The group of experts gathered by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in collaboration with the International Social Science Council (ISSC) to prepare part of UNESCO's inputs into the process of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) concurred that ensuring that the voices of the excluded are heard and included should be the guiding principle in designing the post-2015 development agenda.

The expert group meeting, titled 'Global justice, poverty and inequality in the post-2015 development agenda,' took place from 28-29 April 2014, at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.

Participants agreed that the most important questions are who sets the agenda and who is it for. They reflected on the question of how to move from criticism of global injustice to a politically influential discourse on global justice, and the weight of “the local” in shaping public notions of “the global.” Discussions assessed existing key contributions from the social sciences, and identified knowledge gaps, priority areas, questions, and new ideas on the topic.

Experts also made suggestions for the preparation of UNESCO-ISSC contributions to the 2015 World Social Science Forum (WSSF), which will be held in Durban, South Africa, from 13-16 September 2015, and for the design of the next World Social Science Report 2016.

UNESCO and ISSC will prepare an outcome report synthesizing the presentations and debates, and providing inputs into policy - including policy briefs, op-ed pieces and texts to be disseminated through social media. [UNESCO Press Release]

Read more: http://post2015.iisd.org/news/unesco-experts-prioritize-global-justice-in-post-2015-agenda/