SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN UNITED NATIONS AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS 'A NECESSITY'
Press Release
SG/SM/6381
NGO/302
SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN UNITED NATIONS AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS 'A NECESSITY'
19971105 GENEVA, 3 November (UN Information Service) -- Following is the text of Secretary-General Kofi Annan's message to the twentieth General Assembly of the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council held today. It was delivered on his behalf by the Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations, Gillian Sorensen:I am pleased to convey a message to this important gathering of non-governmental organizations.
Your commitment to United Nations aims and ideals, and your vast and varied expertise, are great assets for the world's people and for the world Organization.
Whatever the field -- human rights, humanitarian relief, sustainable development, international law, disarmament, mine clearance, poverty eradication -- your effectiveness and influence are indisputable.
Your burgeoning involvement in the work of the United Nations occurs at a time when the global agenda has never been so varied, so pressing or so complex. It demands of the international community new approaches, new resources and new commitments of political will. Our partnership is, therefore, a necessity.
Non-governmental organizations are doing their utmost to equip themselves for this new global era. You are increasing your own coordination, creating new coalitions around emerging issues, and building on the advocacy efforts that played such an integral role in the major world conferences of recent years.
The United Nations, for its part, is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. In a drive towards greater coherence, agility and unity, we are reforming our structures, management and priorities. This effort is touching virtually every aspect of our global operation.
As an essential part of this process, we are broadening our view of what is meant by human security. Today, security is increasingly understood not just in military terms, and as far more than the absence of conflict. It is, in fact, a phenomenon that encompasses economic development, social justice,
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environmental protection, democratization, disarmament and respect for human rights.
These goals, these pillars of peace, are interrelated. Progress in one area begets progress in another. But no country can get there on its own. And none is exempt from the risks and costs of doing without. So let us work together, in common cause towards these common goals.
The new century and new millennium are upon us. There are great opportunities to be seized, and great pitfalls to be avoided. As we address these challenges, I look forward to expanding and deepening our ties. I am also keen to learn of the proposals you will decide upon at this conference. In that positive spirit, please accept my best wishes for a successful conference.
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