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 57th Annual DPI/NGO Conference: Millennium Development Goals: Civil Society Takes Action Message from the Secretary-General: I am very pleased that you have chosen the Millennium Development Goals as the subject of this year's DPI/NGO Conference. As representatives of hundreds of non-governmental organizations, you are potential leaders of the MDG campaigns that we need in every country. This is a campaign in which all people - young and old, rich and poor; women and men - have a role to play. Indeed, our chances of success depend in great part on the degree to which you, the individuals and groups that make up civil society, mobilize around this mission. Consider the consequences of failure. If we do not achieve these minimal goals by the target year of 2015, we will have failed hundreds of millions of people who are looking to us for assistance and solidarity. We will have doomed another generation of children to lives of deprivation and insecurity. Not least, we will have lost a major battle in the struggle for human rights, for rnultilateralism, for development assistance, and for inclusive, equitable development in a rapidly globalizing world. There is a growing, if fragile, consensus that we have reached a historic moment at which we have the means to end extreme poverty around the world. We have the information through the national and global reporting processes. We have financial resources, although not enough yet, which are being used more effectively and with greater accountability. We have an ever-growing catalogue of best practices. And there is growing public awareness about the importance of the goals and their role in building strong stable societies. In the days ahead, you will have an opportunity to share information, compare strategies and cultivate networks that can make you more effective in this urgent work. You can also explore the roles and responsibilities of the main actors - the international community, national and local governments, the private sector and civil society itself. I would like to assure you the commitment of the United Nations to doing its part to bring concrete, measurable improvements into the daily lives of the people we exist to serve. I am also committed to strengthening the United Nations - civil society relationship, building on the report of the panel of eminent persons chaired by former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil. The Millennium Development Goals are a challenge to all of us. I wish you good luck in your deliberations and look forward to receiving a report on your work. Kofi A. Annan United Nations | Kofi Annan - DPI | A Few Strategic Areas | Vincentian Global Network | The Chance of a Lifetime | Record of Accomplishment | The UN System | RECENTLY POSTED | | Return Home | About Us | What's New | Current Focus | Articles | Great Links | E-mail | |
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