New York, United States – To mark its 75th anniversary, the Conference of NGOs at the United Nations (CoNGO) held a commemorative event on October 27, 2023. Participants joined in person at the Horizon Condominium in New York, and online all over the world. The celebration was followed by a webinar on the theme: “UN-NGO Relations: Enhancing Multilateralism; Protecting NGO Access, Civic Space and Democratic Discourse.”
UPF International is a CoNGO board member, represented by Dr. Tageldin Hamad. UPF representatives Mrs. Genie Kagawa and Mrs. Lynn Walsh attended online.
The celebration was one of four throughout the year, in Vienna, Bangkok, New York and Geneva. In addition, six global thematic webinars were planned to generate engagement, cooperation and urgent action on global issues of concern to a broad range of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs).
The commemoration and webinar brought together UN Secretariat officials, government representatives and NGO leaders, to explore issues and practices that enable NGOs and CSOs to contribute effectively to a world of social justice, equity and sustainability. The timing of these events made them an opportunity for advance inputs to the UN Summit of the Future (SOTF) scheduled for 2024.
Fruitful UN-NGO advocacy and working relations include examples from the International Criminal Court, the International Telecommunication Union, UNDP and UNESCO, as well as the Secretariats charged with advancing the implementation of UN conventions and agreements. Debt crises and inequalities, along with wars and conflicts, have made many governments unable to provide adequate health, education, social protection and other human rights to their citizens. All these topics prompt ongoing UN-NGO interaction, both in conference halls and in rural and urban settings worldwide.
