Cyril Ritchie
We are pleased to post herewith a project description and synopsis March-April 1998 entitled "Building Global Governance Partnerships - A World Civil Society Conference 1999". This project, generally known as WONGOC (World NGO Conference), aims to contribute, in concert with other civil society initiatives, substantive and organizational concepts to The Millennium Peoples Assembly proposed by the UN Secretary-General for the year 2000. Comments or inquirers may be addressed to us.Cyril Ritchie, Chairperson, Steering Commitee
Fax: 41-(22)-734-7082
Taturo Kunugi, Special Coordinator
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Fax: 81-(422)-34-8805
Building Global Governance Partnerships. A World Civil Society Conference 1999
Project Description and Synopsis
A United Nations University-Initiated Project
Special Coordinator: Tatsuro Kunugi
Steering Committee Chairperson: Cyril Ritchie
Aims and Outcome of the World Civil Society Conference 1999
Purpose
The purpose of this conference is to enhance and broaden civil society participation in achieving the goals shared by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the UN system, notably social justice and the well-being of all people. The conference is envisaged as a result-oriented, participatory process with a long-term outcome, rather than as a one-off event.
Four Broad Aims
This conference aims to bring together decision makers in NGO networks and groupings:
1. to formulate practical proposals for enhanced cross-national, cross-cultural, cross-sectoral, gender-balanced cooperation among NGOs to meet the needs of the twenty-first century.
2. to share strategies, plans, successes, failures and new opportunities in working with the United Nations system on issues where civil society and the UN have a common agenda.
3. to determine new action by civil society to oblige and assist governments to fulfill the promises and commitments made at recent World Conferences.
4. to contribute substantive and organizational concepts to the Millennium People's Assembly, proposed by the UN Secretary-General for the year 2000.
The Value and Potential Contributions of the Conference
1. The purpose of the conference - building partnerships between civil society and the inter-governmental organizations in the UN system - has great policy relevance, as called for recently by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and merits this timely and multi-dimensional attention.
2. The conference process envisaged here implies unique participatory and cross-sectoral research, involving civil society practitioners and scholars of various disciplines (such as social and political sciences, inter-cultural communication, international administration), and experts in important fields (including peace, human rights, development and the environment). These are key areas of concern for multilateral cooperation and would benefit from cross-sectoral interfaces.
3. The participatory process for the preparation of the conference (in geographic terms and in subject areas) would open up new spaces for civil society, and strengthen their support for and collaboration with the UN system.
4. The research findings and policy recommendations generated through the conference process would be useful not only for improving UN-NGO relationships, but also for enhancing the role of civil society organizations in global governance well into the next century, by laying the groundwork for deeper, pluralized partnerships among all state and non-state actors. The recommendations of the conference and findings would be published and widely distributed.
This initiative draws inspiration from the work of the Commission on Global Governance, and its 1995 report, Our Global Neighbourhood.
The Origins of the Conference
The idea of convening a World NGO Conference in 1999 was initiated by the United Nations University (UNU), to enhance civil society's participation in global governance. The project grew out of the UNU's programme The United Nations in the Twenty-First Century, which examined the UNU's role within the UN system. Under the rubric of Peace and Governance, the project examined the role of non-governmental organisations. The emerging importance of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as stakeholders in global governance, and as critical partners to the United Nations system in promoting multilateral cooperation, for peace and development, was recognised by the UNU. Echoing the sentiments expressed in the report of the Commission on Global Governance, Our Global Neighbourhood , the UNU's Rector, Heitor Gurgulino de Souza said,
We in the UNU believe that it is the people's participation in managing global problems and the increasingly complex role of civil society that distinguish our era from past ones. Stronger and more dynamic civil society participation across borders can help all of us manage issues that are important to human survival, development and welfare.
This analysis impelled the UNU to call for a World NGO conference in 1999 to discuss and strengthen partnerships between NGOs and the UN system in order to enhance global governance arrangements. Professor Tatsuro Kunugi, formerly a senior UN official with substantial expertise on the UN system, was appointed by the UNU as the Special Coordinator for this project. Between April and July 1996, Tatsuro Kunugi held wide-ranging consultations with a number of international NGOs around the world, which laid the groundwork for the first international meeting.
