The Board of the NYC Affiliate Chapter of NFBPWC-NYC stands with our National Organization in condemning the events of January 6, 2020 at the Capitol in Washington, DC.
For the full statement, please click here
New Board’s First Member Meeting!
The new Board met the member body for the first time and discussed their priorities for NFBPWC-NYC in the upcoming year.
While this was also a social event, we had prepared a short agenda that included a minute for each Board member to introduce themselves followed by a minute to each member to introduce themselves. We requested everyone to include a special project that that they would like to engage with and a concern they have regarding business and professional women, especially as a result of COVID. We ended up in an animated and engaging discussion that has given us a lot of ideas to chart the roadmap ahead.
Jaqueline Adams and Bonita Stewart discuss A Blessing: Women of Color Teaming up to Lead, Thrive and Empower.
NFBPWC-NYC is proud that the first event to be hosted by the newly elected Board will showcase Jackie Adams and Bonita Stewart, authors of this seminal work. They will present the findings from their proprietary research in a conversation that is both important and very timely.
A Blessing offers a playbook to help Black “unicorns,” successful business women like themselves, team up and find innovative ways to support one another as they climb the lonely, stressful, jagged, yet ultimately rewarding ladders of opportunity. It is filled with personal anecdotes and reflective experiences from the authors and accomplished women business leaders across industries based on their respective careers in the technology, brand marketing, and national media sectors and serves as a framework for women of color to work together, team up and shed the cloak of invisibility and aloneness. At the close of each chapter, readers will have an opportunity to create their own personal journals of reflections in what the authors call the “Living Log” as readers answer critical, insightful questions that help them see themselves – their hopes, ambitions and desires – much more clearly and defined.
We encourage you to attend the event and read the book, and to invite others to do as well, because not only will this make the perfect holiday gift, but we also seek to support local businesses and business women.
To purchase the book, kindly visit the below links to local indie bookstores:
- LitBar (hardcover) (paperback)
- McNally Jackson (hardcover) (paperback)
- Shakespeare & Co. (hardcover) (paperback)
About the Authors/Speakers:
Bonita C. Stewart brings extensive consumer technology and operational experience spanning a two+ decade career of digital transformation across multiple industries. Since joining Google in 2006, Stewart has risen to lead multi-billion dollar operations, driving adoption of digital technologies in the US and the Americas. Currently, she oversees the company’s Global Partnerships team for the largest US publishers across Search, Mobile Apps, Commerce, News, Broadcast, Telecommunications and Domains. She became the first African American woman VP to lead sales and operations for Automotive, Finance, Media/Entertainment and Travel sectors. Recognized for her leadership as a Woman to Watch (Advertising Age), Power 100 (Ebony), Woman to Watch in Tech (Crain’s NY) and Most Powerful Women (Crain’s NYC), she created the concept for Howard West, a technology immersion program for historically black colleges & universities (HBCU), powered by Google. In 2014, she was nominated to Deckers Brands’ board and serves on the corporate governance and compensation committees. In 2018, she joined the Pluralsight board and compensation committee. Prior to Google, she was Director, Chrysler Group Interactive Communications for DaimlerChrysler AG, spearheading digital efforts for Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep. During the Dot Com era, she was recruited back to DaimlerChrysler to lead Chrysler’s $400 million advertising and marketing operation. Advertising Age named the Chrysler Group 2005 Interactive Marketer of the Year and she co-authored “The Fifth P of Marketing,” for CRM Magazine. During her early automotive career, she led the brand development for future and existing Dodge cars and minivans representing an $8+ billion annual revenue target. Receiving award recognition from Harvard Business School and Howard University for alumni achievement, she has served on myriad non-profit boards: Detroit Music Hall, Cranbrook, Harvard Business School African American Alumni Association, Lincoln Center, Harvard Business School of NYC and the American Ballet Theatre Advisory Council for Project Plié. Stewart spent her formative years in Denver, CO, and graduated magna cum laude from Howard University and received an MBA from Harvard Business School. She resides in New Jersey with her husband, Kevin Stewart (HBS 1979).
Jacqueline Adams launched a second career as a communications strategist after more than two decades as an Emmy Award-winning CBS News correspondent and was the first female African American White House Correspondent for the network. Through her boutique consulting firm, J Adams: Strategic Communications, LLC, she counsels a variety of corporate and non-profit clients. She has had multi-year engagements with the global communications strategy firm, Burson-Marsteller, and with the Ford Foundation. She serves as a senior advisor to the new payment platform for publishers, NICKLPass, and she has a major role in the training program for rising star managers of color, The Diverse Future. Ms. Adams covered the groundbreaking campaigns of Jesse Jackson for President and Geraldine Ferraro for Vice President before spending five years as a White House correspondent during the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations. In the 1990s, she was a prolific contributor to CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and CBS News Sunday Morning. She won a News and Documentary Emmy Award for the 48 Hours broadcast, “The Search for Matthew.” A graduate of Harvard Business School, Adams serves on the Board of Directors of the Harvard Business School Club of New York and was among the alumnae profiled during the school’s 50th anniversary celebrations of women and African American students. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Advisory Board of the United States Institute of Peace. She is a patron of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and is in the fourth year of a planned decade long study of composers of the Romantic and Classical periods at the Juilliard School of Music’s Evening Division.
Date And Time
Tue, December 8, 2020
7:30 PM – 8:30 PM EST
Location
Online Event
Virtual Board Meeting
Where We Stand
We are a sisterhood who believes in our Constitution and the right to peaceful protests and protesters.
Our organization stands for equal rights for all, and advocates for those rights. It is unacceptable that in 2020, the business and professional world continues to Not be inclusive of women, especially Black Women and Women of Color.
We stand with those who are outraged by the murder of yet another unarmed black man, Mr. George Floyd, at the hands of a police “officer” who swore to protect us and our property.
We are happy that the charge of Third Degree Murder has been upgraded to Second Degree Murder for Derek Chauvin. And that the three who were dressed in blue who watched this murder occurring, have been charged with Aiding and Abetting the Second Degree Murder of Mr. George Floyd.
We understand that the outrage displayed and the protests are due to an accumulation of the historic racism and inequality Black people have been experiencing in our country over the last 400 years.
We are disturbed by the clearing out of a park of a peaceful group, abiding by the rights granted by our Constitution to peacefully protest, so the President can take a walk to an empty church for a photo op. And….that park is now closed.
We are appalled by the taking over of the peaceful protests by criminals and looters who take advantage of people’s pain for their own use.
We are encouraged by the many police around the country who have shown their disgust for what happened to Mr. Floyd, and their support of peaceful protest. For the others that continue to use tear gas, shoot into crowds, and continue the brutalizing of Black People, they must go!
We encourage, no we demand, that police throughout this country dissolve the “blue line of silence” and speak up when they see their fellow “officers” participate in illegal and racist behavior.
We continue to be optimistic, and hope you are too, that change is coming. If it’s change that you want, please “go” vote and get others to vote. There’s a primary June 23rd and the election in November. Let’s make sure Black Lives Matter. We need to ensure Black People have access to the same opportunities that White People have!
In the meantime, raise your voice however you see fit. If you want us to do more as an organization, please let us know.
If you’d like to be part of a new “rapid response team” where we develop statements so they can be sent to media outlets and social media in a timely manner, (another committee handles distribution) please let us know.
In Solidarity,
Executive Board, NFBPWC-NYC
June 6, 2020
Message from Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
1. We are launching a $100+ million loan program for small businesses. The loan program will focus on supporting small businesses that were less likely to receive federal loans, especially women and minority-owned businesses, and very small businesses with 20 or fewer employees. Learn more at esd.ny.gov/nyforwardloans.
