Global NGO Executive Committee is the new name of the NGO entity that works closely with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (UN DGC). Our Committee is composed of NGOs associated with DGC or with both DGC and ECOSOC. The change in our name became necessary following the UN action to drop the previous name of its communications unit, "Department of Public Information (DPI)", as "DPI" was included in our official name.
In discussions among Board members and with representatives from UN DGC, it became apparent that having DGC or DPI as part of our name could be misinterpreted to mean that we are an official agency of the UN, which we are not. In keeping with UN guidelines for NGO roles and duties at the United Nations and following a vote in the Executive Committee, it was determined that a new name should not contain reference to a UN Department. Our legal advisor informed us that a vote among Officers and board members on a new name is within the Board rights and responsibility to clarify the organization function.
The large majority voted for the name, Global NGO Executive Committee, as it is more inclusive of the many international, national and local NGOs associated with the UN DGC. We are in the process of developing a proprietary list of NGOs associated with the UN DGC, to ensure that we reach a greater number of NGOs for the next election in June 2020. The new more comprehensive list for elections will ensure that we have a more diverse Board, one that will bring skills and ideas to help with the development of Conferences and Briefings that serve all NGOs.
In the history of the NGO Executive Committee we have played a major role in the Annual Conferences and Briefings held in cooperation with UN DGC. The Global NGO Executive Committee encourages all NGOs to participate in UN75 to ensure that our diverse voices will be heard to determine the future of the United Nations in the next 25 years.
UN75 - A Global Conversation
UN Secretary-General Call to Participate in the
World Biggest Global Conversation: UN 75
The United Nations launches 75th anniversary dialogues: The biggest global conversation on the world's future starts now.
January 1, 2020 saw the launch of the UN75 initiative - the largest, most inclusive conversation on the role of global cooperation in building a better future for all. The initiative will see the UN spark dialogues throughout 2020 in diverse settings across the world.
In a 'global reality check', four innovative data streams will build the first ever repository of crowd-sourced solutions to major global challenges.
The UN75 dialogues together with a 'One-minute Survey' that anyone can take, opinion polling in 50 countries and artificial intelligence sentiment analysis of traditional and social media in 70 countries, will generate compelling data to inform national and international policies and debate.
In calling for participation, the Secretary-General said: "No country, no community, is able to solve the complex problems of our world alone. We need to come together, not only to talk, but to listen. It is absolutely essential that you all join the conversation. We need your opinion, your strategies and your ideas for us to be able to deliver better for the people of the world that we must serve."
Intended to engage constituencies across borders, sectors and generations, the UN75 team is collaborating with a wide multi-sector network, including the UN Resident Coordinators, for a diverse and global reach, and for dialogues to be convened in every country of the world.
In a global listening exercise, with an emphasis on youth and groups not already engaged with the UN, the UN75 initiative aims to better understand expectations of international cooperation in light of pressing global challenges.
The views and ideas that are generated will be presented, by the Secretary-General, to world leaders and senior UN officials on September 21, 2020, at a high-level event to mark the 75th anniversary.
To inspire and inform the dialogues the UN is also partnering with Vox Media's brand studio, Vox Creative to create a video informed by interviews with 38 people from around the world, sharing their experiences and opinions related to important global issues, to be launched January 6, 2020. Those who want to be a part of the conversation - physically or online - can see how to join through the
website.
For further information and/or to request an interview, please contact
Lisa Laskaridis
DGC-Associated NGO Plans Its
100th Mission to Haiti
UN2020 - Civil Society Responds to the UNs Anniversary
The UN2020 initiative is dedicated to using the
75th anniversary of the United Nations in 2020 as an opportunity to take stock and strengthen the UN system in partnership with civil society, governments, and the UN supporting people-centered multilateralism.
Strengthening the UN system means improving multilateral relations and structures for global problem-solving.
To this end: we involve the progressive voice of civil society in the conversation about the UN we need to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Why #MultilateralismMatters
At a time when nationalism is on the rise and multilateralism is being called into question by powerful governments, we are faced with an increasing number of global threats that require greater international cooperation across borders, sectors and generations.
What will the future look like if the major trends of climate change, military conflict, and inequality are left unchecked in the absence of global cooperation?
Renewing multilateralism: we need bold collective action more than ever.
Learn more about the UN2020 Initiative and the broader environment through exploring the following links:
Fannie Munlin, the chair of the NGO Executive Committee, the liaison between the civil society world and the UN.
