ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
SUBSTANTIVE SESSION

COORDINATION SEGMENT

New York , 10 -12 July 2002

"Strengthening further the Economic and Social Council, building on its recent achievements, to help it fulfill the role ascribed to it in the Charter of the United Nations as contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration"

Statement by Renate D. Bloem,
President of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO)

Introduction:

The Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO) greatly appreciates having been invited to participate in this coordination segment on "Strengthening further the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)" which reconfirms the Secretary General's commitment to a greater inclusion of civil society in UN processes.

CONGO is well placed to submit recommendations/proposals to the Council. Its structure includes a wide range of substantive NGO Committees, providing advocacy and input on an ongoing basis to ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies in the field of economic, social, cultural, educational, health and related matters, as well as in the areas of human rights, gender, peace and disarmament.

In addition, CONGO has held, in cooperation with the NGO Section (DESA), NGO brainstorming consultations in Geneva and New York. It also discussed input for this segment during its recent Board meeting in Geneva (20-21 June). The Secretary General's draft report had been made available at these meetings With regard to this summary statement I would like to thank Dr. John Taylor (IARF)) and Leslie Wright (CONGO First Vice President) for their important contributions.

From Commitments to Implementation

CONGO members/NGOs welcome the message inherent in the SG's report that time has come to move from commitments to implementation, and that ECOSOC assure the pivotal task of coordinating coherent follow up and monitoring of the major UN Conferences, in particular of the Millennium Summit, Monterrey (FfD) and Johannesburg (WSSD).

Some NGOs raised concerns that the SG's report concentrated too heavily on the financial/economic aspects of these Conferences and recommended that ECOSOC remain a strong advocate for social concerns. In particular, they asked that human rights, including the right to development, should provide a firm underpinning for development goals.

Millennium Summit Declaration

Civil Society organizations have provided a substantial input into the formulation and adoption by the General Assembly of the Millennium Declaration, adopted in September 2000. Four months prior, CONGO, together with NGO/DPI Executive Committee and other NGO partners organized the Millennium Forum, which helped pave the way to the adoption by the 55th General Assembly of the Millennium Declaration.

The two declarations - the one adopted by NGOs in May and the one adopted by the General Assembly in September - overlap to a great extend and are very much convergent in spirit. They are a good example of a constructive and mutually benefiting partnership between the UN and civil society. NGOs therefore deserve to be involved in all follow up mechanisms. CONGO has laid out a road map for its members in the form of organizing regional Civil Society Forums and Consultations to more effectively involve regional, national and grass root NGOs in Millennium follow up and implementation..

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

CONGO welcomes the MDGs, resulting from the Millennium Declaration, as useful tools to focus on the most crucial issues of our time, namely poverty reduction, health, education, gender and environment. Even though these goals are not new, they are the "recycled" product of a cistallization process that has mainly taken place during the '90s, when for the first time governments and civil society were able to shape a common global agenda. However, what is new, is that governments have committed themselves to achieve the MDGs by 2015 and have set precise and measurable indicators to monitor their implementation progress.

CONGO members/NGOs recommend to ECOSOC:

· To use MDGs as an important framework for its development agenda, but to find ways to breakdown the 2015 MDGs into more intermediate goals and targets that are achievable within the mandate of the current political leadership, before the next election (or coup d'état) (Some more recent targets were set at the Special Session for Children). This would also help to overcome the widespread skepticism, particularly among civil society, that at the UN goals are ever set but never met.
· To include Civil Society/NGOs effectively in the awareness raising campaign and ongoing monitoring process.
· To use a human rights approach as contained in the declaration on the "Right to Development"

ECOSOC, Bretton Woods Institutions (BWIs) and WTO

To enhance policy coherence regarding finance, trade and development in the follow up to the Millennium Commitments and the Monterrey Consensus, NGOs recommend that the BWIs and WTO are brought into the UN system and that their reporting to ECOSOC be made mandatory and accountable. This would give ECOSOC more "clout" and remove some of the recurrent criticism of lack of accountability from the BWIs and WTO.

The High- Level meeting in April of ECOSOC/BWI/WTO, and the July Round Tables at the High-Level Segment were seen as positive steps in that direction. Future such spring meetings, which should include participation of Civil Society, were called as being desirable.

