Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination Action

The Office has engaged in a process of consulting various UN entities on how best to service ECOSOC in its consideration of post-conflict situations.

In October 2004, UN-NGO-IRENE/Pakistan was established under one national NGO coordinator with the support of 7 thematic focal points one of which included Peace, Security and Human Rights.

The monthly online newsletter UN-NGO-IRENE regularly profiles particularly successful or inspiring NGO initiatives and provides information on conflict, peace and development related events, activities and resources.

Interdepartmental effort

The Office provides substantive secretariat support to the ECOSOC Ad Hoc Advisory Groups on Guinea-Bissau and on Burundi, which entails preparing briefing for the Groups, organizing meetings and missions to these countries and drafting their reports. The Office has systematically involved DPA, UNDP and OCHA in these endeavors.

In February 2004, the NGO Section of the Office, in cooperation with NGOs in the Asia-Pacific region, held three meetings addressing issues of peace in the region:

• With Peace Boat, the Japan Federation of Bar Association and the Korean Bar Association: "Roles for NGOs in Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and civil society in peace building in Northeast Asia,"
• With Nagoya University's Society for Peace-building Studies' a Conference on Learning from the Experiences of NGOs";
• With Peace Boat: "Northeast Asia Regional Consultation Meeting on the Role of Civil Society in the Prevention of Armed Conflicts".

Through its United Nations NGO Informal Regional Network, the NGO section has disseminated information on the "Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict" as a means of mobilizing NGO participation in the integrated programme of research, consultation and discussion that will culminate in an international conference in 2005.

The NGO Section has worked closely with "Peace Boat", the UN NGO-IRENE/Asia Regional Coordinator for Northeast Asia. In 2003 the NGO Section, in collaboration with Peace Boat and UNIFEM co-sponsored an event at UN Headquarters on "Towards a Nuclear-Weapons-Free and Peaceful Northeast Asia". The NGO Section also cooperates with UNITAR in the framework of its programme on NGOs and conflict prevention.

Mandate

Ad Hoc Advisory Group(s) on African countries emerging from conflict: ECOSOC resolution 2002/1, 2002/304 of 25 October, 2002, 2003/16 of 22 July, 2003

Intergovernmental bodies serviced

United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Second and Third Committees of the General Assembly
Non-Governmental Organizations Committee