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The 60th Annual DPI/NGO Conference, entitled Climate Change: How It Impacts Us All, organised by the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) in collaboration with the NGO/DPI Executive Committee was held from 5 to 7 September 2007 at United Nations Headquarters. The three-day event, comprising two plenary sessions, seven roundtables and thirty-four midday workshops was attended by over 1700 representatives from 469 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), affiliated with the DPI and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), representing 62 nations. The Conference provided participants the opportunity to consult with United Nations officials, government representatives, the private sector, as well as experts in the field, in order to develop individual and collective adaptation and mitigation plans within their communities.

The plenary and roundtable sessions extensively reviewed the latest scientific evidence of climate change proposed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) including its consequences on ecosystems, water security, development, indigenous peoples, land use, natural resources and the politics of energy. Additionally, the midday workshops dealt with more specific aspects of environmental degradation, including nuclear energy sources, geo-engineering, and the consequences of global warming on children. Panellists at the Conference collectively voiced the need for both individual and collaborative efforts to tackle the challenges of climate change and offered tangible ideas for solutions. They also highlighted the immediate need for resources to improve capacities of developing countries in areas of research, technological innovation and early warning systems. Furthermore, access to high quality information and knowledge sharing were deemed crucial to establish standard reporting mechanisms in the process of carbon reduction and regulatory policies to ensure security of natural resources and sustainable development.

The 60th Annual DPI/NGO Conference website was specially designed to create a global forum for ensuring the widest possible exchange of views and experiences. It comprised live webcasts of all plenary sessions, which were archived and made available on the Internet. Online participants could join the discussion by submitting their views via the Forum page. The site also featured Conference programmes, special events, midday workshops, speakers’ details, youth initiatives, as well as other resources for Conference participants and the media. Hopefully, the website would cultivate a network of contacts to engage all. Please use it as a tool that gives you an opportunity to act.

Key Conference Outcome

Taking advantage of the Conference’s time proximity to the high-level meeting on climate change in New York and the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, the NGO community for the first time in sixty years, produced a Conference Declaration. Initially drafted by the Networking Subcommittee, the declaration was made available on the Conference website, where participants could deliberate on its contents and make the necessary amendments. Through this declaration the NGO community committed themselves, over the next 12 months to develop a framework comprising both individual and collective action plans to combat issues of climate change. They also reiterated their pledge to be active partners of the United Nations, local governments and civil society to implement adaptation and mitigation strategies. The Conference declaration was subsequently presented to the Secretary-General through Mr. Kiyo Akasaka, Under Secretary-General of Communications and Public Information.

Message from the Secretary-General

Message du Secrétaire général