Editor’s Note:
The continuing process of intergovernmental negotiations and agency action to refine and affirm the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to 2030 reached important milestones over the last 30 days. One key milestone was the annual meeting of the UN Statistical Commission, the body charged with developing the “indicator framework” which will include the specific, measurable performance areas that will support the current 17 Goals and 150+ Targets of the SDGs.

The UN Statistical Commission has just circulated the call for comments below with a 10-day window for responses (due 26 April 2015). This call is posted on the website of the UN Division for Sustainable Development http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/. For reference, the roadmap for this process of developing and refining the indicator framework is discussed in “V. The Way Forward” excerpt below from the referenced Technical Report.

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Comments sought on Technical Report on post-2015 indicators
17 Apr 2015 – At the beginning of the third session of the intergovernmental negotiations on a post-2015 development agenda, held from 23-27 March at UN Headquarters in New York, a technical report was presented by the Chair of the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC) on the process to develop indicators for the new agenda. It contained a preliminary set of 304 indicators as a “point of departure” for further work. Major Groups and other Stakeholders have been invited to contribute their views and assessment of the draft indicators by completing an online document.

All inputs should be received by 26 April. A synthesis report and associated compilation document of inputs will be submitted to the Secretariat of the Inter-agency and Expert Group on the Sustainable Development Goals (IAEG) working on indicators.

Discussions at the March post-2015 session
Next to discussing the Technical Report and the Inter-agency and Expert Group on the Sustainable Development Goals (IAEG), Delegations covered a whole range of issues at the March post-2015 session, focussing on goals, targets and indicators, and a number of procedural matters.

Member States shared what they are already doing to prepare for implementing the new agenda and the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Many explained how they have been working to align and harmonize their own national development plans and sustainable development strategies with the SDGs, and on how this new agenda has stimulated a national dialogue across ministries and offices within the government as well as among all stakeholders.

Six possible themes for the interactive dialogues at the September Summit proposed by the Co-Facilitators, Ambassador David Donoghue, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the UN, and Ambassador Macharia Kamau, Permanent Representative of Kenya to the UN, were also discussed. A revised proposal based on the feedback received at the March meeting will be circulated. The Co-Facilitators also asked for feedback on their proposed programme for a Joint Session between the Financing for Development and Post-2015 processes and a revised draft programme has now been published.

To facilitate the discussion on goals and targets, the Co-Facilitators distributed a short document on the first day of the March session, containing suggestions for possible technical adjustments to 19 targets based on the feedback from the UN System Technical Support Team.
There were diverging views regarding this exercise. The Co-Facilitators will share a revised version of the suggestions in time for the May session of the post-2015 negotiations.

An interactive dialogue with Major Groups and other Stakeholders took place on Wednesday morning. The need for data disaggregation by all vulnerable groups as key to ensuring no one is left behind was one of the issues highlighted at this meeting.
V. The way forward
11. The road map endorsed by the Statistical Commission envisages the development by July 2015, of a first note on possible global and universal indicators and an indicator
framework. This note is expected to contain the proposed criteria for the selection of indicators for global monitoring. Keeping in view the spirit of the discussion at the
Commission, it is suggested that the intergovernmental negotiations give broad political guidance for the future work of the Statistical Commission for the development of a proposal for a global indicator framework. By December 2015, the IEAG-SDGs will provide a proposal of global and universal indicators and an indicator framework for consideration by the Statistical Commission at its forty-seventh session in March 2016. The proposal will then be submitted to the further intergovernmental process.

Clinton Foundation Policy Update
Statement
15 April 20156
The Clinton Foundation is committed to improving millions of lives around the world. In light of Secretary Clinton’s decision to run for President, Secretary Clinton has stepped down from the Clinton Foundation board and, while she is a candidate for President, the Foundation will modify its policies as follows:

Increase Donor Disclosure: The Foundation will increase the frequency of disclosure of its donors from annually to quarterly, publishing new contributors beginning in July 2015, and then each quarter thereafter (i.e., October, January, and April).

