No. 4| October 2017 Dear Colleagues and Friends, Multilateralism is strongly contested these days- a tendency which could be seen during the General Debate initializing the 72. General Assembly of the United Nations. Fortunately there were also those who strongly supported and championed international cooperation as the only way to meet the global challenges ahead. International achievements like the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action(JCPOA) the so-called"Iran nuclear deal"- needed to be defended in a meeting of the P5+1 and Iran at the sidelines of the General Assembly to prevent its renegotiation. Much on the positive side is the first multilaterally binding instrument to ban nuclear weapons: The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was successfully negotiated by two thirds of the UN member states throughout the first half of 2017 and was opened for signature on September 20. As FES we feel privileged to have been supporting the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons(ICAN) and others in working towards a treaty to ban nuclear weapons. Today, our congratulations go to ICAN for having been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2017! We are thrilled! As always, our Newsbrief seeks to inform on past and upcoming activities of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung New York Office. Today, we have an additional announcement: We have moved to a new location. You can now find us on the 34th Floor, remaining in the same building at 747 Third Ave. Soon we hope to be inviting you, our colleagues and partners, to meetings in our new conference room. With regard to upcoming events we would like to draw your attention to the New York launch of the recently translated biography"Willy Brandt- Life of a Statesman" on Tuesday October 10 with the author Prof. Hélène Miard-Delacroix. In Washington D.C., the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group will take place October 13-15. In the lead-up to these meetings, FES New York will co-organize two sessions in the annual Civil Society Policy Forum focusing on inequalities and the rights of labor, as well as policies for promoting

more just and fair economies(please find further information below). We hope you enjoy this issue of UN in Focus and appreciate your feedback. With kind regards, Bettina Luise Rürup Executive Director Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung- New York Office Upcoming Events in New York "Willy Brandt- Life of a Statesman" by Hélène Miard-Delacroix Tuesday, October 10, 6:30pm- 8:00pm Goethe-Institut New York, 30 Irving Place, New York Featuring: Author: Prof. Dr. Hélène Miard-Delacroix Paris-Sorbonne University Comments by: Prof. Dr. David Abraham University of Miami School of Law Moderator: Anna Skarpelis New York University Like his contemporary John F. Kennedy, Willy Brandt was one of the great political icons of his time- and remains to many a representative of political modernity itself. As the first Social Democrat Chancellor of West Germany between 1969 and 1974, Brandt was at the forefront of some of Germany's most definitive and controversial decisions. He famously fell to his knees in recognition of the atrocities committed by his countrymen in the Warsaw Ghetto, and received the Nobel Peace Prize for his policy of reconciliation toward Eastern Europe. As Chair of the"Brandt Commission"(Independent Commission on International Development Issues) in the early 80ties, Brandt drew much-needed attention to the growing need for international solidarity and a global perspective on the world's most pressing issues. Against this backdrop, the New York offices of the Goethe-Institut and FriedrichEbert-Stiftung(FES) are pleased to host a presentation and discussion on Hélène

Miard-Delacroix's newly translated biography"Willy Brandt- Life of a Statesman". We invite you to join us and our distinguished panelists for this open, public event and look forward to jointly exploring the life and times of Willy Brandt in the context of a broader discussion on his lasting influence on modern political culture, international solidarity, societal change, and the rise of civil rights movements. Invitation "Assisting Victims and Remediating the Environment: Putting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons into Action" Side Event for UNGA First Committee 12 October 2017 13:15- 14:45 Conference Room A, UN Headquarters In July 2017, when 122 states adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons(TPNW), they also agreed on a number of positive obligations for states parties. The positive obligations comprise victim assistance, environmental remediation and international cooperation. While such commitments are unprecedented in an international agreement on nuclear weapons, they were informed by provisions and practice in previous treaties prohibiting anti-personnel landmines and cluster munitions. This side event will explore what the implementation of these provisions will mean for states that will be party to the TPNW, and steps that should be taken in the run up to and following its entry in to force. For further information contact Volker Lehmann, FES New York Senior Policy Analyst: vlehmann@fesny.org Flyer Upcoming Events in Washington, D.C. "Reclaiming policy space for the public: presenting Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2017" All who are accredited to attend the IMF/WBG CSO Forum are invited Thursday October 12, 2017- 11:00 am- 12:30 pm World Bank Group I Building(1850 I St NW, Washington, DC)- Room to be announced The Center for Economic and Social Rights, Arab NGO Network for Development, FES New York; Society for International Development, and Public Services International have organized a session in the CSO Forum of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group to present findings and recommendations from the global civil society report'Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2017' published by six international NGOs and networks. The Spotlight Report provides

