A CONFERENCE OF NGOS IN ISLAMABAD SUPPORTS UNITED NATIONS EFFORTS TO PROMOTE HUMAN SECURITY AND DIGNITY

ISLAMABAD, 10 September 2003 - The United Nations Information Centre in Pakistan, in collaboration with the Liberal Forum Pakistan and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, organized a one-day Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Islamabad on Wednesday, 10 September 2003. This Conference mirrored the 56th Annual DPI/NGO Conference, which was organized by the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) at UN Headquarters in New York from 8-10 September 2003.

The Islamabad meeting provided an opportunity to the Pakistani NGOs associated with DPI and which were unable to attend the meeting in New York, to meet together, and to speak on the same theme as the NGOs gathered at UN Headquarters. The theme of this year's Conference was "Human Security and Dignity: Fulfilling the Promise of the United Nations". The theme tied into the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and empowering women; and ensuring environmental sustainability.

NGO participants at the conference came from Karachi, Multan, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. They included All Pakistan Women's Association (APWA); the Senior Citizens' Foundation of Pakistan; the Development of Education, Environment, Poverty Alleviation, and Population Welfare Organization (DEEPP); the Foundation for Research on Environment, National Development and Security (FRIENDS); Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP); HADF; Struggle for Change (SACH); Pattan Development Organization; Liberal Forum Pakistan; and Friedrich Naumann Stiftung. Representatives of various UN agencies based in Islamabad also participated in the conference.

After making presentations of their activities in their respective areas of interest such as human rights, gender issues, socio and economic development, HIV/AIDS, poverty alleviation and child rights, and a debate on these issues, the NGO representatives adopted the following joint statement:

"We, as Pakistani NGOs, are fully supportive of the efforts of the United Nations to promote human security and dignity. We can achieve these objectives through equitable social and economic order; global harmony by working for peace; achieving universal primary education; transparency in policies and their implementation; and gender equality and empowerment.

"We believe that objectives and ideals of the United Nations can only be promoted by a return to international pluralism and multilateralism.

"In the global scenario, we believe, the United Nations has emerged as an indispensable organization, which is capable of addressing social and economic as well as political issues. We call upon the United Nations to shoulder its responsibility in this regard.

"We believe the Millennium Development Goals, articulated in the Millennium Declaration, adopted by all Member States of the United Nations, are benchmarks for progress, and they bind countries to join forces and fight poverty, illiteracy, hunger, lack of education, inequality, child and maternal mortality, disease and environmental degradation. We believe, achieving the Millennium Development Goals will not only contribute to human development, but also be an important contribution to conflict prevention. As NGOs, we can make enormous contribution in helping translate these goals into concrete gains for people at the local level."