Report of the DPI/NGO Conference 2006

Kim Young Sun rscj and Paloma Fernández de la Hoz rscj

My greatest joy: meeting and sharing with my rscj sisters from Chile, Austria, USA, Korea, Holland and the young volunteer from Spain, the two interns from 91st Street, and Doryne, representing the IBVM congregation. Helen O’Regan rscj (Uganda-Kenya)

rscj at the Conference: Helen O’Regan, Fran Tobin, Kim Young Sun, Paloma Fernández de la Hoz, Cecile Meijer, Inés García Huidobro

The value of a group coming together and hearing one another, and also our interactions helped me understand much more about the varying issues of each country as well as how the US can get in the way lots of times … that reality is important for Americans to understand or at least, it is important for me to understand. I also think it is important to understand that we must work with other NGOs – it is key to moving people. Fran Tobin rscj (United States)

Joan Kirby rscj and Kim Young Sun rscj

During the meeting I could see and hear many voices. They came from the places where people suffer from hunger, genocide, disease. Also I learned many things which deal with social phenomena. What I learned was sometimes strong and powerful, sometimes it was simply information. I heard a longing for love, a searching for knowledge, compassion for the suffering of people who are poor. It stimulated and made me conscious of my responsibility as a person who lives in an interdependent world. Kim Young Sun rscj (Korea)

Fran Tobin rscj and Paloma Fernández de la Hoz rscj In the background are the cards illustrating the MDGs made by the students of Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai, India. View them by clicking here.

Kim Young Sun rscj, Paloma Fernández de la Hoz rscj , Helen O’Regan rscj , Inés Garcia Huidobro rscj

Photos: Fran Tobin rscj and Cecile Meijer rscj

The world is hungry … for food and spirituality
       a panelist at the 59th DPI/NGO Conference


What a week it has been! September 3-10, so full of life and learning, opening new windows in minds and hearts by broadening our world and global perspective, all of it to be shared and announced back home in various places around the world. Five RSCJ from the international Society and three local friends joined us, Cecile and Doryne, for a week-long program around the annual DPI/NGO Conference at the United Nations: Paloma Fernández de la Hoz rscj (Central Europe Province), Inés Garcia Huidobro rscj (Chile), Kim Young Sun rscj (Korea), Helen O’Regan rscj (Uganda-Kenya), and Fran Tobin rscj (USA), together with Tilda Benjumea (a Loretto alumna from Spain who lives in NYC) and our two interns from 91^st Street, Katie Evans and Carmen Feliz.

The first two days were reserved for in-house orientation and preparation for the big conference at the UN and were held at the NGO Office at 406 East 80th Street. We talked about what an NGO is and what it means that the Society and the IBVM are two NGOs at the UN, each associated with the Department of Public Information; the principal organs of the United Nations and the way in which NGOs can interact with these; our partnership which is called “RSCJ-IBVM at the UN”; and, of course, some background and context of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which would be, once again, the theme of the conference.

The 59^th Annual DPI/NGO Conference itself was held at UN Headquarters from Wednesday through Friday, September 6-8, under the theme: Unfinished Business: Effective Partnerships for Human Security and Sustainable Development. More than 1,500 participants from 62 countries attended. Three plenary sessions and six Round Tables discussed issues such as Achieving Financial and Ecological Sustainability, Science and Technology for Education, Emerging Approaches to Healthcare, including Gender-based HIV and AIDS, and the Role of the Media and Communications Technology in Achieving the MDGs. As always, conference participants had a choice of more than 30 midday workshops during lunch hour; among these, a workshop on employment that was co-sponsored by our partnership.

Among the many highlights was a very moving tribute by Joan Kirby rscj, Chair of the NGO/DPI Executive Committee on behalf of all NGOs at the UN, to parting Secretary-General Kofi Annan whose term in office comes to an end on December 31, 2006.

(L to R) Joan Kirby rscj, His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, Mr. Raymond Sommereyns, Mrs. Nane Annan

Photo: www.ngodpiconference.org

All of us were also touched by the inspiration of the President of the 60th Session of the General Assembly, Mr. Jan Eliasson, who will be remembered for his wisdom that “without passion, nothing happens; without compassion, the wrong things happen; with passion and compassion the right things happen.”

Particularly striking this year was the presence of many young people at the conference. The conference Planning Committee had made it an explicit point that at least one person per NGO needed to be younger than 30 years of age – their presence was visible in the room and their energy tangible (in our own group of ten we had three under 30 years).

On Saturday, September 9, we met again at the NGO Office to debrief and reflect on the week and what it had meant for us. We also shared some of the ways in which we want to take the experience home and begin connecting the local and the global. Later in the afternoon, we celebrated Mass and dinner together with the RSCJ of the New York Area.

Reflections by Tilda Benjumea (Loretto alumna from Spain)

There are all kinds of NGOs working hard for different goals. I learned the importance of partnerships between civil society and the private sector but I would like to add the governments in this partnership. Each has to know its own task and try to narrow it as much as possible in order to achieve the overall goal. Before going to the conference, I thought it was going to be full of words and have little facts. But I was wrong, there is a big group of people working hard in their own places and all together, little by little, people are doing great things. I can recall an important message: not to judge and work.

I also saw hope. Although it is true there is still a lot of work to do, it is no less true that there are a lot of people working. Instead of looking at the data and statistics from the bad side I prefer to look what has been done and have hope that if every single people that has attended the Conference does at least a little contribution we will achieve smaller goals. It is very rewarding to see that there are a lot of people from all over the world that are eager to work for the MDGs.

Reflections by Inés Garcia rscj (Chile)

The strongest and most lasting impression is that of thousands of good people working for the wellbeing of all. You could see it in many ways: from attitudes of mutual respect and kindness, to the content of each speech and panel. This was a gathering where you saw the sons and daughters of God caring for the poor; this from the Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, to the last participant.

I am happy I have known the UN today, struggling to achieve the MDGs, for a world without extreme poverty; but, as the Secretary Genera said, the governments will not be able to fulfil the MDGs by themselves, they need the support of civil society. If governments do not talk about the MDGs, civil society and NGOs must make them known. If governments do not put the MDGs into practice, then NGOs have to, on the one hand, put pressure on them to achieve what they promise and, on the other hand, must take concrete actions to achieve the MDGs.