6 May 2013: The co-facilitators of the upcoming UN General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on "the Realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other internationally agreed development goals for persons with disabilities"(HLMDD) have called on Member States to hold national consultations on the issue, if they have not yet done so, and to submit stakeholders' contributions to the co-facilitators as they prepare the zero draft of the Meeting's outcome document.
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The 2013 AMR section of the annual Substantive Session of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will consider the theme "Science, technology and innovation (STI) and culture for sustainable development and the MDGs". This event will seek to highlight the role of science, technology and innovation, and the potential of culture – and related national and international policies – in promoting sustainable development and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Regional preparatory meetings are being organized to prepare for the session.
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The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) holds short sessions, ad hoc meetings, round tables and panel discussions throughout the year, to prepare for its annual four week substantive session in July. The 2013 meeting will convene from 1-25 July, in Geneva, Switzerland, and will consist of the following segments: High-level Segment, including the Annual Ministerial Review (1-4 July); Coordination Segment (5-9 July); Operational Activities Segment (10-12 July); Humanitarian Affairs Segment (15-17 July); and General Segment (18-25 July).
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19 April 2013: The Government of Mexico hosted a regional consultation with civil society representatives on the post-2015 development agenda. "Realizing the Future We Want in Latin America and the Caribbean: Towards a Post-2015 Development Agenda" brought together stakeholders from the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region to critically engage with the negotiation process and interact with members of the UN High-level Panel on Post-2015 Development Agenda (HLP).
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21 April 2013: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the leaders of the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Islamic Development Bank and the World Bank have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen inter-agency collaboration on data and statistical capacity building.
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The second session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is taking place from 17-19 April 2013. The session is expected to discuss conceptualizing the SDGs and the SDG process and poverty eradication.
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22 March 2013: This year's edition of World Water Day, celebrated on 22 March, was organized around the theme of water cooperation and within the framework of the International Year of Water Cooperation. The Day's celebrations were coordinated by UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in collaboration with the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), for UN-Water.
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11 March 2013: The Permanent Missions of Mexico, Norway, and Tanzania, which are supporting the Global Thematic Consultation on Energy in the Post-2015 Development Agenda, held a briefing on the Consultation on 11 March 2013, at UN Headquarters in New York, US. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Secretary-General's Sustainable Energy for All Initiative (SE4ALL), the UN co-leaders for the consultation, also participated in the briefing.
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The Special Thematic Session on Water and Disasters, an initiative of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, is the first high-level UN event dedicated to the issue of water and disasters. The session aims to raise awareness, share best practices and experiences, and discuss future global actions on water and disasters. Event sessions include: an opening session with an address by Ban; a high level session on water and disasters, including deliberations by experts; a panel session on “Experience and Lessons of Water and Disasters;” and a panel session on “Regional and Global Cooperation to Address Mega-Water Disasters.” Panelists and speakers include high-level government ministers and officials, the President and Executive Secretary of the African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW), the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Director General and Assistant Director General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the President of the World Water Council, and the Chair of the Global Water Partnership.
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20 February 2013: The UN General Assembly launched the International Year of Quinoa with a High-Level Panel discussion during its plenary at UN Headquarters in New York. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Bolivian President Evo Morales and First Lady of Peru Nadine Heredia participated in the launch, which will be celebrated under the theme "A future sown thousands of years ago."
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