WELCOME to the April
edition of DESA NGO News, a monthly service of the DESA NGO Branch of
the United Nations, to keep you informed about news and upcoming UN events, and
to be of service to your organization in ECOSOC consultative status. Visit us
at csonet.org for latest updates. Version française | Versión
en Español
NEWS
23 March: 2012 ECOSOC High-Level Segment: Open Call for
Written and Oral Statements from 26 March to 6 April
An open call for
written and oral statements for the 2012 ECOSOC High Level Segment will start
on 26 March and extend through 6 April. This year’s theme is “Promoting
productive capacity, employment and decent work to eradicate poverty in the
context of inclusive, sustainable and equitable economic growth at all levels
for achieving the MDGs”. NGOs interested to be heard
by the Council are encouraged to submit statements online through CSONet. This is a unique opportunity for organizations in
consultative status with ECOSOC - and for civil society at large - to be heard
at ECOSOC deliberations, as well as to contribute to issues of critical concern
to the global development agenda. The 2012 ECOSOC High Level Segment will be
held on 2–9 July 2012 at the United Nations Headquarters in
http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/newfunct/amr2012.shtml
.
Interested
organizations can register here:
http://esango.un.org/irene/?page=viewContent&nr=18662&type=8§ion=8
15 March: Head of UN Gender Entity Expresses ‘Deep Regret’ as
CSW Concludes without Adopting Agreed Conclusions
Expressing “deep
regret” that the Commission on the Status of Women had failed to adopt the
agreed conclusions that traditionally mark the conclusion of its annual
sessions, the head of UN-Women today urged delegations to move past that setback
and press ahead with efforts to ensure that rural women — the focus of the
current session - would be fully empowered to reach their potential. “I
sincerely hope that this does not mean Member States are not ready to do what
still needs to be done,” said Michelle Bachelet,
Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for
General Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women). She added that, irrespective of its
disappointing conclusion, the Commission’s fifty-sixth session had “witnessed
passionate and dynamic discussions” on the empowerment of rural women and
strengthening their role in achieving sustainable development for all. The
session, which opened at Headquarters on 27 February, was scheduled to have
concluded on 9 March, but protracted negotiations on the agreed conclusions
forced the Commission to extend its work by one week. Delegations were unable to overcome “a
disappointing inability to reach consensus”, in Ms. Bachelet’s
words, and the session closed without a final document.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2012/wom1905.doc.htm
13 March: Severe Austerity, Weak Policies, Job Shortages
Hurting Global Recovery, Experts Caution ECOSOC
Severe austerity
measures, weak policies and a dearth of jobs were constraining efforts to
reduce poverty and to trigger real recovery from economic crisis and
sustainable “green” growth, the Economic and Social Council heard today as it
concluded its special high-level meeting with international financial and trade
institutions.
http://www.un.org/esa/ffd//ecosoc/springmeetings/2012/index.htm
2 March: Ban appoints veteran Swedish diplomat as new UN
Deputy Secretary-General
Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Jan Eliasson of
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41447&Cr=ban+ki-moon&Cr1=
UPCOMING EVENTS
23 April - 4 May: Second round of negotiations on Rio+20 outcome
Delegations will continue a second
round of negotiations on the Rio+20 outcome document of the UN Conference on
Sustainable Development, to be held at Rio de Janeiro from 20 to 22 June. As
this meeting is an informal one, no formal list of speakers will be maintained
or opened for pre-inscription. Members of permanent missions, United Nations
staff, and representatives of intergovernmental organizations and major groups
are invited to attend.
http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?page=view&type=13&nr=558&menu=46
23-27 April: Commission on Population and Development, 45th
session
The Commission on Population and
Development will hold its forty-fifth session from 23 to 27 April 2012 at
United Nations Headquarters in
http://www.un.org/esa/population/cpd/ngopart_45.htm
4 May: Youth ECOSOC Conference on “Creating a Sustainable Future:
Empowering Youth with Better Job Opportunities”
Young people continue to be the hardest
hit by the jobs crisis. In both developed and developing countries, youth
unemployment and underemployment rates have reached alarming levels. In July
this year, ECOSOC will address the challenge of increasing productive capacity
and promoting employment and decent work. In preparation, on 4 May, The UN
Department of Public Information and the Department of Economic and Social
Affairs will organize a youth conference on “Creating a Sustainable Future:
Empowering Youth with Better Job Opportunities”, which will be attended by
youth representatives from diverse backgrounds. The primary target audience is
young men and women (15 – 32 years old). Representatives of the private sector,
the academic community, and civil society engaged in youth issues will be
invited to participate. This event will be open to NGO representatives with
valid access passes only. No event passes will be issued for this half-day
event. For information contact simonp@un.org. See
background note below for additional information on the event.
http://csonet.org/content/documents/4May.pdf
7-18 May: Permanent
Forum on Indigenous Issues, 11th session
The 11th session of the Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues will be held in
http://social.un.org/index/IndigenousPeoples.aspx
21-30 May: 2012 Resumed Session, Committee on NGOs
The 2012 Resumed Session of the Committee on NGOs will
take place from 21 to 30 May 2012. The session is expected to consider new
applications for status by NGOs as well as applications deferred from earlier
sessions. It will also review quadrennial reports of NGOs in general or special
consultative status. The Committee is expected to meet again on 8 June 2012 to
adopt its report of the session. The session's recommendations will be sent to
the Economic and Social Council for its approval in July of 2012.
Preregistration for representatives of NGOs will commence around 21 April from
the page below. An information note with an overview of all organizations to be
considered will also be posted on this site.
http://csonet.org/index.php?menu=80
20-22 June: United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
(Rio+20)
Organized to mark the 20th
anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro, and the 10th anniversary of the 2002
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, the Conference
will include Heads of State and Government to secure renewed political
commitment for sustainable development, assess the progress to date and the
remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on
sustainable development, and address new and emerging challenges. IMPORTANT:
Accreditation of new groups closed on 20 February 2012. Approved organizations
will be notified by mid-April. Contact uncsd2012@un.org for more information. REQUIRED
pre-registration of already accredited groups is open until 20 May 2012. NO
REGISTRATION AFTER THIS DATE WILL BE ENTERTAINED.
http://www.uncsd2012.org/registration
2-9 July: 2012 ECOSOC Annual Ministerial Review
The 2012 AMR will be held during the High-level
Segment (HLS) of the substantive session of the ECOSOC in July at United
Nations Headquarters in
http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/newfunct/amr2012.shtml
USEFUL LINKS
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http://www.un-ngls.org
UN Department of
Public Information, NGO Relations
http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection
OHCHR Civil Society
Section
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/AboutUs/Pages/CivilSociety.aspx
OHCHR Civil Society
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AT YOUR SERVICE
How to Apply for
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How to Sumit a Quadrennial Report
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Home Page
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How to obtain a UN
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Comment obtenir un badge ONG aux Nations Unies
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