Fannie Munlin has led a long life of helping others, making her a natural fit to chair the NGO Executive Committee, the liaison for the 1,600 civil society organizations affiliated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications. She is also "the face of the African-American community at the UN," as she said, as the UN representative for the National Council of Negro Women, a Washington-based group that has held observer status with the UN since 1946.
Last summer, the NGO committee, partnering with the UN, held the annual civil society conference in Salt Lake City, Utah - the first time the meeting took place in the United States away from UN headquarters in New York. The mayor of Salt Lake, Jackie Biskupski, proposed the idea to the UN, and by most accounts, bringing the UN to another part of the country was successful. (There will be no NGO committee conference this year because of the many commemorations that are scheduled at the UN, including its 75th birthday.)
Munlin lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where she was raised in a family of seven - her parents and four siblings - nurtured by an Episcopalian church-centered community. She held bake sales as a girl to help fund her church's choir and aspired to be a singer. Luckily, she said, the choir director suggested she use her talents in other ways. In other words, she couldn't sing.
As an adult, she put her generous spirit into paid work, first for the National Council of Negro Women, then for CARE International, then back to the National Council and with the NGO committee at the UN. One major influence on her career was
Dorothy Height, a civil rights and women's rights activist who was president of the National Council for 40 years.
With its new name, the Global NGO Executive Committee will give renewed prominence to its Regional NGO Coordinators. These critical allies represent the Executive Committee in each of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) regions. Regional NGO Coordinators strengthen our collective NGO global engagement by increasing global awareness of UN programs and research. Directors also help the Executive Committee to be more effective in its advocacy for DGC associated NGOs in New York.
The Executive Committee welcomes Ebunola Shoda as its new sub-Saharan Africa Regional Coordinator. Ebunola hopes to develop a new What's App platform, "Think, Talk, Tank" to share best practices among regional NGOs working on the UN SDGs. Executive Committee Board member, Uwem Robert OTU, will mentor her efforts. We need additional Regional Coordinators for our other global regions.
We encourage our global NGO partners, particularly those from international associations of regional NGOs to submit applications for our open Regional Coordinator positions. These will be reviewed on a quarterly basis by the Executive Committee.
To apply for a Regional NGO Coordinator position, please review the application information HERE.
To apply for our Regional Liaison positions, please review the application information HERE.
Be sure to read the "Terms of Reference" for the Executive Committee's Regional Coordinators Subcommittee available HERE.
The NGO DPI Executive Committee represents international NGOs from around the world at the United Nations. As we continue our work to advance the UN Sustainable Development
Goals, we are also eager to engage with the UN75 program, the CSW/64 Beijing+25
conference, and many other UN projects. As NGOs, we must work together to advance these UN goals.
Scott Carlin, Faculty
Long Island University
YOUTH AT THE UN
In the last decade, the role of young people at the United Nations has expanded exponentially. The "Youth Assembly at the United Nations," led by Patrick Sciarratta on our Board from 2002-2015 (which eventually identified the first-ever Youth Envoy to the Secretary General), as well as the annual Youth Forums directed by ECOSOC, have been large reasons for that expansion. The Secretary General's office has and continues to be a great supporter of the move to include youth into its decision-making process.
Two young people, Nadine Clopton and Annie Deng, are now serving as fully-fledged Directors on the Global NGO Executive Committee, the first young people to serve in this capacity since the board's conception. Some recent notable UN events in which youth were in the spotlight include the 68th UN Civil Society conference in Utah, the Youth Climate Action Summit during UNGA, UN 75 Youth Event with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and both the upcoming Youth Plenary and ECOSOC Youth Forum. However important these strides have been, it is imperative to evaluate the degree to which young people are meaningfully included in decision-making processes, beyond having access to the room where it happens.
Particularly the UN 75 event, which had young people in almost every seat, is a case example of how youth engagement often amounts to nothing more than a public relations campaign. The two questions that came from the audience had been pre-screened and selected, eradicating the possibility for young people to vocalize their tough questions organically. The notecards distributed at the event led to a one minute survey via a QR code and included the slogan "I had my say". In this critical period in our planet's history, youth involvement at all levels of decision-making is paramount. Intergenerational dialogue cannot end after a one minute survey. Young people cannot afford to be satisfied with a pat on the back and affirmations that "I had my say", but should be engaged in an ongoing conversation in which ideas flow bi-directionally and the possibility to affect change is tangible. So what does meaningful youth engagement really look like?
