonna talk about the HLTF but the HLTF it's becoming bigger and bigger because of the interest of young people that that's something to applaud and that's something to keep pushing forward because we're looking at what governments are doing but we also know about their responsibility that we have a sector to implement and maybe as much as we can the targets of the SCGs together. And you might remember they were involved in the consultations that the first draft that some of the first drafts that we have from the SCGs have more than 17 SCGs cover much more of what we wanted to be there but unfortunately that went through intergovernmental negotiations and some of the things had to be cut down but that gives us a good precedent for the next agenda we need to start talking and thinking about what's gonna come after the after 2030 and maybe that stuff that was left behind is gonna be included now and the agenda is clear to the integrity of the five pillars to the agenda people, planet prosperity, partnerships and peace are key for moving us forward and that implies no leaving no one behind people but also not leaving behind our planet which is something that will unfortunately we have done for so long. So that's a little bit of our experience here. No, that's great and that brings up the intergovernmental panel and climate change report that just came out on Monday. It also highlights really that we have economic, social, cultural rights in the SCGs we have fair economy, we have climate justice and we have peace justice, human rights and partnerships, new partnerships where we all work together where it's not that traditional development model that existed that didn't really empower and engage people. And so Kathy, how have you been involved with the leave no one behind and for this behind first and what are some of those aspects? Yeah, and first I really echo it what my co-panelist just mentioned and also the IPCC report because actually by profession I work in private finance and my job has nothing to do with climate change and I'm just in the private finance team and but actually like after the IPCC report was released and many colleagues no matter they work on climate no matter they don't work on climate they're talking about it and also I think it is it does raise people's awareness tremendously and of course it is a code read for all of us and it also like I also echo it that we do need to start thinking about the next agenda and also in terms of not to leave anyone behind because my main focus is on the youth constituency and women and gender constituency of course what we advocate for is not to leave us behind the civil society stakeholders namely youth women and indigenous peoples and of course we play very critical roles and we're key stakeholders that should be that we have the right for all to be like included in all the processes and in all processes and also in all aspects of their work and of course that we're there to sort of push the government forward a little bit to make sure they don't stay in their comfort zone and it also in terms of I really echo that SDGs of course really gave the room for civil society stakeholders to really fill the gap of governments and also of course we have always been urging all the constituted bodies of the conventions to really include stakeholders and also urge the parties of the conventions to really include stakeholders from innovation to implementation of no matter it's national and DC's in terms of climate or any other SDGs related and also speaking of like youth in Mexico I really echo with that as well and also that Mexico as a party of the climate convention they do have like a strong agenda on gender youth and indigenous peoples and we probably all remember like how they supported the gender action play in 2019 so yeah that was great memory. Oh really really good points and it brings together a lot of the significant aspects of course Monday was World Indigenous People's Day today is International Youth Day and we all know it's not just a day and when you look at what happened at the voluntary national review in the 2030 agenda and what happened at the high level political form you really do have aims and aspirations you have ambitions and actions but what we bring in civil society focuses on is that accountability we look at what are the success and the shortcomings of the SDG what was exciting just a month ago is there was the high level political forum and over 40 countries had their voluntary national reviews take place. Judith could you begin to share with us what happened in Zimbabwe during the last year leading up to the voluntary national review? Yeah thank you Josh. Actually what happened in Zimbabwe there was a lot of excitement precisely because the government was presenting its second foreign national review. So what we have observed is the year that the government is presenting it presented its first foreign national review in 2017 there was a lot of hype that time as well and then in between there was almost a lot of stick less and less about SDGs but then there was a reawakening again when it was preparing to be presenting its second foreign national review. So in terms of government it was busy working around coming up with that foreign national review and what we did as civil society organizations in 2017 when government was coming up we wanted to input into that process but we were not really organized if I may say it because we're learning as well that's when we put together the reference group and we're just still trying to learn how to come together and what to do about it but we did make our contributions but this year we were a little bit more organized because through networking with colleagues around the globe you will learn a lot we all we networked with organizations like Action for Sustainable Development we have put up these people's core card which has really become a very useful tool. So that's the tool that we use this time round to do the civil society spotlight report and what we have always said in Zimbabwe is when we do the spotlight report it's not necessarily to try and antagonize government but it's a tool to engage it's a tool to bring accountability from government so we informed government from the very way to go that as civil society we were working on this core card and they were anxious to see it and to see what was coming out of it but in a very amicable way so we did use this core card to develop the people's court the people's spotlight report and we shared at each stage with the government that engaged a consultant to work on the