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Child rights organisation Plan International has welcomed the UN Secretary General’s report on post-2015 sustainable development goals.
The report – “The Road to Dignity by 2030: Ending Poverty, Transforming All Lives, and Protecting the Planet”, released on 4 December, sets the stage for the next set of development goals.
The report lays emphasis on the active contribution of children and young people in the future of development.
“We strongly welcome the recognition of children and young people as ‘torch bearers’ of the post-2015 agenda. Fulfilling the rights of children and young people is fundamental to sustainable change,” said Plan CEO Nigel Chapman.
“Young people have shown time and again that they have the skills, energy, innovation and leadership to come up with new ideas and to bring about real change in their communities and countries. A set of goals for the future can only be achieved with their participation.”
The framework for post-2015 development goals is critical as it will help shape how countries design their systems such as education and health, how aid organisations plan their programmes, and how donors allocate their money.
Plan has welcomed the recognition of the right to education for all children and adolescents in the report.
“It is absolutely critical that learning environments are inclusive and accessible to all children, particularly adolescent girls who often face specific barriers to completing their education,” said Mr Chapman.
The organisation is also recommending further strengthening of key child rights issues in the development goals framework.
“The governments must ensure that issues such as ending violence against children, ending harmful practices especially child marriage, and rights-based civil registration and vital statistics systems are prioritised in the post-2015 agenda,” said Gorel Bogarde, Plan’s Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns.
Plan has also stressed the need to reflect the rights and needs of girls as a particular marginalised group vital to achieving sustainable development.
“Despite the increasing global attention and commitment to adolescent girls, the report falls short of addressing their lived realities. Girls face multiple barriers to their ability to reach their full potential including sexual and reproductive health and rights. The root causes such as unequal power relations and harmful gender norms must be tackled to achieve a truly transformative sustainable development agenda,” said Ms Bogarde.
The organisation has applauded the report for its focus on human rights as a foundation and enabler for achieving the next goals.
“The re-affirmation of the principle of ‘leaving no one behind’ is the step in the right direction. It is right that no target should be considered met unless it is met for all social and economic groups in every country,” said Ms Bogarde.
“The principle of inequality could be further strengthened in upcoming negotiations to reflect both inequality of opportunity and inequality of outcome,” she added.
(Plan experts are available for media interviews)
Editor’s notes:
Founded 77 years ago, Plan is one of the oldest and largest children's development organisations in the world. We work in 50 developing countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas to promote child rights and lift millions of children out of poverty.Plan is independent, with no religious, political or governmental affiliations. www.plan-international.org
Plan’s full reaction statement to UN Secretary General’s synthesis report can be found here.
Media contact:
Davinder Kumar
Media Manager (External & Internal Communications)
Plan International Headquarters
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