Message from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the Organizers and
Participants at the World Civil Society Forum
Geneva, 15 July 2002—World Civil Society Forum
Delivered on his behalf by Mr. Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Director-General
of the United Nations Office at Geneva. See
also:  Audio
Dear friends,
Civil society organizations are vital partners of the United Nations. You
give life to the concept of `We, the Peoples', in whose name the United Nations
Charter was written. You are indispensable allies in pursuing our common agenda
for peace and development. And you know that as we pursue that mission, we must
put people at the centre of everything we do. I am heartened that you have
chosen to devote this gathering to promoting the role of civil society in
international cooperation and to exploring how you can work better with one
another, and with the United Nations. And I am delighted that you are meeting
in Switzerland–which will soon be formally admitted as the first new
Member State of the United Nations in the new Millennium.
This is a crucial time in the life of our United Nations, as we pursue our
overriding mission to meet the Millennium Development Goals and work for
freedom from fear, freedom from want, and protection of the resources of this
planet. The agenda of peace and development set out in the Millennium
Declaration is no less pressing today than when it was adopted in September
2000. On the contrary, it has taken on new urgency. The number of people in
this world living on one dollar or less per day, in hunger and without safe
water, has not decreased. The numbers dying of AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and
other preventable diseases have not decreased. The factors that cause the
desert to advance, biodiversity to be lost, and the earth's atmosphere to warm,
have not decreased. And in the many parts of the world afflicted by the scourge
of war, innocent people have not ceased being murdered or mutilated, dragged or
driven from their homes.
It was national leaders who adopted the Millennium Declaration. It is up to
them, above all, to see that it is put into practice. But Governments cannot do
it alone. They will need to work in partnership with civil society - with
people like you. I know that at this forum, you will be looking for ways to
make that partnership as fruitful and effective as possible, in pursuit of our
common cause to build a more equitable, healthy and peaceful world.
I send you my best wishes for a successful session, and add the hope that
many more will follow your example.
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