GFDD supports CoNGO President’s Statement: NGOs with the UN “Building a Better Future for Human Kind”

The Conference of NGOs in consultative relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO) and the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) partnered on May 7th to hold a commemorative panel discussion celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the United Nations before a packed auditorium in the General Assembly Building. The participants included Ambassador Martin Sajdik of the Permanent Mission of Austria to the UN and President of the UN Ecomomic and Social Council,
Navid Hanif, Director of the Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, Elizabeth Benham, Past-President of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women and Marc Jourdan, GFDD’s UN Representative. President of CoNGO, Cyril Ritchie, moderated the event stressing how civil society and the UN were “together building a better future for human kind”.

President of CoNGO, Cyril Ritchie warmly welcomed the guests to the event,
providing them with an explanation behind the goals of the commemoration and its upcoming CoNGO affiliated events in June in Geneva, and in October in Vienna. Stressing the importance of the work of civil society at the UN, the President argued that “the UN could not operate in the field without the support of NGO expertise”.

Ambassador Sajdick next took the floor to deliver the key note statement. He emphasized the important role of NGOs in the design of
the new Post 2015-Development Agenda. He stated that “the promise of Sustainable Development Goals must be met with widespread civil society action”. Referring to the number ECOSOC accredited nonprofit organizations, which include GFDD, he noted that the 4,167 affiliated NGOs were a testament to “the willingness of civil society to work with the UN system”. To recognize civil society’s efforts, he explained that the ECOSOC architecture would
offer guidance on an integrated approach (inclusive of NGOs) to the follow up and implementation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Through dialogues sessions between Member States and other stakeholders, he ensured there would be a high level of transparency to hold Member States to their commitments.

Navid Hanif praised civil society for the progress it had made since the creation of the UN, and for becoming a key player in development negotiations. He noted a
“fundamental change in development cooperation” and highlighted that “we now have a development agenda that cannot be achieved by Member States alone”.

Next, Liz Benham traced the history of the involvement of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women within the UN, from its roots to its presence today as one of the most influential international networks of business and professional women with affiliates in 95
countries in five continents. She stressed that this gathering of civil society representatives represented a momentous occasion, demonstrating the important role that NGOs play at the UN, through their “robust voices, contributions and participations in discussions”.

Finally, GFDD’s UN Representative, Marc Jourdan, praised the efforts and interventions of NGOs at the UN, stating this had “ensured that the international community
does not deviate from the key purpose of the UN which are to maintain international peace and security, promote equal rights and attain international cooperation on all matters, be they economic, social, cultural or of humanitarian character”. Reflecting on the importance of 2015 for the UN Development Agenda, he explained how GFDD had “repeatedly taken the floor at the United Nations to call for greater involvement of people and communities, and led the calls for a new
development agenda, where public participation of communities is enhanced and economic decisions are complemented by social and environmental outcomes”. Turning to the role of civil society in this new agenda, he identified some key requirements for ECOSOC to implement within the UN to make the agenda a reality, including “the need for engagement with civil society to go beyond formal consultation to active participation in the deliberative process”.

Following speaker interventions, Cyril Ritchie moderated an interactive question and answer session with the audience. The session covered numerous topics of interest, including issues of accountability for sovereign nations under the new development agenda, the limitations provided by the High Level Political Forum in its capacity as the secretariat to the new development agenda, as well as the need for the United Nations executive body to become more gender representative and act
as a role model for gender equality.

The commemoration event was followed by a lunch reception, hosted by CoNGO, which provided participants and speakers with the opportunity to network and connect in a more private setting.

About the commemoration
Following the creation of the United Nations organization in 1945,  and the granting of Consultative Status with ECOSOC to the first NGOs,  
CoNGO was created in 1948  “to foster cooperation and dialogue among all NGOs  and with groupings of NGOs related to the UN System”  and  to “strengthen the relationship between NGOs and the United Nations,  including the contributions which NGOs can make to promoting the principles, purposes , and effectiveness of the UN and its related agencies and programmes”.  Moreover, the early visionaries
also mandated CoNGO “to mobilize public opinion in support of the aims and principles of the United Nations”.
With this in mind, the 70th Anniversary of the UN offers an opportunity to examine these ongoing relationships.  The relationships are vital, challenging, sometimes fraught, always evolving, and increasingly essential to continue moving towards a world of peace, equity and social justice, a world where poverty is eradicated and the rule of
law prevails.

About GFDD
GFDD and its sister organization in the Dominican Republic, Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode), are non-governmental organizations with consultative status with the following UN bodies: Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the UN Environment Programme, the Department of Public Information (DPI), the Global Compact Office, the
Office on Drugs and Crime, and the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS). GFDD and Funglode are dedicated to promoting and advancing issues at the forefront of the United Nations” agenda.

About CoNGO
CoNGO is the primary support and platform for a civil society represented by a global community of informed, empowered and committed NGOs that fully participate with the UN in decision-making and programs leading to a better
world, a world of economic and social justice.

Related links
http://www.ngocongo.org/
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf