1. Why a new Forum?
.
The Millennium Declaration, adopted by Heads of State and Government at the Millennium Summit in 2000, calls for an unprecedented results-oriented global development strategy. The objectives of this Declaration are defined further in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of eight goals that the international community committed itself to achieve by 2015. These goals are:
.
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger;
2. Achieve universal primary education;
3. Promote gender equality and empower women;
4. Reduce child mortality;
5. Improve maternal health;
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases;
7. Ensure environmental sustainability;
8. Develop a global partnership for development.
.
However, the United Nations System and other members of the international assistance community have repeatedly warned that, at the current pace of commitments, the MDGs will not be reached by 2015. Most of the increases, since 1997, in official development assistance were actually earmarked for debt relief and emergency and disaster relief, thus not necessarily allowing for more funding to address long-term development needs. Other obstacles, such as current international trade mechanisms blocking market access for clothing and farm products, a still excessive debt burden, corruption and bad governance, also need to be overcome.
.
With a view to joining forces to achieve essential development goals – both the MDGs and broader commitments taken at major UN conferences – the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO), which for the past 60 years has worked to enhance UN–civil society relations for a more just and equitable world, will organize every year a major gathering of stakeholders in Geneva.
.
The first gathering of this kind will take place in June 2007 and will be known as the Civil Society Development Forum.
.
Objectives of the Civil Society Development Forum 2007
.
The Civil Society Development Forum 2007 will take place back-to-back with the session of the High-Level Segment (HLS) of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
.
Its objectives are:
.
• Raise the awareness of NGOs, civil society, governments and the media with respect to the MDGs and their agreed-upon timeframe of 2015;
• Enhance advocacy activities of NGOs in consultative status – as well as of those not having that status – by providing an agreed-upon, consolidated input for ECOSOC deliberations, conclusions and decisions;
• Contribute to the shaping of the modalities and functioning of the two new ECOSOC mechanisms – the Annual Ministerial Review (AMR) and the Development Cooperation Forum (DCF);
• Help governments carry out the AMR and participate in the DCF; and
• Influence the Ministerial Declaration of the HLS.
.
While focusing on these objectives, the Forum will deliberate on a specific substantive theme drawn from the comprehensive theme of the HLS. ECOSOC recently decided that the theme for its first-ever annual ministerial review in 2007, obviously in consideration of poverty reduction strategies, is to be: “Strengthening efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger, including through the global partnership for development”. Its thematic debate is to focus on the topic (on which we may comment as well): “Strengthening efforts at all levels to promote pro-poor sustained economic growth, including through equitable macroeconomic policies”.
.
3. Why ECOSOC?
.
ECOSOC is the main UN organ to which NGOs relate through a formal accreditation process that grants them the so-called “consultative status” . Presently, there are 2900 international, regional and national NGOs “in status”, a large number of which having received that status only during the past five to ten years. Among these, Southern NGOs are still underrepresented, even though their number is steadily increasing. There is consequently a pressing need to raise the capacity of NGOs – particularly of Southern ones – to interact with the United Nations and to advocate the mutual benefits of this interaction, valuable for them and for the Organization.
.
The High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly, convened in September 2005 with a view to endorsing one of the most ambitious reform proposals of the UN since its creation, did not live up to the expectations of the NGO community in the first ever Hearings of the General Assembly with CSOs in June 2005. However, the Outcome Document adopted by 175 heads of state and government contains a strong commitment in favour of the strengthening and empowering of ECOSOC. It recognizes “the need for a more effective ECOSOC as a principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on issues of economic and social development, as well as for the implementation of the international development goals agreed at the major UN summits and conferences, including the MDG” . ECOSOC should therefore “hold a biennial high-level Development Cooperation Forum to review trends in international development cooperation, promote greater coherence among the development activities of different development partners and strengthen the links between the normative and operational work of the UN”. ECOSOC would also be expected to hold annual ministerial-level substantive reviews to assess progress in reaching the MDGs, drawing on its functional and regional commissions and other international institutions. It is also mandated to “play a major role in the overall coordination of funds, programmes and agencies, ensuring coordination among them and avoiding duplication of mandates and activities”.
.
Finally, the outcome document acknowledges that “in order to fully perform the above functions, the organization of work, the agenda and the current methods of work of ECOSOC should be adapted”. This position hopefully leaves some leeway for NGOs to table concrete proposals for an innovative and cooperative modus operandi between them and the Council.
.
NGOs have been involved in the activities of the Council since the creation of the United Nations. However, at this juncture, a new impetus needs to be given to this cooperation. Numerous NGOs are now at the forefront in the fight to combat poverty and achieve the MDGs, acting as strong advocates of these objectives in UN fora. Congruent with this vision, CONGO and other partners are set to continue organizing NGO fora on ECOSOC High-Level Segments and thus contribute to and enhance channelling the input of NGOs into Council deliberations.
