AW: [WSIS CS-Plenary] Re: Next GFC meetings

Sun Jun 26 08:03:05 BST 2005

Tahnks renata for the NY statement which is very balanced and clear. Only one question: Was there one reason why NOT mentioning experiences from WSIS? 

Best

wolfgang

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Von: plenary-admin at wsis-cs.org im Auftrag von Renata Bloem
Gesendet: Sa 25.06.2005 21:01
An: bureau wsis; Plenary at wsis-cs.org
Betreff: [WSIS CS-Plenary] Re: Next GFC meetings

Dear all,

I agree with all of you, but just before we send out a letter (s) let us recall the facts:

The GFC was established with the objective to help the President with the Drafting of the Tunis Outcome Document, or rather getting the elements together for this document. Real negotiations will only take place at PrepComs.  As a restricted body, the GFC -other than the WGIG- was created without the participation of CS, but also without the participation of many governments and other stakeholders. Modalities for its operations were therefore: To have a number of open meetings for all stakeholders and a number of closed meetings (in which only other governments were allowed to sit in as silent observers).  

In the two open meetings the GFC held between PrepCom1 and PrepCom2, CONGO each time deplored the fact that this was the only WSIS body not in line with the multi stake holder approach. President Karklins, as his predecessor Samassekou, is very open to CS input, but is nevertheless bound to look always for consensus. (And apparently some members of the Governmental Bureau want to keep some prerogatives for Governments)  Therefore CS was invited along with other stakeholders to send their input to these open meetings or in writing (by deadline) to be included in the compilation of contributions which were to be considered at PrepCom2. (CONGO and NGLS had sent out each time notes to the Bureau and Plenary to these effects)

At PrepCom2 we had the opportunity to speak to the then draft Outcome Document. (Agenda of PrepCom2).  At the end of PrepCom2 there was some sort of agreement that the GFC would not meet any more before PrepCom3, but that all stakeholders were allowed to contribute once more in writing until the deadline of 30 May (on Chapter 1 and 4) which would then be compiled by the Secretariat for PrepCom3.

However, during the ITU (so-called open) Consultation on follow up on 2 May (not officially part of the WSIS process) those of us who were there demanded quite strongly to have official consultations within WSIS on follow up for all stakeholders. The Governmental Bureau then decided to have another round of the GFC, beginning with the open meeting on June 13 (you all have received our notes), followed by three closed meetings June 27, July 4, July 11 and another open meeting if needed on July 18.

When at the end of the June 13 meeting Karklins announced the next closed round on June 27, he mentioned that (as established for the GFC) other Governments could sit in as silent observers and (!) he would not throw out any silent CS representative, should any be there. Apparently there was another Bureau meeting during which this last part was revoked. 

So in general what we are now facing is not a new situation (throwing CS out) but rather the rebuke for Karklins who had tried his best to be more open to CS. 

In light of the new (more open) developments we have just experienced here in New York during the UNGA CS Hearings, we have better positions. It will be good to use them wisely. 

FYI below the Opening Statement 

Official Press Releases for the two day Hearings can be found on 

Fifty-Ninth General Assembly Plenary

105th and 106th Meeting

GA/10359 23 June 2005 

GA/10361 24 June 2005

Best regards,

Renata

General Assembly Hearings with Civil Society

New York, 23-24 June 2005

Opening Statement by

Renate Bloem

President of the Conference of NGOs (CONGO)

Mr. President

Madam Deputy Secretary-General 

Excellencies

Colleagues and friends 

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

            Today is a historic moment in time: for the first time ever, since the founding of the United Nations, the General Assembly is holding hearings with civil society and the private sector. These hearings represent a significant step forward for the United Nations itself, and for all of us in civil society which overall is such a constant supporter of the principles of the United Nations and of Multilateralism. At the Opening of the hearings my own emotion is strong since the Conference of NGOs (CONGO) has for 57 years worked intensively to enhance the participation of civil society in UN fora.   

