Esther Adeyanju
Representatives of civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations and the Major Groups have been selected to speak during the UN Sustainable Development Summit.
The 24 speakers selected were identified through an open, transparent and participatory process involving a civil society Selection Committee, facilitated by United Nations Non- Government Liaison service (UN-NGLS) in cooperation with United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), at the request of the Office of the President of the General Assembly.
The civil society Selection Committee created a short-list of 80 candidates from 435 applications received, and the President of the General Assembly made the final selection of a diverse set of speakers for this historic Summit to adopt the post-2015 development agenda.
Selected speakers include; Mr. Salil Shetty – Amnesty international, Ms. Winnie Byanyima – Oxfam International, Ms. Åsa Skogström Feldt – The Hunger Project, Mr. Mosharraf Hossain – ADD International, Ms. Muna AbuSulayman – Directions Consulting, Ms. Maryanne Diamond – International Disability Alliance, Ms. Camilla Croso – Global Campaign for Education, Mr. Paul Quintos – Campaign for Peoples Goals for Sustainable Development, Ms. Madani Koumare – Réseau national d’appui à la promotion de l’économie sociale et solidaire (RENAPESS), Ms. Patrícia Iglecias – Secretariat for the Environment of the State of São Paulo, Ms. Jennifer Vinas-Forcade – LAC Youth Alliance / Alianza Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Juventudes (member of the Youth Leadership Working Group and Major Group of Children and Youth).
Others include; Ms. Ranja Sengupta – Third World Network and part of Asia Pacfific Regional CSO Engagement Mechanism, Ms. Sivananthi Thanenthiran – Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Mr. Larry Attree – Saferworld, Ms. Joan Carling – Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, Ms. Aysel Asgarova – Youth Peer Education Network, Ms. Aby Drame – ENDA Energy, Mr. Roberto Mukaro Borrero – International Indian Treaty Council, Mr. Wael Hmaidan – Climate Action Network International, Ms. Yolanda Kakabadse – WWF International, Ms. Sharan Burrow – International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and Workers and Trade Unions Major Group, Mr. Steve Lalande – International Forum Of NGO Platforms, Ms. Sylvia Beales – HelpAge International and Stakeholder Group on Ageing and Ms. Luisa Emilia Reyes Zúñiga – Equidad de Género: Ciudadanía, Trabajo y Familia and Women’s Major Group.
“We congratulate these outstanding representatives from across the world, and extend our gratitude to all civil society organizations for your collaboration and invaluable contributions during the post-2015 process.” It was added that notifications regarding civil society applications to register for the Summit as observers will be sent next week.
More than 150 world leaders are expected to attend the UN Sustainable Development Summit from September 25-27 at UN headquarters in New York to formally adopt an ambitious new sustainable development agenda. The momentous agenda will serve as the launch pad for action by the international community and by national governments to promote shared prosperity and well-being for all over the next 15 years.
