BEIRUT HEARING IN PREPARATION FOR 'MILLENNIUM ASSEMBLY' TAKES UP SOCIAL, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Press Release
GA/9556
REC/50
BEIRUT HEARING IN PREPARATION FOR 'MILLENNIUM ASSEMBLY' TAKES UP SOCIAL, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
19990524 BEIRUT, 23 May (UN Information Centre) -- During the afternoon session of the regional hearing in preparation for the Millennium Assembly and Millennium Summit of the United Nations, to be held in New York in the autumn of 2000, participants discussed how the United Nations could promote economic and social development in the region. The hearing has been organized at the request of Secretary-General Kofi Annan by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) on 23-24 May 1999 at the United Nations House, Beirut, Lebanon. The thematic session was chaired by Under-Secretary-General Ismat Kittani, who noted that the three themes of the two-day hearing -- peace and security, economic and social development, and human rights and good governance -- were interrelated. He also reminded participants that the objective behind the hearing was to elicit views regarding the role envisaged for the United Nations system for the region as the next century approaches.Civil society participants stressed that they were expecting greater support from the United Nations in furthering the region's social emancipation efforts, and to help stopping "parochial thinking". They pointed out that the United Nations should strengthen its relationship with civil society, particularly at the regional level, through the direct allocation of resources, as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) could not compete with governments for United Nations funds. Participants also expressed the hope that the United Nations would "encourage countries in the ESCWA region to grant full freedom to civil society and NGOs". Among the recommendations put forward by participants were: the need for the United Nations to be more committed to the concepts it had promoted and to resist all political pressures; and to find alternative ways to encourage regional development through education and capacity-building. It was stressed that such an endeavour should not be at the detriment of local cultures. The ESCWA was called upon to establish a tripartite committee that would be mandated to conduct an in-depth review of the state of civil society in the region, as well as design a cooperation framework to allow the contribution of NGOs in the work of the Commission.
The hearing's third session on "Human rights and Good Governance" will be opened at 9 a.m. Monday, 24 May, at United Nations House, Beirut. It will be chaired by Mohsen Al-Ayni, former Prime Minister of Yemen.
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