Ms. Thérése Gastaut, Briefing Moderator and Director of the Public Affairs Division, DPI, welcomed NGOs in Vienna, Geneva and from the Resource Centre for the United Nations in San Francisco. She introduced the panelists in New York who would brief NGOs on the upcoming United Nations Millennium events - the Millennium Forum, to take place in May 2000, and the Millennium Summit of Heads of State and Government and the Millennium Assembly, to take place in September 2000.

By way of background, Mr. Stoby explained that, in July 1997, Secretary-General Kofi Annan produced a report on United Nations reform in which he outlined a number of proposals in connection with the Millennium, namely that this was a time when Governments, institutions and international organizations should be examining their situations as they move into the next millennium. The Secretary-General proposed that he prepare a report on the theme of the UN in the 21st Century for the General Assembly in which he would sketch out his vision of where he thought the UN should be going. He would also provide a series of recommendations of concrete proposals to achieve the objectives that he had set out. It was felt that by having Heads of State and Government directly involved in a three-day Summit, they would have a much greater personal commitment to the implementation and outcome of the Summit. The Secretariat hopes that the Secretary-General's report, which will be released in March, will trigger serious discussion and negotiations and serious outcomes.

Ambassador Kumalo explained that he was involved in preparations for the United Nations Millennium Summit of Heads of State and Government in his capacity as Co-Chair of the Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which South Africa chairs, and the Group of 77 and China, which Guyana chairs. Both groups strongly support the Summit and have actively exchanged views with other groups in the United Nations about the Millennium Summit to ensure its success.

Member States have agreed that the Millennium Summit will take place from 6 - 8 September, focussing on The UN in the 21st Century, as its central theme. The four sub-themes will be: Peace, Security and Disarmament; Development and Poverty Eradication; and, at the suggestion of the European Union, Globalization and Strengthening the United Nations.

During the three-day Summit, there will be a Plenary Session in the General Assembly, during which speakers will be limited to five-to-seven minute interventions. The reason for such a brief time is that the Heads of State are expected to introduce issues that they will discuss later at a series of four Round Tables. It is the first time at the UN that there will be Round Tables of Heads of States and Government. In addition to the plenary sessions and the Round Tables, there will be opening and closing sessions.

According to Ambassador Kumalo, when Member States began focusing on the Millennium Summit, the question was asked: What kind of a UN do we wish to see in the 21st Century? It was argued that this important event should be co-chaired by representatives of both the South and the North. It was suggested that the co-chairs could be the President of the 54th Session of the General Assembly, who is from Namibia, and the future President of the 55th Session of the General Assembly, who will be the representative of Finland. However, the European Union opposed the establishment of a co-chair, saying that this will be setting a precedent and that the GA Resolution is very specific about the Millennium Summit happening as part of the 55th Assembly.

This has become the point of deadlock as the question of having the North and the South co-chair is not only of concern among developing countries. Indeed, Ambassador Kumalo has also received letters supporting the co-chair arrangement from European countries. It is a widely shared view, he said, that there should be a co-chair, but it is also correct that the GA Resolution states that it is the Europe's turn to chair the 55th Assembly, and they would prefer the single chairmanship.

Several Delegations, according to the Ambassador, have argued that it would be a shame if the vision for the UN in the 21st Century be left to Governments alone. They argue that it would be preferable that civil society become involved and be broadly represented. However, one of the arguments being used against civil society representation is that the NGOs tend to be very northern -- European, American and well-funded. Developing countries argue that NGOs are not prevalent in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Furthermore, there are some Member States who feel strongly that NGOs are often antagonistic to Governments. Another concern is how to mix Heads of State with NGO representatives at the Summit.

Mr. Stoby noted that Governments are generally supportive of civil society efforts to participate in UN affairs, as reflected by the decision to allow NGOs to participate in the series of conferences that have marked this decade. They have encouraged NGOs to organize their own events and NGO forums, and have sought to find ways of ensuring access by NGOs both physically and substantively to ensure that they are able to relate to the policy debates at these conferences. There are a group of Governments, however, which are not convinced that the views that are received at these conferences are sufficiently reflective of a wide geographical diversity.

Mr. Stoby said that, from the beginning of his term of office, the Secretary-General has made clear his personal commitment and the commitment of the Secretariat in ensuring that there is a close contact between the United Nations and civil society. Indeed, everything he has done in connection with the Millennium events emphasizes this. It was he who called for the "Peoples Millennium Assembly," which is now known as the Millennium Forum.