2. New York is extending sales tax interest and penalty relief through June 22, 2020. This extension will provide additional support for to 89,000 vendors who had returns due in March. These small businesses file their taxes quarterly and annually, and have taxable receipts of less than $300,000 in the previous quarter.
3. The Mid-Hudson Valley and Long Island could be ready to begin Phase 1 reopening as early as next week. The timing of Phase 1 reopening depends on the continued decline of hospital deaths, among other metrics. See where your region stands on the Regional Dashboard, and remember that how fast we reopen depends on how diligently we take precautions that reduce the spread of this virus.
4. The number of total COVID hospitalizations continues to decline. Total hospitalizations fell to 4,844, from 5,187 the day before. The number of new COVID hospitalizations fell to 225, from 246 the day before. Tragically, we lost 109 New Yorkers to the virus yesterday.
5. Reopening New York must be done responsibly. If you are in a region that has started to reopen, be sure to know your rights as an employee (or your responsibilities as an employer). New Yorkers can call the Coronavirus Hotline at 1-888-364-3065 if they believe their employer is not following PPE, hygiene or social distancing guidelines as more businesses begin to reopen.
6. Reminder that you can still enroll for health insurance on the New York health plan marketplace. If you lost your job or health coverage, or are uninsured, you can enroll in a plan today at nystateofhealth.ny.gov. You may also qualify for health care coverage from Medicaid or Child Health Plus through the marketplace.
7. CVS Pharmacies will open 36 drive-thru testing sites throughout New York. Starting today, New Yorkers can find their nearest CVS drive-thru site locations in Nassau County, Suffolk County, Staten Island, or Inwood. The state also announced a new pilot program with 52 independent pharmacies to conduct 7,000 more tests per week. If you have symptoms — please get tested.
8. Vote for your favorite “Wear A Mask” PSA. We received 600+ submissions in our Wear A Mask NY Ad Contest. Watch the video finalists, the honorable mentions and vote for your favorite at wearamask.ny.gov. Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: Back in March, New York-based fashion designer Christian Siriano answered the state’s call to produce face masks. Since then, he and his team have distributed thousands of masks to health care workers, and our office has been in regular communication with Mr. Siriano. I am beyond grateful that he, and many others in the fashion community, stepped up to help New Yorkers in need.
Request Your Absentee Ballot
The 2020 New York Primary Election is now only a few weeks away, on June 23!
Make sure that you have successfully completed your absentee ballot application so that your vote counts!
All you have to do to request your absentee ballot is input your contact information then select “Temporary Illness” for COVID-19 as the reason you are choosing to vote absentee.
COVID-19 Relief Programs
TruFund Launches $5 Million COVID-19 Relief Fund to Support Disadvantaged Minority and Women-Owned Businesses!!!
TruFund’s small business COVID-19 relief fund is a follow up to its Small Business COVID19 Response Survey launched on March 16, 2020. The fund will include grants up to $10K (to qualified applicants), no application or closing fees for loans up to $75K. Loan interest will accrue at 3% and payments may be deferred for 9-12 months. These funds may be used for operating expenses.
Fill out the survey below to receive the application!
The Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act
As you know The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act) was signed into law by the President on March 27, 2020, allocating $349 billion to small businesses and private, non-profits through multiple relief programs administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program
The CARES Act made some changes to the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program. Highlights of the program include:
- Available to small businesses to cover economic injury resulting from the disaster.
- Provides small businesses with working capital loans of up to $2 million with an interest rate of 3.75% and a maximum 30-year term.
- EIDL Loans are processed directly through the SBA.
- Applicants may request a loan advance of up to $10,000. Funds will be made available within three (3) days of a successful application, and this loan advance will not have to be repaid. This advance may be available even if applicants were declined or still pending. Current applicants must fill out a new application even if a previous EIDL application was submitted. Applying for the advance will not impact the status or slow the existing application.
- Business owners can apply using the link below.
