Pictured: Virginia Hazzard receives the Eleanore Schnurr Award, accompanied by Executive Committee Member Jackie Shapiro and Linda Selde, Past President, UNA/USA/COO.

On 1 November 2007, family, friends, colleagues and NGO representatives attended an overflow Memorial Service for Virginia Hazzard at the Church Center Chapel, across from UN Headquarters. The ceremony was organized for the most part by the NGO Affiliate, AARP. Two memorial tributes are included below.

MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO AARP VOLUNTEER VIRGINIA HAZZARD

In June 2006, the United Nations Association presented Virginia with the Eleanore Schnurr Award, honoring her commitment to the work of the United Nations. This award, perhaps like no other, best captured the essence of Virginia Hazzard because it recognized her contributions to advancing the UN and breathing life into the idea of a global public good. Indeed, the United Nations may have been the principal reason Virginia walked the earth.

Whether she was introducing solar cookers to Moroccan women, promoting women's literacy for a pioneering NGO in Ethiopia, or serving UNICEF in Kenya, Madagascar or China, Virginia always imparted the notion that anything was possible. Indeed, improving the lives of women around the world was a special passion and motivator for her. She traveled far and wide, whistling the same tune, a sunny, upbeat pro-women number about respecting rights and claiming livelihood. It wasn't so much a crusade; it was more a way of being.

Virginia's heroic role in organizing the NGO Forum on Women in Nairobi in 1985 and Beijing in 1995 is legendary in some circles within the women's movement. One analyst observed that "The Nairobi meetings were like a compass that pointed women in a certain direction. After Beijing, women and governments had a map to guide future efforts for gender equality and equity. And just as importantly, NGOs now had the numbers and sophistication to make sure that promises made by governments will be kept." Virginia lived for this kind of outcome.

And so, in closing, it is AARP's turn to celebrate Virginia's memory with an award. We are so pleased and so proud to announce the creation of "The Virginia Hazzard International Innovative Employers Award", to honor companies and organizations based outside the U.S. that have pioneered best practices in attracting and retaining 50+ workers. The award winners will be announced at the 2008 Best Employers Program in Chicago. This is, we think, a perfect tribute to Virginia, given that her public service and voluntarism continued until the day she passed away, at 89 years of age. We look forward to presenting the award each year and, in doing so, affirming the enormous contributions of older workers.

Line Vreven / Director, AARP International

MEMORIAL TRIBUTE FROM THE DPI/NGO SECTION

Virginia Hazzard was indeed a very special person. At a time in her life, when many choose to take it easy and enjoy other, more soothing activities, Virginia re-committed herself-with energy, dynamism and passion-to what she always was good at: helping others. My initial experiences with Virginia indicated that I was in the presence of someone extraordinary. An activist. A doer.

Last year, in the early stages of the annual conference planning process, Virginia approached me with her idea of securing a member of the Moroccan Royal Family as a speaker for one of our roundtables. I immediately encouraged her to proceed, but in my mind I always had my doubts. Well, dear friends, we now know that not only did His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid, the heir to the Moroccan throne, find the time to be with us, but also, most importantly, his presentation was one of the most effective and significant. And this, thanks to Virginia.

This year, she decided to attack the issue of climate change from a different perspective. She enrolled a filmmaker and his team and did not rest until every one of the videos, photographs and other audiovisual material was screened and shown to as many people as possible. Virginia was that kind of a person.

The last time I saw her, during the observance for the International Day of Older Persons, on 4 October, I asked her what she had in store for 2008. With a twinkle in her eye and a mischievous look, she said: "I don't know yet. But don't worry. I'll come up with something. Something good. Something worthy of Paris".

Juan-Carlos Brandt, Chief, NGO Section, DPI

(Pictured: conference chairs Juan Carlos Brandt and Shamina De Gonzaga confer prior to the 1st meeting on 4 January, 2008.)


The 61st Conference Planning Committee met for the first time at UN Headquarters in New York on 4 January.

Co-chaired by Juan Carlos Brandt, Chief of the DPI/NGO Section, and Shamina de Gonzaga, Chair of the 61st DPI/NGO Conference, some 75 UN NGO representatives received a working paper that offered a basis for discussion about the format, goals, and themes for the conference that will take place in Paris on 3-5 September 2008.

Participation is open to all NGOS in association with the Department of Public Information, in consultative status with ECOSOC, or accredited to another UN System entity. Everyone agreed that the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides an opportunity to reach out to all members of society, to reflect on the values set forth in the Declaration, and to create an inclusive and action-oriented forum where all stakeholders may be included as active participants.

Amidst the talk of plenary sessions, round tables, midday workshops, receptions and press conferences that have been the standard feature of past conferences, new modalities were also considered, such as conversation lounges, silent meditations and parallel meetings designed to provide substantive input into the conference proceedings.