.
Following several initiatives and recommendations , the UN also seems now ready to interact more closely with civil society and to open up new channels for cooperation. The two-day Civil Society Hearings with the General Assembly in June 2005 constituted a historic landmark: Never before did the GA interact as extensively and directly with civil society.
.
This fortunate precedent for civil society prompts CONGO to develop further initiatives in order not to lose the momentum gained. If the General Assembly was ready to deliberate with NGOs for two days, then ECOSOC, CONGO’s institutional counterpart for sixty years, should not do less.
.
Specifically, these developments augur well for upgrading the participation of civil society in the activities of the strengthened Council by holding civil society fora as preparatory processes to:
.
1. the annual ministerial-level Substantive Review to assess progress in the pursuit of the MDGs and
2. the bi-annual Development Cooperation Forum.
.
Within this new and encouraging context, CONGO, together with its main NGO partners and relevant UN agencies, intends to launch an annual Geneva platform on development, gathering specialized agencies and multi-stakeholder partners through networks, campaigns and partnerships.
.
4. The Forum’s Approach
.
Like all CONGO–assisted events, the Development Forum will be organized in a bottom-up participatory way, seeking inputs from NGOs and grass-roots organizations from the regions and following a cross-cutting thematic approach.
.
The Forum will feature workshops whose themes reflect the proposals of participants. The recommendations emanating from these workshops will be consolidated and flow into the Forum’s declaration.
.
Parallel to the workshops, participating NGOs will have the opportunity to display their activities and products in booths taking the set-up of an international fair.
.
5. Partners
.
The Forum will be multi-stakeholder in nature, targeting NGOs and CSOs, but also governments, the private sector, local and regional authorities and international organizations. Charismatic and world public figures will be invited, together with the media and the general public. CONGO aims at gathering between 800 and 1000 participants.
.
CONGO’s partners in organizing the Forum will be the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the UN DESA NGO Section, the UN Office in Geneva, the UN Non-Governmental NGO Section (NGLS), the UN Millennium Campaign, UNDP, NGO networks, the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) as well as major NGOs focusing on development and human rights issues.
.
6. Future prospects
.
CONGO intends to adopt a “scaling-up” approach: By aiming at organizing such a civil society event every year to address crucial development issues it expects to attain genuine global recognition of the Forum by 2010. The Forum could thus become a powerful tool to assist and strengthen civil society’s efforts to achieve universally recognized development goals.
Geneva, 16 March 2007
2. Achieve universal primary education;
3. Promote gender equality and empower women;
4. Reduce child mortality;
5. Improve maternal health;
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases;
7. Ensure environmental sustainability;
8. Develop a global partnership for development.
.
However, the United Nations System and other members of the international assistance community have repeatedly warned that, at the current pace of commitments, the MDGs will not be reached by 2015. Most of the increases, since 1997, in official development assistance were actually earmarked for debt relief and emergency and disaster relief, thus not necessarily allowing for more funding to address long-term development needs. Other obstacles, such as current international trade mechanisms blocking market access for clothing and farm products, a still excessive debt burden, corruption and bad governance, also need to be overcome.
.
With a view to joining forces to achieve essential development goals – both the MDGs and broader commitments taken at major UN conferences – the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO), which for the past 60 years has worked to enhance UN–civil society relations for a more just and equitable world, will organize every year a major gathering of stakeholders in Geneva.
.
The first gathering of this kind will take place in June 2007 and will be known as the Civil Society Development Forum.
.
Objectives of the Civil Society Development Forum 2007
.
The Civil Society Development Forum 2007 will take place back-to-back with the session of the High-Level Segment (HLS) of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
.
Its objectives are:
.
• Raise the awareness of NGOs, civil society, governments and the media with respect to the MDGs and their agreed-upon timeframe of 2015;
• Enhance advocacy activities of NGOs in consultative status – as well as of those not having that status – by providing an agreed-upon, consolidated input for ECOSOC deliberations, conclusions and decisions;
• Contribute to the shaping of the modalities and functioning of the two new ECOSOC mechanisms – the Annual Ministerial Review (AMR) and the Development Cooperation Forum (DCF);
• Help governments carry out the AMR and participate in the DCF; and
• Influence the Ministerial Declaration of the HLS.
.
While focusing on these objectives, the Forum will deliberate on a specific substantive theme drawn from the comprehensive theme of the HLS. ECOSOC recently decided that the theme for its first-ever annual ministerial review in 2007, obviously in consideration of poverty reduction strategies, is to be: “Strengthening efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger, including through the global partnership for development”. Its thematic debate is to focus on the topic (on which we may comment as well): “Strengthening efforts at all levels to promote pro-poor sustained economic growth, including through equitable macroeconomic policies”.