Furthermore, it was not enough that issues be discussed at UN Headquarters, but it was also important to get the views of people away from New York. He proposed the organization of a number of regional hearings, which were a new departure for the UN. The idea was to bring together civil society and governments on an equal footing to discuss the range of issues relating to the Millennium and the future of the UN. The Secretary-General indicated that he thought it would be unreasonable if there was not an opportunity for civil society to present their views directly to the Assembly and the Summit.

A series of events will take place during the pre-Summit week including a number of civil society activities. The annual DPI/NGO Conference will focus on themes related to the Millennium Assembly. At this time two other large gatherings of civil society representatives are planned, including a meeting of speakers of Parliaments from all over the world; and a summit of religious leaders, using the facilities of the General Assembly.

From the Secretariat side, the possibility of a youth event is being explored, to link substantively and symbolically the aspirations of youth with the aspirations of Governments and the rest of civil society at the Assembly and the Summit. The Summit must relate to the aspirations of youth, Mr. Stoby said, if it is to achieve meaningful outcome. Efforts are being made to identify a lead organization and it is hoped that one youth representative from every country of the world will take part. It is hoped that what emerges from the youth event be brought before the Summit.

Mr. Ahderom explained that the Forum at UN Headquarters will reflect gender balance, thematic balance and geographic balance. The dates of 22 - 26 May 2000 have been confirmed. Opening and closing sessions will be held at the General Assembly Hall, but will be of a more interactive nature than the usual plenary format. Speakers and panelists will be asked to submit their written statements at least two months ahead of time so that they can be put on Web sites. In this way, NGOs and other sectors of civil society will have advance access to the main documents that are going to be presented so that, whether or not they attend the Forum, they can contribute to the process. DPI will help organize the videoconferencing of segments of the Forum so that representatives of civil society in other parts of the world can follow the events.

The theme of the Forum will be the UN for the 21st Century, with six major sub- themes: Peace, Security and Disarmament; Eradication of Poverty; Human Rights; Challenges of Globalization; Achieving Equity; Justice and Diversity; Strengthening and Democratizing the UN and other International Organizations. There are about 30 - 40 issues, relating to each of the major themes. Focus will be on the implementation and follow-up of the commitments made by Governments and civil society.

Success of the Forum depends on the active participation of NGOs in formulating the elements to go into the final document. A preliminary document will be given to the Secretary-General in the hopes of including some of those ideas in his report that will be made in March. The report will have three components: issues addressed to Member States; issues addressed to civil society; and what the UN can do as an organization in defining these issues. It is hoped that the Final Report will be issued as an official General Assembly document.

Fourteen hundred participants are expected to attend the Forum and the possibility for overflow rooms is being explored. In the case that further funding is identified, participation could be increased by a few hundred people. At the Planning Consultative Council, the Steering Committee level and the Executive Committee level, there is a balance in gender. In the case of the Forum it is hoped that there will be a 40 to 60 per cent split. The selection process has been decentralized and millennium-related events representatives will be chosen at the local level. The next Planning Consultative Council meeting will be on 15 February 2000.

According to the Millennium Forum Treasurer, Ms. Estelle Perry, the proposed budget is under $900,000. There are currently no paid staff. Some $600,000 is being allotted for people who cannot afford to pay their way to the conference, to ensure representation from every region of the world and to have one representative from every country. Donations from NGOs are necessary for adequate mailing, printing, and other aspects of preparation. Checks are to be addressed to: The Millennium Forum, P.O. Box 4432, New York, NY 10163-4432. Fundraising appeals have been mailed to NGOs associated with the United Nations through the Department of Public Information and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, she said, and NGOs must help make this Forum a success to prove that they are capable of being effective partners. The Forum's Web site is: "www.millenniumforum.org", and E-mails can be sent to: "mngof@bic.org". Further information is available at the UN Web site, "www.un.org", where there is a special page dedicated to the Millennium Forum, Summit and Assembly.

Ms. Gastaut, in closing the Briefing, noted that at a press conference just two days previous to this briefing, the Secretary-General stated the following:

"We have to find some way of getting the non-governmental organizations and the parliamentarians to present their views to the Summit, even if it means having representatives of the non-governmental organizations and of the parliaments providing their own inputs and presenting their own vision as to how they see the United Nations in the twenty-first century. I think that that gesture will be healthy, necessary and essential. And I hope the Member States will agree to it. I have a sense that they will. Otherwise, we may have another Seattle."