NGO/279
PI/962

FORTY-NINTH ANNUAL DPI/NGO CONFERENCE TO BE HELD AT HEADQUARTERS, 10-12 SEPTEMBER

The forty-ninth annual NGO Conference organized by the Department of Public Information (DPI) will be held at Headquarters from 10 to 12 September. The theme for this year's Conference is "The United Nations: Facing the Challenges of a Changing World".

The Conference will focus on the results of the deliberations of the high-level working groups of the General Assembly and their recommendations on the following five issues: Agenda for Peace; Agenda for Development; equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council; and the United Nations financial situation and strengthening of the United Nations system.

Since many NGOs, academic institutions and foreign policy organizations have views on those issues and on the role of the United Nations going into the next century, the three-day event will be an opportunity to exchange views among government representatives, representatives of non-governmental organizations and other actors in civil society. The new format of the Conference encourages discussion rather than prepared speeches, the exception being the first morning and the concluding sessions of the Conference.

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali will deliver the opening address on Tuesday, 10 September, at approximately 10:30 a.m. The President of the General Assembly, Diogo Freitas do Amaral (Portugal), who coordinates the five working groups, will deliver the keynote address during the opening session. Other keynote speakers are Anne-Marie Lizin, Senator, Parliament of Belgium and Chairman, Socialist Women International, Belgium; and John Whitehead, Chairman, United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA- USA).

In addition to the Vice-Chairmen of the five working groups, who will brief participants on their deliberations, speakers include John Kenneth Galbraith, Professor, Harvard University; Rodrigo Carazo Odio, former President of Costa Rica; Bella Abzug, Founder and President, Women's

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Environment and Development Organizations (WEDO); Sir Brian Urquhart; and the Permanent Representative of Malaysia, Razali Ismail.

Among the panellists are Samuel Insanally (Guyana), who was President of the Assembly's forty-eighth session; Shaharyar Khan, former Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Rwanda; Olara Otunu, President, International Peace Academy; Peter Shiras, Vice-President, Inter-Action; and Marie Angelique-Savane, Commissioner, Commission on Global Governance.

Other speakers include: Carol Bellamy, Executive Director, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); Joseph Connor, Under-Secretary-General for Administration and Management; Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); James Gustave Speth, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Barbara Crossette, United Nations correspondent, New York Times; and Jose Alvarez, Professor, University of Michigan.

For copies of the Conference's programme and further information contact the NGO Section of DPI at (212) 963-6842.

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