Much discussion also centered around the planning committee structure given the fact that for the first time in its 60 year history, the conference will be taking place outside of New York in Paris. New York representatives recognized the critical importance of establishing co-equal branches in both Paris and Geneva, as well as Focal Points in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe.

The planning committee will comprise various subcommittees, each with facilitators in New York, Paris and Geneva. NGO representatives were invited to join subcommittees that will organize outreach, thematic development and speaker selection, networking, internet communications, media and publicity, event planning, midday workshops, and multigenerational and youth activities.

Particular emphasis was placed upon outreach to new constituencies who have not participated in previous conferences, namely civil society from regions that are typically under represented, such as Africa and the Middle East. Marginalized groups with no voice were also recognized as key participants whose experience would enrich the conference, whether from persecuted minorities or communities suffering from extreme poverty.

Mindful of the historic and cultural legacy of Paris, the co- chairs laid out an exciting scenario where exhibits and public fairs, artistic performances and receptions, as well as a public ceremony to pay homage to human rights defenders, will play itself out throughout the city beyond the immediate environs of the Conference.

The Conference Planning Committee in New York is expected to meet once a month with much of its work being conducted by the Subcommittees. The next meeting will take place on 31 January, 2-5 pm, at UN Headquarters where Ms. de Gonzaga will give a report of her second planning trip to Paris and Geneva.

For more information on the schedule of planning committee meetings in New York, Paris and Geneva, the conference working paper, and on how to serve on one of the sub-committees, visit www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/.

Jeffery Huffines

Pictured: Sol Oca, Jeffery Huffines, Shamina De Gonzaga, and Isabelle Broyer (Chief, Guided Tours Unit) at the Palais des Nations during the Conference Planning Mission in Geneva last Fall.

During the last week of November 2007, Shamina de Gonzaga, Chair of the 61st Annual DPI/NGO Conference and Jeffery Huffines, Chair of the NGO/DPI Executive Committee, joined Sol Oca and Isabelle Broyer of the UN Department of Public Information on a fact finding mission to Paris and Geneva to meet with UN & NGO partners to explore the possibility of hosting the 61st Conference at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, 3-5 September 2008.

The fact finding mission was scheduled because, for the first time in its history, the Conference is expected to be held outside of New York in anticipation of the partial shut-down of UN Headquarters in 2008 as required by the implementation of the UN Capital Master Plan approved by the General Assembly over a two years ago.

The location of UNESCO Headquarters based in Paris and the theme of human rights were chosen for the 2008 Conference because it was in that city that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed 60 years ago.

Organized by Jean-Pierre Bugada of the UN Regional Information Centre based in Brussels, the delegation held productive meetings in Paris where they met with officials from UNESCO, the French Foreign Ministry, including the French Ambassador for Human Rights, and the French National Commission for Human Rights. They also met with the UNESCO NGO Liaison Committee and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).

Pending a final agreement on the budget, the French Foreign Ministry welcomed the Conference as part of its official recognition of the 60th anniversary of the signing in Paris of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

At subsequent meetings in Geneva, the team met with representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the President of CONGO, who organized a meeting with human rights NGOs that monitor the Human Rights Council. Here too, promises of support and cooperation were made, particularly with regard to substance, scope, thematic content and the selection of high-level conference speakers.

In both Paris and Geneva, NGO human rights experts highlighted the universality of human rights as an essential theme and of placing the concerns of human rights victims and defenders at the center of conference deliberations.

All parties agreed that it was important to maintain a balance in the planning process between New York, Paris and Geneva, to begin in January 2008.

The first in a series of information bulletins on the status of the conference was subsequently released by UN DPI on December 26 and may be found at:
www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/.

Jeffery Huffines

Jorge Rojas-Zegers, M.D., the newly appointed Latin American NGO/DPI Executive Committee Regional Representative, attended the 30 November 2007 meeting of the Committee at the United Nations. Luis Ortuzar, Chair of the Latin American Advisory Committee, accompanied Dr. Rojas Zegers. Dr. Rojas-Zejers summarized his plans for the development of communication strategies and interaction with Latin American NGOs associated with UN DPI. Dr. Rojas-Zejers is a medical surgeon specializing in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He is a member of Rotary International and has served as President of the Santiago, Chile Rotary Club. He is the founder and constant motivator for the program, COANIQUEM Aid to Burned Children Corporation (Corporación de Ayuda al Niño Quemado), which benefits 19 Latin American and Caribbean nations.

Eleanor Nwandinobi, M.D., the newly appointed Sub- Saharan Africa NGO/DPI Executive Committee Regional Representative, has reported that she plans to attend the February 2008 meeting of the NGO/DPI Executive Committee. Dr. Nwadinobi is the founder and president of the Nigerian Widows Development Organization (WIDO) and is also the founder of the Tabitha Infirmary Foundation, which empowers communities to improve their health and general quality of life.

