‘EVERYONE STANDS TO GAIN’ WHEN GOVERNMENTS, NGOS WORK TOGETHER, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS OPENING SESSION OF DPI/NGO CONFERENCE

DPI/NGO Fifty-fourth Annual Conference

AM Meeting

‘EVERYONE STANDS TO GAIN’ WHEN GOVERNMENTS, NGOS WORK TOGETHER,

SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS OPENING SESSION OF DPI/NGO CONFERENCE

Secretary-General Kofi Annan said this morning that the challenges of HIV/AIDS, poverty, and the environment were “ripe for what NGOs and volunteers do best,” as he addressed the opening session of the fifty-fourth Annual Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI). 

The three-day Conference includes opening and closing sessions, five plenary panels and 30 NGO Midday Workshops.  Its theme this year is “NGOs Today:  Diversity of the Volunteer Experience,” which coincides with the ongoing International Year of Volunteers.

The Secretary-General said the battle against HIV/AIDS would not be won without the engagement of all sectors, and that grassroots home-based care services, provided on a voluntary basis, were proving critical in providing basic care.  As societies mobilized for the third decade of HIV and AIDS, “we look to you again”, he said.  

In fighting poverty, he said that the world was facing a new test –- whether globalization could be shaped so that its benefits reached the poor, the great majority of whom had been left outside the new global economy.  Many NGOs had been active in the effort to rectify that situation in a constructive way, though their voices were frequently drowned out by those bent on violent protest.  As for the world’s natural environment, he called for the political courage to focus on the long term.

In all areas, he emphasized, governments should resist the tendency to see NGOs solely as adversaries.  At the same time, NGOs needed to acknowledge the legitimate roles and responsibilities of the State.  Everyone stood to gain when governments and NGOs learned to work with each other, at home and internationally.

Vicente Fox, President of Mexico, addressed the Conference through a keynote message via live videoconferencing.  He said cultural diversity accounted for Mexico’s greatness as a democratic, modern nation both economically and politically.  The cooperation of diverse people made for a balanced, transparent government. Civil society facilitated communication between all sectors.  It was the driving force for Mexico’s concern with international affairs, and for its deep involvement in the United Nations as a founding Member.

Globalization had led to a democracy deficit, said the President of the General Assembly, Harri Holkeri.  Traditional ways of popular participation were

not sufficient.  Yet more than ever, individuals had the power to move mountains and influence global policy-making.  Volunteerism was a response to modern challenges and a solution to the increasing need for global citizens to take concrete action. 

Sharon Capeling-Alakija, the Executive Coordinator of United Nations Volunteers, said that it was vital to open meaningful volunteer opportunities to diverse members of society.  It was particularly important to include young people.  Their views, their vitality and their creativity were needed in all areas.  Young people from lower income groups, minorities, youths with disabilities and other young people should, she said, be particularly encouraged.

Also speaking this morning were Shashi Tharoor, Interim Head of DPI; Kay Greene, Chair of the NGO/DPI Executive Committee; Leslie Wright, First Vice-President of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO); and Anie Kalayjian, Co-chair of the Conference Planning Committee.

The Conference will reconvene this afternoon at 3 p.m. to continue its discussion of diversity and volunteerism.

Background

The fifty-fourth Annual Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) opened this morning for a three-day event expected to include open and closing sessions, five plenary panels and 30 NGO midday workshops.  The theme of this year’s conference is “NGOs Today:  Diversity of the Volunteer Experience,” to coincide with the celebration of this year as the International Year of Volunteers.

Statements

SHASHI THAROOR, Interim Head of the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI), welcomed participants to the Conference, noting the aptness of the focus on volunteers and the special relationship between his Department and the NGO community.  There was an ever-deepening involvement of civil society in the work of the United Nations.  In fact, almost 3,000 NGOs had established direct ties with the United Nations Secretariat and hundreds more worked with United Nations organizations.  Over 600 such organizations, from 90 countries, were represented at the Conference.

Such NGOs, he said, had been forming an increasingly organized network which could provide support and energy to the United Nations in tackling the current, enormous challenges before the international community, including the ambitious agenda adopted at the Millennium Summit.  The days ahead would provide a valuable measure of the relevance of the United Nations to people around the world, and he believed that high expectations would be fulfilled.

Mr. Tharoor then introduced the following speakers.

HARRI HOLKERI, President of the General Assembly, said that in the beginning of the new millennium, the world was experiencing the emergence of a new global community.  The number of players, and their individual significance, had increased.  The emergence of a strong, viable and skilled global civil society network was a fact. 

Although humankind was endowed with immense resources and rich in technological achievements, he said, the fact that no one seemed to be in the driver's seat or in charge of global issues left people feeling powerless.  Globalization could be argued to have led to a democracy deficit, where traditional ways of popular participation were not sufficient for citizens.  Yet, more than ever, individuals had the power to move mountains and influence global policy-making.  Volunteerism was partly a response to those challenges and one solution to the increasing need for global citizens to take concrete action. 

