CALD tackles the SDGs in Mongolia

The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), in cooperation with the Civil Will Green Party (CWGP) of Mongolia, and with the support of Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) for Freedom, held a conference on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on 6-10 November 2015.  A CALD Women’s Caucus Seminar, a CALD Executive Committee Meeting and special sessions on women and religion, death penalty, and elections in Asia took place as well.

After the welcome dinner on 6 November, the official line-up of activities commenced a day after with the CALD Women’s Caucus Seminar in the morning and CALD Executive Committee in the afternoon.  The Women’s Caucus event carried the theme, “Women Leadership 20 Years After the Beijing Platform of Action (BPA)”, and featured sessions on the successes and challenges of the BPA, as well as on women leadership in the 21^st century.  CALD Chair Dr. Oyun Sanjaasuren opened the seminar with an update on the status of Mongolian women, followed by a keynote address of Ms. Oyuntsetseg Oidov, who previously worked in the United Nations body for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UNW).  In her address, Ms. Oidov reminded the participants that “… empowering women empowers humanity.  It is proven that giving voice to women and a space in decision-making has a positive impact on everyone: families are healthier, people are better educated, economies grow faster and consumptions are responsible and smarter.”

After the special session on women and religion, the CALD Executive Committee Meeting took place where the network’s recent activities and proposed 2016 events were discussed.  Two resolutions were also passed: (1) CALD Resolution No. 3 congratulating the National League for Democracy (NLD) for its imminent electoral victory as seen in the initial election results, and urging all stakeholders to ensure Burma’s successful transition to democracy; and (2) CALD Resolution No. 4 condemning in strongest terms the harassment of the political opposition in Cambodia.  The day ended with a reception and cultural performance hosted by the CWGP in the government complex.

On 7 November, the conference proper on the SDGs took place, with Dr. Sanjaasuren delivering the welcome remarks.  She first identified the global trends that could impact on the future, noting that the world could not continue with its “business-as-usual” attitude. “The next years will be critical in shaping our future towards a more sustainable path”, she added.  This was supported by FNF Regional Director for Southeast and East Asia Siegfried Herzog, who emphasized the role of accountable and transparent institutions in addressing global challenges, including climate change.

A set of keynote speeches then followed, with United Nations Environment Program’s (UNEP) Dr. Stefanos Fotiou, Cambodia National Rescue Party’s (CNRP) Mr. Sam Rainsy and former Prime Minister of Finland Ms. Anneli Jaatteenmaki sharing their thoughts on the SDGs.  Dr. Fotiou emphasized the need for a holistic change in lifestyles, consumption patterns, infrastructure and investments in order to adapt to climate change, while Mr. Sam noted that the achievement of the SDGs is also contingent on the respect for political freedoms.  In her intervention, Ms. Jaatteenmaki focused on how developed and developing countries could work together to realize the SDGs.  A firm believer in an individual’s capacity to master nature, she noted: “…investing in people is ecological, resource efficient and brings great benefits over the years.”

In the afternoon, Mr. Herzog facilitated an open space session with the general theme “new/innovative ideas for CALD”.  In this session, issue-areas that CALD should concentrate on were suggested, together with recommendations on how CALD could better improve its organization and operations.  This was followed by two special sessions on death penalty and elections, where the participants debated on the use of death penalty and shared best practices on party management and election campaigns respectively.

The series of events in Mongolia ended with a session on the upcoming Mongolian elections in the CWGP headquarters, and a trip to the picturesque Mongolian countryside.