full international review so at each stage we were sharing our findings because the time was very limited up to the time that we had defined our report so there was a lot of excitement a lot of activity both in government and civil society so we did come together through the reference group which I said earlier brings together APEC sector organizations across all sectors in civil society so there was participation through those organizations to get input of even grass root people we know it's time of COVID so there were no physical meetings but they were able to use their structures to use online platforms to get input from their membership to then consolidate into that civil society report so we did really work together as a broader civil society organization to bring together the spotlight report we also have an umbrella organization for civil society in Zimbabwe which is structures and chapters so we did collaborate with them as the reference group to then broaden the participation to in terms of then coming together with this position of civil society around the Forlunternational Review but yes, government did present its second Forlunternational Review this year in a civil society and during the presentation we made a statement so a youth from Zimbabwe was able to make an intervention after the minister made a presentation of the Forlunternational Review which was something that we celebrated because it has never happened before, yeah. Thank you so much, Judith and it does show how we're learning together and how we find those promising practices that another country does that then we can then include in our voluntary national review. Thank you so much, Carol. How about Mexico? Well, this was Mexico's third Forlunternational Review but it was the first time that this administration presented BNRs. We had a new presidency coming in 2018 so this was the first effort of the administration to present its progress and hopefully challenges of FCE implementation. So there were several interesting aspects. I mean, we had the formal procedure that kind of like included civil society in several consultations towards the construction of the report. So those happen and we participated on those but then on the other side civil society was very active with a few spotlight reports. There was one done especially through the major group for indigenous people. We collaborated in the report of the volunteers major group and NGO major group. So we were involved in most of the position papers for that to make sure that the voices of civil society in different forms will be presented to the major groups. And one aspect that was very interesting to me and it's something that we try to encourage Josh through several of our channels and the organizations that we work with which are hundreds. It's to make sure that normal people know what the HLPF is and what it serves for and what stands for because this is the account of validity mechanism for the SDGs annually. And we still have a lot of countries that haven't presented BNRs and if they do, they do it by closed doors or they don't consult with civil society. So we need to kind of like step through the major groups to make sure that civil society is represented. I don't know that many countries did that out of the more than 40 that presented. So in our case, we did participate in the formal consultations that the government facilitated but we also made our own report and consultations where we're able to use several databases to kind of like captures people voices through a survey. And then we also facilitated the civil society process for the intervention during the actual presentation of Mexico. So we made some very interesting questions. We have 140 organizations participating in a two-minute position statement that turned out to be one minute at the very last time. And, but we managed to do it. And I think that one of the aspects that again, I would value the most out of all this process at that we were able to engage new civil society but also citizens who wanted to be involved in this process and understand that they can participate in the side events and the labs and all of these things. I mean, virtuality in that sense gave us an advantage. I would say compared to other years. And as for the content of the VNR, which is another topic that we could have another call about, that always has its ups and downs. It's a very different perspective from what the government sometimes present to what civil society is perceiving and that's inevitable to happen. But they were receptive about it. I do have to say that despite some changes that have happened in the government in terms of the position that the 2030 agenda had, it was first position of the presidency level and they changed it to a ministry, which is kind of like sad, but they were receptive and they did were open to have consultations. I do have to say that. And well, yes, that's to sum up a complete process. Thank you, Carol. No, and that's important and you bring up a point. Yes, the United States has not gone yet. So in Hawaii, we organized the voluntary local review with over a hundred civil society and the point you brought up as well as Judith is those VNRs are too short. So we did a 90 minute VLR voluntary local review bringing together public private and public elected officials to actually have a deeper discussion about the SDGs and the Aloha Plus Challenge here in Hawaii. I know we're wrapping up Kathy, is there anything you'd like to add about China and also about youth participation at the high level political forum? Yeah, I think because of course, this year is quite important for China in terms of sustainable development because of the COP 15 of this CBD. I mean, at least we hope that it will take place as planned. Of course, it is a great opportunity for China to show their ambition, but of course, there are also concerns, like we mentioned in the VNR that, in our US statement that of course we do appreciate their efforts in terms of like a living poverty and also a few other aspects, but of course that many of our questions in terms of civil society engagement have been more or less ignored according to their answers. So yeah, there are definitely challenges ahead. We definitely have to continue organizing. Mahalo Nui, thank you civil society and amazing women leaders from around the world for sharing stories about the successes related to the SDGs, as well as new initiatives to improve our daily lives, related to development and peace. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks everyone. Thank you very much. Thank you.