All social movements, he said, had started with ideas and actions by individuals.  Human capital was still the most powerful source of change and well-being of humankind, not the market economy or technological and scientific innovations.  When several people took action in the same direction, such as within the global volunteer movement, diverse backgrounds and experiences were combined, making it possible to step out from conventional patterns of answers, to make a difference.

The leading principles in the new world community should be dialogue, inclusion and cooperation, he noted.  Partnerships needed to be based on shared responsibilities and on mutual respect between all.  Governments should practice inclusiveness and responsiveness.  At the same time, civil society must interact with the rest of society in a constructive manner.  The credibility that thousands of NGOs had created over many years must not be lost because of action by groups whose aims were not related to enhancing the global agenda.  Volunteerism, he emphasized, was an expression of individual and collective responsibility. 

Statement by Secretary-General

Secretary-General KOFI ANNAN said that volunteering was a basic human impulse, found in almost every country.  He focused on three challenges -– the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the fight against poverty, and protecting the global environment.  Not only were they among the most pressing issues on the global agenda, they were “especially ripe for what NGOs and volunteers do best”. 

With regard to the AIDS epidemic, it had been said that the battle would not be won without the engagement of everyone, he said.  Indeed, grassroots home-based care services provided on a voluntary basis were proving critical in providing basic care.  Despite notable efforts, infection rates were rising rapidly in many areas.  Care and treatment remained beyond the reach of far too many people.  Silence reigned in too many places.  Science had yet to deliver a cure or a vaccine.  As societies mobilized for the third decade of HIV and AIDS, “we look to you again”.  

The other obstacles faced in the fight against poverty, he said, were all too familiar -– trade barriers, debt, falling official development assistance, poor governance, discrimination against women, and conflict.  Today, the world was facing a new test -– whether globalization could be shaped so that its benefits reached the poor, the great majority of whom had been left outside the new global economy.  The feeling that something was wrong with the current face of globalization had been at the heart of protests seen in recent years in Seattle, Genoa and elsewhere. 

Those protests, he continued, had been difficult, even traumatic perhaps, for the many NGOs which combined a firm rejection of violence with a genuine concern about globalization and related problems.  Those NGOs took to the streets peacefully, only to find their voices drowned out by those bent on violence and destruction.  It would be tragic if globalization were to be discredited before the world had a chance to seize its potential. 

He went on to say that neither globalization nor development would succeed if they were not pursued in harmony with the earth’s ecosystems and natural resources.  Unless the earth’s natural capital was protected, the world would not be able to sustain economic growth.  Moreover, the costs of inaction were often ignored.  The world had at its disposal the human and material resources with which to achieve sustainable development.  However, to do so, it must stop being so economically defensive in the short term, and find the political courage to focus on the long term. 

To those challenges, he added one more -– attracting more young people to the causes of NGOs.  If they were left on society’s margins, everyone would be impoverished.  The impulse to contribute was there; the challenge was to tap it.  Governments should resist the tendency to see NGOs solely as adversaries.  At the same time, NGOs need to acknowledge the legitimate roles and responsibilities of the State.  Everyone stood to gain when governments and NGOs learned to work with each other, at home and internationally.

VICENTE FOX, President of Mexico, addressed the Conference through a keynote message delivered in a live videoconference broadcast.  Recalling his country’s grand indigenous heritage, he reaffirmed Mexico’s distinction as a crossroad for numerous cultures.

Cultural diversity, he said, accounted for Mexico’s greatness as a democratic, modern nation, both economically and politically.  The cooperative efforts of those diverse people ensured the good balance in the Government between its executive, judicial and legislative branches, while a strong media ensured transparency in government.  That kind of information, along with education and constitutional reform, had led to the assurance that all the indigenous had their proper place in Mexico’s rich society.  Numerous mechanisms were in place to safeguard people’s rights as the country addressed the many problems of the modern age.  Citizens’ councils ensured open communication between the people and the Government.  They also ensured full participation of all people.

That same involvement of civil society in the Government was the driving force for Mexico’s deep involvement in the United Nations, he stated.  Mexico had been concerned with international affairs ever since it had become a founding Member of the Organization.  Both the Government and Mexico’s civil society fully supported the aims of the United Nations, while also advocating revitalization.

The United Nations must be strong but also more democratic, he emphasized.  There must be a new international architecture that eliminated racism and created a safer, cleaner planet without the threat of arms and without destruction of the environment by industry.  Those were the aims of civil society.  The diversity of civil society players in the international context would bring about those aims.

SHARON CAPELING-ALAKIJA, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteer Programme, expressed appreciation for the Conference’s theme of volunteerism, coinciding, as it did, with the International Year of Volunteers. She had no doubt that most of the various forms of volunteerism manifested themselves in all the organizations present.  Among the key issues to be discussed, she referred to the topic of volunteerism around the world, with its richness and diversity in the North and the South, and including important voluntary activities undertaken by the poor.  Despite varied forms and terminologies, what was important was to consider the multitude of ways that volunteerism could be nurtured and encouraged, a topic to be taken up by the General Assembly this year. 