Meaningful youth engagement is pulling up a chair to the table for young people where it did not previously exist. It is reshaping institutions, platforms, and interventions after meaningful consultation with all those affected by decision-making processes. It is holding space for difficult questions from young people in high-level forums. Meaningful youth engagement is amplifying the concerns and proposed solutions of the younger generations who will live with the future consequences of decisions made today.
Intergenerational dialogue is key to cultivating a future that is both equitable and sustainable. The Directors of the Global NGO Executive Committee will be hosting a series of dialogues for UN 75, one of which will center around the topic of Intergenerational Partnerships. If your NGO is interested in providing information on how your organization engages young people or is interested in hearing more information on how to engage with the Youth & Intergenerational Subcommittee, please do so in the following google form:
Pre-Ocean Conference Previews June UN Oceans Conference in Lisbon
If we look after our Ocean, our Ocean will look after us ...
The main floor of Conference Room 4 was highly restricted, full with member states and their staffs; the gallery, reserved for NGOs, brimmed to capacity. The reserved stake-holder section was well attended and provided the opportunity for civil society interventions on the second day; each person expressing viewpoints shared by most NGOs present.
The theme of the pre-conference was outlining solutions to be discussed at the full conference later this Spring - saving our global Ocean, the world's largest ecosystem.
Over the last several decades, all indicators of ocean health have drastically turned, and in most cases steeply, downwards. In the seventies, 90% of global fishing grounds were sustainably fished; today that number has dropped to 65%.
Simultaneously, negative impacts from man-made pollution have risen, thereby, exponentially compounding the damage to our ecosystem. The global Ocean has absorbed tremendous amounts of heat that human activity has produced over the decades. As green house gases have risen, our ocean has absorbed sufficient CO2 to alter its pH balance; thus resulting in acidification that makes it more difficult for shell forming sea-life. Global trends are not encouraging.
A senior Ambassador rose to suggest additional declarations were quite ludicrous; after all that's how much of the UNs time was taken doing at 2017 Ocean Conference. Few, if any, of those goals have been realized.
What is abundantly clear is that now is the time for action, not rhetoric. Strident efforts, and action towards the achievement of SDG 14, must be found to mitigate the effects of climate impact, acidification, eutrophication and overfishing.
According to UN data, the degradation of coastal waters continue due to the warming at the Ocean's depths; plastic pollution is everywhere; eutrophication causing vast dead zones where no life survives (characteristically, caused by fertilizer run off which triggers plant growth in the Ocean so dense that it starves the marine life of oxygen); acidification threatens the life of shell-forming creatures; the destruction of coral reefs, with the essential breeding grounds and nurseries; and overfishing.
The picture for overfishing was presented as extremely daunting. 33% of fish populations are being overfished. Ambitious solutions include, but not limited to, ending illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing, eliminating harmful fishing subsidies, and effectively regulating harvesting through science-based management plans. Marine protected areas only make up a very minuscule percentage of the total global Ocean area. The UN needs to encourage philanthropy, as well as public/private partnerships in order to help small and developing countries.
This is the UN Decade of Ocean Science, which aims to bolster scientific research and tech innovation to support countries in the sustainable development of the ocean. The knowledge that we will harness from their initiatives are of utmost importance and vital. In fact, a very small percentage of and about the Ocean is known by us; the UN seeks to increase our intellectual and scientific database in order to help us make the right decisions for our Ocean.
The life of the planet depends on the health of our Ocean; and our Ocean is in a crisis. It covers 70% of the planet surface and we see it as vast and inexhaustible. We take its benefits for granted and forget how vital it is to the survival of life on land. Our breaths we take are enhanced and provided by our Ocean; it has absorbed most of the excess heat and about 1/3 of the (CO2) carbon dioxide we have produced. It contains 80% of global biodiversity in complex and interdependent ecosystems; it supplies food and transport networks as well as contributes and determines our planetary climate.
The UN believes that there is still time to protect our Global Ocean; the world's largest eco-system. But Climate/Ocean change must be synonymous with climate/Ocean action. The action plan, for the Sustainable Blue Economy, and the success of SDG 14, must include investment and commitment to Science, Planning, and Finance. Those will be the themes discussed and acted upon at the full UN Oceans Conference taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, June 2 - 6, 2020. Watch this space.
