Southern solidarity for inclusive peace: Cecilia Milesi shaped global programme in the lead up to historic Second UN High-Level Conference on SSC

Cecilia Milesi played a crucial role in shaping a holistic strategy to support Southern solidarity for inclusive peace and development.

In her role as Senior Adviser on South-South Cooperation on peace and development -and during a historic year characterized by intense negotiations among member countries, UN agencies and inter-governmental organizations- Cecilia successfully facilitated a consensus-building process. This process aimed to design and implement a South-South cooperation strategy on peace and development, prioritizing Global South countries’ demands and perspectives.

The strategic consultation process involved engagement with member states, UN agencies, inter-governmental organizations, and Global South think-tanks. The process entailed organizing diverse policy dialogues and multi-stakeholders events which took place in all regions of the world as well as the United Nations Headquarters, New York.

With the aim to provide evidence-based and locally owned perspectives on conflict prevention and sustaining peace, Cecilia facilitated the formation of a cross-regional network of Global South think-tanks, coordinated the production of cutting-edge Southern research to demonstrate the nexus between peace, development and security and the need to work with an holistic, transformative and human approach to support the sustaining peace and the SDGs agendas.

UNOSSC_UNSCC photoCecilia reached out to an extensive group of UN agencies with the aim to promote joint action across institutional and thematic silos and created a strong set of partnerships to deliver South-South learning exchanges on peace and development.

The “Second United Nations High-Level Conference” (BAPA +40) outcome document adopted by world representatives committed to promote “peace and inclusive societies and to build accountable institutions at all levels. Good governance, rule of law, human rights, fundamental freedoms, equal access to fair justice systems, and measures to curb corruption and illicit flows will be integral to our (South-South) efforts”. If we take into consideration the peace-development nexus, it appears that the final outcome document will be an important policy tool to foster Southern solidarity in diverse areas including women and youth rights and participation, poverty eradication, and climate change, all key interrelated issues which need to be considered if the aim is to transform the root causes of conflict.

Cecilia will be documenting lessons from practice and recommendations to follow up action over the second half of 2019 and in her capacity of “Asia Global Fellow”.

The above-mentioned research papers and policy events video-recording can be found in the following links

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