UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs,
with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
|
| UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) |
|
NGO INTEREST MOUNTING
Nearly 200 NGO representatives met recently in New York to attend a meeting
of the NGO Planning Committee for the International Conference on Population
and Development (ICPD), 1994. It was the Committee s largest gathering to
date. Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of the United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA) and Secretary-General of the Conference, gave the keynote
address.
Dr. Sadik emphasized the ICPD Secretariat's full commitment to NGO
participation in the Conference, and said that UNFPA had been a pioneer in
working with NGOs to implement population programmes. Dr. Sadik said that
she fully supported the kind of UN/NGO partnership envisioned in Agenda 21.
She noted that NGOs had been active at each of the expert group meetings and
regional conferences that had been held to date.
NGOs need to coordinate their efforts to have maximum impact on the ICPD,
Dr. Sadik said, adding that the adoption of United Nations General Assembly
resolution 47/176 in December 1992 had "paved the way for full NGO
participation". She hoped financial assistance could be found to enable
developing country NGOs to participate in the regional conferences and in
the Cairo Conference. Dr. Sadik will urge Governments to include NGO
representatives in their delegations and to pay close attention to gender
balance. Efforts are also being made, Dr. Sadik said, to increase the flow
of information to NGOs through more frequent issues and different language
editions of the Conference newsletter, and through the utilization of
electronic information services.
NGO Activities Planned
The NGO Planning Committee will advise on two types of NGO activities
related to the Conference. The first consists of participation in the
regional conferences and in the Preparatory Committee sessions. The second
consists of developing parallel structures wherein NGOs can discuss issues
among themselves. At the 1994 Conference in Cairo, NGO activities will be of
two types one which relates to the official proceedings, and which will
require accreditation to the Conference, and the other which relates solely
to NGO activities and which will not require accreditation.
During the meeting, Planning Committee members passed a resolution urging
ECOSOC to adopt a simplified procedure for broad NGO participation in the
ICPD process. The resolution also urged fullest possible access to
Conference documentation. In the near future, ICPD-related documents will be
available on ECONET, an electronic mail network. The ICPD Secretariat will
also do its best to provide documents to NGOs and others.
With regard to the regional population conference, NGOs interested in
attending should contact the appropriate Regional Economic Commissions of
the United Nations to request an invitation.
A Steering Committee within the NGO Planning Committee is currently being
formed. The Steering Committee will be responsible for 1) logistics planning
for NGO Forum activities; 2) negotiating with the ICPD Secretariat and host
country to facilitate NGO participation; and 3) coordinating a
communications programme for NGOs to stimulate interest in the purposes of
the 1994 Conference and to provide specific details on participation.
For more information, please contact:
The NGO Planning Committee for the
Internatlonal Conference on
Population and Development, 1994
c/o Population Communications
International
777 United Nations Plaza, Suite 7C
New York, NY 10017
USA.
Tel. (212) 687-3366;
Fax (212) 661-4188.