Provide a regional based contribution from stakeholders including CSOs on SDGs issues that include green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication and governance; Through panel discussions, clearly define the several challenges and partnerships on sustainable development in the regions; Outline the activities at country level towards achieving the MDGs, country policies on post 2015, and stakeholders’ contributions to the framework and implementation for SDGs.

Participants: Government officials, representatives of the UN agencies in Azerbaijan, private businesses, and representatives of NGOs from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus, Russia, Moldova, and Kyrgyzstan, etc.

Therefore, this workshop intends to get together both processes and give a well-prepared input from a particular region –Central Asia and Eastern Europe- on the ongoing processes at global levels. The workshop plans to involve stakeholders participation, governments, public, civil society and private sectors to increase commitment and awareness on post 2015 and the SDGs, also most of all, increase the ownership of this SDG process, and a desirable merging of those SDGs with the post 2015 agenda. It is important to influence the agenda and be part of the decision making towards the final outcomes. Only then civil society will feel the willingness and leadership to implement the actions that will be developed for achieving the Sustainable Development and poverty eradication worldwide.

Expected outcome: Overview of country actions and commitment on post 2015 and the SDGs; how countries in the region are implementing the targets established with national policies and global strategies; Create commitment within private and public sectors, businesses, and CSOs in promoting the debates and dialogues on the issues of sustainable development; Establish a regional network of committed CSOs that will be pro-active in promoting environmental justice and systemic change for the Economy, through capacity development, exchanges and knowledge sharing for the creation and protection of sustainable regions.

One of the outcomes of the Rio+20 conference is the start of the development of a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2015 we also have to develop a follow up of the MDGs (post 2015). On SDGs: An open workgroup of 30 representatives nominated by Member States from the five United Nations regional groups is established, with the idea of achieving fair, equitable and balanced geographic representation. This open working group will work though developing modalities to ensure the full involvement of relevant stakeholders and expertise from civil society, the scientific community and the United Nations system in its work, in order to provide a diversity of perspectives and experience. It will also have to submit a report, to the sixty-eighth session of the Assembly (2013), containing a proposal for sustainable development goals for consideration and actions. For this reason it is very important that civil society and other involved stakeholders are well-informed and organized to full fill the responsibility for their serious participation and consultation. On the other hand, the post MDGs (post 2015) process already started. Both civil society organizations and UNDP did a lot of work in consultations.

(1) Northern Alliance for Sustainability (ANPED) (2) International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF) (3) Global Compact Network –Azerbaijan