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Strengthening of the United Nations: An Agenda for Further Change-Global Policy Forum- NGOs Strengthening of the United Nations:
United Nations
An Agenda for Further Change
September 9, 2002
The following is an exerpt from pages 23-25 of the United Nations General Assembly document A/57/387. Full Document C. Promoting partnerships
133. International society is becoming more plural and diverse. Actors from civil society and the private sector are increasingly involved in international cooperation at every level, from the local to the global. Their form of involvement ranges from advancing ideas and proposals to concrete activities, such as the delivery of public health services or food aid. Their indispensable contribution is widely recognized. That is why, in the Millennium Declaration, Member States resolved to give greater opportunities to the private sector, nongovernmental organizations and civil society, in general, to contribute to the realization of the Organization’s goals and programmes. In the present section I will address the interaction between civil society and the United Nations system, and the particular case of the relationship between the private sector and foundations and the United Nations.
Engaging civil society
134. There has been an exponential growth in the number of civil society actors, and in the volume of transnational networks in which they are embedded. The number of international non-governmental organizations grew forty-fold over the course of the twentieth century, to more than 37,000 in 2000. The expanding worldwide networks of non-governmental organizations embrace virtually every level of organization, from the village community to global summits, and almost every sector of public life, from the provision of microcredit and the delivery of emergency relief supplies, to environmental and human rights activism.
135. The relationship of the United Nations with civil society organizations is as old as the Charter itself. Partnership between the United Nations system and non-governmental organizations in the humanitarian and development areas has been the rule for decades. Indeed, the relationship is so close that, in many cases, non-governmental organizations participate in the planning processes of the United Nations at country level.
136. The extensive interaction of civil society actors with the intergovernmental processes is of more recent vintage. It has really blossomed with the world conferences of the past decade. The formal deliberations and decisions of many such meetings are now often enriched by the debates carried out in nongovernmental forums and events held in parallel with the official conferences. Many United Nations treaty bodies now routinely consider alternate reports from non-governmental organizations alongside the official reports from Governments. In some cases, nongovernmental organizations have addressed plenary sessions of conferences and participated in formal, round-table discussions with governmental delegates. Many Governments now include civil society representatives in their delegations to international conferences and special sessions, and sometimes also to the General Assembly.
137. The Security Council has also adopted some innovative and creative measures to allow nongovernmental voices to be heard by its members. The Arria formula, for example, enables non-governmental organizations to give testimony to Security Council members in relation to specific crises, as well as on such issues as children in armed conflict, outside the official meetings.
138. Today, more than 2,000 non-governmental organizations have formal consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, and about 1,400 with the Department of Public Information. More than 3,500 non-governmental organizations were given formal accreditation to the most recent global conference, the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
139. As a result of this explosive growth in participation, the system that has evolved over several years for facilitating the interaction between the United Nations and civil society actors is showing signs of strain:
(a) The rapid increase in the number of nongovernmental organizations has put our facilities and resources under great pressure. It is now physically impossible for the Organization to accommodate all non-governmental organizations requesting participation in United Nations conferences and meetings;
(b) There exists a great variety of accreditation processes. Despite a substantial body of practice, nongovernmental organizations wishing to attend and participate in United Nations conferences and meetings often encounter uneven standards and confusing procedures;
(c) Many Member States are wary of the constant pressure to make more room for nongovernmental organizations in their deliberations, while non-governmental organizations consider that they are not allowed to participate meaningfully;
(d) There is a great imbalance in the numbers of non-governmental organizations from the industrialized and those from the developing countries, with very few of the latter taking part in United Nations activities;
(e) A number of civil society actors — parliamentarians and private sector groups, to name but two — do not consider themselves to be nongovernmental organizations, and the modalities for their participation are not very clear;
(f) The responsibility for engaging with nongovernmental organizations is spread across several units in the Secretariat.
140. Some non-governmental organizations have attempted to address the above-mentioned concerns. In many instances, they have come together to offer collective views on substantive questions of policy. Some have attempted to respond to questions raised about their breadth of representation and accountability, by exploring a system of self-regulation and agreed codes of conduct. Several nongovernmental organizations have made efforts to expand their membership so as to incorporate people and groups from developing countries.
141. It is, of course, the prerogative of the Member States to define the terms and conditions governing the accreditation and participation of non-governmental organizations in United Nations conferences and other deliberations. However, all concerned would benefit from engagement with civil society actors based on procedures and policies that reflect greater coherence, consistency and predictability. I believe that it would be useful to take stock of the Organization’s experience thus far in interacting with civil society. As a first step, I will assemble a group of eminent persons representing a variety of perspectives and experiences to review past and current practices and recommend improvements for the future in order to make the interaction between civil society and the United Nations more meaningful.
Action 19. I will establish a panel of eminent persons to review the relationship between the United Nations and civil society and offer practical recommendations for improved modalities of interaction.
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