James Rodgers, Author
Cristina Fan, Photos
Contributors
NGO Reporter
THE GLOBAL NGO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Publishers of the
NGO Reporter, the recently renamed Global NGO Executive Committee was founded in 1962 to create a link between the United Nations and the Non-Governmental Organizations associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications UNDGC (formerly: Public Information). It is composed of eighteen Directors and encourages and assists NGOs, as members of civil society, to communicate their interests throughout the United Nations system and to support United Nations' goals and objectives. In partnership with the United Nations Department of Global Communication, the Global NGO Executive Committee co-produces annual conferences for the 1500+ accredited DGC/NGOs around the world.
TELL US MORE ABOUT
YOU
The
new Executive Committee is happy to represent your interests at the UN, every day. In order to better serve you, we ask you to tell us more about your work and mission, so we may better represent your interests here at UN Headquarters.
We'd like to make sure we have your current leadership names and emails, phone numbers, addresses, and website, so we may better reach you with news you need.
There are over 1500 NGOs associated with UNDGC. Did you vote for us, as your representatives for 2019-21? Why or Why Not?
How much do you know about the executive committee and how we may serve you? What suggestions might you have for us?
We'd love to know more about your NGO and leadership. What are your main goals, opportunities, and challenges? How can we help you improve your voice at UNHQ in New York? Essentially, how may we better serve you?
Please reply by
email to this publication whenever you can. Please also reach out with short articles or mini-videos that elaborate on your current and future efforts. By printing more about our constituents, it helps stir the discussions toward the success of the Sustainable Development Goals and the better world we all seek!
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
GLOBAL NGO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE - CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
The Global NGO Executive Committee, an eighteen-member elected body, represents your interests as Non-Governmental Organizations associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications. The Executive Committee, which acts in an advisory and liaison capacity meets at the UN Headquarters in New York each month, from July to June to discuss matters of interest and concern to NGOs associated with the DGC/Civil Society Unit.
It is now preparing to hold its annual elections.
NGOs associated with DGC are invited to nominate candidates for election as members of the Executive Committee for a period of two years, (July 2020 - July 2022). Candidates for the Officer positions of (Secretary, Treasurer), and (five (5)) positions of Director are to be elected for that two-year term. Members of the Global NGO Executive Committee serve in their personal capacity without compensation. Efforts will be made to organize meetings through electronic means should there be elected members who do not live in the New York area.
A candidate may be nominated by his/her own NGO associated with DGC in good standing with DGC. A candidate, with endorsement from his/her NGO, may also be nominated by a representative of another NGO associated with DGC. Eligibility requirements for nominees are:
● Membership in an NGO associated with DGC.
● Member organization must be in good standing with DGC.
● Nominee must have or obtain an annual UN grounds pass to the United Nations.
● In addition to attending monthly meetings, members of the Executive Committee are expected to serve on one or more Subcommittees of the Executive Committee (Bylaws; Conferences; Development; Outreach & Public; Finance; Global Regional Coordinators; Membership; NGO Reporter; Website & Social Media; Youth & Intergenerational; also see website: www.GLOBALNGOEXECOM.org) and should regularly attend the DGC weekly briefings.
● Nominee may be notified by the Membership Subcommittee for a discussion of the position being sought
● Nominee, if elected, serves a two-year term with the possibility of being elected for a second two-year term
● Each member of the Executive Committee is responsible for an annual $200 contribution to the Executive Committee
4. Has the organization submitted its 2018 DGC Biennial Report? _____________
5. Position of the candidate within the organization: __________________________________
6. Address of candidate: __________________________________________________________
7. Telephone number of candidate (pls add country code) ______________________________
8. Email address of candidate: ____________________________________________
9. If the candidate and the nominator are representatives of different NGOs, has the candidate received an endorsement from his/her NGO? ____ YES ___ NO
Vacant Positions on Executive Committee Sought: (please select one)
______ Secretary ______Treasurer______ Director (5 positions) ______
Position Descriptions:
The Secretary shall: prepare and distribute notifications and minutes of the proceedings of all regular meetings of the Executive Committee, including the Annual meeting, to all voting and non-voting members of the Executive Committee and to non-voting participants, at least five days prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Executive Committee; record and report absences of voting members to the President; keep records of the meetings of the Officers; be responsible for files of the Executive Committee; arrange for electronic participation of members at meetings of the Executive Committee, when necessary; and discharge other duties as assigned by the President or by the Executive Committee.
