NGOs Today: Diversity of the Volunteer Experience
10-12 September 2001

New York, 19 September 2001 --- In the aftermath of the terrible events that shocked the entire world, the 54th Annual Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) held a special session at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 13 September 2001. Sessions of the Conference and Midday NGO workshops scheduled for 11 and 12 September had been cancelled. The Department of Public Information, in consultation with the Office of the Secretary-General and Security and Safety Service, decided that it was important for the Conference to conclude its work and to show that spirit of volunteerism and the valuable work performed by the United Nations and non-governmental organizations would continue even under the most difficult circumstances.

On 13 September, 16 speakers, including Mrs. Nane Annan and Mr. Mechai Viravaidya, Chairman of the Population and Community Development Association in Thailand, delivered substantive and often emotional addresses to the audience of more than 200 NGO representatives. The participants paid tribute to the victims of the terrorist acts with a minute of silence. Many speakers pointed out that events of the previous days gave vivid examples of volunteerism in action and underscored the importance of the theme of this Conference. Participants expressed their appreciation to the organizers for the decision to hold the special session of the Conference.

Over 2,000 representatives from more than 600 NGOs in 90 countries had registered for the three-day Conference, which has become the premier NGO event at the United Nations Headquarters each year. This year's theme highlighted the International Year of Volunteers, exploring the pressing and sometimes controversial issues that challenge the world's community of NGOs, many of which are guided by the spirit of volunteerism. The Opening Session on 10 September was addressed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, President of the Fifty-fifth Session of the United Nations General Assembly Harri Holkeri, and (by videoconference from Mexico) President of Mexico Vicente Fox. In her keynote address, Sharon Capeling-Alakija, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteer Programme, provided the conceptual framework for discussion of the ways, in which volunteers can support the work of the United Nations.

See the programme of the special session attached. Texts of the presentations available to the NGO Section will be posted on the web site www.un.org/dpi/ngosection.

54th Annual DPI/NGO Conference - Special Session
NGOs Today: Diversity of the Volunteer Experience
Thursday, 13 September 2001

10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. United Nations, NGOs and the Volunteer Experience

10 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Moderator:
Benon Sevan, UN Security Coordinator and Executive Director of the Office of the Iraq Programme

Speakers:
Mark Bowden, Chief, Policy Development and Studies Branch, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Inwon Choue, Dean, Graduate School of NGO Studies, Kyung Hee University

Marcos Kisil, President, Institute for Development of Social Investment

Francsico López Bermúdez, Executive Secretary, United Nations Association of Ecuador

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Moderator:
Gillian Sorensen, Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations, United Nations

Speakers:
Luis Giay, Chairman, Rotary Foundation Trustees

Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch, Program Director, Open Society Institute

Serafin Arviola, Coordinator, Philippine Youth Peace Advocates

Katarina Nestorovic, Organizer of the Balkan Youth Union

Himanshu Singh Dhillon, Student

Thomas Tchetmi, President, Presse Jeune

Juan Elías Uribe, Founder of Children's Movement for Peace

12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Closing Session

Chair:
Shashi Tharoor, Interim Head, Department of Public Information, United Nations

Speakers:
Nane Annan, Lawyer, Artist, Advocate and Author

Mechai Viravaidya, Chairman, Population and Community Development Association

Accreditation
Form 2006

22-23 Feb. 2006 Annual DPI/NGO Orientation
Programme