The Seoul International Conference of NGOs was held from 10-15 October 1999 in Seoul, Korea. It provided a valuable space for thousands of NGO representatives from Korea and others countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe to discuss gains, challenges and ways to work better together in the new Millennium.

The Conference was convened by CONGO, the Department of Public Information NGO Executive Committee, and Kyung-Hee University in Korea. Its main goals were:

1. to explore and monitor implementation of commitments made by UN member states at major world conferences and follow-up meetings ot the past decade;
2. strengthen NGO partnerships with the UN and its agencies for improved policy dialogue; and to
3. enhance communication and collaboration among local, national, regional and international NGOs.

The Conference addressed these goals through the examination of 11 core themes having figured prominently in UN meetings of the last decade. They in turn were looked at in Plenary Sessions, Thematic Plenaries, and more than 200 working sessions:

About 7,000 NGO representatives registered for the Conference, with approximately 1,600 of that number coming from outside Korea. In all, about 1,000 NGOs were represented, from 100 countries. Many UN representatives also attended as plenary or thematic speakers, group session organizers, and/or participants, both from the UN Secretariat and from UN agencies.

The Seoul Millennium Declaration of NGOs: Achieving Our Vision for the 21st Century (link to Declaration text) was approved by acclamation at the Conference's final plenary session. The Declaration was presented and discussed at the Millennium Forum (www.millenniumforum.org) in May 2000.