For further assistance with this loan program, please contact the New York Women’s Chamber at assistance@nywcc.org
Paycheck Protection Program
The Paycheck Protection Program provides small businesses with funds to pay up to 8 weeks of payroll costs including benefits. Funds can also be used to pay interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. Highlights of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), authorized by the CARES Act, include:
- Loans of up to $10 million with an interest rate of 0.5%.
- Small businesses with 500 or fewer employees—including nonprofits, veterans organizations, tribal concerns, self-employed individuals, sole proprietorships, and independent contractors—are eligible. Businesses with more than 500 employees are eligible in certain industries.
- Funds are provided in the form of loans that will be fully forgiven when used for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities (due to likely high subscription, at least 75% of the forgiven amount must have been used for payroll). Loan payments will also be deferred for six months. No collateral or personal guarantees are required. Neither the government nor lenders will charge small businesses any fees.
- PPP loans, unlike EIDL loans, are processed through any existing SBA 7(a) lender or through any federally insured depository institution, federally insured credit union, and Farm Credit System institution that is participating. You should consult with your local lender as to whether it is participating. A list of participating lenders as well as additional information and full terms can be found at www.sba.gov.
- The program will be available retroactive from Feb. 15, 2020, so employers can rehire their recently laid-off employees through June 30, 2020.
- PPP loans will be available starting on Friday April 3, 2020. Starting April 3, 2020, small businesses and sole proprietorships can apply. Starting April 10, 2020, independent contractors and self-employed individuals can apply. We encourage you to apply as quickly as you can because there is a funding cap.
- Business owners can find the link to complete the application below:
NOTE: An applicant may receive an EIDL Loan and a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program as long as the basis for the loans are different.
Northern Manhattan Emergency Recovery Fund
New York-Presbyterian Hospital, in partnership with Congressman Adriano Espaillat, have launched a $10 Million Emergency Recovery Fund for Northern Manhattan small businesses and non-profits.
To qualify, businesses must be located or serve the Washington Heights, Inwood and Hamilton Heights communities, can demonstrate at least a 25% loss in revenue, been in operation for at least six months, non-profits must be an established 501(c)3, and small businesses must be a brick and mortar establishment with a maximum of 100 full and part-time employees.
En Español
El hospital, New York-Presbyterian, en asociación con el congresista Adriano Espaillat, han lanzado un fondo de recuperación de $10 millones de dólares para auxiliar a las pequeñas empresas y organizaciones sin fines de lucro del Alto Manhattan. Para calificar, las empresas deben de estar ubicadas o servir a las comunidades de Washington Heights, Inwood y Hamilton Heights. Además, deben comprobar que el negocio ha perdido al menos 25% de sus ingresos, que ha estado en funcionamiento al menos seis meses, que las empresas deben de estar ubicadas dentro de un establecimiento físico con un máximo de 100 empleados a tiempo completo o parcial. Las organizaciones sin fines de lucro deben de estar registradas bajo las regulaciones pautadas del 501(c)3 .
NYC Small Business Continuity Loan Program is Now Open!
To help small businesses deal with the impact of COVID-19, the City has launched the NYC Small Business Continuity Loan Program. This program is available to New York City businesses with fewer than 100 employees that can demonstrate at least a 25% decrease in revenue as a result of COVID-19. Eligible businesses can apply for an interest-free loan up to $75,000.
Businesses must:
- Be located within the five boroughs of New York City
- Demonstrate that the COVID-19 outbreak caused at least a 25% decrease in revenue
- Employ fewer than 100 employees in total across all locations
- Have been in operation for at least 2 years
- Demonstrate ability to repay the loan
- Have no outstanding tax liens or legal judgements
En Español
Las empresas con menos de 100 empleados que han visto disminuciones de ventas del 25% o más serán elegibles para los préstamos de interés cero de hasta $ 75.000 a ayudar a mitigar las pérdidas en ganancias.
