Summary: Working Group on Civil Society and International Organizations Cooperation

How can civil society strengthen multilateralism, including UN independence and civil society participation

Panellists in this session talked about the importance of the United Nations (UN) working with civil society at the local level and drawing on the experience of NGOs. The issue of NGO independence from Government was debated, as were the growing expectations that NGOs increase their transparency and accountability. Other topics of discussion included the need for civil society organizations to be more efficient and to increase cooperation amongst themselves, and the issue of civil society putting pressure on Governments to fulfil their financial obligations to the UN.

Mr. Jan Lonn from ISMUN reported on the problem faced by UN organizations which, due to the non-payment or reduction in financial contributions by Governments, are unable to perform their normal duties or develop a full agenda, and have had to cut the number of staff and downsize operations in all areas: human rights, food security, disarmament, peace, finance, trade, and development. Mr. Lonn concluded that the support and mobilization of the general public is essential to guarantee proper funding and functioning of the UN and the UN system.

Mr. Dharam Ghai, former Director of the United Nations Research Institute on Social Development, expressed his view that the UN and civil society worldwide share the same objective, which is to promote common policies to guarantee social justice and the well-being of humanity. He said the role of NGOs is threefold: 1) to monitor and criticize social and economic policies and trends, 2) to advocate, and 3) to do development work. Mr. Ghai supports the idea that civil society and NGOs should draw lessons from their collective experience as development agencies and share them with the UN to improve its effectiveness. Closer cooperation between the UN and civil society organizations is essential and should be reinforced, for example, by organizing regular meetings with UN organizations.

Ms. Diane Ala'i from the Baha'i International Community opened by saying that civil society organizations need to be more efficient in order to be credible. This efficiency will allow NGOs to gain a better understanding of and greater participation in the UN system. Collaboration is also very important between international NGOs and the public -NGOs should not be separated from their roots, but maintain close contact with locals and also between organizations, if they are local or regional. Ms. Ala'i pointed out that independence from Government is a growing issue for NGOs. Because civil society is getting stronger and more organized, Governments are creating and financing NGOs to pursue their objectives and policies. She felt that, while cooperation between NGOs is important, organizations needed to maintain separate identities rather than merging ones, as she felt the UN wishes.

Mr. Scott Weber from WSP talked about his organization and the reasons for its success. WSP, he explained, is a NGO which has grown out of the UN. Its aim is to increase the effectiveness of international assistance and work more closely with local actors. The UN, he went on, does not always take time to consult with local populations to assess their problems and their needs. Decisions are often taken at headquarters rather than at the field level. WSP works to get the population involved in making the UN realize the importance of working with those who understand the context best.

Mr. Ghai talked about the difficulty for NGOs in maintaining their independence when so much NGO funding comes from Government sources. In the past, 80% of NGO resources came from the public, but now the reverse prevails. Mr. Ghai believes that part of the problem is due to limited public involvement in NGO activities. He also indicated that NGOs must develop organizational transparency and accountability.

Conclusions
Speakers pointed out that it was important for NGOs to actively participate within the UN system, but should keep their independence, a guarantee for freedom of action and speech.

Presenters' Documents Available

18.09_danezis_george_wcsf-position.pdf (36 K)
18.09_danezis_george_wcsf-slides.pdf (22 K)
18.09_segall_john.doc (26 K)

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