This moment was long awaited by NGOs that have advocated for decades to have a special relationship with the General Assembly, the highest deliberative body of the Organisation. Our appeal has been heard by the Secretary General himself who, following the Cardoso report, in his report "In larger freedom" agrees that "the goals of the United Nations can only be achieved if civil society and Governments are fully engaged" and that "prior to major events, the Assembly could institute the practice of holding interactive hearings between Member States and Civil Society representatives that have the necessary expertise on the issues on the agenda". This moment has now come, and I welcome all Governments who are here to interact with us.

The Summit in September does indeed constitute a "major event" that will take place in this very Assembly Hall. The seats will be occupied by world leaders who have the capacity to make decisions that will affect not only the future of the United Nations, but the kind of world we and our children will be living in. It is time for all of us to speak up for what we believe in and for the voices of the world's peoples - particularly women, youth, the elderly and indigenous peoples - to be heard. We come from a great diversity of backgrounds, traditions, interests and values, but we do share a profound conviction that the United Nations is essential and that its effectiveness depends on giving operational reality to the interdependence of development, security and human rights in all its programs.

If today is indeed a crucial moment in history, it builds on a long history of growing interaction between governments and civil society. The founders of the United Nations themselves have granted to NGOs, through article 71 of the Charter, a consultative relationship with the Economic and Social Council. The extraordinary cycle of the UN World Conferences held before and especially throughout the 1990's and the process of democratization has in turn led to a remarkable growth in the number of NGOs and civil society   movements and the scope and the diversity of their activities. The 2000 Millennium Forum and the activities of the Millennium+5 NGO Network have further enhanced communality through diversity. 

When on 26 June we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Charter of the United Nations we should never forget that it is proclaimed in the name of "We the Peoples". We mark the evolution of international relations and the emergence of a global civil society which at this time as never before rallies around the Millennium Development Goals and the Campaign and Global Call to Action against Poverty. 

So it is vital that the General Assembly will listen to these voices and we are grateful to you, Mr. President, and to you Madam Deputy Secretary-General, for your leadership in making this happen. However, the September 2005 General Assembly is very close, and these hearings constitute one of the last moments to take our input into consideration.

Representatives of NGOs, civil society and the private sector have come prepared to offer their ideas and recommendations, often based on first hand experience of the issues they are going to address: on poverty and development, on human rights, on peace and security and on the need to shape a more democratic system of global governance by reforming and strengthening the United Nations.  

This civil society experience and competence in real-world issues is surely what led the Cardoso Panel to call for greater integration of civil society viewpoints at all levels of the United Nations policy discussions. Responsible civil society input enhances responsible government output! 

We thus hope that in 2005 our voices will not only be listened to but heard, so that we may have a substantive impact on the document to be submitted to the Summit in September. We have the draft of this document to hand and we are therefore in a position to assess the  extend to which our contributions to the negotiations are valued by member states. We shall be watching very closely to see which of our recommendations will be reflected in the final document.

Let me also express the hope that this hearing will not constitute an isolated event, but that it will help us to move from an historical precedent to a more formal institutionalized way of Civil Society interacting with the work of the General Assembly. We think these hearings are a good beginning and could be repeated at the start of each General Assembly session.

Finally, Mr President, I want to pay tribute to you for setting up a Civil Society Task Force to assist you in preparing for the Hearings and to thank the members of the Task Force for the tremendous amount of work they have done in a very short time. 

            We have come to a point in time where multi stake holder partnerships between governments, international organizations, civil society and the private sector, are not an option any more, but a vital necessity for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

We are entering a new era when governments and civil society must work hand in hand to relegate wars, poverty and violations of human rights to the dustbin of history. That is the new Millennium the world needs! 

Renate Bloem
President of the Conference of NGOs (CONGO)
11, Avenue de la Paix
CH-1202 Geneva
Tel: +41 22 301 1000
Fax: +41 22 301 2000
E-mil: rbloem at ngocongo.org
Website: www.ngocongo.org

The Conference of NGOs (CONGO) is an international, membership association that facilitates the participation of NGOs in United Nations debates and decisions. Founded in 1948, CONGO's major objective is to ensure the presence of NGOs in exchanges among the world's governments and United Nations agencies on issues of global concern.  For more information see our website at www.ngocongo.org

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