Welcome to the WCSF 2002 Final Report

Mr. Sébastien Ziegler Chair of the Steering Committee World Civil Society Forum

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

The World Civil Society Forum was held in Geneva in July 2002, gathering together hundreds of civil society organizations from all over the world and from all areas of activity, as well as most of the international organizations (UN, ILO, WHO, UNHCHR, UNCTAD, etc.), with a common objective: to strengthen international cooperation.

For two weeks, and through more than 200 sessions and activities, the participants were able to share their knowledge and experiences, learning from one another. Cooperation networks were created and existing relationships were reinforced. The Forum provided an opportunity to address complex questions, such as the right of peoples to self-determination and the relationship between civil society organizations and the private sector. It also led to the adoption of a series of concrete recommendations. Furthermore, the participants agreed that this Forum should continue with its activities in order to promote further dialogue, international cooperation and the participation of civil society within the international organizations.

The final report of the World Civil Society Forum not only presents the results of the Forum, but it also allows you to access a lot of other useful information: recommendations adopted, keynote speeches, panellist’s original presentations, session summaries, working group reports, the Forum’s objectives and results. We hope that you will find this report interesting and useful.

Finally, I would like to thank all the organizations and all the persons who contributed to the organization of the Forum and the writing of this report.