Clinton Global Initiative (CGI): After the already scheduled CGI International conference in May (CGI Middle East & Africa), CGI will not hold any CGI International events, nor will it accept contributions or sponsorships from foreign governments, other than meeting attendance fees.

Contributions from Foreign Governments: The Clinton Foundation only will accept funding from foreign governments that have funded Clinton Foundation programs, namely: Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom. Funding from these governments will support the economic development or climate-focused work of the Clinton Climate Initiative, the Clinton Development Initiative, and the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership.

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Editor’s Note:
The Clinton Foundation published a supporting document to the statement above titled “The Facts” available at https://www.clintonfoundation.org/press/facts. This document is comprised of over 40 questions and answers, most linked to the statement. We include a sample question and answer from The Facts which we consider indicative…

Q. Why does the Clinton Foundation take money from governments, such as Saudi Arabia, that have poor records on women’s rights?

A. Our work in this area speaks for itself and has a long history. Since the Foundation was created, our programs have empowered women and girls around the world:

:: Expanding access to education and training skills for women and girls through the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership;

:: Increasing economic opportunity and access to markets and supply chains through the Clinton Development Initiative;

:: Providing critical health care to mothers and their newborns through the Clinton Health Access Initiative;

:: Bringing leaders around the world from government, business, and civil society to forge Commitments to Action to improve the lives of women and girls through the Clinton Global Initiative.

With the establishment of the No Ceilings initiative in 2013, the Foundation took an innovative, data-driven look at the global progress of women and girls, culminating in an important report released on March 9. In this report, we identify the record of Saudi Arabia and other countries in advancing the progress of women and girls.

These countries knew of the work we did when they decided to contribute. We accept donations to help make life-changing work around the globe possible, and to improve as many lives as we can.

African Union and U.S. CDC Partner to Launch African CDC – Press Release
MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015
Washington, DC –A Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) signed today by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, M.B. Ch.B., chairperson of the African Union Commission, formalizes a collaboration between the African Union Commission and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in creating the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (African CDC).

EBOLA/EVD [to 18 April 2015]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC); “Threat to international peace and security” (UN Security Council)

WHO: Ebola Situation Report – 15 April 2015
[Excerpts]
SUMMARY
:: A total of 37 confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) was reported in the week to 12 April, compared with 30 the previous week. Case incidence in Guinea increased to 28, compared with 21 confirmed cases the previous week. Sierra Leone reported 9 confirmed cases, the same total as in the previous week. Liberia reported no confirmed cases.
:: A total of 5 Guinean prefectures reported at least one confirmed case in the week to 12 April, compared with 6 the previous week. Transmission remains confined to the western area, and is primarily focused on the prefecture of Forecariah, which borders Sierra Leone. In total, 8 prefectures/districts in Guinea and Sierra Leone reported a confirmed case in the week to 12 April, compared with 10 the previous week. This is the lowest number of districts to report a confirmed case since the end of May 2014. Of 55 districts in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone that have reported at least one confirmed case of EVD since the start of the outbreak, 39 have not reported a case for over 6 weeks.
:: In the context of falling case incidence and a receding zone of transmission, treatment capacity exceeds demand in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Accordingly, and with technical guidance from WHO, national authorities in both countries have begun to implement plans for the phased safe decommissioning of surplus facilities. Each country will retain a core capacity of high-quality Ebola treatment centres, strategically located to ensure complete geographic coverage, with additional rapid-response capacity held in reserve…

COUNTRIES WITH WIDESPREAD AND INTENSE TRANSMISSION
:: There have been a total of 25,791 reported confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of EVD in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone (figure 1, table 1), with over 10,600 reported deaths (outcomes for many cases are unknown). A total of 28 new confirmed cases were reported in Guinea, 0 in Liberia, and 9 in Sierra Leone in the 7 days to 12 April.
WHO: Joint statement on the Ebola response and WHO reforms
16 April 2015
Statement by WHO Director-General, Deputy Director-General and Regional Directors, on the Ebola outbreak and response, and reforms to the work of WHO in outbreaks and humanitarian emergencies

Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues [to 18 April 2015]
http://undesadspd.org/IndigenousPeoples.aspx

Fourteenth Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
20 April to 1 May 2015
UN Headquarters, New York

List of side events during the Permanent Forum
April 15, 2015
Approximately 85 side events will take place at lunch time, evenings and during closed meetings of the Permanent Forum at the UN premises and outside.