The Regional Representatives Ad Hoc Committee has begun the process of seeking potential candidates for Regional Representatives from Europe, particularly Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. Members of the Regional Representatives Ad Hoc Committee are Elizabeth Burns, Anne-Marie Carlson, and Aaron Etra.

L. Eudora Pettigrew, Ad Hoc Committee Chair

I am honored to be here as Regional Representative of Latin America's NGOs. My close relationship with Rotary International has been important in my personal and professional life -- forming a lifelong partnership of work for the Burned Children of Chile, Latin America and the Caribbean. In 1979, we founded the COANIQUEM Aid to Burned Children Corporation (Corporación de Ayuda al Niño Quemado) as a Chilean foundation. For the past 28 years, COANIQUEM has taken care of, healed and rehabilitated free of charge, more than 80 thousand burned children; it has provided pre- and post-graduate training to more than 600 health care professionals in Latin America and the Caribbean, and recruited over 12 thousand monitors in Child Burn Prevention.

With my appointment as Regional Representative, I realize what a great opportunity this will be to contribute to the work of the United Nations, and, more than that, to show what Latin America's NGOs want and can do for their people and countries.

We have already formed an Advisory Committee with six directors and a Coordinator, my colleague, Dr. Luiz Ortuzar. Our immediate goals are as follows:

1) To register COANIQUEM as an DPI/NGO,
2) To register three Chilean NGOs,
3) To create national Advisory Committees in Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela.

I look forward to working with the Executive Committee, and with Liz Burns, our Executive Committee liaison.

Dr. Jorge Rojas-Zegers, 29 November 2007

Estoy muy honrado de estar aquí como Representante Regional de las ONGs de América Latina. Mi estrecha relación con Rotary International ha sido importante en mi vida personal y profesional. He dedicado mis esfuerzos a trabajar, con la ayuda de mis colegas rotarios, en la causa de los Niños Quemados de Chile, Latinoamérica y El Caribe.

En 1979, fundé la Corporación de Ayuda al Niño Quemado COANIQUEM una fundación chilena sin fines de lucro. En los últimos 28 años, COANIQUEM ha cuidado, sanado y rehabilitado gratuitamente a más de 80 mil niños quemados; ha entrenado a más de 600 profesionales del área de la salud en Latinoamérica y El Caribe y ha capacitado más de 12 mil Monitores en Prevención de Quemaduras en el Niño.

Con mi nombramiento como Representante Regional, me doy cuenta que esta será una gran oportunidad para contribuir al trabajo de las Naciones Unidas y a la vez mostrar lo que las ONGs de Latinoamérica quieren y pueden hacer por su gente y sus países.

Hemos formado un Comité Asesor con 6 Directores y un coordinador, mi colega el Señor Luis Ortuzar. Nuestras metas inmediatas son las siguientes:

* Registrar COANIQUEM como una DPI/NGO,
* Registrar otras tres ONGs Chilenas,
* Crear Comités Asesores nacionales en Argentina, Brasil, Colombia, México, Perú y Venezuela.

Esperamos trabajar con el Comité Ejecutivo y con Liz Burns, nuestra coordinadora para el Comité Ejecutivo.

Dr. Jorge Rojas-Zegers, 29 de noviembre de 2007

Answers to Questions You Thought You Knew: What Current & New NGO Members Need to Know about Their Relationship with DPI.
Photo: Herbert Scherer

The 8 November 2007 Communications Workshop focused on the partnership between the Department of Public Information and the NGO community. Ramu Damodaran, Chief, Civil Society Service, Outreach Division, DPI, introduced the theme of the workshop and Sol Oca, DPI/NGO Information Officer, introduced the speakers. Approximately 145 NGO representatives and UN staff members were in attendance.

Ms. Oca explained the association process and the quadrennial reporting system. NGOs are required to meet specific criteria to become associated, which include having non-profit status, being in good financial standing, and having had collaboration with the United Nations. A committee made up of DPI directors or their representatives reviews applications every six months. (http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/application- pro.asp) An evaluation report from every NGO in association is due every four years. Its purpose is to ensure that organizations remain in good standing and that their work continues to reflect the goals and objectives of the United Nations.

