On 10 September 2002, the UN Information Centre in Islamabad and the Pakistan Lions Youth Council (PLYC) jointly organised a one-day parallel meeting of the55th Annual DPI/NGO Conference at a local hotel in Multan. This year's theme was "Rebuilding Societies Emerging from Conflict: A Shared Responsibility".

Over thirty representatives from twenty-two NGOs from the southern Punjab region and Karachi took part in the deliberations of the meeting. Most of the participants were from DPI-associated NGOs. The special feature of this year's event was the participation of UNDP in the meeting, which widened the scope of this annual event to a joint undertaking by UN agencies in Pakistan.

The focus of the debate centred around the role of NGOs in the socio-economic development of the country. NGOs highlighted their efforts in the health and education sectors, and women development. The NGO representatives lauded the role of the UN in development activities, and expressed the desire for UN support to the NGOs' efforts to promote female literacy, health education, eradication of poverty, child labour and other areas in the social field.

The meeting adjourned after a lively debate by all participants, which led to a pledge that NGOs would beef up their activities and enhance cooperation with the UN. Earlier on, the Officer-in-Charge of the UN Information Centre thanked NGO representatives for their participation in the meeting. He also thanked PLYC for hosting this year's meeting.