The Treasurer shall: manage the financial operations of the Executive Committee; send out notifications of membership fees that are due from members of the Executive Committee; make recommendations, when appropriate, on the fee for membership on the Executive Committee, for its approval; receive all funds collected and deposit all funds in a bank account established by the Executive Committee, which shall require his/her signature, or the signature of either the President or the Secretary, for withdrawals by check from the account; seek approval from either the President or the Secretary for payment of expenditures in excess of two hundred dollars ($200); in this connection, should either the President or the Secretary sign checks for payment of expenditures in excess of $200, prior approval would also be sought from one of the other two officers; present expenditures of $1,000 or more to the Executive Committee for approval; keep itemized reports of all receipts and expenditures in a permanent file; prepare and present written reports of receipts and expenditures at regularly scheduled meetings of the Executive Committee, to be supported by relevant monthly bank statements which will be shared with the Finance and Budget Subcommittee; serve as an ex officio member of the Finance and Budget Committee and, in consultation with its members and President of the Executive Committee, prepare the annual budget of the Executive Committee for its approval by 30 November; ensure timely filing of all required tax returns and financial reports as and when required; arrange for an annual audit, as appropriate, by an external auditor to be approved by the Executive Committee;
review the annual audit and filings, as appropriate, with the Internal Revenue Service and report to the Executive Committee; be a non-voting member of the Fundraising Subcommittee; and discharge other duties as assigned by the President or by the Executive Committee.
Directors: Are voting members and support the Officers of the Executive Committee and Sub-committees in accordance with the By Laws and Policies & Procedures.
Please respond to the following questions.
1. What work has the nominee done for the DGC-associated organization? (150 Words Maximum)
2. How will the nominee serve the Executive Committee and the NGO community? (150 Words Maximum)
Attach a separate word document and provide a 250 word essay on the reason why you want to be elected to the Executive Committee Board:
Please send the document as an attachment with your resume and photo to:
The deadline for the submission of nominations is 5 p.m. eastern daylight time on March 31, 2020
GET INVOLVED IN PRODUCING THE NEW
NGO REPORTER
The
NGO Reporter is now an official Sub Committee of the Executive Committee! For the first time ever, the Executive Committee would like us to develop the
NGO Reporter to ensure constituent involvement on all levels.
Be a part of the conversation - we want to hear your voice on our NGO Reporter subcommittee and in our magazine! We are seeking YOUR INVOLVEMENT to upgrade and expand our team at the NGO Reporter:
1)
NGOs associated with UN DGC are invited to write articles about their current and upcoming UN related work and special events, to be shared with our thousands of constituents and readers;
2)
All badge holders related to UNDGC associated NGOs can join our subcommittee: help us better inform
your constituency on relevant topics, related to civil society acting upon the SDGs and other UN goals and objectives;
3)
Translators are sought who will join us in bringing the UNs five major languages to all our readership;
4)
Online-savvy volunteers are sought to work with the editor and
NGO Reporter sub-committee to get the magazine out six times yearly, work with its online presence, expand it to include more video and relationship to Twitter, WhatsApp, and other online platforms, as well as to expand its reach and increase the value and recognition of civil society at the UN throughout the world; and
5)
Fund development volunteers could join us (or the Development Subcommittee) to help expand our reach by supporting the cost for our platform, some paper copies to hand out at briefings, and special live-events, support the work of
NGO Reporter journalists across the globe, and expand and improve any video reporting to be included in the NGO Reporter going forward, among other new initiatives.
Do you have other ideas on ways you could assist us or we may be more useful to you?
Are you ready to help us re-create the NGO Reporter into a new voice for civil society at the United Nations?
We look forward to hearing from you:
Join our local subcommittee, live or via zoom;
Write for us; Help us edit, layout, and expand our reach!
* UN Department of Global Communications (UNDGC, previously
UNDPI).
Richard Yep
New Logo Design
Exhaustive
investigations
demonstrate that an NGO Reporter, under former Editor Dorrie Weiss, was in its fifth year in 1997. That makes 2019 its 27th consecutive year of publication.
Prior to her passing, Ms. Weiss mentored Patrick, and later Dr. Lester Wilson, who became its co-editors for over a decade, assisted in large measure by Joan Levy and Isaac Humphries, for which the editor remains eternally grateful.
