concluding thoughts from the ngo/dpi conference

Joan Kirby rscj

2,500 NGOs from 90 countries attended the DPI/BGO Conference in September, 2004. Four years ago on Sept. 8, 2000, 189 member states recognized that, in addition to separate responsibilities to their individual societies, they have “a collective responsibility to uphold the principles of human dignity, equality and equity at the global level”. As leaders, they “acknowledged their duty to all the world's people, especially the most vulnerable, and in particular, the children of the world, to whom the future belongs”.

They solemnly reaffirmed, that the United Nations is the indispensable common house of the entire human family, and they pledged to seek to realize their universal aspiration for peace, cooperation and development. They pledged unstinting support for their common objectives and their determination to achieve them. Time bound Millennium Development goals (MDGs) were to be the means to measure achievement.

Kofi Annan has assured us these are not empty promises or unrealistic aspirations. We hope not!

In November of 2003, at a Town Meeting NGOs from around the world resolved to uphold the millennium declaration and to do our part to achieve the Millennium Development Goals - in other words, we acknowledged our duty as civil society “to [improve human conditions for] all the world's people, especially the most vulnerable, and in particular, the children of the world, to whom the future belongs”.

Having adopted the MDGs as the focus of the conference, four years after the Millennium Declaration, we found that the MDGs are little known beyond this “common house of the human family”, the General Assembly Hall. We, as NGOs committed to communicate our work in partnership with United Nations, decided to raise public awareness of the significance and opportunities of the MDGs. Our primary purpose then at this Conference was to get the word out about the Goals. We wanted to bring together these worldwide efforts to a common awareness. This was not just a local effort. It was a worldwide millennium effort to improve conditions for all of humanity.

In September, 2004, we gathered to measure the achievement made toward the MDGs, and to recommit ourselves to their achievement. We asked what has been done and what is being done to achieve: the eradication of poverty and hunger, universal primary education, improvement of health facilities for women and children, an end to the HIV/AIDs pandemic, to ensure environmental sustainability and to develop fair and sustainable trade?

During the conference, experts from Member States, UN Agencies, the World Bank, and from NGOs

• shared their progress on the achievement of the goals.
  
• named the obstacles that obstruct progress toward these humanitarian goals. (All were aware that war is a major obstruction to achievement of the goals.)
  
• looked at differing roles of civil society from the perspectives of North/South Partnerships (industrialized and developing societies); of particular interest was the role of the international community in solving global development problems such as trade, debt relief and cooperation.
  
• helped to increase and sustain the political will needed to achieve the goals (especially through the media and our interactive website).
  
• And, in Panel 5 on Friday, through the leadership of the Networking and Midday Workshop Committees, the NGO community commended, recommended, challenged and reported what they saw as progress. NGO representatives made recommendations to be tracked through the year in preparation for the Millennium + 5 Summit meeting in 2005.
  
• Finally, thanks to networking and informal dialogues, active partnerships were formed to take the message back home beyond the UN family to all parts of the world.

The purpose of this conference was to ensure that the goals are on the mind of every policymaker, media representative and global citizen and to see that no one can claim ignorance of our common duty to work actively towards the achievement of these eight goals.

It was a formidable task possible only because a dedicated Planning Committee of more than fifty NGO representatives who cared deeply about these humanitarian aspirations persevered in meeting for eight months to prepare this conference; possible because eight hard-working committees (Media, Midday NGO Workshops, Youth, Interactive Media, Reception, Registration and Networking) contributed their time and talent to ensure that it was a success.
But our work was certainly not finished. Having engaged with the five regions, Arab countries, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe, we deepened our global citizenship. The Planning Committee invited women speakers because women traditionally care about humanitarian goals. We heard from women that we have to change the power relationships, i.e. put women in positions as leaders of the MDG Campaign (so that will not be applying band aids ). We added youth to women and we have found dynamite.

Regarding the importance of Goal 8, to secure a global partnership for development, we understood that the market economy cannot eradicate poverty because the billion extremely poor people are too poor to participate in the competitive market. We need to give help, not sell it! I have thought of the MDGs as humanitarian goals; they are, but economic policy is at the heart of their achievement. We have seen that security depends on development and conversely, development depends on security.

Finally, it's our job! Each one here has to make a serious commitment to work for the achievement of the Goals. Please take this passion and energy home so that we too may “abide to relieve the misery of the world”.
In the coming year the DPI/NGO community will be preparing for the Millennium plus Five. The NGOs will highlight the MDGs during 2005, the 5th year out, and together and collectively, we will continue to press officials at all levels to heighten their commitment and resolve, as we are doing at this conference, to ensure that the Millennium Development Goals are achieved, fulfilling our “collective responsibility to uphold the principles of human dignity, equality and equity at a global level”..

A Buddhist prayer says it this way:

For as long as space endures, for as long as living beings remain, may we too abide to relieve the misery of the world.

May this Conference make a contribution to the achievement of the humanitarian aspirations of the MDGs.


Joan Kirby rscj
Province of the United States
Overall Chair, DPI-NGO Conference 2004