PM at the UN, innovation & the SDGs, UN Women, Caritas & safeguarding

Posted on 25 September 2018

+ How much do our members love us?

+ PM at the UN more funding for climate change in the Pacific

PM Ardern announced a boost to climate change assistance to hard hit Pacific nations, representing an increase of $100 million over four years - additional to a previous commitment of $200 million over the four years up to 2019.

She talked about ‘practical action’ for the Pacific “providing support for coastal adaptation in Tokelau to reduce the risks of coastal inundation; and continuing our efforts to strengthen water security across the Pacific, building on current initiatives such as those in Kiribati where we are working to provide community rainwater harvesting systems and are investing in desalination.”

+ Caritas to launch State of the Environment for Oceania 2018 report

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand will launch the fifth Caritas State of the Environment for Oceania Report: Waters of Life, Oceans of Mercy at Island Bay, Wellington on 4 October.

The launch takes place in the midst of the annual Caritas Oceania Forum which will bring together Caritas representatives from at least 11 countries or territories in the region. Representatives include Cardinal Soane Patita Mafi from Tonga, other leading Bishops in the region and Secretary-General of the Caritas Internationalis confederation Michel Roy.

Have a look at the media statement for the launch to learn more.

+ UN Secretary General and Safeguarding

As CID members take part in Safeguarding workshops this week, and the PM speaks at the UN with her baby and partner watching on, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterresspeaks to Devex about #MeToo and more.

“Guterres’ narrative is a combination of passion and pragmatism. He implores “urgency” while outlining practical steps from a reform of the U.N.’s resident coordinators to working more through the UN Global Compact to achieving more gender balance in U.N. positions. He didn’t utter the name “Trump” or the blended term “Brexit” once.”

+ Akina - still places available

Akina’s Aotearoa Social Enterprise Forum is on October 19 and there are still places available.

The hype for social enterprise is really electric right now, so this is likely to be a very topical and exciting event.

Akina have now sold 50% of tickets! Register now to secure yours.

Here’s the programme asef.nz/programme, with the first announcement of 10 speakers from a hand-picked lineup of 50 total. They’re selecting the best thought leaders in the country, to bring the freshest perspective on Aotearoa's social enterprise sector, and to shine their lens over this year's theme: transforming our economy

Have a look at the latest blog post too, where Akina describe their policy and process for procurement, and how that informs their design values in making this event as sustainable and low-impact as possible.

You can read that here: Supplier Policy for an Impactful Event.

+ Innovation in addressing SDGs

The UNDP Innovation Facility was established in 2014, and since then it has invested in more than 170 country-level experiments. The purpose of the agency is to support national governments in creative and inventive ways to tackle the challenges of the SDGs.

In their latest report, ‘Moon Shots & Puddle Jumps – Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals’ the majority of innovative case-studies are drawn from developing communities that are crisis-affected, landlocked or small island states.

The report highlights case studies that highlight how innovation can make development more effective and impactful. The case studies cover a wide global spread, however more regionally there are really interesting pieces on how phone apps are being used in PNG to fight public corruption, drone use in disaster preparedness in Timor-Leste, and risk-informed business initiatives address climate change in the Pacific.

+ Montreux Document – 10 Years On

In September 2008, the Montreux Document was ratified by 17 countries, with a total of 53 states being participants in the agreement 10 years on.

The Montreaux Document is an agreement between signatory countries regarding the use of Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) in conflict zones, and other situations of violence. The document was a response to the increased involvement of PMSCs in armed conflict in the early 2000s, and the triggering of important humanitarian challenges and legal questions.

The agreement remains just as important as it was in 2008, and it is heartening to hear that the humanitarian objectives of the agreement has been significantly advanced by the ten-year anniversary mark. In the ICRC blog ‘Speaking Law to Business: 10-year anniversary of the Montreux Document’, it is acknowledged that the hiring of PMSCs to provide services in armed conflict is likely to continue, as an ‘innovative way’ to resolving contemporary crisis.

It should be noted that private contractors are present in conflicts such as Syria, Yemen, and South Sudan. As such the continued review and reflection on the agreement, as through the Montreux Document Forum, remain vital.

+ For the love of Interns...

Internship programmes at UN agencies have often been criticised as "favouring the rich", and disadvantaging those that come from developing communities to the degree that they are locked out of future careers. In response to these concerns, World Health Organisation (WHO) is to offer paid internships for the first time to boost access for those applying from developing countries.

Unpaid internships, like volunteering, are often the unsung capacity that helps otherwise resource-deficit organisations reach their goals and required outputs.

At CID we couldn't do the work we do successfully without the help of our interns and their expertise. And we take great pride when they leave CID for good jobs or produce research that helps the sector make a difference.

While the BBC article 'UN agency's U-turn after unpaid internships row' describes the ways that WHO is attempting to redress unintention consequences of unpaid intentions, it also offers us in the NGO community an opportunity to reimagine how we too might engage with interns in a way that is more beneficial to them as well.

+ Change of leadership for UN Women NC Aotearoa NZ

UN Women NC Aotearoa NZ had their AGM on Saturday.

Suzanne McNabb has been elected President, Cate Mork from Auckland as Vice President and Joanne Lentfer as Treasurer.

"We have some previous Board members as well as some new and vibrant members so we are looking forward to the coming year."

Barbara Williams has completed her term as President, so now retains the role of immediate past President.

+ Member of the Moment: Family Planning New Zealand

Family Planning New Zealand is most known for its extended network of 30 clinics across Aotearoa where staff provide quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services across some 160,000 client visits each year. We also provide clinical training and health promotion services across Aotearoa. In addition to being the largest provider of SRH and education services in the country, we draw on our varied expertise to contribute on an international stage by delivering projects with clinics in the Pacific, filling knowledge gaps with sound research and, advocating for sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.

Our international work emerged following the International Commission on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994 which resulted in the historic statement that sexual and reproductive health information and services is a fundamental human right. We believe and international research confirms that the fulfilment of sexual and reproductive rights is one of the most effective ways to maximise opportunities for all genders, contributing to gender equality, health equity, and positive economic, educational and development outcomes for all.

At Family Planning we want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their potential as they define it and our international work is a key part of achieving that vision.

We know that sexual and reproductive health and rights projects need to be culturally responsive to address local challenges. That’s why we partner with the dedicated local teams at the Kiribati Family Health Association and the Vanuatu Family Health Association who bring their expertise to deliver the Kiribati Healthy Families Project and the Planem Gud Famili Blong Yumi project. These projects focus on capacity building, increased access to services and information, as well as research and advocacy. We thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for their generous support of this work.

We also carry out quantitative and qualitative research with our partners in Pacific countries to show how sexual and reproductive health intersects with international development. For instance a recent report, Family Planning in South Tarawa, Kiribati: Usage and Barriers unpacks barriers to contraceptive uptake in Kiribati. The report’s findings have guided the Kiribati Healthy Families Project and advocacy work in Kiribati.

Other work includes our role as secretariat for a cross party group of members of parliament – the New Zealand Parliamentarians’ Group on Population and Development (NZPPD). This group focuses on sexual and reproductive health and rights issues in the Pacific and further afield, ensuring that these topics remain on the political agenda in the conversations taking place in Parliament.

We also share SRHR updates on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and through our international newsletter. If you’ve not signed up for this newsletter yet, you can do so online. Please join us!

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New Zealand SDGs