Izjava
predsednika International Synergy Institute o konsultantskoj ulozi NVO pri UN
Izvor:
International Synergy Institute Inter-sessional Meeting -- November 8, 1994
Mr. Chairman,
I would like to thank you for the
opportunity to address this Working Group and to express my appreciation for the manner in
which you are conducting this session.
I would also like to express my
appreciation for the Working Document that provides a very valuable framework for the
future work of this Working Group.
Before moving to the central part of my
statement, I would like to share a few comments on some specific points.
The International Synergy Institute
welcomes the attention to the need for greater balance in representation, as expressed in
1(d) of the Working Document. While recognizing the important function of representative
international non-governmental organizations, it is important to acknowledge that there is
a different and important kind of representativity that only comes into play when the NGO
representatives reflect the same kind of geographical diversity as is present among member
states.
We also support the spirit of a change --
in 2(f)(ii) -- to the terms civil society organizations, while recognizing the concern
expressed by some that such a change in name might pose some obstacles to the precess of
strengthening functional arrangements for consultation.
We support the need, expressed in 4(a), for
an ongoing forum for reviewing the relationships with non-governmental organizations, and
for monitoring the broader role of civil society organizations. In this respect, we
welcome the suggestion made by a previous speaker that the Committee on NGOs be expanded
to include experts and representatives from the NGO community, as well as the many
suggestions that the Committee should meet more frequently.
For the principal focus of my statement, I
would like to reemphasize the main theme of my organization's statement at the June
meeting of this Working Group, namely the importance of attention to the practical
arrangements -- particularly in respect to the creative application of information and
communication technology in support of systematic arrangements for creating much broader
and more timely access to UN documents.
The International Conference on Population
and Development (ICPD) has been cited several times here as an example of "best
practice" for NGO involvement. One aspect of the ICPD arrangements that has not been
noted here is the exceptional arrangements that were made for the creation of a
"POPIN" Internet gopher, and in the timely and systematic dissemination of
documents and statements for the conference and its preparatory meetings via the Internet.
In a similar vein, the Department for
Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development has made available a comprehensive set of
documents from the Commission on Sustainable Development (DPCSD) and the World Summit for
Social Development on an Internet gopher. I am giving a copy of the guide to this gopher
-- that includes a listing of all the documents that have been made available in
electronic form by the Information Support Unit of DPCSD as an example of how information
and communication technology can be used effectively in disseminating United Nations
documents.
However, the maintenance of systematic
dissemination of documents is not something that can be maintained within existing
resources. In light of the budgetary constraints under which the UN is presently
functioning, it is unlikely that a proposal for new and additional resources from the UN
budget would be well received.
The International Synergy Institute would
instead propose the establishment of a comprehensive Information and Communication Center
to be supported by a fund based on voluntary contributions -- both of member states that
recognize the value of such an approach as well as from charitable foundations and sources
in the NGO community.
The mandate of such a Center should include
support of initiatives to strengthen developing country access to electronic
communications; it should also develop collaborative relationships with projects such as
that proposed for a "SIDSnet" for Small Island Developing States, as well as
with UN Information Centers, and with the work of the Department of Public Information in
making information more widely available.
Such an Information and Communication
Center would not just serve the needs of NGOs -- although NGOs have generally been making
more effective use of electronic communications than have many governments. However, the
value of timely electronic access to documents can surely be just as valuable for
governments -- as well as for UN Agencies and intergovernmental organizations.