WHO & Regionals [to 18 April 2015]
:: World Immunization Week: 24-30 April 2015 – Close the immunization gap
World Immunization Week, which will be held from 24-30 April 2015, will signal a renewed global, regional, and national effort to accelerate action to increase awareness and demand for immunization by communities, and improve vaccination delivery services. This year’s campaign focuses on closing the immunization gap and reaching equity in immunization levels as outlined in the Global Vaccine Action Plan, which is a framework to prevent millions of deaths by 2020 through universal access to vaccines for people in all communities.
Read more about the goals of the campaign

Africa – Vaccination a gift for life
24-30 April 2015
Americas – Boost your power! Get vaccinated!
25 April – 2 May 2015
Eastern Mediterranean – Close the immunization gap
24-30 April 2015
Europe – Close the immunization gap
24-30 April 2015

:: Sixty-eighth World Health Assembly – 18–26 May 2015

:: Kenya: Closing the gap on pneumonia through immunization
17 April 2015 – As World Immunization Week approaches, WHO reports on Kenya’s successes preventing deaths from pneumonia among babies and young children through national implementation of the PCV-10 vaccine. A mother in Kilifi tells the story of her daughter’s near-fatal episode of pneumonia and how her younger children were protected through immunization.
Read the story from Kenya

:: Liberia succeeds in fighting Ebola with local, sector response
14 April 2015 — The story of how Montserrado Liberia, turned around an exponentially-growing Ebola outbreak is intriguing. WHO’s team and national officials, aided by veterans from WHO’s polio eradication group in India, decentralized the response, using quality management principles that empowered local teams and held them accountable for results. These local sector teams involved community members and used business best practices as well as an incident management system to improve surveillance, case finding, contact tracing, and overall management of key response activities.
Read the story from Liberia

:: The Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) 17 April 2015, vol. 90, 16 (pp. 161–168) includes:
:: Eradication of yaws in India

:: Global Alert and Response (GAR) – Disease Outbreak News (DONs)
– 16 April 2015 – Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia
– 15 April 2015 – Human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus – China

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:: WHO Regional Offices
WHO African Region AFRO
:: Implementing cervical cancer interventions key to save African women – 13 April 2015

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
:: New PAHO/WHO network will monitor the health of women and newborns in Latin America and the Caribbean (04/16/2015)
:: PAHO’s Director and Panama’s Health Minister Raise Hopes for Reform of Country’s Health Care (04/12/2015)
:: Development Bank of Latin America-CAF and PAHO/WHO join to help countries prepare for disease outbreaks (04/11/2015)

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
No new digest content identified.

WHO European Region EURO
:: Time running out to reduce climate change threats to health 16-04-2015
:: Call for papers on intersectoral action for Public Health Panorama 14-04-2015
:: Water and sanitation: still a luxury for millions of Europeans 14-04-2015

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: WHO delivers life-saving health supplies into Yemen
16 April 2015, Cairo, Egypt — The World Health Organization (WHO) has delivered critical life-saving medicines, and medical/surgical supplies to Yemen, where fighting has resulted in hundreds killed and thousands injured, and newly displaced up to 100 000 people since March. The shipment, which landed in Sana’a today, contains more than 17 tonnes of medicines and medical/surgical supplies for a total of 41 100 beneficiaries…

