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WILPF’s Analysis of the SDG Summit is Out!

On 24 and 25 September, world leaders met at the SDG Summit at the UN General Assembly to discuss strategies for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. What do we at WILPF think about the Summit? And its commitments?

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  • 3 min
WILPF International Secretariat
16 October 2019

On 24 and 25 September, world leaders met at the SDG Summit at the UN General Assembly to discuss strategies for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The UN General Assembly launched a political declaration, which in its title commits the international community to a “decade of action for delivery on the SDGs (2020-2030)”.

With this declaration, the Heads of State, Governments and High Representatives, who were present at the Summit committed to push for more intense and accelerated action on the SDGs. 

At least on paper. 

What do we at WILPF think about the Summit? And its commitments?

New analysis out

Today we are releasing our analysis of the SDG Summit and its outcome. We spent the last weeks analysing the political declaration and holding it up against what world leaders committed to during the summit. We question how successful a “decade of action” will be, given the lack of commitment to genuine structural change to overturn the systems of power in our world.

At WILPF, we believe that the SDGs are our hope for a livable future, but over the past four years, we have continued to see siloed policies that entrench the power and privilege of the 1%. Each year at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, governments rationalise narrow and short-term development projects, lament inefficiencies, and turn to the private sector for technical and financial solutions. 

They might think they are putting “people and planet at the center”, but at WILPF we know that the international community is failing to deliver on the 2030 Agenda. 

What needs to happen

WILPF believes that inefficiency of current SDG implementation is not the main barrier to achieving the SDGs. Our current economic and political systems do not need an upgrade: they need to be totally redesigned. We cannot keep systems that actively undermine peace, gender equality, and sustainable development. If world leaders want to achieve them, they must listen to the demands of civil society for development justice, climate action, and a commitment to peace.

Read WILPF’s analysis of the SDG Summit!

Read the chapter on SDG 16 written by Abigail Ruane, WILPF Women, Peace and Security Director, in the global civil society report, Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2019: Reshaping Governance for Sustainability.

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WILPF International Secretariat

WILPF International Secretariat, with offices in Geneva and New York, liaises with the International Board and the National Sections and Groups for the implementation of WILPF International Programme, resolutions and policies as adopted by the International Congress. Under the direction of the Secretary-General, the Secretariat also provides support in areas of advocacy, communications, and financial operations.

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Melissa Torres

VICE-PRESIDENT

Prior to being elected Vice-President, Melissa Torres was the WILPF US International Board Member from 2015 to 2018. Melissa joined WILPF in 2011 when she was selected as a Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women as part of the WILPF US’ Practicum in Advocacy Programme at the United Nations, which she later led. She holds a PhD in Social Work and is a professor and Global Health Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine and research lead at BCM Anti-Human Trafficking Program. Of Mexican descent and a native of the US/Mexico border, Melissa is mostly concerned with the protection of displaced Latinxs in the Americas. Her work includes training, research, and service provision with the American Red Cross, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Centre, and refugee resettlement programs in the U.S. Some of her goals as Vice-President are to highlight intersectionality and increase diversity by fostering inclusive spaces for mentorship and leadership. She also contributes to WILPF’s emerging work on the topic of displacement and migration.

Jamila Afghani

VICE-PRESIDENT

Jamila Afghani is the President of WILPF Afghanistan which she started in 2015. She is also an active member and founder of several organisations including the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organisation (NECDO). Elected in 2018 as South Asia Regional Representative to WILPF’s International Board, WILPF benefits from Jamila’s work experience in education, migration, gender, including gender-based violence and democratic governance in post-conflict and transitional countries.

Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo

PRESIDENT

Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO is a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years experience including ten within WILPF. She has a multi-disciplinary background with a track record of multiple socio-economic development projects implemented to improve policies, practices and peace-oriented actions. Sylvie is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and was the Section’s president until 2022. She co-coordinated the African Working Group before her election as Africa Representative to WILPF’s International Board in 2018. A teacher by profession and an African Union Trainer in peace support operations, Sylvie has extensive experience advocating for the political and social rights of women in Africa and worldwide.

WILPF Afghanistan

In response to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and its targeted attacks on civil society members, WILPF Afghanistan issued several statements calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghan people and ensure that their rights be upheld, including access to aid. The Section also published 100 Untold Stories of War and Peace, a compilation of true stories that highlight the effects of war and militarisation on the region. 

IPB Congress Barcelona

WILPF Germany (+Young WILPF network), WILPF Spain and MENA Regional Representative

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Demilitarisation

WILPF uses feminist analysis to argue that militarisation is a counter-productive and ill-conceived response to establishing security in the world. The more society becomes militarised, the more violence and injustice are likely to grow locally and worldwide.

Sixteen states are believed to have supplied weapons to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2020 with the US supplying 74 % of weapons, followed by Russia. Much of this equipment was left behind by the US military and is being used to inflate Taliban’s arsenal. WILPF is calling for better oversight on arms movement, for compensating affected Afghan people and for an end to all militarised systems.

Militarised masculinity

Mobilising men and boys around feminist peace has been one way of deconstructing and redefining masculinities. WILPF shares a feminist analysis on the links between militarism, masculinities, peace and security. We explore opportunities for strengthening activists’ action to build equal partnerships among women and men for gender equality.

WILPF has been working on challenging the prevailing notion of masculinity based on men’s physical and social superiority to, and dominance of, women in Afghanistan. It recognizes that these notions are not representative of all Afghan men, contrary to the publicly prevailing notion.

Feminist peace​

In WILPF’s view, any process towards establishing peace that has not been partly designed by women remains deficient. Beyond bringing perspectives that encapsulate the views of half of the society and unlike the men only designed processes, women’s true and meaningful participation allows the situation to improve.

In Afghanistan, WILPF has been demanding that women occupy the front seats at the negotiating tables. The experience of the past 20 has shown that women’s presence produces more sustainable solutions when they are empowered and enabled to play a role.

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