NGOs to offer fresh hope and perspective to World Summit 2005

United Nations officials today hailed non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as essential partners in the effort to promote a culture of peace, create change in world societies and hold governments accountable for achieving their commitments.

"Governments can do a lot in fighting drugs, crime or terrorism, and they should do more. But they can't do everything," Executive Director of the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Antonio Maria Costa told a press conference highlighting a special UN forum to bring together private entities with governments.

"We need and require the commitment of society at large, whether it is society understood as the education system, or the places of faith, or places of sport," he added. NGOs are "essential partners" in the process of "curbing the threats to security."

The forum, in its second day, is sponsored by the UN Department of Information (DPI) and NGOs, and comes a week before the 2005 World Summit, the largest ever gathering of international leaders at UN Headquarters in New York from 14 to 16 September.

Former Lt. Gen. Daniel Opande of the UN Mission in Liberia, representing the military point of view, said: "My conviction is that civil society has played a leading role exploring the ills that bring conflict." It is also their role to "tell the bad guys who are ruling by the sword, to stop doing what they are doing," he added.

One NGO representative at the press briefing, Gareth Evans, President of the International Crisis Group said that on "all key principles," such as peace building, government use of force, human rights council, arms control, and policy on terrorism, there was very little agreement among UN Members prior to the Summit. "If nothing else, I hope [the results of the forum] can be a wake-up call, a cry of pain from civil society."

Mr. Evans was referring to the marathon discussions by a General Assembly panel that have so far been unable to produce an agreed draft document on issues ranging from enacting UN reform to promoting development to battling terrorism.

Speaking at this morning's session, the UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Anwarul K. Chowdhury, encouraged the NGOs to be more engaged in the development process with the international community. "Your role is to monitor international agreements and commitments, share your findings and create a database detailing the performance of countries. You must participate in the inter-governmental process and help governments achieve their commitments," he said.

Speaking at the conference yesterday, UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Shashi Tharoor called for civil organizations to help deliver people every where to greater freedom and achieve better standards of life by working closely with their governments and the UN.

"In no small way, you are the guardians of reform of the international system," he said. "What is more, I hope you use your voices and your expertise to praise the achievements of the Summit, and, of course to call for more where more is needed," he added.

Also speaking yesterday was UN General Assembly President Jean Ping of Gabon who praised non-governmental and private concerns for their desire to help the international community, and called on them to continue their good work in pursuing peace and the protection of human rights.

The forum, "Our Challenge: Voices for Peace, Partnership and Renewal," is taking place in preparation for the issues to be dealt with by Member States at the 2005 World Summit next week. Over 2,000 civil society groups and activists are attending, along with Member States and UN representatives.