WHO Western Pacific Region
:: A month after Cyclone Pam, Vanuatu continues to face health challenges
PORT VILA, 15 April 2015 – Working with the Ministry of Health of Vanuatu and other partners, the World Health Organization (WHO) has made significant progress in addressing the health needs of the more than 160 000 people affected by Cyclone Pam. However, a month after the Category 5 storm ravaged the Pacific island country, many pressing health challenges remain.
Read the news release

UNFPA United Nations Population Fund [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.unfpa.org/public/

Press Release
14 April 2015
Responding to the needs of communities terrorized by Boko Haram
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Today marks the one-year anniversary of the horrific kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from the north-eastern Nigerian town of Chibok by Boko Haram insurgents. This was not a one-time tragedy….

UNDP United Nations Development Programme [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter.html

18 Apr 2015
Helen Clark: statement at the 31st Meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee
Washington D.C.

16 Apr 2015
Helen Clark: Speech at “Climate Finance for Development” Event, organized by the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations
New York, New York

16 Apr 2015
Free media helps beat down Ebola in Sierra Leone
Freetown, Sierra Leone – Hundreds of hard-to-reach communities now get anti-Ebola advice, education and independent news, as a satellite link from the United Nations Development Programme boosts the reach of Sierra Leone’s sole, free radio network.

14 Apr 2015
Magdy Martínez-Solimán: Statement delivered at the 13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, United Nations Rule of Law Assistance in Conflict- and Post-Conflict Settings: The Global Focal Point Arrangement
Doha, Qatar

14 Apr 2015
UN chiefs highlight “political determination and society’s will” to end the conflict in Colombia
UN Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman and UN Assistant Secretary General and UN Development Programme (UNDP) Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Jessica Faieta visited the town of Tumaco, in the Pacific, to better understand the authorities’ and civil society’s perspectives, in one of the most conflict-affected regions.

13 Apr 2015
Magdy Martínez-Solimán: Statement delivered at the 13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, Panel Discussion: High Level Special Event on Rule of Law, Human Rights and the Post 2015 Development Agenda
Qatar National Convention Centre, Doha

13 Apr 2015
Gina Casar: Speech on Financing to Fight Poverty and Inequality: The Key Role of Public Financing for the SDGs
New York, USA

13 Apr 2015
Magdy Martínez-Solimán: Statement delivered at the 13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, High Level Segment
Doha, Qatar

UN Division for Sustainable Development [to 18 April 2015]
http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/

Comments sought on Technical Report on post-2015 indicators
By UN-DESA/DSD
17 Apr 2015 – At the beginning of the third session of the intergovernmental negotiations on a post-2015 development agenda, held from 23-27 March at UN Headquarters in New York, a technical report was presented by the Chair of the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC) on the process to develop indicators for the new agenda. It contained a preliminary set of 304 indicators as a “point of departure” for further work. Major Groups and other Stakeholders have been invited to contribute their views and assessment of the draft indicators by completing an online document.
All inputs should be received by 26 April. A synthesis report and associated compilation document of inputs will be submitted to the Secretariat of the Inter-agency and Expert Group on the Sustainable Development Goals (IAEG) working on indicators.

Post-2015 intergovernmental negotiations | 21 – 24 April 2015
– Programme for Joint Session between FfD and Post-2015 processes
– Background Note on Possible arrangements for a Technology Facilitation Mechanism and other science, technology and innovation issues
– Summary of General Assembly Structured Dialogues on Possible arrangements for a facilitation mechanism to promote the development, transfer and dissemination of clean and environmentally sound technologies
– More information

UNEP United Nations Environment Programme [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.unep.org/newscentre/?doctypeID=1

Selected Press Releases
African Ministers Call for Strong Paris Agreement, Climate Finance Flows
Africa has perhaps the most to lose from climate change and the most to gain from an effective climate change agreement.
16/04/2015

Organized Crime in Wildlife, Gold and Timber, Worth Over One Billion USD, Further Fuels Conflict in Eastern DR Congo – UN Report
Experts estimate that 10-30 per cent of this illegal trade (around US$ 72-426 million per annum) goes to transnational organized criminal networks based outside eastern DRC
16/04/2015

