Social Watch prepares for MDG Summit: "business as usual is not acceptable"

Participants at the latest Social Watch Coordinating Committee (CC) meeting held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 24-26 March 2010 discussed their views on the global crisis and the role of the network ahead. The upcoming UN High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly (‘MDG Summit’) to take place September 2010 in New York is a key moment and all efforts should point to strengthen the voice of civil society and that of Social Watch in particular.

Two new co-chairs were elected to lead future meetings and represent the CC: Tanya Dawkins member of Social Watch USA and executive director of the Global-Local Links Project and Emily Joy Sikazwe from Zambia, who has worked in Women for Change with a network of poor rural people focusing on gender, human rights, democracy and development. 

The meeting was organized by SODNET (Kenya) in partnership with SAHRiNGON-Tanzania Chapter. New members were also welcomed to the CC and the list now includes: Barbara Adams (New York), Nancy Baroni (Canada), Yao Graham (Ghana), Yasmin Ismail (Egypt), Allam Jarrar (Palestine), Himanshu Jha (India), Gustavo Luna (Bolivia), Edward Oyugi (Kenya), Norayda Arabella Ponce Sosa (Guatemala), Maria Victoria Raquiza (Philippines), Genoveva Tisheva (Bulgaria), Mirjam van Reinsen (Brussels) and Roberto Bissio (Uruguay, ex officio). See a small profile of the members. 

The MDGs and their assessment will be a key moment for Social Watch. The Social Watch report 2010 will be launched then. A recent report of the UN Secretary General warns that if everything continues this way the MDGs will not be achieved; however we are still able to meet the MDGs. 

Informal Interactive Hearings of the General Assembly with civil society organizations will take place from 14-15 June 2010 in New York. The outcomes of these hearings will be integrated into discussions at the summit and in the outcome document and thus Social Watch is encouraging participation among its members. Learn more on how to participate in the Hearings.

The Coordinating Committee came to the conclusion that there is a need for strong message from Social Watch back to the Summit and issued a statement saying "We need justice, not business as usual".