UN Civil
Society Outreach Symposium,
sponsored by The Stanley
Foundation, cosponsored
by the World Federation
of United Nations Associations
Under the Patronage of
the President of the General
Assembly of the United
Nations
From the
Introduction of the Report
of the UN Civil Society
Outreach Symposium:
The Millennium
Summit, the largest gathering
ever of heads of state
and government at UN Headquarters,
adopted a declaration
on September 8, 2000,
that set out the leaders’
vision for the role of
the United Nations in
the 21st century and their
commitments to promote
peace, development, and
social justice.
The Declaration
emphasized that the United
Nations needs to work
in partnership with civil
society to fulfill its
purpose and programs.
To better understand what
the scope of this partnership
could be, H.E. Mr. Harri
Holkeri, president of
the Millennium General
Assembly, sought an opportunity
to convene a meeting of
leading civil society
actors, permanent representatives
to the United Nations,
and senior officials of
the UN system. At his
request, the Stanley Foundation
sponsored the symposium
at Arden Conference Center,
Harriman, New York; it
was cosponsored by the
World Federation of United
Nations Associations (WFUNA).
The list of participants
is attached (Annex A).
Participants
brought a variety of perspectives,
values, and expectations
to the symposium. This
diversity was actively
nourished by limiting
the agenda to two broad
questions and by a process
of facilitation that was
open to all points of
view. President Holkeri
made some opening remarks
(Annex B). Dr. Michael
Edwards, director of governance
and civil society at the
Ford Foundation, gave
the keynote address at
the opening dinner (Annex
C). Representatives of
UNDP and ILO presented
case studies on partnerships
with civil society. In
the context of the symposium,
the Office of the President
of the Millennium Assembly
prepared a reference document
on the participation of
civil society in United
Nations’ conferences
and special sessions of
the General Assembly during
the 1990s (Summary, Annex
D).
The symposium
was not expected to formulate
decisions or policy positions.
However, several proposals
were developed concerning
NGO consultative arrangements
with the UN General Assembly,
accreditation procedures
to UN meetings, briefing
programs on civil society
for UN officials and delegates,
strategies for NGO capacity-building
and collaborative partnerships,
and the possibility of
finding a way to enable
the president of the General
Assembly to hear the voice
and advice of NGOs.
With the
sponsorship of the Canadian
government, WFUNA is following
up proposals recommended
during the dialogue for
training UN delegates,
officials, and security
personnel on the role
of civil society, particularly
NGOs, in support of the
United Nations.