The 2015 World Environment Day Blogging Competition now open
UNEP challenges bloggers to envision a world where seven billion people make a change towards responsible consumption.
15/04/2015

DESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news.html

Protecting the rights of the world’s indigenous peoples
17 April 2015, New York
Around the globe, there are over 70 million indigenous youth. Many face the challenge of striking a balance between their place within their indigenous community and mainstream society in the country where they live. Available data also suggests that this group of young people experience disproportionately high rates of suicide. Their situation, as well as other topics including economic, social and cultural rights and post-2015 development agenda, will be in focus for the upcoming 14th Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Building trust in government in pursuit of the sustainable development goals
17 April 2015, New York
Public administration and good governance are critical in achieving sustainable development. On 20-24 April, the Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA) will meet in New York for its 14th annual session to discuss the practical measures governments can take in pursuit of the sustainable development goals.

Financing for Development: Hearing views from business sector and civil society
15 April 2015, New York
Successful implementation of the post-2015 agenda will hinge on a strong and comprehensive financing framework for sustainable development. The business sector and civil society play a vital role in this context. Ahead of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa in July, the General Assembly held informal interactive hearings with civil society and the business sector on April 8-9 to fully take their views into account.

The road to Addis: Financing for Development logo and website launched
14 April 2015, New York
With three months to go until world leaders meet in Addis Ababa to reach an agreement on financing sustainable development, the Conference logo and website were unveiled at the UN Headquarters in New York today.

UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/press/allpress.html?ref=fp

15/04/2015
– We must take the fight to the traffickers along maritime routes, says UNODC Chief
– ICSS and UNODC announce new partnership to strengthen investigations and prosecutions into match-fixing and the manipulation of sports competitions
– Statement of the UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov – Violence against children can never be tolerated
– Statement of the UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov Tragic deaths of migrants off the coast of Libya
– Sustainable Development, Human Rights, Freedoms Hinge on Anti-Corruption Strategies, Speakers Say as Crime Congress Concludes High-Level Segment

14/04/2015
– Terrorists, criminals strengthening their links says UNODC Chief at 13th Crime Congress event
– Swift, Collective Action Must Target Cybercriminals, Terrorists Recruiting Foreign Fighters, Delegates Urge as Crime Congress Tackles New Threats

13/04/2015
– Calls for wildlife and forest crime to be treated as serious crime
– Landmark Doha Declaration can power rule of law/development alliance for years to come
– Spotlight on human dignity, justice at high-level debate on rule of law and development

12/04/2015
– Crime Congress Opens, UN Secretary-General says we must remake world in the image of justice and equality

UN-HABITAT United Nations Human Settlements Programme [to 18 April 2015]
http://unhabitat.org/media-centre/press-releases/

Joint Press Statement by Dr. Joan Clos, Executive Director, UN-HABITAT and Ján Ilavský, State Secretary of the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic
On the occasion of the opening of the 25th Session of the Governing Council Friday 17 April 2015, Nairobi, Kenya

For too long, urbanisation has been seen as something negative to be countered, slowed or even halted. It is time to throw off those assumptions and see the process of urbanisation for what it really is; an opportunity to harness the economic potential of cities for growth and development.

Sustainable urbanisation vital for addressing some of the major concerns of our time, such as inequity, resource scarcity and climate change. It is also a tool for social integration. It is a vital way of advancing human rights, gender equality, youth engagement. It is a front line tool in the fight against extreme poverty.

To achieve sustainable urbanisation, UN-Habitat advocates for a three-pronged approach encompassing robust urban design, firmly and fairly implemented urban regulation and realistic, well-managed municipal financing. When these three elements of urban planning are combined, urbanisation becomes a powerful engine for prosperity. These three approaches build a solid foundation for providing basic services cost effectively and equitably. They ensure the development of affordable and appropriate housing at the heart of the city…