Las empresas deben:
- Ubicarse dentro de los cinco condados de la ciudad de Nueva York
- Demostrar que el brote COVID-19 causó al menos una disminución del 25% en ingresos
- Emplear 99 empleados o menos en total en todas las ubicaciones
- Demostrar la capacidad para pagar el préstamo
- No tienen los privilegios fiscales pendientes o juicios legales
Small Business Grants Program
Facebook knows that your business may be experiencing disruptions resulting from the global outbreak of COVID-19. We’ve heard that a little financial support can go a long way, so we are offering $100M in cash grants and ad credits to help during this challenging time.
Up to 30,000 eligible small businesses in more than 30 countries where we operate will be able to receive the grant. To be eligible to apply, you must:
- Have between 2 and 50 employees
- Have been in business for over a year
- Have experienced challenges from COVID-19
- Be in or near a location where Facebook operates
The Small Business Relief Initiative
GoFundMe has partnered with Yelp, Intuit QuickBooks, GoDaddy, and Bill.com to provide small business owners with the financial support and resources needed to continue running their businesses during and after the coronavirus crisis.
As part of the Small Business Relief Initiative, GoFundMe, Intuit QuickBooks, Yelp, GoDaddy, and Bill.com have each donated to the Small Business Relief Fund.
Grants are limited to $500 per person!
NFBPWC-NYC Advocacy Victories
- Governor Cuomo laid out an ambitious Justice Agenda for his first 100 Days in office – 20 items detailed below
- Assembly woman Crystal Peoples-Stokes is named Assembly Majority Leader – that makes 4 women in NYS’s top positions! https://
buffalonews.com/2018/12/17/ peoples-stokes-named-assembly- majority-leader/ - Wage Data Transparency Law to pass in NYC Council – Rally on Thursday
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Int. 633 would require all city agencies to provide pay and employment equity data annually to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS). Such data would include, for each employee within such agencies: the date of hire, the current job title, the current job category, the current job title category provided by the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the initial compensation upon date of hire, the total current compensation, the start date of such employee’s currently held position, the total number of hours worked, and the gender and racial group of such employee, if available. DCAS would be required to provide the Mayor and the Speaker of the Council with an annual report including the above data provided by city agencies, both disaggregated and aggregated, as well as recommendations to address problems associated with pay and employment equity.
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GOVERNOR CUOMO UNVEILS AGENDA FOR FIRST 100 DAYS – 2019 JUSTICE AGENDA (Press release 12/17/2018)
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, photo by Diana Robinson/Flickr/Creative Commons
In the face of the federal government’s assault on New York, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today unveiled his “2019 Justice Agenda,” urging the legislature to act in the first 100 days of the next legislative session. The Governor’s agenda represents a suite of ambitious proposals to ensure the promise of full, true justice for all, including economic justice, social justice, racial justice.
Governor Cuomo announced the agenda in a speech hosted by the Roosevelt Institute. This year, in the face of the nation’s biggest social crisis, and with the federal government seeking to undo generations of progress, Governor Cuomo broke with tradition, laying out his legislative agenda in December 2018 instead of waiting until the State of the State address to enable the Legislature to commence action on these top priorities immediately upon convening.
“Let this agenda be New York’s Declaration of Independence. We declare independence from this federal government’s policies. We disconnect from the nationalism, and the racism, and the chaos, and the xenophobia, and the misogyny, and the discrimination, and the dissembling of this Washington administration,” Governor Cuom
The 20-point agenda includes:
Ensure a Progressive Tax System: While the federal government prioritizes tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, Governor Cuomo believes in a just, progressive tax system that taxes its citizens based on their ability to pay. The Governor will maintain the state’s progressive income tax with a millionaire’s tax, while permanently capping regressive local property taxes at 2%.
Cut Middle Class Taxes while Fighting to repeal SALT: The federal government’s cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions was a devastating and targeted assault on New York that has increased taxes on New Yorkers and reduced home values. Governor Cuomo will continue to lead the fight to repeal the cap on SALT while in New York continuing tax cuts for middle class families.
