Background
The importance of working with and through NGOs as an integral
part of United Nations information activities was recognized
when the Department of Public Information was first established
in 1946. The General Assembly, in its resolution, instructed
DPI and its branch offices to "... actively assist and
encourage national information services, educational institutions
and other governmental and non-governmental organizations of
all kinds interested in spreading information about the United
Nations. For this and other purposes, it should operate a fully
equipped reference service, brief or supply lecturers, and make
available its publications, documentary films, film strips,
posters and other exhibits for use by these agencies and organizations."
In 1968, the Economic and Social Council, by Resolution 1297
(XLIV) of 27 May, called on DPI to associate NGOs, bearing in
mind the letter and spirit of its Resolution 1296 (XLIV) of
23 May 1968, which stated that an NGO "... shall undertake
to support the work of the United Nations and to promote knowledge
of its principles and activities, in accordance with its own
aims and purposes and the nature and scope of its competence
and activities".
Conference Themes/Details
For the year 2004, the 57th Annual DPI/NGO Conference will
have the theme Millennium Development Goals: Civil
Society Takes Actions, and will focus on the following:
Towards 2015: MDG Progress to Date
The current state of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
campaigns around the world and candid assessments of progress
within the United Nations system, and among governments and
civil society partners, particularly NGOs. Panellists will outline
the national reporting process and other feedback mechanisms
in place to organize and monitor information which guides policy.
Obstacles to the MDGs: Strategies to Overcome Them
While the United Nations system has embraced the Millennium
Declaration and the MDGs as the blueprint for its work in economic
and social development in the coming decade, the general public
is still not well informed about the MDGs and therefore cannot
fully participate in the mobilization required to implement
them. This panel will focus on the most serious obstacles for
the United Nations, governments and civil society alike to achieving
the MDGs, and will give specific examples of how these roadblocks
are being overcome.
North/South Partnerships: Different Responsibilities
and Opportunities
This panel will look at differing roles of civil society organizations
vis à vis the MDGs from the perspective of both industrialized
and developing nations. It will be guided by MDG #8, which emphasizes
the role of the international community in addressing major
global development concerns, such as trade barriers and Northern
agricultural subsidies, debt forgiveness and cooperation with
the private sector.
Making MDGs Relevant: Taking the Campaigns Home
This panel will focus on the specific strategies and campaigns
in place that are proving successful in raising public awareness
of the MDGs and enabling citizens at the community and national
levels to understand and actively support activities which foster
MDG implementation. Panellists will highlight best practices
and campaigns that can be replicated by Conference participants.
They will also shed light on different campaign approaches in
developing and industrialized countries as public solidarity
and involvement vary significantly.
