African thinkers, parliamentarians and civil society organisations who gathered in Midrand, South Africa, hosted by the Pan African Parliament, articulated what is emerging as a growing consensus in various fora taking place on the continent: ‘the building blocks of development’ have to be front and centre in the post-2015 discussions; and the imperative to underpin a developmental/structural transformation has to inform the approach taken to governance (developmental governance), financing and the global developmental partnerships, as well as the socio-economic development goals and targets.

Members of the Reflection Group, of which Social Watch is part, launched a draft Reflection Paper on Universal Sustainability Goals for a Post-2015 Agenda prepared as a contribution to the Civil Society Conference on the Post-2015 Agenda that started this week in Bonn.

The paper pointed that the debates on an agenda for international co-operation and development beyond 2015 offer the opportunity to (re-)address in a holistic man­ner well-being and justice in societies. Given the economic, social and ecological challenges in the world, this is urgently needed.

Social Watch will organize -together with different partners- a number of meetings during the World Social Forum 2013 to be held March 26 -29 in Tunisia.

These meetings will be an opportunity to review and reconsider new challenges of the Post 2015 framework and the challenges the Arab countries are going through after the Arab Spring.

Civil Society Organizations issued a statement that outlines the priorities and recommendations they have identified for the post-2015 development framework. These build on the new emerging challenges as well as the lessons learnt from the initial MDGs process’ failures and gaps.

The CSO declaration was released during the Arab Regional Consultation on the post-2015 development agenda that was held on March 14, 2013, in Beirut, Lebanon. The meeting provided an opportunity to gather the views of civil society coalitions and key UN agencies the region.

Dr. Emily Sikazwe, former SW Coordinating Committee co-chair, was selected as exceptional women to celebrate International Women’s Day and also to launch VIDEA’s 35 profiles of exceptional women.