New Challenges: ECOSOC and Peace Building/Prevention of Armed Conflict

Proactive steps by ECOSOC in getting more involved in the prevention of armed conflict, including the setting up of an advisory group on African countries emerging from conflict, would be most welcomed by NGOs. CONGO itself has a special task to create a space for inter-organizational and inter-disciplinary dialogue within the civil society sector and convey consensus and tensions to the state sector. When ECOSOC chooses a focus such as "Conflict Prevention and Peace Building", it would be possible to draw on existing CONGO committees, for example on disarmament, but also to connect with NGOs in development or human rights sectors.

Other possible steps by ECOSOC

It was recommended by some NGOs that ECOSOC should take a proactive stance

· To intervene and protect against armed conflict and terrorism
· To establish specific programs against negative effects of globalization
· To take strong positions against corruption
· To promote itself better to NGOs and to the world (newsletter, website promotion, events, etc)

Continuity

Terms of Office should be examined. For example, it could help to strengthen ECOSOC if the President and Bureau would serve more than one year.

Congruence

ECOSOC might also want to consider establishing a "mediation committee" to address issues where decisions from one UN body appear to conflict with decisions from others; or decide in the area of human rights which right has priority on another set of rights (e.g. sexual exploitation of children/freedom of expression)

ECOSOC/NGO relations:

· From Recognition and Regulation to Consultation and Co-ordination

The mutual desire of ECOSOC and of NGOs in consultative relationship was that a sometimes simply nominal or formal relationship be enhanced towards genuine mutual consultation. It was hoped that the exercise and experience of consultation would prepare the way for actual co-operation and co-ordination in programs and tasks.

· Co-operative Preparation

NGOs applauded CONGO's and other NGO's involvement in the preparation and realization of the recent High-Level Segments, including NGO Forums and Round Tables and expressed the need to apply such modalities for other segments. This would prepare the way for enhanced contributions by NGOs in meetings, follow-ups and implementation and thus include them more meaningfully in providing input into the decision making process.

· Participation and Partnerships with NGOs and by NGOs in Strengthening ECOSOC

Strengthening NGO participation strengthens ECOSOC, as it will give a stronger base to ECOSOC with the peoples of the world. In this regard the strengthening of ECOSOC could be helped by more explicit enlistment by ECOSOC of NGOs' input in preparation, realization and implementation of UN conferences and programs under the aegis of ECOSOC. ECOSOC should be more authoritative in making its rules for NGO participation applicable to all UN meetings, including World Conferences and UN Special Sessions. NGOs also wished that they could work under the ECOSOC status within the entire UN system, including the Specialized Agencies.

Shared concerns call for shared solutions, but also for self -criticisms at all levels. ECOSOC may not have sufficiently explored or exploited the consultative role of NGOs. On the other hand, at the level of NGOs, there should be a greater commitment with follow-up programs, etc. to enhance the role of NGOs in the strengthening of ECOSOC. In this connection, CONGO's committee structure could be re-designed to parallel more closely the work of the various segments of ECOSOC activities.

The theme of mutual need and mutual trust need further self-critical examination if both governmental and non-governmental sectors are to realize the enormity of unfinished tasks to eradicate poverty, eliminate discrimination, promote sustainable development and build conditions for peace, justice and partnerships. There is no room for false claims or pride, hypocrisy or self-sufficiency, nor yet for frustration and disillusionment, when opportunities for enhanced cooperation and coordination can be within reach provided that all parties replace unhealthy aspects of self-interest and self -projection by "millennial" UN visions and commitments which consistently call for shared needs and shared solutions.

Outreach

Support was given to the recent initiative concerning the creation of informal partnerships between the NGO Section (DESA) and CONGO with regard to their respective outreach programs. Their mutual desire to help NGOs from all regions of the world to become more effectively involved with the work and programs of the ECOSOC calls for generating synergies as well as sharing expertise and resources. In this respect more precise budgets need to be established.

A new Paradigm

One CONGO member (ICSW) has developed a well researched proposal to restructure ECOSOC, providing for a smaller Council with some permanent representatives and some rotating members. Such a structure would create an "Economic Security Council" to parallel the work of the Security Council. The proposal would require an amendment to the UN Charter.

All in all, NGOs perceive ECOSOC as their house and stand ready to give their full support.