The 67th UN DPI/NGO Conference Concept Note

“We the Peoples… Together Finding Global Solutions for Global Problems”

The 67^th UN DPI/NGO Conference

22-23 August 2018, UN Headquarters, New York

'We the Peoples’… with this simple introduction, the United Nations Charter lays out an ambitious and noble mandate. The impetus for creating such an Organization came from an understanding, after two world wars, that a global framework for working together was essential to avoid a repeat of the catastrophic suffering. Yet today, skepticism is rising worldwide about the value of multilateralism and the United Nations faces the challenge of remaining relevant and effective. Secretary-General António Guterres recognized this when he took office, declaring: “We need to re-assert the value of multilateralism; only global solutions can address global problems.”

This Conference is an opportunity to discuss concrete ways to take the UN’s people-centered mandate forward, in closer partnership with civil society. The re-positioned UN development system will offer a platform for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to work more effectively with the UN to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – and to communicate and advocate for it.

Accordingly, this Conference, co-hosted by the UN Department of Public Information and the NGO/DPI Executive Committee, will:

• Assess how the UN, Member States and NGOs, among others, are relaying and enacting the 2030 Agenda
• Identify platforms, approaches and technologies for NGOs to promote the 2030 Agenda
• Explore how to tackle global perceptions regarding the UN’s accomplishments and failures that have shaped attitudes toward the values the Organization represents

 A concise outcome document will be drafted by civil society and presented at the closing plenary for adoption.

Thematic Roundtables: