By Li Zou & Dinesh Jonnakuty
As co-chairs of the Education Subcommittee of the NGO Committee for Social Development, we see our work as building and sharing the Committee’s collective wisdom. We are the Committee’s knowledge hub. We facilitate knowledge-sharing and inform the Committee of the UN social development priorities.
In practice, this takes three main forms. Each month, we spotlight a couple member organizations through a short presentation to our community. These sessions rotate across thematic areas, and cultivate collaborations that might never have happened otherwise. Peer learning is one of the most valuable assets in civil society networks.
The second strand is one we consider foundational: deepening our collective understanding of the key UN policy frameworks that underpin our social development work. This means dedicating time to studying landmark documents such as the Doha Political Declaration and related social development commitments. We do not simply reference them, but genuinely engage with what they call for and what they mean for civil society. We believe that understanding the policy landscape thoroughly will prepares us well to influence it.
We also bring in outside voices. By identifying and coordinating guest speakers such as UN experts, policymakers, and thought leaders working on social development, we connect the Committee directly to the conversations shaping the global agenda. Right now, that means a particular focus on the Doha Declaration and the preparations underway for the 65th Commission for Social Development priority theme—-Strengthening social development through intergenerational approaches for achieving sustainable development and the implementation of the Copenhagen and Doha commitments towards 2030 and beyond.
Education Subcommittee Members
Li Zou, Dinesh Jonnakuty, Jackie Shapiro, Sue-Ann MacDonald, Terry Kiarie
Interested in joining the Education Subcommittee?
Please reach out to Li Zou lzou@wustl.edu or Dinesh Jonnakuty dinesh.jonnakuty@gmail.com to learn more.
