New Sustainable Development Goals to be built on the Millennium Development Goals
The process to agree a new agenda to guide international development work for the next 15 years is now in its final stages, and SOS Children’s Villages continues to fight for children to be at the centre.
The new Sustainable Development Goals (or SDGs) will build on the Millennium Development Goals adopted in 2000. A first draft of the SDG agenda has been released and is currently being negotiated. The final hurdle for the SDGs will be the UN General Assembly in September of this year. Parallel to the design of the agenda, the High Level Political Forum – the mechanism that will be in charge of reviewing and evalutaing the progress made by member states on the new goals – is meeting in New York to discuss how best to make this happen, focusing on how the proposed goals will be communicated and actually implemented. More info on the forum is here. SOS Children’s Villages will be contributing its knowledge and experience to the forum, representing some of the biggest international NGOs: ChildFund, Plan International, Save the Children and World Vision.
SOS Children’s Villages International Vice-President Gitta Trauernicht spoke to the forum on July 7. Dr. Trauernicht called on world leaders to make an effort to reach out to children and young people – to communicate to them in language they understand and to keep listening to them throughout the implementation and monitoring process.
“The community of NGOs working on children that I have the honor to represent here today, remain available to contribute to make the agenda happen and to ensure that all children and young people without discrimination or exception, are part of the process.” Dr. Trauernicht stated. “Please, count on us to help you to make it happen.:
SOS Children’s Villages believes that the new SDGs must focus on supporting the world’s most vulnerable – especially children without parental care or those at risk of losing it. Many children were clearly not reached by the MDGs, and SOS Children’s Villages has been fighting for their needs to be addressed by the new agenda.