Turning to the topic of volunteerism within the United Nations, she said that it was the ultimate expression of what the Organization was all about, whether in the fields of health, environment, meteorology or postal services.  She reflected in particular on the United Nations initiative for immunization against polio last year, in which 10 million volunteers were involved, including international NGOs but also millions of local people who received little or no recognition.  Without such contributions, the impact of the United Nations would be considerably diminished in all areas. 

The involvement of young people in volunteerism was also, she said, a vital issue.  Their views, their vitality and their creativity should be brought to bear in all areas, and a great deal needed to be done to ensure that young people have access to meaningful volunteer opportunities.  In addition, it was important to open such opportunities to diverse populations, including young people from lower income groups, minorities, youths with disabilities and other young people who may be disadvantaged.  Finally, she noted the importance of the voice and actions of NGOs in ensuring a vibrant and effective United Nations, and she hoped that this Conference and the International Year of Volunteers would have an effect far beyond their closing dates.

KAY GREENE, Chair of the NG0/DPI Executive Committee, explained that her group was partnered with DPI to organize and implement the Conference every year.  She thanked NGO leaders, Conference Planning Committee Members and DPI staff for their work.

The NGO/DPI Executive Committee had, she said, grown significantly in the past year.  The Communications Workshop Series had become very popular, and the NGO/DPI Reporter had become more international in scope.  New equipment had been acquired, and other events had been worked on in coordination with DPI.  In addition, a Web site had been created.  She hoped suggestions for that site would be received at tomorrow’s 9 a.m. meeting in Conference Room 4.  Future initiatives she identified included a large, multi-purpose NGO facility scheduled to be completed by fall of 2002, in coordination with the Kyung Hee University in Korea.  It would serve as an international venue of NGO educational programmes, research and practical work. 

Her goal this year was to increase the self-worth of NGO volunteers.  That effort included crediting NGO donors, even if their contributions were under $2,000.  On behalf of her Committee, she welcomed participants to three days devoted solely to volunteers –- their thoughts and needs, their obligations and responsibilities, their challenges and the dilemmas they faced as they grew into a more productive, professional and accountable partnership with the United Nations.

LESLIE WRIGHT, First Vice-President of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO), recalled that her organization worked with the United Nations to ensure that NGOs had a voice in issues of global concern.  She said that to develop a framework based on partnerships of shared responsibility and mutual respect, NGOs and other civil society actors must be respected.  If not actually participating in issues affecting all humanity, they must at least observe.  Yet the participation of NGOs in the diplomatic discourse between governments at the United Nations had been going backwards recently, while governments closed their doors to NGOs.

To achieve a transparent, inclusive discourse on issues for the future, she said the guiding value of discourse must first be mutually accepted.  The enlightened at the United Nations recognized that governments could not govern without the will of the people.  Also, whether governments liked it or not, they were finding civil society had a role to play.  Globalization was a reality, whether it was seen as a good or bad force.  When NGOs were kept out of the

process, everyone was a loser.  And in all the diversity, volunteers made the difference.

She said volunteers had the power to make a difference because they had money, as shown by the Ted Turner and Bill Gates Funds.  Volunteers also had information and the power to mobilize.  Most importantly, they had the gift of time, the rare commodity that led to the other sources of power.  The United Nations should keep in mind the following principles when working with volunteers.  Volunteers should not be taken for granted.  The United Nations must match its needs with what volunteers could offer.  Volunteers must be given access to the United Nations and must have clear information on how they can help.  Most importantly, volunteers needed the time of those at the United Nations. 

Mutual respect would lead to mutual understanding, she concluded.  If the United Nations gave volunteers the space, respect and opportunity to share power with the peoples of the world, then volunteers would give the United Nations a stronger outcome.

ANIE KALAYJIAN, Chairperson of the fifty-fourth Annual DPI/NGO Conference, recalled human progress since the founding of the United Nations.  She also enumerated remaining challenges, including poverty and the HIV/AIDS epidemic, saying it was no longer possible for people to sit idly by as neighbours were plagued by problems of physical, social and spiritual vacuums.  North and South must find collective solutions to the problems of development, peace, security and environmental harmony.  A horizontal decision-making style was needed to address each issue in a manner ensuring greater inclusiveness, integration, accountability and responsibility.

She described the Conference Planning Committee as comprised of NGO representatives, United Nations staff and international interns.  She said Committee participants had described the common experience of transcending themselves, as comfort had replaced fear and collaboration had replaced competition.  Also in those meetings, assertiveness had replaced aggression, as all had learned about each other and had grown to work harmoniously.

It was a great achievement that NGOs and volunteers had come to the Conference, she concluded.  Yet that was not enough.  The real question was what participants would do after Wednesday, between this Conference and the one coming up next year.  All had come together to be agents of change.  The challenge was to work collaboratively, inclusively and responsibly together with the United Nations and Member States to ensure security and to eliminate disparities, discrimination and violence while bringing the poor countries into the digital age.  “What do you plan to do?” she asked.

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