PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR HIGH-LEVEL EVENT ON FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT PROVISIONALLY APPROVES LIST OF NGO PARTICIPANTS

Press Release
DEV/2266

PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR HIGH-LEVEL EVENT ON FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT PROVISIONALLY APPROVES LIST OF NGO PARTICIPANTS

As it resumed its first substantive session this morning, the Preparatory Committee for the High-Level International Intergovernmental Event on Financing for Development provisionally approved 12 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for accreditation in the preparatory process and the Event.

Following a request by the delegations of China and Cuba for more time to consider the list of organizations, the Committee decided that the list would be approved unless the Secretariat received any objections by Thursday.

As set out in a note by the Secretary-General (document A/AC.257/10), the NGOs are: Forgotten Children, Center for Environmental Economic Development, Youth Ending Hunger, Focus on the Global South, Heinrich Boll Foundation, The Sisters of Charity Federation, One World Trust, International Union for Land Value Taxation and Free Trade, Africa Infrastructures Foundation, Transkei Land Service Organization, Year of Relief 2000, and Women's International Coalition for Economic Justice.

During the meeting, the representatives of Japan, Sudan and France emphasized the need to decide on the venue and timing of the Event as soon as possible in order to allow for adequate preparation. In addition, the representative of Kenya stated that his country would like to host the event, while the representative of Chile made a tentative offer.

The co-Chairman of the Committee, Jorgen Bojer (Denmark), replied that every effort would be made to decide on a venue at the next meeting of the Committee, which would be held on Thursday, 16 November.

With regard to the participation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he informed the Committee that a letter had been sent requesting a meeting between the bureau of the Committee and the IMF Board, but a formal answer had not yet been received. The Fund’s Managing Director, Horst Koehler, had invited the two co-Chairs to have an informal lunch with the Board in Washington, thereby giving them an opportunity to explain the need for the IMF’s involvement in the high- level Event.

Preparatory Committee for High-Level - 2 - Press Release DEV/2266 Event on Financing for Development 30 October 2000 11th Meeting (AM)

Turning to the hearings to be held with representatives of civil society and the business sector, the Committee took note of the lists of those representatives and authorized the Secretariat to issue the corresponding invitations. The hearings with representatives of civil society will be held on 6 and 7 November, while those with the business sector will be held on 11 and 12 November.

The representative of Saint Lucia hoped that systemic and trade issues would receive more attention in the upcoming meetings with business representatives, as those issues had been marginalized in the past.

In other business, it was noted that a number of NGOs had asked to participate as observers at the civil society hearings. The Committee took note of those organizations and provisionally authorized the issuance by the Secretariat of the corresponding invitations, again pending receipt of any objections by Thursday.

Also this morning, the Committee elected Hazem Fahmy (Egypt) as its Rapporteur. John Davison (United States) and Jorge Valdez (Peru) were elected Vice-Chairmen to replace Michael Gallagher and Daul Matute, respectively.

Asda Jayanama (Thailand), co-Chairman of the Preparatory Committee, chaired the meeting. Oscar de Rojas, Executive Coordinator for the Financing for Development Secretariat, replied to questions.

At its next formal meeting on Thursday, 16 November, the first resumed session of the Preparatory Committee will take up the remaining pending issues, namely, the question of the form, venue, timing, duration and format of the final event, and the modalities of participation of institutional stakeholders in the preparatory process and final event (particularly the IMF). It will also consider the agenda for the second substantive session, as well as its report from its organizational and first substantive session.

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