Eighth Session of the Open Working Group (OWG) of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

In the afternoon, a number of keynote speakers and panelists addressed the OWG regarding “Conflict prevention, post-conflict peacebuilding and promotion of durable peace, rule of law and governance.” Mary Robinson, Chair, The Mary Robinson Foundation, emphasized the importance of including a focus on peace and eliminating violence in the post-2015 development agenda. Calling the relationship between peace and development a “continuum,” she stressed that the nexus between peace, security, human rights and development have never been clearer. Cassam Uteem, former President of Mauritius, presented the idea of the “shared society,” a term used by the Club of Madrid to describe sensitive, inclusive governance that looks after everyone, resulting in a society not “owned” by any one sector or group, in which everyone is valued. Irene Khan, Director-General, International Development Law Organization, highlighted that good laws and regulations that are fairly administered contribute to fair outcomes for all. William O’Neill, Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum, stressed that governance reform will take time, and will not be accepted by powerful actors that benefit from the lack of rule of law.