59th Annual DPI/NGO Conference
"Unfinished Business: Effective Partnerships for Human Security and Sustainable Development"

September 6 to 8, 2006 - United Nations Headquarters - New York, USA.

The Conference will focus on a specific example of successful multisector partnerships, which if emulated by other groups, holds potential for greater impact in helping achieve the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals. This year, we have chosen to place a distinct emphasis on infusing a multigeneration perspective with our larger agenda and hope that a third of all speakers and NGO participants would be under 30 years of age.

Draft Program

Conference Schedule

WEDNESDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER 2006

Opening Session:
10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
General Assembly Hall

Opening Addresses:
- Jan Eliasson, President of the Sixtieth Session of the United Nations General Assembly (invited)
- Kofi Annan, Secretary-General, United Nations (invited)
- Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, United Nations (confirmed)
Keynote Addresses: tba
NGO Welcome:
- Joan Kirby, Chair, NGO/DPI Executive Committee (confirmed)
- Michaela Walsh, Chair, 59th Annual DPI/NGO Conference (confirmed)

Afternoon Panel Session:
3 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Conference Room 4

Moving Development Forward:
Accountability, Transparency, Equitable Trade Policies
Governments, corporations, NGO’s and other civil society actors are forming global partnerships for development. In order for these partnerships to be effective – as called for by the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) #8 – all stakeholders must exercise commitment to accountability, transparency and good governance. For development to go forward on a truly global level, least developed, landlocked and small island developing countries’ special needs must be addressed. These include tariff- and quota-free access for their exports, enhanced debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries, cancellation of official bilateral debt, and more generous official development assistance for countries committed to poverty reduction.

This panel will provide examples of how accountability, transparency, good governance and equitable trade policies are helping to raise resources for and successfully complete projects. Panelists will take a look at existing debt and trade policies that have a negative impact on the ability of less developed nations to develop and to protect jobs, thereby alleviating poverty and raising the standard of living on an ongoing basis. Finally, they will discuss how making the public more aware of the unique, long-term investment aspect of MDGs can help motivate their greater participation.

THURSDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER 2006Morning Panel Session:
10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Conference Room 4

Achieving Financial and Ecological Sustainability
Environmental sustainability includes integrating the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes, reversing the loss of environmental resources, and reducing by half the number of people without access to safe drinking water. Cross-sector partnerships and financial resources are paramount in these efforts.

Speakers in this panel will discuss the role the United Nations has played in establishing effective partnerships to provide adequate resources for environmental projects as well as to help settle cross-boundary disputes. They will look at disaster management, water quality monitoring to improve health and control disease, and educational outreach to rural areas. Examples of projects that have been completed utilizing these developments through the availability of micro-credit, the aid of other new banking policies, or the collaborative efforts of governments, NGOs, the private sector and individual initiatives will be depicted.

Afternoon Roundtable Session:
3 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Roundtable # 1 - The Role of Science and Technology in Education
Conference Room 4

Knowledge and training in science and technology are crucial for being able to compete in the global world of today. At the same time, technological advances make education much more readily available to more people around the world. This roundtable will offer participants and panelists an opportunity to dialogue about these advances and to provide examples of delivering quality education to remote areas. They will look at the skills and knowledge required that may be helpful to young people entering the work force. The panel will also focus on such areas as gender equality and human rights, and emphasize the role of partnerships among government, civil society and other actors.

Roundtable # 2 - Gender-based Approaches to Health, HIV and AIDS
Dag Hamarskjöld Library Auditorium

In recent years, violence against women has been identified as a primary health risk to women and girls. Furthermore, gender-based violence keeps women and girls from fully and equally participating in development. Similarly, HIV and AIDS have had a devastating and often invisible impact on women and girls, which is furthermore exacerbated by discrimination, poverty and gender-based violence. This roundtable will provide examples of gender-based approaches to MDGs related to reducing HIV and AIDS among women and girls, achieving universal maternal health and eliminating gender-based violence.

Roundtable # 3 - Human Security: Responsibility to Protect and Peacebuilding Commission
Conference Room 8

One of the most significant achievements for human security in the 2005 World Summit was the affirmation of an international responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. By committing themselves to the responsibility to protect, governments accept that they must act earlier and more effectively in response to outbreaking crises in their own countries or wherever they occur. The Responsibility to Protect is understood as a responsibility to prevent and rebuild, as well as to react. This roundtable will provide examples of how these goals can be achieved and what role civil society organizations play in ensuring that governments understand and implement this responsibility. The recently established Peacebuilding Commission will also be discussed.

FRIDAY, 8 SEPTEMBER 2006Morning Roundtable Session:
10 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
Roundtable #4 - Civil Society and Global Partnerships for Development
Conference Room 4

This roundtable will examine effective partnerships between the United Nations, governments, media, academia, labour, youth, the private sector and other civil society actors, including NGOs. Such partnerships are needed to fully achieve both, the MDGs and the United Nations reform measures endorsed by world leaders at the 2005 World Summit. Discussion will focus on enhanced NGO access and input to United Nations fora, the General Assembly and other decision-making bodies. Examples of connecting global actors with local ones will also be discussed.

Roundtable #5 - Ways of Reducing Extreme Poverty and Hunger
Dag Hamarskjöld Library Auditorium

Ways of reducing extreme poverty and hunger as a key Millennium Development Goal (MDG) and specific examples of successful partnerships aimed at achieving this goal by 2015 will be the topic of the roundtable. Unemployment as one of the causes of poverty and migration will also be addressed, with examples of multi-stakeholder partnerships needed to reverse this trend.

Roundtable #6 - Respect for Cultural Diversity in Conflict Resolution
Conference Room 8

The roundtable will provide a platform for representatives from different backgrounds to discuss efforts to increase the understanding of multiculturalism and to promote respect for cultural diversity. Speakers will cite examples of effective dialogues between different religions and cultures, in particular as they apply to conflict resolution. Clashes of ideologies, values and cultural norms that accompany globalization will be examined to incorporate sacred and secular practices and beliefs into multicultural solutions to these challenges.

Afternoon Panel Session:
2 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

The Role of the Media and Communications Technology in Achieving the MDGs
Conference Room 4

The World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), held in Tunisia in November 2005, looked at the link between information and communications technologies (ICTs) and development. The Summit aimed to bridge the economic and digital gap between developed and developing countries and to promote the importance of full and equal participation of all stakeholders (government, private sector and civil society) in propagating ICTs. The Summit was not about technology but rather about ways to make information society global and to convince decision makers to use ICTs as a tool for development.

Speakers will examine how the emerging trends in ICTs as well as new, innovative ways of distributing content are helping to achieve the MDGs. In addition to discussing new trends in mainstream media reporting, they will also examine examples of how these are being supplemented by participatory media, making information more accessible and more diverse.

Closing Session:
5 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Conference Room 4

Moderator: Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, United Nations (confirmed)
Keynote Addresses: tba
Closing Remarks: Michaela Walsh, Chair, 59th Annual DPI/NGO Conference (confirmed).

SPECIAL EVENTS

Networking: A Call for Best Practices
Venue: tba

Interactive networking sessions are scheduled for the first and the second day of the Conference, Wednesday, 6 September, and Thursday, 7 September, from 1:15 pm – 2:45 pm. In an effort to afford NGO representatives a unique opportunity to share their most effective networking strategies on local, national and international levels, an experienced networking trainer will lead both sessions. We look forward to your participation as we explore best practices in utilizing networking techniques as a tool to achieve the MDGs.