NZ International Development NGOs join global call for more action to change the lives of the poorest and most marginalised – CID and Beyond 2015

Time for governments to listen to the people and start discussing a post-2015 framework which tackles the structural causes of poverty and injustice.

The participating organisations of the Beyond 2015 campaign including members of the Council for International Development in New Zealand have acknowledged the endorsement of the road map for the creation of an inclusive post-2015 agenda by Heads of States during the UN General Assembly.

The clear decision for a single framework and set of goals enables us all, civil society included, to work constructively towards transforming the lives of the people who need it most – those experiencing the greatest poverty and vulnerability.

The commitment to a coherent approach which integrates poverty eradication, human rights, economic transformation, social justice and environmental stewardship, indicates the potential for transformational change in 2015. Central to this is the recognition of common but differentiated responsibilities in a universal agenda.

The inclusion of peace and security, democratic governance, the rule of law, gender equality, and human rights for all is critical. Evidence and experience since 2000 illustrates that neither eradication of poverty nor achievement of sustainable development is possible without these essential elements. However, the post-2015 agenda must radically transform the way in which the purpose of the economy is understood, so that it exists to serves people and planet.

Despite these positive signs, the tone of the debate in New York, reflected in the document endorsed today, lacks the ambition needed to make that change. For more than two years, civil society has been insisting that a post-2015 agenda must address the structural causes of poverty and injustice by tackling inequality, gender injustice, social exclusion and a skewed international financial system. This has to be based on human rights for all people.

An approach that fails to tackle the root causes of deprivation through quick-fix solutions will be neither effective, sustainable nor legitimate. Beyond 2015 Co-Chair Neva Frecheville said “Governments need to start listening to the people and to raise the level of ambition in order to ensure that no-one is left behind. Civil society around the world will not accept a framework which does not deal with the structural causes of poverty and injustice. The global community gets one chance for deep thought every twenty years - and this is it!”

The Council for International Development is the umbrella agency for international development organisations based in Aotearoa New Zealand. CID exists to support effective high quality aid and development programmes, with the vision of achieving a sustainable world free from poverty and injustice.

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