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Civil Society Consultation for Finance Ministers Meeting -Global Policy Forum- NGOs Civil Society Consultation for Finance Ministers Meeting
allAfrica
July 24, 2002
Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon has stressed to Commonwealth non-governmental organisations - known as 'the people's Commonwealth' - that they have a role to play in ensuring the achievement of the objectives of the recent UN Financing for Development Conference in Monterrey, Mexico. "Your input will be a key resource," he told them.
And, he said, the Commonwealth Secretariat will work even more closely with them to ensure a better life for Commonwealth people. Mr McKinnon made these comments when he delivered the keynote address at the 'Civil Society Consultation for the Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting (FMM)' in London on 22 July 2002.
Mr McKinnon stated: "I thoroughly welcome the fact that finance ministers will hear your views on how you think Monterrey can be made to work. The challenge we have set for our ministers is to agree on an action plan for implementation of the Monterrey Consensus within Commonwealth countries. You have the opportunity to influence their deliberations and your input will be a key resource."
Furthermore, he said, "for the first time in history the goal of putting an end to absolute poverty appears to be within our grasp. Let's not lose this opportunity."
The two-day consultation, which ended yesterday (23 July), brought together some 40 delegates from people's organisations from across the Commonwealth. The event was organised by the London-based Commonwealth Foundation with the support of the UK Treasury and the Commonwealth Secretariat. It was the culmination of more than three months of consultations and regional conferences to identify local concerns on financing for development and implementing the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
In his welcoming remarks Colin Ball, Director of the Foundation, explained that "the desire to have a civil society input was motivated in some, if not large, measure, by a concern that the credibility and impact of the decisions of global decision-making forums of political and economic leaders have been undermined, in recent years, by their perceived exclusivity, opaqueness and fortress mentality."
The regional submissions are being collated for presentation to Commonwealth finance ministers. It is the first time that Commonwealth citizens are having a direct input in this way to the annual FMM. This year's meeting, themed 'Delivering the Monterrey Consensus', takes place in London on 24-26 September. The Monterrey Consensus sought to build a global partnership for the eradication of poverty and the creation of wealth in developing countries.
Graça Machel, the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Foundation, and Paul Boateng, Chief Secretary to the UK Treasury, also addressed the opening session.
Mr Boateng said that the international community had set ambitious targets to address the enormous challenges of promoting growth, stability and poverty reduction worldwide. "The Millennium Development Goals are an expression of our aspirations for a world divided by crippling social problems but united by a commitment to overcome them. Most importantly, that by 2015 we halve the proportion of people living in absolute poverty, a first step on the road to eradicating it entirely."
He stressed that "the time to act is now. Too often, in the past, high words have not been backed by concrete actions. This time, we must make a common commitment to a definite plan of action, and each of us, as equal partners, must be prepared to go the extra mile to make that commitment a reality." Civil society also has a crucial role to play, he pointed out. "If we are to deliver on the Monterrey Consensus, winning the war against want, we have to form a united front. Developing country governments need both international and local support."
Mrs Machel expressed concern that there was not enough interaction between civil society organisations, and the private sector and governments. "Are we knocking on the right doors? We need to listen harder to the voice of the poor, the voice of the people." She emphasised to the delegates the importance of inclusiveness and perseverance: "Find your way to tell those that have the power and the resources that it really is in their own self-interest and for their own survival to unlock these resources. We have a hard task to do. We must knock on those doors, touch their hearts and touch their pockets too."
She acknowledged governments' plea of scarce resources, "but they can show the best use of resources". Mrs Machel urged the delegates to ensure that vulnerable sections of society were not left out. "Please bring rural people into the mainstream. Bring in youth and women (not much has happened since Beijing). Yes, money is extremely important but people are more important."
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