Topics for Discussion in the Conference Programme
1. NGO-UN Shared Goals
In keeping with the main theme, a first topic will be identifying the goals shared in common by NGOs and the UN, and jointly devising improved ways to achieve them. The theme of the NGO-UN relationship will provide a window of opportunity to discuss more fundamental issues shaping today$B%f(Js global agenda. The currently debilitated and threatened state of the UN and the entire system of multilateral co-operation for peace and development will be discussed, as will be the urgent need for civil society to make a strong call to the international community to revitalise global co-operation, and to support and strengthen the UN for this purpose.
2. Partnerships
The conference will debate and propose novel and more effective partnerships for the new Millennium between state and non-state actors, particularly within the UN system, and it will attempt to find innovative solutions to existing problems. Ways of engaging appropriately and meaningfully the new set of actors entering the traditional world of NGOs, such as parliamentarians, political parties, local government, religious groups and business, would also merit discussion.
3. World Conferences, their Implementation and Follow-up
While an exhaustive review of the overall implementation and follow up of all recent World Conferences will not be taken up, the conference will examine, in a multi-dimensional and cross-sectoral manner, why the follow up mechanisms to certain conferences were more successful and achieved greater NGO participation than others. It will discuss successes and failures in implementation, and identify positive lessons for future reference and use.
4. Codes of Conduct and Ethics
Drawing, for example, on the success of the Red Cross movement in developing a code of conduct for humanitarian NGOs, the conference will discuss the question and modalities of devising codes of conduct and ethics for NGOs. Such codes, if devised by NGOs themselves, would avoid external attempts to weaken the innovativeness and diversity that are NGOs strengths, while countering recent criticisms of some NGOs for their lack of professionalism and accountability.
5. The Roles of NGOs, the State and the UN
A further subject that might be included is the evolving role of NGOs in relation to the state and the UN, and their respective responsibilities in promoting governance. It would also involve redefining these entities in line with current realities.
Participation in the Conference
Total participation in the conference will be roughly between 300 and 500 persons. The goal is for participation to be gender-balanced, and as widely representative of all geographic areas and sectors of NGO activity as possible. The restricted number of participants will require an efficient and equitable selection process to ensure this goal.
Participation will include:
1. Civil Society
Civil society representatives will constitute the bulk of participants. Given the huge number of valid NGOs active throughout the world, participation will be primarily through NGO networks, including regional and issue-based or sectoral networks. NGO networks would also play an important role throughout the preparatory process.
2. The Academic Community
The participation of the academic community will be sought through academic, research and university networks based in developing, transitional and industrialised countries, to research and prepare the intellectual input for the conference, and also to attend the conference.
3. The UN and other Inter-governmental Organisations
In keeping with the conference's focus, participants will be invited only from the UN system. Tentatively, about 30 officials with particular expertise in dealing with NGO issues will be invited selectively from all relevant parts of the UN system. The UN Secretary General would be invited as well to play a key role such as inaugurating the conference.
4. Government
Tentatively, about 30 government representatives from around the world would be selected on the basis of their knowledge of and contribution to civil society, on the informed suggestions of national or regional NGO networks.
Additionally, some prominent public leaders with civil society backgrounds would be invited, for example, to make an affirming statement on the value of civil society, and to pose essential questions on governance in the twenty-first century.
5. Media
The media will play an important role in the preparatory process to raise public awareness of and interest in the conference and its outcome. Therefore, the aim is to identify an eclectic group of about 30 journalists from different media with an interest in civil society issues, to involve them from an early stage, and invite them to participate in the conference.
6. Business
The participation of business may be sought in a similar fashion, by identifying on a selective basis about 30 reputed leaders in the private sector who have demonstrated their interest in and commitment to civil society's activities.
A Participatory Preparatory Process: Building Coalitions of Support
As stated earlier, the nature, conduct and outcome of the preparatory process are conceived of as fundamentally important to the final conference. The Steering Committee is proceeding to identify and involve a large number of well-established and credible NGO networks at the international and regional levels as critical components in taking the preparatory process forward and making that process broad-based and participatory. A sampling of the kinds of NGO networks that will approached is listed in the Steering Committee Meeting Report of November 1997.
