World Civil Society Forum

Geneva, Switzerland
15 July 2002

Opening Ceremony

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

Excellencies, Distinguished Representatives of the United Nations, dear Colleagues and Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen

I feel honoured and privileged having been invited to say a few words on behalf of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO) at this opening session.. Let me start by congratulating all who have been involved in organizing this Forum, for the excellent work done, for the range of topics announced and for the sheer wealth of expertise brought here together. I would like to give particular credit to Sebastian Ziegler (Mandate International) for his drive and vision to make this Forum happen.

The aims of the Forum
· to facilitate cooperation between civil society and the United Nations system,
· to promote cooperation among civil society organizations and
· to create a platform for increased dialogue among the different stakeholders of the international scene,

are also and since long part and parcel of the CONGO mandate and activities. We therefore almost naturally support the objectives of this Forum.

For those who do not yet know us: we are an independent membership/umbrella association of national, regional and international NGOs, associations and networks from North and South in consultative relationship with the United Nations. Our mission is and has been for more than 50 years to work for NGOs to ensure that they are present and have a voice whenever substantive issues are being discussed at the UN. The second part of our mission is and will be to go out to assist, train and empower organizations to enable them to take their seats and have a voice at the decision-making table of the UN. We at CONGO represent NGOs, but today we are here as civil society

What is civil society?

Civil society is everywhere…
Although the term still lacks a common definition, today a very large and representative segment of "civil society" has gathered in Geneva in order to discuss its contribution to the aims of the United Nations Charter and to improve its working relationships with the UN system.

This Forum offers a unique occasion to reflect upon the evolving relationships between the UN and the entities it intends to consult. NGOs fall under the denomination of "civil society", but also other segments of "civil society" such as community-based organizations, academia and research institutes, trade unions, political parties, members of parliaments, religious movements, opposition groups, journalists, etc…and last not least : the private sector.
The audience of this Forum very well reflects this rich variety and I would like to warmly welcome all of you and suggest that we listen to each other and explore innovative working relationships and partnerships, both between ourselves and with the UN family.

I see three major challenges to address:

1. Civil Society, democracy and good governance
2. Civil Society and globalisation
3. Civil Society and its relation to the private sector

1. Civil Society as one of the key elements of good governance and democracy

In the last decade the world has once more changed dramatically. With the fall of the Berlin wall and the end of the sterile rhetoric that had divided East and West for 45 years, we have entered into a new phase of history where democracy seems to roll all over the world and "good governance" has become a strong leitmotiv of the new world order. Civil society is one of the essential pillars of this common endeavour.
Good governance can be defined as an interaction between the state, civil society and the private sector that facilitates a participatory and transparent management of public affairs and creates an enabling environment where citizens can ensure their development and assume their rights and obligations.
Democracy is one of the main elements of good governance and we all know that one of its essential features is the existence of a vivid and vibrant civil society, able to ensure a pluralistic exchange of ideas, to foster multiparty-ism, to create and maintain an independent press, promote independent unions, etc.
Civil society and NGOs are expected more than ever to play their traditional role of advocacy and lobbying governments, by reminding them of the commitments taken, both towards the people that have democratically elected them and the international community to which they are bound by agreements they have voluntarily signed.

2. Civil Society and the challenges of globalisation

During this same time span and the beginning of this third millennium our world is marked by other rapid and profound changes, which are taking place with the speeding up of the globalisation process. While globalisation offers promising avenues for spurring growth and reducing poverty, unbridled economic forces have so far only widened the economic, social, cultural and digital gap between have and have-nots, between the rich and poor countries.

During the UN World Conferences of the 1990s, NGOs helped to shape an ambitious word-wide agenda from Conference to Conference, including on children, environment, human rights, population, social development, women, food and habitat. This agenda culminated in the Millennium Forum and Summit Declarations and the resulting Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which crystallized previous commitments of governments into measurable, time-bound targets. The number one target is: eradication of extreme poverty.
Civil society has a crucial role to play in the achievement of these goals and this may be one of the main reasons why we are all here. As CONGO, our aim is to communicate these targets and goals on the ground by organizing regional consultations and assist in building necessary structures that assess the contribution of regional, national and grass-root NGOs to the achievement of the MDGs. We also want to strengthen civil society and enable it to accomplish its task of being a real partner to the UN.
In the past, NGOs have been at the forefront of political and social reform. Now, they can become the connector, the social/human glue, to add the social, human and spiritual dimension to the current globalisation process. They can help to connect the local to the global and develop this New Social Architecture based on equality, social justice, tolerance, respect and shared responsibility, as expressed in the Millennium Summit Declaration.

3. Civil Society and its relation to the Private Sector.

Finally, NGOs /Civil Society have to consider their relations to the private (for profit) sector, in particular regarding that sector's participation in UN meetings and World Conferences. Semantically, civil society includes everything not governmental, including business (for profit) entities. However, UN Charter based rights for consultation refer to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) of the non-profit nature. For these the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has established elaborate criteria, rules and procedures which govern NGO participation in the UN system. Likewise each Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for World Conferences establishes such rules and procedures for NGO participation.
Recently, such PrepComs for the World Conferences in Monterrey and Johannesburg have (slightly) opened the door for business (for profit) to come in as NGOs. The even more recent PrepCom (held 10 days ago here in Geneva) for the next World Summit on the Information Society has greatly widened this opening.

NGOs', or at least our position is that only through involving all stakeholders will we reach the goal of equitable and sustainable development. However, what many NGOs do claim (e.g.CONGO asked last week to the coordination segment of ECOSOC) is that parallel procedures be established for the business sector participation in the United Nations. This would more clearly delineate their role as distinct from other civil society actors. In this way we hope to better cooperate and negotiate as partners on an equal footing and avoid unnecessary frustrations.

I wish all of us lively and constructive deliberations and a successful outcome of this Forum, and I thank you for your attention.