AFRICAN NGOS CREATE REGIONAL NETWORK TO IMPROVE INTERACTION WITH UNITED NATIONS

AFRICAN NGOS CREATE REGIONAL NETWORK TO IMPROVE INTERACTION WITH UNITED NATIONS

NEW YORK, 23 January (DESA) –- A diverse group of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all parts of Africa has established an informal regional network of NGOs to improve communications and strengthen partnership with the United Nations, particularly with the intergovernmental committees and commissions of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the key United Nations policy-making body concerning economic and social development.

Fifteen African NGOs representing the five African subregions and a number of Tunisian NGOs, most of them in consultative status with ECOSOC, met with United Nations officials and other partners to work out the “UN Informal Regional Network of NGOs”.  The initiative, spearheaded by the NGO Section of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), is designed to ensure a two-way flow of information between networks of NGOs in Africa and the United Nations system.

The NGO Network for the African region is the first of several regional networks that were proposed at the inaugural meeting of the worldwide NGO Informal Regional Network that took place in April 2001, in Aracaju, Brazil.  At that time, NGOs to serve as coordinators were identified for Asia and the Pacific, Eastern Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

One of the functions of this Network is to provide NGOs with the necessary tools to contribute to the work of ECOSOC both operationally and by adding a broad-based NGO perspective to the deliberations of that body.  It is intended that the networking capacity be exploited to the fullest in following up the outcome of all major international meetings, particularly the outcome of the Millennium Summit that resulted in a declaration of the political will of the world’s leaders to achieve certain objectives for the betterment of humankind.

According to Patrizio Civili, Assistant-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, DESA, who addressed the meeting, the establishment of the Network comes at a time when a significant number of organizations find themselves subject to financial and logistical constraints that effectively limit their ability to make full use of their consultative status with ECOSOC, particularly regarding participation in the international arena.

At the meeting entitled “Capacity Building for the Informal Regional Network in Africa”, it was agreed that there would be five subregional NGO coordinators for the African Network.  These would be NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC with experience in one or more priority African issues.  They also need sufficient human resources and technological support to undertake activities in support of

the Network and a good record of and capacity for collaborating and communicating with NGOs in the region.

The following NGOs were designated to serve as subregional coordinators:

-- North Africa -– Women’s Association Tunisia 21 (Tunisia);

-- West Africa –- Coalition of Families for the Fight against AIDS and Poverty (Burkina Faso);

-- Central Africa -– The League for Education of Women and Children (Cameroon);

-- East Africa –- United Nations Association-Ethiopia (Ethiopia); and

-- Southern Africa –- Angola Network for Poverty Reduction (Angola)

In addition, the Women’s Association Tunisia 21 was designated to serve as the regional coordinator for Africa.  These positions will be rotated every two years.

Following substantial and candid discussions, the meeting agreed on the Network’s key objectives, which aim:

-- To strengthen partnerships between the United Nations, NGOs, subregional and regional coordinators;

-- To build needed capacity among NGOs, as well as reinforce existing skills and develop human resources;

-- To help build a sound resource base, including to strengthen the networking among NGOs, notably the use of information and communications technology);

-- To establish a permanent dialogue and direct contacts among the NGOs, the NGO Section/DESA, and the United Nations in general;

-- To strengthen relationships among African NGOs; and

-- To assist in creating a conducive environment for NGOs to operate.

The priority accorded by the international community to addressing its special development needs made Africa the foremost choice for the inauguration of the informal regional network activities.  The concern of the outgoing President of the Economic and Social Council, Martin Belinga-Eboutou, for the full mobilization of the entire region’s NGO community together with the full support of DESA ensured that the meeting to launch the African UN-NGO Informal Regional Network received support from the highest level and brought together an inclusive representation of some of Africa’s most able non-governmental organizations.

For more information, please contact:

Hanifa Mezoui

Chief, NGO Section/DESA

Tel:  (212) 963-8652

Fax:  (212) 963-9248

E-mail:  mezoui@un.org

Najet Karaborni

Senior Interregional Adviser/DESA

Project Coordinator, UN-NGO Informal Regional Network

Tel:  (212) 963-6207

Fax:  (212) 963-2916

E-mail:  karaborni@un.org.

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