Protect Quality, Affordable Health Care: While the federal government and radical judges continue to roll back the Affordable Care Act and tear away health care from millions of Americans, Governor Cuomo will take action to make sure New Yorkers are protected. The Governor will work to codify the health exchange into law and pass a law to ensure preexisting conditions continue to be covered by insurance companies regardless of what happens at the federal level.
Codify Reproductive Rights: In the face of the federal assault on women’s reproductive rights, including a Supreme Court that threatens to roll back Roe v. Wade, Governor Cuomo will fight to pass the Reproductive Health Act and the Comprehensive Contraceptive
Enshrine Gender Equality into Law: Nearly a century after it was first proposed, New York State has still not passed the Equal Rights Amendment to protect against discrimination on the basis of sex in our State constitution. To right this decades-old wrong, Governor Cuomo will push to pass the Equal Rights Amendment to add sex as a protected class.
Combat Gun Violence: 2018 was by far the worst year for school shootings in American history. To once again lead the nation on gun safety, Governor Cuomo will push to pass the Red Flag Law, ban bump stocks and extend the waiting period for purchasing a gun from three days to 10 days.
Launch a $150 Billion Infrastructure Plan: While the federal government fails to make progress on an infrastructure plan, Governor Cuomo will expand on New York’s nation-leading $100 billion infrastructure plan — building new airports, bridges and train stations all across the state — by investing an additional $150 billion in our infrastructure that will create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Fund and Restructure the MTA While Easing Traffic in New York City’s Business District: After decades of neglect and diffused responsibility, the MTA is in dire need of funding and reorganization. Governor Cuomo will fix the MTA by passing congestion pricing and overhauling the outdated structure of the authority in order to build a reliable, state of the art mass transit system with a steady funding stream and a structure that supports operational excellence.
Ensure Education Equity: After requiring data on how local schools distribute funds in last year’s budget, it’s clear that poorer schools too often do not receive an equitable share of funding from their school districts. Governor Cuomo will fight for an education system where districts distribute funding
Pass the Dream Act: While the federal government has declared war on new immigrants, New York is standing up for our immigrant communities. This year, New York will pass the Dream Act once and for all to ensure a higher education system that opens the door of opportunity to all of our children.
Launch the Green New Deal: The federal government still denies climate change, remarkably turning a blind eye to their own government’s scientific report. New York will be the most progressive state in the nation in moving to renewables and growing the new sustainable green economy. The Green New Deal will make New York’s electricity 100% carbon neutral by 2040 and put the state on the path to eliminating its carbon footprint.
Ensure Clean, Safe Drinking Water for All: Industrial toxins have infiltrated many of our communities’ drinking water systems, but the federal Environmental Protection Agency has been slow to test and regulate chemicals and to regulate pollution. Governor Cuomo will invest in our water infrastructure and clean our water for our children and our children’s children.
Improve Our Democracy: To continue New York’s progressive path of justice for all, Governor Cuomo will protect our democracy to make sure our government truly represents the people. While the federal government works to disenfranchise voters, Governor Cuomo will encourage citizens to engage in the democratic process by allowing voting by mail, enacting early voting, instituting same day and automatic voter registration, synchronizing federal and state elections and make Election Day a State Holiday to ensure as many people as possible participate in the democratic process.
Increase Trust in the Democratic System: To ensure our government is for the people, by the people, Governor Cuomo will close the LLC loophole, ban corporate campaign contributions, overhaul our campaign finance system and end outside income for lawmakers.
Protect Public Sector Unions: While the federal government is waging an all-out attack on the labor movement in both the public and private sector and seeks to undermine the right to organize and collective bargaining, Governor Cuomo believes that the labor movement is a force for social justice and the middle class. The Governor will expand the Janus protections to cover public sector labor unions at the local level and ensure workers have labor rights in the gig economy.