the most comprehensive independent assessment of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), based on experiences of national and regional groups around the world. From a cross-regional perspective, speakers will examine the impacts of privatization, PPPs and corporate capture on 2030 Agenda implementation, and explore the IFIs' role in policy coherence and tackling inequalities. Flyer Spotlight Report "Can the IFIs Support Sustainable Growth, Reduce Inequality and Protect Labor Rights at the Same Time?" All who are accredited to attend the IMF/WBG CSO Forum are invited Thursday October 12, 2017- 4:00 pm- 5:30 pm Room IMF HQ2- 3B 838 B 1900 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20431 At the global level, it remains difficult to evaluate what effect the policies of the multilateral system have on the international dimension of inequality. This panel organized by FES New York, ITUC and New Rules for Global Finance- presents cutting-edge research on the global financial rule-making institutions and explores the nexus between labor policy and human rights, sustainable development and reducing inequality. The meeting will start with a 2017 Financial Impact Report, "Are the Multilateral Institutions Fighting Inequality?", which looks at the impact made by the global financial rule-makers(United Nations, International Monetary Fund, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Bank Group, Financial Stability Board and Group of 20). The analysis finds the roots of constructive policy research and trends in the work of both WBG and IMF as well as potential for positive synergy between human rights, labor rights, reducing inequality and promoting sustainable growth under the umbrella of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 10. The purpose of the presentations and discussions is to illuminate how the IFIs can achieve their own goals/mandates through labor policies that are consistent with human rights. Draft Programme Executive Summary:"Are the Multilateral Organizations Fighting Inequality?" Past Events "From Tax Competition to Tax Cooperation: An Alternative to the Race to the Bottom" Monday, September 18, 2017, 6:30 pm- 8:30 pm Roger Smith Hotel, 501 Lexington Ave, New York Tax havens are the ultimate expression of the global corporate tax race to the

bottom, and they have largely increased over the years. The United Nations estimates that financing needed for basic infrastructure investment in developing economies is between USD 1 to 1.5 trillion annually. According to a report by Kar and Spanjers, developing economies are estimated to have lost about US$7.8 trillion in illicit financial flows(IFFs) during 2004-2013. Retaining and taxing these resources could contribute to reduce income inequality, strengthen human rights, and boost the implementation of the SDGs. Therefore, it is vital to improve and reform the taxation system and this will require strengthening cooperation at the global, regional and sub-regional levels. In this context, FES New York, together with the Permanent Missions of Ecuador and Tanzania and the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation(ICRICT), co-hosted a public debate with the high-level guests like María Fernanda Espinosa, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador and Modest Mero, the Permanent Representative of Tanzania to the UN. Next to personal remarks by each of the debaters on the issue this event also gave the audience the opportunity to ask questions, express views and to continue the conversation at a reception after the debate. Concept Note& Agenda "UN-Civil Society Cooperation: Strengthening Accountability and Prevention under the Responsibility to Protect" Thursday, 7 September, 2017, 9:30am- 11:30am The Church Center for the United Nations On the occasion of the ninth annual informal, interactive dialogue on the Responsibility to Protect(R2P) of the General Assembly, FES New York in cooperation with the Stanley Foundation and the International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect(ICRtoP) co-hosted this civil society discussion on R2P and the prevention of atrocity crimes. This event allowed civil society actors to exchange views and information with Ivan Simonovic, Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Responsibility to Protect and provided the opportunity to hear diverse viewpoints, to connect and reflect on potential areas of cooperation and to explore how existing initiatives and programs can complement one another in the future. Policy Memo "G24 Special Workshop on Growth and Reducing Inequality" September 5-6, 2017 International Labour Organisation, Geneva, Switzerland General trends show that two thirds of world inequality is due to international (not"within-country") inequality, and global inequality is greater than inequality in any single country, which drives a lot of international migration. FES New York partnered with G24 and ILO in this forum for developing countries to consider this and other perspectives, successes and challenges to boosting growth while

reducing inequality. Take-aways include the argument that to reduce (international) inequality fastest, we need to focus on reducing poverty because of the 870 million global poor and the view that the concept financial inclusion must be broadened to include access to finance, use of finance, cost of access and quality of finance that is not only to individuals or firms but also to developing country governments. To request the upcoming summary report, please email our office at: fes.associate@fesny.org Visit Our Website www.fes-globalization.org/new_york Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung- New York Office, 747 Third Avenue, Suite 34D, New York, NY 10017 SafeUnsubscribe™ Forward this email| Update Profile| About our service provider Sent by fes.associate@fesny.org in collaboration with Try it free today