Additionally, some individual NGOs of international repute will be involved. To ensure fair geographical participation, additional resources will be required to be involved in conference preparations.
There are a few other civil society initiatives which are still in the early stages of planning. These include, for example, the proposed 1999 Conference in Seoul, South Korea, sponsored by the Kyung-Hee University System, and a People's Assembly meeting called United Peoples planned in Philadelphia, a Convention of People's Assembly in the Hague in mid-1999 and an Earth Citizens` Assembly planned in India in the year 2000.
Steering Committee members will stay abreast of all such initiatives and collaborate with those which emerge as relevant and appropriate to its own goals. The intent is to coordinate and collaborate where appropriate with other planned civil society events, in order to avoid duplication and dissipation of efforts, while maintaining the unique approach and contribution of its own and other initiatives. It is the Steering Committee's belief that all these varied NGO events mark positive expressions of support for enhanced civil society participation in governance and strengthened backing for the UN system, and should be welcomed as such, despite their number.
Next Steps for the Steering Committee
The Steering Committee has agreed that Cyril Ritchie will serve as its Chairman, and act as the focal point for communications and planning. Tatsuro Kunugi will continue to play his pivotal role as Special Coordinator and liaison with the UNU, for the present. Both will take responsibility for fund raising, which is the immediate priority. If sufficient funds are raised to continue the project, as it is hoped, a further Steering Committee meeting will be held in New York in mid-1998 to finalise the planning for the 1999 conference. A Secretary-General for the conference would be appointed at that stage.
A site for the conference has not yet been finalised, as it will depend largely on funding received, and facilities offered by potential host cities. This issue and its various possibilities are being actively pursued, and will be decided at or before the 3rd Steering Committee Meeting. Financial Plan and Fund-Raising
A financial plan for the entire conference process is attached. The initial money for this project came from the UN University. The UNU allocated about USD 70,000 to finance the UNU research agenda in this area, the September 1996 Meeting and its immediate follow up. The next funds received were from the Rissho Kosei-kai Peace Foundation in Japan, to the order of USD 60,000. This sum was instrumental in seeing the project through to the Steering Committee Meeting in November 1997, and enabling it to continue until March 1998.
Funding is now being sought for the main part of the initiative, to carry it from April 1998 through to the actual conference in mid-late 1999, as detailed in the attached plan. As part of this fundraising effort, major foundations and bilateral agencies are now being approached. Major telecommunications companies will be approached to sponsor or underwrite the use of facilities for video/T.V. conferencing which would enable interactive consensus building by simultaneously linking up the World Conference with regional NGO caucuses around the world. Smaller contributions from NGOs and NGO networks will also be sought, for example to finance the participation of delegates from developing countries.
Steering Committee Members
Angus Archer, United Nations Association in Canada, Ottawa (Canada)
Hassan Ba, Synergies Africa, Geneva (Senegal)
Roberto Bissio, Third World Institute, Montevideo (Uruguay)
Manuel Chiriboga, Latin American Association of Promotion Organizations - ALOP, San Jose (Ecuador)
Susan Davis, Women's Environment and Development Organization - WEDO, New York, (USA)
Liz Hopkins, International Union for the Conservation of Nature - IUCN, Gland, Switzerland (UK)
Andy Knight, Bishop's University, Quebec (Barbados)
Tatsuro Kunugi, International Christian University, Tokyo (Japan)
Wangari Maathai, Green Belt Movement, Nairobi (Kenya)
Afaf Mahfouz, Conference of NGOs in consultative relationships with the UN - CONGO, New York/Geneva, (Egypt)
Rama Mani Common Security Forum, Cambridge (India)
Tony Quizon Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform & Rural Development - ANGOC, Manila (Philippines)
Cyril Ritchie Federation of International Institutions in Geneva -FIIG, Geneva, (Ireland)
Tabya Hassan Sharif Africa-Arab Institute for Migration and Refugee Studies, Cairo, (Sudan)
Martha Schweitz Seinan Gakuin University, Fukuoka (USA)
(The location of the organisation's main headquarters is shown, followed by the member's nationality in parentheses ( ).)