.
3. Why ECOSOC?
.
ECOSOC is the main UN organ to which NGOs relate through a formal accreditation process that grants them the so-called “consultative status” . Presently, there are 2900 international, regional and national NGOs “in status”, a large number of which having received that status only during the past five to ten years. Among these, Southern NGOs are still underrepresented, even though their number is steadily increasing. There is consequently a pressing need to raise the capacity of NGOs – particularly of Southern ones – to interact with the United Nations and to advocate the mutual benefits of this interaction, valuable for them and for the Organization.
.
The High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly, convened in September 2005 with a view to endorsing one of the most ambitious reform proposals of the UN since its creation, did not live up to the expectations of the NGO community in the first ever Hearings of the General Assembly with CSOs in June 2005. However, the Outcome Document adopted by 175 heads of state and government contains a strong commitment in favour of the strengthening and empowering of ECOSOC. It recognizes “the need for a more effective ECOSOC as a principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on issues of economic and social development, as well as for the implementation of the international development goals agreed at the major UN summits and conferences, including the MDG” . ECOSOC should therefore “hold a biennial high-level Development Cooperation Forum to review trends in international development cooperation, promote greater coherence among the development activities of different development partners and strengthen the links between the normative and operational work of the UN”. ECOSOC would also be expected to hold annual ministerial-level substantive reviews to assess progress in reaching the MDGs, drawing on its functional and regional commissions and other international institutions. It is also mandated to “play a major role in the overall coordination of funds, programmes and agencies, ensuring coordination among them and avoiding duplication of mandates and activities”.
.
Finally, the outcome document acknowledges that “in order to fully perform the above functions, the organization of work, the agenda and the current methods of work of ECOSOC should be adapted”. This position hopefully leaves some leeway for NGOs to table concrete proposals for an innovative and cooperative modus operandi between them and the Council.
.
NGOs have been involved in the activities of the Council since the creation of the United Nations. However, at this juncture, a new impetus needs to be given to this cooperation. Numerous NGOs are now at the forefront in the fight to combat poverty and achieve the MDGs, acting as strong advocates of these objectives in UN fora. Congruent with this vision, CONGO and other partners are set to continue organizing NGO fora on ECOSOC High-Level Segments and thus contribute to and enhance channelling the input of NGOs into Council deliberations.
.
Following several initiatives and recommendations , the UN also seems now ready to interact more closely with civil society and to open up new channels for cooperation. The two-day Civil Society Hearings with the General Assembly in June 2005 constituted a historic landmark: Never before did the GA interact as extensively and directly with civil society.
.
This fortunate precedent for civil society prompts CONGO to develop further initiatives in order not to lose the momentum gained. If the General Assembly was ready to deliberate with NGOs for two days, then ECOSOC, CONGO’s institutional counterpart for sixty years, should not do less.
.
Specifically, these developments augur well for upgrading the participation of civil society in the activities of the strengthened Council by holding civil society fora as preparatory processes to:
.
1. the annual ministerial-level Substantive Review to assess progress in the pursuit of the MDGs and
2. the bi-annual Development Cooperation Forum.
.
Within this new and encouraging context, CONGO, together with its main NGO partners and relevant UN agencies, intends to launch an annual Geneva platform on development, gathering specialized agencies and multi-stakeholder partners through networks, campaigns and partnerships.
.
4. The Forum’s Approach
.
Like all CONGO–assisted events, the Development Forum will be organized in a bottom-up participatory way, seeking inputs from NGOs and grass-roots organizations from the regions and following a cross-cutting thematic approach.
.
The Forum will feature workshops whose themes reflect the proposals of participants. The recommendations emanating from these workshops will be consolidated and flow into the Forum’s declaration.
.
Parallel to the workshops, participating NGOs will have the opportunity to display their activities and products in booths taking the set-up of an international fair.
.
5. Partners
.
The Forum will be multi-stakeholder in nature, targeting NGOs and CSOs, but also governments, the private sector, local and regional authorities and international organizations. Charismatic and world public figures will be invited, together with the media and the general public. CONGO aims at gathering between 800 and 1000 participants.
.
CONGO’s partners in organizing the Forum will be the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the UN DESA NGO Section, the UN Office in Geneva, the UN Non-Governmental NGO Section (NGLS), the UN Millennium Campaign, UNDP, NGO networks, the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) as well as major NGOs focusing on development and human rights issues.
.
6. Future prospects
.
CONGO intends to adopt a “scaling-up” approach: By aiming at organizing such a civil society event every year to address crucial development issues it expects to attain genuine global recognition of the Forum by 2010. The Forum could thus become a powerful tool to assist and strengthen civil society’s efforts to achieve universally recognized development goals.
Geneva, 16 March 2007