Keep Housing Affordable for New Yorkers: The lack of affordable housing is a crisis across the state and nation. While the federal government has abandoned its constitutional and moral responsibility dictated by the 1949 Housing Act, under Governor Cuomo‘s leadership New York will invest more in affordable housing than ever before. Governor Cuomo will reform rent regulations, including ending vacancy decontrol, repealing preferential rent and limiting capital improvement charges to protect affordable housing and respect tenants’ rights.
Pass the Child Victims Act: Governor Cuomo will fight to ensure our society holds those who abuse our children accountable criminally and civilly by passing the Child Victims Act once and for all.
Protect LGBTQ Rights: New York was the first large state to pass marriage equality, but as the federal government still seeks to discriminate against the LGBTQ community, Governor Cuomo will codify the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act into New York State law and end conversion therapy.
Legalize Adult Use of Recreational Marijuana: Governor Cuomo will end the disproportionate criminalization of one race over another by regulating, legalizing and taxing adult use of recreational marijuana.
Ensure Fairness in the Criminal Justice System: Governor Cuomo will work to address injustice in the criminal justice system by ending cash bail and enacting speedy trial and discovery reforms.
UN Briefing: Addressing Global Water Challenges and Accelerating Progress on SDG 6 (Water and Sanitation)
Date: October 9, 2018
Rapporteur: Nermin Ahmad, IFBPW UN Rep., nerminkahmad@gmail.com
Attendees: Mission Representatives, NGOs, UN Agencies
Presenters : Paul D. Egerton, WMO Representative to the United Nations
Federico Properzi, Chief Technical Adviser, UN-Water Technical Advisory Unit
Juwang Zhu, UN-Water Secretary and Director of the Division of Sustainable Development Goals, DESA
Moderator: Leanne Burney, Programme Officer, UN-Water Technical Advisory Unit
Subject: Addressing Global Water Challenges and Accelerating Progress on SDG 6 (Water and Sanitation) at the Country Level – Technical Advice Concept note
Summary: Propose High-Level UN Conference on Water and Sanitation to focus global commitment and action, and address critical gaps and find synergies notably with respect to climate change, disasters, drought and financing. Most attendees in favor; concern to break silos, collaborate with other initiatives.
Action Items:
- Activate women to press their governments to:
- Accelerate progress on SDG6 and related targets at country level
- Review, share and advance actionable solutions
- Break silos is panning, financing, decision making and foster partnerships with civil society, private companies, across sectors, within the country and across the region for true multi-stakeholder responsiveness and collaboration.
- Increase accountability and engagement – human-rights based and gender-responsive approach.
- Press for cross-silo streamlining of decision-making to link global agendas and processes and mobilize resources to enable critical change to happen.
Synopsis :
- This is 2nd year of Second UN Decade for water (the last was launched after the visionary Mar del Plata Conference in 1977)
- Currently only 3 hours are devoted to water issues every 4 years at the High Level Political Forum (HPLF) for Sustainable Development – the conference would enable a deep dive, and a correlation among the many disparate yet related initiatives and activities on-going globally.
- Lack of action has an impact on economic development; food security; health; peace and security; and gender equality. Demand for freshwater is estimated to grow by 40% through 2050; yet the world is off-track to solve the global water crisis. Today 2.1 billion people lack safely managed drinking water and 4.5 billion lack access to safely managed sanitation.
- Water governance structures remain weak and water related ecosystems continue to decline.
- A High-Level Conference would bring the issue to high scrutiny, and could be expected to have a similar benefit as the same initiative for Oceans – last one 41 years ago and this is critical issue.
- 32 UN Agencies and 42 Civil Partners already collaborating as the UN Water Secretariat which gives the process a head start – now need mandate, funding, and organization and can set it up within 18 – 24 months.
Background: http://www.unwater.org/publications/un-water_technical_advice_concept_note_addressing_global_water_challenges_and_accelerating_progress_on_sdg-6_at_the_country_level/
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