The partnership weave.

In some ways, it could be argued that the turning point in United Nations perceptions and attitudes towards non-governmental organizations (NGOs) was the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) and its preparatory process (1990-1992). To an unprecedented degree, the United Nations actively encouraged the participation of NGOs in UNCED, while the degree of international mobilization around the conference agenda was equally unprecedented. In bringing together large numbers of environment and development NGOs from around the world, UNCED revealed the existence of a global constituency for the issues on the UN agenda and highlighted the powerful mobilizing force of NGOs. Since then, there has been growing recognition that the presence of NGOs enrich and enliven the UN policy-setting work through the provision of new information, experiences and insights. With regard to operational collaboration at the country level, the UN development system has similarly built up a considerable, positive experience of working with a broad range of non-governmental development actors.

The past few years have witnessed a dramatic change in the attitudes, approaches and policies of the United Nations system with regard to relations with NGOs, across the entire system and in virtually all areas of its activity: policy dialogue and normative work; operational development activities; humanitarian work, particularly responding to emergencies and to the needs of refugees; promoting human rights, democratization and peace; and raising public awareness of the issues and challenges on the UN agenda.

These new UN experiences reflect historical changes in the world scene and international life in the post-cold-war world. These include the emergence of the private sector as the principal engine of economic growth; new roles for States and Governments and new roles and responsibilities for non-State actors; new approaches to promoting development emphasizing people-centred, participatory projects and programmes, drawing upon the experience of NGOs; the extension of democratic forms of governance and the rapid growth of NGOs and other civil society organizations worldwide, particularly in societies with economies in transition and in developing countries, leading to an emergent global civil society active at the international level - a development which owes a great deal to the revolution in international telecommunications and transport.

Today, in the context of UN reform, virtually all UN bodies are engaged in fundamental reviews of their relations with NGOs and other organizations of civil society. In some cases, the functions of NGO liaison orifices are being recast from public relations and information to a role more integrated with the substantive programme of the agency concerned. Guidelines for working with NGOs are being developed or updated, and more enabling and pro-active approaches to cooperating with local, national and regional NGOs are being developed for the UN system's regional and country offices. Many UN agencies and bodies now hold periodic consultations with NGOs on substantive issues, policy questions and programme strategies.

New forms of management and governance of UN entities are also emerging that involve NGO participation. For example, the governing body of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has five seats for NGO representatives, while the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Humanitarian Affairs has three places for NGOs. Some of the most specialized and technical bodies follow this trend; for instance, five NGO representatives participate, along with agricultural scientists, manufacturers, user groups and government representatives, in the United Nations Methyl Bromide Technical Options Committee, established in 1992 by parties to the Montreal Protocol, to develop alternatives to the use of this dangerously toxic fumigant.

A number of UN agencies now cooperate with standing NGO committees which have been established explicitly as fora for ongoing policy dialogue between NGOs and the agency concerned. In addition, several UN agencies are currently exploring new approaches for the greater involvement of NGOs in their governance arrangements and are developing information disclosure policies with inputs from NGOs. The establishment of a focal point for NGO matters in the Office of the Secretary-General has given added authority and priority to UN cooperation with NGOs. At the same time, the Interdepartmental Working Group on NGOs has been reconvened in New York and Geneva to provide a forum for UN staff with responsibility for NGO relations. Finally, the Administrative Committee on Coordination, which brings together the executive heads of UN agencies and is chaired by the Secretary-General, took up the theme of UN Relations with Civil Society at its October 1997 session.

At the intergovernmental level, United Nations Member States have been providing resources to assure the participation of NGOs from developing countries and countries with economies in transition in UN events and fora. Increasingly, Member States from all parts of the world are including representatives of NGOs in official delegations to the United Nations. This has enabled some progress to be made in securing regional balance in NGO participation.

Flexible procedures have also been introduced to enable NGOs accredited to world conferences and summits to participate in the Economic and Social Council Commissions charged with follow-up to the conferences. Today, hundreds of NGOs participate in the Commissions for Human Rights, on the Status of Women, and for Sustainable Development.

New forms of dialogue and interaction between Member States and NGOs, such as joint panels, dialogue sessions and round tables, have been introduced. Occasionally, NGOs are now also permitted to participate as observers in informal intergovernmental discussions and negotiations, and even in so-called "informal informals". The increased NGO presence at the United Nations contributes to international democratization by ensuring increased transparency and accountability of intergovernmental decisions and commitments.

These new approaches and practices are profoundly changing the way that the United Nations goes about its work. In particular, the recent review and updating of UN legislation dealing with NGO consultative status, whose results are set out in Council resolution 1996/31, opens up new possibilities for national and regional NGOs to acquire consultative status with the Council.

It also enables the UN system to build upon the innovative and dynamic experience of the past few years and continue to strengthen its multiple and diverse relations and cooperation with the NGO community. Indeed, over the past year, on several occasions, the Security Council has been informally briefed by NGO representatives.

Currently, some Member States and NGOs are seeking wider NGO access to all areas of work of the United Nations, beyond the confines of the Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary bodies, including the General Assembly. A subgroup on NGOs of the Assembly's Working Group on Strengthening the United Nations System has been examining this question, but has been unable thus far to make headway. On the other hand, momentum is gathering among Governments and NGOs for the establishment of some form of civil society global forum with linkages to the General Assembly.

Lying behind these dynamic and innovative processes of change is the growing realization that Governments, intergovernmental organizations and NGOs cannot, acting alone, successfully deal with the enormous challenges posed by poverty eradication, sustainable development, women's equality, securing peace and other shared, global objectives. In the years ahead, the capacity of the United Nations system to achieve its goals will depend crucially upon its ability to forge stronger partnerships and deepen cooperation with the wide diversity of NGOs from around the world dedicated to the same economic, social and political aims.

In line with Secretary-General Kofi Annan's reform plans, it is to be expected that in the coming period efforts will continue to strengthen UN-NGO partnerships at the international level in governance, policy dialogue, advocacy, information and monitoring compliance, while increased attention will be given to enhancing cooperation with NGOs and other civil society organizations in operational activities at the country level. Unified UN field presence and a United Nations Development Assistance Framework will open up immense new possibilities for NGOs and other organizations to contribute to the work of the United Nations, in areas such as needs assessment, programme design and execution, and evaluation. For those of us in the UN system working to strengthen cooperation with NGOs and other organizations of civil society, these are very exciting times indeed!

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