Stakeholder Forum signs onto Beyond 2015 Civil Society statement on the UN High Level Panel on Post 2015

The Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), CIVICUS, the Feminist Task Force, Oxfam International, Beyond 2015, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Article 19, ATD Fourth World, the World Movement for Democracy and Stakeholder Forum, welcome the appointment by the UN Secretary-General of a diverse High-Level Panel to advise on a post-2015 development agenda.

However, as networks comprising a wide range of civil society organisations at the local, national and global level, we are
concerned the High Level Panel does not include the voices of people living in poverty, and their representative
associations who deserve a seat at the table. We feel the current composition of the panel is largely ‘state-centric’ and
should include greater civil society voices, particularly those of women, workers and other socially excluded populations.

We are pleased to see a balance of countries and regions and diverse perspectives represented on the High Level Panel
(HLP). We welcome the appointment of Ms. Graça Machel to the panel, a former Minister of Education in Mozambique
and a founding member of GCAP and CIVICUS, who was also proposed as a nominee to the HLP by Beyond 2015 and is
a strong proponent of civil society. We also welcome the appointment of Nobel Peace Prize winning journalist, Ms.
Tawakei Karman as a young leader. We further commend UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for appointing three cochairs to ensure a variety of perspectives, in particular the recognition of African women in the appointment of Liberian
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Moreover, we welcome the appointment of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser
on Post 2015, who has already met with representatives of citizens’ organisations and youth representatives. We are
hopeful that this will create a precedent for continued engagement with NGOs and social movements in the process.

We recognise our planet and its inhabitants stand on a precipice facing multiple interconnected crises including, climate
calamity, financial instability, increasing social inequality as well as deepening poverty and gender-based violence
amongst other systematic human rights violations. The Secretary-General and this High-Level Panel must listen to the
voices of citizens’ organisations and work with and support civil society to harness resources and mobilise the political will
needed to build a sustainable and equitable future for all. In this respect, we are extremely concerned that there are no
grassroots organisations represented on the High Level Panel, such as women’s associations, farmers cooperatives,
indigenous groups, workers or organisations of the impoverished represented. We urge that such voices are represented
as part of any effort to tackle poverty and in building a just, equitable and sustainable world. We affirm that it is
communities living in the world’s most vulnerable places that best understand the multiple challenges facing people and
the planet. We believe that the High Level Panel must ensure that it is listening to these voices and remains accountable
to people living in poverty.

We look forward to working in partnership with the UN in the development of the Post-2015 agenda and the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), as we define the world we want beyond 2015. Towards that goal, we applaud the launch the
‘WorldWeWant2015’ digital platform as a partnership between Civil Society and the UN. We expect millions to mobilise
online and in the streets and we will work tirelessly to ensure that these voices are heard loud and clear by world leaders.
Mass-mobilisation and citizen engagement are critical to the post-2015 discussions. Without it, we will not have the
political will nor the global collective action that is so urgently needed to eradicate poverty and inequality and save our
planet.

For Further Information Please Contact:
• Rajiv Joshi (Global Call to Action Against Poverty): [email protected]
• Jeffery Huffines (CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation): [email protected]
• Rosa Lizarde (Feminist Task Force): [email protected]
• Bernadette Fischler (Beyond 2015): [email protected]

To read the full statement click here.