Maresa Le Roux, representative of the Belgian Trade Union CGSLB-ACLVB, presented the Trade Union input on the EU Communication “A Global Partnership for Poverty Eradication and Sustainable Development after 2015”. Le Roux regretted the absence of social dialogue when referring to accountability systems, democratic processes and providing an enabling environment for the private sector, and stressed the importance of supporting labour inspection as a means to grant monitoring and control of the implementation of all the standards, conventions and laws in all production sectors.

She also stated that labour standards are gravely affected by global trade and investment patterns. “Investment treaties and agreements should guarantee the enforceability of national labour laws and internationally recognized core labour standards”, she added.

Le Roux called for an inclusive and multi-stakeholder global partnership based on binding commitments for all development actors. She welcomed a global partnership based on “already established systems for monitoring and accountability such as those established under international agreements”. Lastly, she said t is important to highlight the ILO framework as a ‘living’ example on how accountability mechanisms can work at global level through to the national level.

Find Maresa Le Roux’s presentation here.

Maryam Niamir-Fuller, Special Advisor to the Executive Director of UNEP on Post-2015 and Sustainable Development Goals, shared the main differences between pre- and post-2015. Namely, SDGs should reduce inequality foster global integration, in a universal way. She said policy coherence is one of the main achievements to attain, as development is a matter for all countries, not only developing countries.

On SDGs’ means of Implementation, she said the whole financial system working under needs to be revamped. She also mentioned UNEP is working on a tool for efficient technology transfer, and said “the world needs an enabling framework, not just transferring technology from A to B”.

On SDGs accountability and reporting, Niamir-Fuller said independent review (by civil society) should continue. She added that geo-spatial data will play a big role in accountability and that the UNEA (UN Environment Assembly), set up some years ago, is working on accountability criteria.

On monitoring and an integrated agenda she said that, in order to be efficient, we need to get on the wave of data revolution. An integrated framework can happen while being disaggregated (e.g. by gender and/or age), Niamir-Fuller explained. The technologies and scientists are available, but more capacity building is required.
On how to make SDGs more popular, Niamir-Fuller said SDGs are not MDG+. SDGs can help balance social protection, growth and planetary boundaries. However, it is a voluntary process. Sustainable development “is a universal concern, and 17 goals are necessary in the complex world we live in”, she concluded.

Find UNEP’s presentation here.

Find a summary of all the presentations here.