UN 58th Annual Department of Public Information (DPI)/NGO Conference

World Issues: Global Poverty, A View From the Trenches

New York, N.Y./USA | 16.09.2005 | ANN/APD | International

They are in the trenches everyday feeding, clothing, teaching, empowering and fighting diseases among other things. They are the ones that the world's governments and world bodies depend on to carry out plans to help make the world a better place. They are nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). More than 4,000 of them met in New York for three days starting September 7 to examine goals set by heads of state at the United Nations five years ago to improve life for every human being.

The issues they discussed are the very same issues that we as a church are addressing, said meeting attendee Heather Dawn Small, director of Women's Ministries for the Seventh-day Adventist World Church. "We want to eliminate poverty, abuse, improve health and education globally particularly among women."

These same issues were at the center of a September 2000 UN meeting of some 189 states. Participants gave themselves 15 years to eradicate and reduce much of the world's ills in the new millennium.

The objectives, called Millennium Development Goals, (MDGs) set out to: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability and develop a global partnership for development. In the closing statement of the Millennium declaration, governments pledged to "spare no effort to make the United Nations a more effective instrument for pursing all of these priorities."

The recent meeting was the 58th Annual Department of Public Information/Nongovernmental Organizations (DPI)/NGO and came a week before the 2005 World Summit where world governments were expected to revisit the progress made in implementing the MDGs. With the topic "Our Challenge: Voices for Peace, Partnerships and Renewal," the meeting gave NGOs an opportunity to look at these goals from their experience working in the trenches.

Workshops and plenary sessions centered around the challenge of partnerships, implementing the MDGs with a focus on human development, and eradicating poverty on a realistic timeline. One particular session focused on how the UN and NGOs can form more effective partnerships. When examining the progress of the MDGs participants pointed out that progress was varied and nonexistent in some places.

One concern was that these goals were not being uniformly met because NGOs had not been as involved in planning how to achieve the goals of the MDGs, said Small.

"NGOs are a crucial part of this plan," Small said. "Because we [churches and other private organizations] work directly with the people."

Meetings like that of the recent DPI/NGO conference was a wonderful opportunity to meet potential partners and share resources to better the world, Small said.

"The challenge is how do we as a world church bridge the gap between evangelism and the needs of the people we are trying to evangelize? One solution is to partner with other NGOs outside the church, and work together to meet the needs of the people we want to share the gospel with," she explained.

In praise of the contributions of NGOs and civil society for more than 60 years, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan lauded, "You NGOs can often see what is not yet visible to diplomats and think what still seem unthinkable to government and what the officials might not be ready to admit … and for that I am personally very grateful to you."

"Whether your main activity is helping set policy at global level or working directly with people in need, you give true meaning to the phrase, 'We the Peoples!’," remarked Kofi Annan. , as he closed the UN 58th Annual Department of Public Information (DPI)/NGO Conference.

Sherrill Kazan Alvarez De Toledo, Chair of the Conference, said that its goal was to gain information and reinforce partnerships that would contribute to building better societies and preventing conflicts. All the sessions had presented critical aspects of the delicate balance within society, including the important role of women, youth and indigenous people. The goal of the Conference had been met, she said, adding that it had made a significant contribution to understanding the growing concern over assistance to post-conflict societies. The Conference's success had been the result of a shared responsibility, a concept that must continue to be solidified.

The UN 58th Annual Department of Public Information (DPI)/NGO Conference concluded with attendees putting together a document that outlined ways that NGOs can help governments achieve the Millennium Development Goals. It was presented to world leaders at the 2005 World Summit, which was held September14 to 16. [Editors: ANN Staff and Christian B. Schaeffler for APD]

(4789 Characters)
© News agency APD Basel (Switzerland) and Ostfildern (Germany). Free use of the text only on condition that the source is clearly stated as "APD". The © copyright of the agency texts remains with the APD news agency even after their publication. APD® is the legally protected abbreviation of the Adventist Press Service.