FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL DPI/NGO CONFERENCE TO BE HELD AT HEADQUARTERS, 14-16 SEPTEMBER
Press Release
NGO/304
PI/1077
FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL DPI/NGO CONFERENCE TO BE HELD AT HEADQUARTERS, 14-16 SEPTEMBER
19980909 To Discuss Fiftieth Anniversary Of Universal Declaration of Human RightsThe fifty-first annual NGO Conference, organized by the Department of Public Information (DPI) in cooperation with the Executive Committee of Non-Governmental Organizations associated with DPI, will be held at United Nations Headquarters from 14 to 16 September. The title of this year's conference is: "The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: From Words to Deeds."
The three-day conference will feature over 60 speakers representing NGOs, the media, academia, the United Nations system and governments. In commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the conference will examine the impact this landmark document has had on societies around the world.
The President of the fifty-third session of the General Assembly, Didier Opertti (Uruguay), and Secretary-General Kofi Annan will open the Conference on Monday, 14 September at 10 a.m., in the General Assembly Hall. Suzanne Mubarak, First Lady of Egypt, and Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), will deliver keynote addresses.
In the field of human rights, perhaps more than in any other field, NGOs have played a pivotal role in focusing the attention of governments, intergovernmental organizations and the public on the need to promote and protect these fundamental freedoms. The aim of the Conference is to move beyond words to deeds. It is in this spirit that practitioners and activists working on human rights issues will share their experiences and offer their insight into how to advance the cause of human rights worldwide. They will discuss such issues as: the universality of human rights; the impact of globalization on human rights; the relationship between human rights and peace; the building of human rights institutions; and the promotion of human rights education.
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The Conference will also be addressed by, among others, Graça Machel, First Lady of South Africa and President of an NGO in Mozambique; Danielle Mitterrand, Former First Lady of France and Founder of the NGO France Libertés; the Minister of Welfare and Social Affairs of Egypt, Mervet Tallawy; and actress Julia Ormond. Representatives of human rights NGOs -- including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Doctors Without Borders -- will share their experience and expertise in the panel discussions. Media representatives from organizations such as The New York Times and CNN will provide first-hand accounts based on their work in the field.
Over 2,600 representatives of 619 non-governmental organizations from 60 countries from around the world have registered to attend this year's Conference; a record number.
Copies of the Conference programme are available on the Internet at www.un.org/MoreInfo/ngolink/schedule. For further information, contact the NGO Section of DPI at (212) 963-1361 or 963-7709.
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