Lively debate at UN among NGO representatives. Kofi Annan:
more awareness of our interdependence is needed

Peace Times 13

Unesco symbol of the International
Year for a Culture of Peace

by Isthar D.-Adler

The 52nd DPI/NGO annual conference held at United Nations Headquarters took place from the 15th to the 17th of September, under the theme “Challenges of a globalized world: finding new directions”. In his opening statement, Secretary General Mr Kofi Annan said that the revolution of non-governmental organisations and the globalisation process were defining phenomena of our times, adding that “governments need non-governmental partners because the private sector can not by itself give global markets a human face, nor can it reach the millions on the margins. He said that “As we become more and more aware of our interdependence...we must now stitch together the strands of cooperation into a strong fabric of community for the new millennium”, adding “in that spirit let me stress that I have high hopes for next year’s events marking the millennium... In May 2000, we shall hold a Millennium Forum to gather ideas from NGOs all over the world”. The SG ended his speech by calling upon all NGOs to participate in the process of focusing on some of the world’s most pressing problems, and set a precise and achievable programme for dealing with them in a spirit of global solidarity.

Special guest, Queen Noor Al-Hussein of Jordan said that it was time to place the human face at the centre of the globalisation debate, creating a new sense of global responsibility, and that business, governments and NGOs formed a three-pronged plug through which the power of globalisation could flow to promote human welfare worldwide.

Nobel Prize laureate and former President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias, said that NGOs act as the conscience of society, forcing policy-makers to address the truly important issues of the day, and that their willingness to work for positive change ensure that the voices of the poor, the weak and the oppressed are heard.

Theo-Ben Gurirab in his statement spoke of globalisation as a powerful force which represents closer linkages among countries and economies which enhances the movement of goods and capital, thereby increasing the volume of world trade and therefore signalling a tendency towards a more integrated global economy. The challenge of globalisation should be taken up in a collaborative spirit he continued, and that NGOs in particular “have proven to be very successful in mobilising the support of the international community for many worthy causes, shared by UN member States.This is the important collaborative role that they should be encouraged to play, which calls for a sober and solid partnership between the United Nations and NGOs”.

Carl Murrel, Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee said that “hopefully the essential oneness of humanity” would emerge as a standard for deliberations, and that “a common homeland” situation in a planet of justice and peace was being forged.

Elaine Valdov, Chairperson NGO/DPI Executive Committee commented on how fitting that this last conference of the century should be on globalisation - finding new directions, which begs the question “Can we actually find new directions? We have been looking for a century. Is it possible to create a new world where people live in peace and harmony with each other and our home the Earth?”. She stressed the need to re-define globalisation to include the teaching of peace education, and to take action to make change, quoting Martin Luther King who said “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concernes of all humanity”, which is what NGOs can teach the world.

Panel discussions included the participation of Kwesi Botchey, Director for Africa Research and Programmes, Center for International Devbelopment, Harvard University, who said that globalisation was widely accepted as the most distinguished feature of global economics at the end of this millennium. The role of governments and civil society in influencing policies which guide globalisation and the means whereby international financial, trade and multinational institutions could persue market opportunities while addressing social concerns were among the major issues addressed. Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of the UN Development programme (UNDP), said it was a very interesting moment as old structures of control are falling away and new ones are beginning to emerge, which had lead to a power shift between different kinds of institutions, from profit to non-profit organisations and from the governments  to the communities. Going forward, he said, UNDP will be relying increasingly on information technology as the tool for delivering advice to governments and grassroot organisations. Frans Roeselaers, International Labour organisation said that they would continue to seek dialogue with NGOs who share ILO principles and values, especially when it can also involve employers and workers, as there was often a scope for joint campaining in the fight against child labour, poverty alleviation, employment creation and basic workers rights. As. ILO’s director General Juan Somavia recently said: “we have it within our power to bring an end to the worst forms of child labour....join us in this struggle and together we can make a decisive break-through.

Greg Bourne, Regional Director, BP Amoco from Australia spoke of encouraging viable partnerships for human development and said he often meets and talks with NGO members who have actively protested against their operations, but he has also discovered in those meetings that essentially they had similar sets of personal values, in a sense universal values. They have forged good links with local NGOs with experience in schooling, health, economic development, environmental protection and those groups skilled in social development, emphasising the importance of “understanding the culture before you can begin to understand the impact of your operation on that culture”. “Just as this body was formed to unite nations and governments in a common cause”, he concluded, “my hope is that businesses around the world can be united in a similar way. And by working with NGOs and other organisations, we can help achieve the goal of furthering sustainable and human development around the globe”. H.E. Dr Speciosa Wandira Kazibwe, Vice-President of the Republic of Uganda, asked: “how can we share the same vision of prosperity embracing both the privileged and the wretched of the Earth?” “The market place, globalisation and indeed capitalism must be humanised”. “What we really need in developing countries, she continued, is to be given the political space and time to develop our institutions suited to our socio-economic, cultural and political conditions”. To actualise this, she emphasised the importance of freeing the human resource through education and skills requisition. She spoke of NGOs as “critical at this time as partners in all endeavours, but also as a check and balance on the excesses of governments. Experience has shown, she added, that the NGOs can do it and that is why they must play a central role if all people on earth are to participate effectively in determining their destiny”.  As the song says: “Power to the people” in the 21st century and let us truly develop a new culture of peace in the third millennium!