Major Group Statement:
Women, Indigenous People, Trade Unions
Delivered by Noelene Nabulivou, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), to the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals
15 March 2013
Distinguished Co-Chairs, delegates and friends. Thank you for this opportunity to speak on behalf of the Major Groups for Women, Indigenous Peoples, and Trade Unions, as core actors in all sustainable development. I am Noelene Nabulivou from Fiji, and a member of DAWN, an organising partner of the Women’s Major Group. We congratulate the Open Working Group for recognizing the vital role of the Major Groups in this global process as reflected in Agenda 21 principles and affirmed in the Rio+20 outcome document ‘The Future We Want’. First, as the voices of indigenous peoples, workers and women, we consider it fundamental, that participation rights are reflected in all upcoming SDG and Post 2015 Development agenda processes, as yesterday highlighted by the Chair of the General Assembly. This requires a concrete translation into participation rights of Major Groups, in all areas of this OWG future work.Further, we recommend highest attention to interlinkage analysis of planned thematic and other consultations.
Second, our three major groups are convinced that this discussion should lead us to a transformative process, encompassing the three dimensions of sustainability while ensuring strongest human rights implementation, gender equality, social and environmental justice. For this to happen, the post-2015 framework must be anchored in solid democratic governance rules, as well as consistent with the carrying capacity of the earth. Any goals, targets and indicators developed by this process must respond to the urgent need to address the multiple global crises that humanity faces, and to deal with its structural causes. Third, in order to move from piece-meal approaches and radically transform people’s reality on the ground, a rights-based approach is needed. What does this mean? It means shifting from ad-hoc projects toward consistent regulations and policies. It means moving from reparation, toward prevention and eradication of all forms of sexual and gender based violence. It means shifting from ad-hoc safety nets to solid social protection systems, from unsecure employment to decent work. And the list goes on. Today, exclusion, discrimination and violence prevent women and girls, informal workers, indigenous groups and many others from full participation in sustainable development. Addressing multiple causes and impacts of exclusion is necessary to ensure that the benefits of this new sustainable development agenda are equitably shared by all.
Finally, our groups have put forward a number of concrete areas of work when it comes to the future of the SDG agenda, as contributing to a transformative, forward-looking vision for all countries around the world:
– respect for the rights of indigenous peoples, as enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including in particular the, right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent;
– gender equality, which should be treated as a discrete area of focus, as well as integrated across other focus area, so as to recognise and address the unequal and unfair burdens of women and girls in sustaining societal care and wellbeing, further exacerbated in times of economic and ecological crisis;
– social protection, understood as a universal set of guarantees providing access to health, and income protection for maternity, the unemployed, the aged, and the disabled; – decent work, understood as the provision of employment opportunities, respectful of labour standards and gender equality; including through the promotion of green jobs We look forward to this important shared work, and thank you for your time, Distinguished Chair, State delegates, and friends.
Noelene’s Statement