United Nations Nations Unies INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM M E M O R A N DI M I N T F: R I L: L R X DATE: 18 August 2000 THROUGH: s/c DE: PROM: Kensaku Hogen, Under-Secretary-General for nt: Communications and Public Information SUBJECT: 53rd Annual DPI/NGO Conference: 28-30 August 2000 OBJET: We are pleased to in^ite__you t£ attend the 53ra Annual DPI/NGO Conference "Global Solidarity: The Way to Peace and International Cooperation", organized™'*by"The Department of Public Information (DPI) in cooperation with the Executive Committee of Non-Governmental Organizations associated with DPI, to be held at UN Headquarters from 28-30 August 2000. Over 2,600 NGO representatives from 60 countries and _ . -~-*J'(—---•:rj-.rw«W=,i<WB-Jr^liT^»PC!DgrBa *" 700 organizations have registered for the conference. At the opening session, keynote addresses will be made by the Secretary-General and Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, President of the 54th session of the General Assembly, followed by Ms. Hanna Suchocka, Member of the Parliament of Poland and former Prime Minister of Poland; Mr. Jaime Lerner, Governor of the State of Parana and former Mayor of Curitiba, Brazil, and Ms. Hanan Ashrawi, Secretary-General of the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy. This year, for the first time, a sitting Head of State, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria, will address the conference at the closing session. Other notable speakers include Mr. Ralph Nader, Founder of Public Citizen and Ms. Elisabeth Rehn, former Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The conference will also feature morning and afternoon panels, as well as 30 Midday NGO Workshops, organized by the NGOs associated with DPI. We welcome you and your colleagues to attend any of the panel discussions and Midday NGO Workshops during the conference. Attached, please find for your information the conference programme. You will find further updates on our Section's Web site at: www.un.org/dpi/ngosection. cc: Ms. T. Gastaut Ms. L. Al-Mughairy Mr. P. Hoeffel Mr. Connor Mr. Corel1 Mr. Desai Mr. Dhanapala Mr. Gambari Mr. Jin Yongjian Mr. Miyet Mr. Nair Mr. Otunnu Mr. Prendergast Riza Mr. Sevan Mr. Annabi Mr. Civili Mr. Fall Mr. Halbwachs Ms. King Ms. McAskie Mr. Niwa Mr. Riesco Mr. Ruggie Mrs.Rafiah Salim Mrs.Sorensen Mr. Stoby Mr. Zacklin Mrs.Lindenmayer Mr. Knutsson Mr. Tharoor Mr. Mortimer The Way to International OUIluu.... niilil litilillitflgi la a. dN^Lffl global solidarity solidaridad mundial ^ Hsliiil ffipiSal la solidarite mondiait I solidarity ^ i•;• /, K;/;! ^5-*^) ^-aLJiUt ^^-^Lffllfe iSite. ,'C'r\\r,j]h\'\iC'''\i giotaaisalsda^'®lisoiidaritemnondiaS@ ijLU-iui'L[ii.aULCOJU'L/^HL • < ^JUJ) y^U^Ut ^3^-^.9 global solidarity solidaridad mundial ^Jt?J! ondiale BceMHpHan conMAapHOCTbgellir^gil nwiilil la solidarite mondiale Bcewt, ;*fe global sefiaasiSf •'' .:;! 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" ' ' ' 28-30 August 2000 • United Nations, New York DPIwNGDEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATIOON NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS Published by the United Nations Department of Public Information Printed on recycled paper by the United Nations Reproduction Section, New York DPI/2125—August 2000—2,500 53rd Annual DPI/NGO Conference The Way to Peace and International Cooperation 28-30 August 2000 United Nations, New York Organized by the United Nations Department of Public Information in cooperation with the NGO/DPI Executive Committee DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION DPI^NGO NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS The organizers of the conference acknowledge the generous support of the following contributors: The CeleXx Corporation The Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations The World Family Organization Message from the Secretary-General I am very pleased that this year's DPI/NGO Conference, "Global Solidarity. The Way to Peace and International Cooperation", focuses on issues central to this pivotal period for the United Nations. The millennium year has given us many opportunities to strengthen the partnerships required to carry out the work of the Organization, now and in the years ahead. In April, I presented my Millennium Report to the General Assembly, entitled "We the Peoples: The Role of the United Nations in the 21st Century", which outlined my vision for the future of the Organization. As many noted, the title suggests a central role for civil soci- ety in our future. Indeed, I believe that is the direction in which we must move. In May, the Millennium Forum of civil society took place over five days at UN Headquarters. The resulting Declaration and Plan of Action confirmed the common vision that we share, particularly with the community of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), over 3,000 of which work closely with us at Headquarters and with the entire UN family. I hope that Member States will carefully review the Forum's many constructive recommenda- tions during the Millennium Assembly, which opens in September. As part of this millennium process, the 53rd Annual DPI/NGO Conference serves as a bridge between other major NGO gatherings of the past two years and the Millennium Summit of Heads of State and Government. In the programme that follows, you can see that the Conference will further the lively and often heated debate about the appropriate role that civil society organizations—as well as the private sector—can play in the decision- making process at the international level. On behalf of the United Nations, I made it clear in recent years that we wish to embrace new partnerships with civil society and the private sector. These are challenging proposals for Member States and NGOs alike, and many legitimate concerns have been raised as to the integration of these new partners into our work. We are now moving beyond mere promises of partnership, and are entering the much rockier terrain of implementation. But there is no doubt at all in my mind that civil society can make a tremendous difference to the success of our work. This year's DPI/NGO Conference will undoubtedly move us forward in this ongoing process of consultation and understanding, and I wish you all success in your deliberations. T^n^^A^^^.— Kofi A. Annan United Nations 53rd Annual DPI/NGO Conference Global Solidarity: The Way to Peace and International Cooperation 28-30 August 2000 United Nations Headquarters, New York This year's conference, "Global Solidarity: The Way to Peace and International Cooperation", provides a forum for representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the United Nations system and Governments to explore concrete ways in which civil society can work with the United Nations and Governments to implement the action plans that were agreed upon during the major United Nations and NGO conferences of the 1990s. The world conferences, organized by the United Nations during the 1990s, negotiated a remark- ably cohesive set of action plans designed to achieve sustainable development for all people in the coming decades. At the same time, the burgeoning of NGOs, spurred in part by the multifaceted process of globalization, has enabled the organization of potent civil society campaigns, among them campaigns to ban landmines, to establish an International Criminal Court, to cancel crippling foreign debts and to address the negative aspects of the current global financial architecture. The conference will look at existing campaigns, and explore new areas where progress can be made. What makes for a successful campaign? How can cross-cutting sectoral concerns be unified? How can they be replicated from country to country? How do we set priorities? What kind of working relationships between NGOs, the United Nations and Governments will ensure sustained success? In addition to the opening and closing keynote speakers, the three-day conference features five morning and afternoon plenary panels, focusing on the best practices and lessons learned from recent experiences and on the identification of new, broad-based campaigns that bring together multiple issues. It will also examine the many ways in which civil society can participate in the decision-making processes, nationally and internationally, that affect the well-being of people everywhere. The conference also explores the role of civil society in policy formulation and imple- mentation in relation to the increased demands for humanitarian intervention in conflict areas. Panels include high-level government and United Nations officials and representatives of civil soci- ety, including NGOs, the private sector, academia and media. The 53rd Annual DPI/NGO Conference is organized by the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) in cooperation with the Executive Committee of Non-Governmental Organizations associated with DPI. Conference Schedule Monday, 28 August 2000 The opening