Praxis - Institute for Participatory Practices
Intervention by Tom Thomas, Praxis India on behalf of Participate
19/05/15
Friends, colleagues, member states
As in the adage ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’, the proof of the substance and political commitment of SDGs will be in how it is implemented, experienced and monitored, not by a handful of data wizards or policy professionals, but by the people for whom the pudding is meant. People living in poverty need to be at the heart of follow up and review of the post-2015 agenda as active participants and not mere recipients, as they were with the MDGs. This is critical for ownership, effectiveness and transformative change.
This is easier said than done, as unequal power relations and discriminatory social norms that exist in most many contexts cannot be wished away. What SDG follow up must do is recognise the existence of unequal power relations and address it through irreversible processes and institutional mechanisms that favour people living in poverty, such as ensuring transparency and access to information in real time as a right.
Civil society has played a significant role in bringing unheard voices into the post-2015 agenda; continuing this will contribute to inclusive and equitable sustainable development.
We call for the outcome document to reflect the position of the many member states who have called for civil society stakeholders to be part of the follow up and review of post-2015. As active participants in creating this agenda, the door cannot shut on our energy, dedication and capacity just as the real work is about to begin. We ask for the outcome document to clearly state that monitoring will be done in a participatory way at all levels, with a specific focus on the poorest and most vulnerable communities, with adequate resources to make it meaningful.
19/05/15
Friends, colleagues, member states
As in the adage ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’, the proof of the substance and political commitment of SDGs will be in how it is implemented, experienced and monitored, not by a handful of data wizards or policy professionals, but by the people for whom the pudding is meant. People living in poverty need to be at the heart of follow up and review of the post-2015 agenda as active participants and not mere recipients, as they were with the MDGs. This is critical for ownership, effectiveness and transformative change.
This is easier said than done, as unequal power relations and discriminatory social norms that exist in most many contexts cannot be wished away. What SDG follow up must do is recognise the existence of unequal power relations and address it through irreversible processes and institutional mechanisms that favour people living in poverty, such as ensuring transparency and access to information in real time as a right.
Civil society has played a significant role in bringing unheard voices into the post-2015 agenda; continuing this will contribute to inclusive and equitable sustainable development.
We call for the outcome document to reflect the position of the many member states who have called for civil society stakeholders to be part of the follow up and review of post-2015. As active participants in creating this agenda, the door cannot shut on our energy, dedication and capacity just as the real work is about to begin. We ask for the outcome document to clearly state that monitoring will be done in a participatory way at all levels, with a specific focus on the poorest and most vulnerable communities, with adequate resources to make it meaningful.
Stakeholders