DPI/NGO Information Officer Robin Della Rocca described the process of choosing weekly briefing topics. They are chosen by the NGO Section and often reflect UN observances or suggestions made by NGOs. There is no single method in which topics are selected. Ms. Della Rocca explained that NGOs are welcome to continue suggesting topics; however, if their topic is selected, they should be prepared to participate in the planning process. (http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/about-wkly- brief.asp)

Sandra Voelker, a staff member of the NGO Resource Centre, introduced the UN website (www.un.org ). The site includes many helpful features--an index, a search function, UN webcast archives, etc. On the DPI/NGO Section website users can find information concerning upcoming DPI/NGO events, information about the NGO/DPI association process, summaries and webcasts of previous weekly briefings, etc. The website additionally provides access to the NGO directory (http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/dpingo- directory.asp), information on the UN Journal, and the current 2008 NGO accreditation form. (http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/index.asp)

Jeffery Huffines, Chair of the NGO/DPI Executive Committee, explained the election process and reviewed the responsibilities of the Executive Committee. He then introduced Committee members. Subcommittees Chairs explained their respective mandates and NGO representatives in attendance were invited to volunteer their services. Appointed Subcommittees include finance/budget, fundraising, by-laws, nominations, conference site selection, youth, communications, information technology, climate change, regional representatives, Resource Centre, Costa Rica Project, and the NGO Reporter.

The workshop concluded with remarks by Edward Ryan, American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) NGO Representative. He reported that many people throughout the world are unaware of or do not understand the work of the United Nations. Consequently, he said, it is the responsibility of those of us with access to the UN to educate the wider public.

Three annual communications workshops are organized in cooperation with the NGO/DPI Executive Committee with the goal of assisting NGOs to become more effective promoters of the UN and its mission. (http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/com- workshops.asp).

Lester Wilson

NEWS FROM THE RESOURCE CENTER

At the 8 November Communications Workshop, Lingyan Hu, a member of the NGO Resource Centre staff, described the information available at the Resource Centre. The material covers a wide variety of topics, including such items as the UN Daily Journal, information on NGO Briefings, final reports and programmes from past conferences, and the United Nations system telephone directory. The Directory of NGOs Associated with DPI is now available on the UN/DPI/NGO website, http://www.un.org/ngosection, although it is no longer available in hardcopy. The Resource Centre also provides a conference area for NGO use, upon request, several computers and a wealth of brochures, pamphlets and reports from the entire UN system.

Mona Gillet

The 23rd CONGO General Assembly, held through 5-7 December 2007 in Geneva, elected its Board and new President, Liberato Bautista, from the United Methodist Church/General Board of Church and Society based in New York.

Jeffery Huffines, as Chair of the NGO Executive Committee, offered warm greetings to the nearly 300 delegates that included ECOSOC NGOs comprising CONGO Committees that operate at UN Headquarters in New York, Geneva, and Vienna.

Huffines affirmed the partnership between the two representative network bodies strengthened as a result of their co-sponsorship of the Millennium NGO Network designed to facilitate civil society inputs into the negotiations leading up to the UN Millennium Summit in September 2005.

The theme of the triennial General Assembly, "moving from consultation to partnership in promoting human rights and responsible governance at all levels," guided the consultations of the delegates as they put forward recommendations for implementation by the Board and CONGO Committees during the next three years.

Huffines emphasized that representatives of civil society must also hold themselves accountable to the same human rights and democratic standards they demand of governments.

He also took the opportunity to inform the delegates about the 61st DPI/NGO Conference fact finding mission in Paris and Geneva that had taken place the week before, encouraging delegates to attend the Conference, 3-5 September 2008 in Paris, and to participate in its planning committees and preparatory events in Paris, Geneva and New York.

Larry Roeder, UN Affairs Director for the World Society for the Protection of Animals, and Editor of the Climate Change Editorial Team appointed by the NGO/DPI Executive Committee, was also invited to give a plenary address on the theme "development and climate change."

On behalf of the Climate Change Editorial Team, Roeder introduced the web site www.climatecaucus.net designed to facilitate NGO partnerships and encourage NGOs to contribute to the development of an on-line report on civil society's response to climate change threats, to be completed by the end of 2008 for presentation to the Secretary General.

This initiative was in response to the Declaration on Climate Change Threats adopted unanimously at the closing session of the 60th DPI/NGO Conference at UN Headquarters in New York, 5-7 September 2007. The Declaration asked that the NGO/DPI Executive Committee and CONGO foster a plan as soon as possible to implement an "NGO Framework for Action" calculated to propose NGO solutions to climate change threats before they become irreversible.

At its conclusion, the General Assembly paid a moving tribute to Renate Bloem for her seven illustrious years as President of CONGO.

Jeffery Huffines

The MDG Monitor shows how countries are progressing in their efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). With the 2015 target date fast approaching, it is more important than ever to understand if the goals are on track, and where additional efforts and support are needed, both globally and at the country level. The MDG Monitor is designed as a tool for policymakers, development practitioners, journalists, students and others to:

TRACK progress through interactive maps and country- specific profiles LEARN about countries' challenges and achievements and get the latest news,

SUPPORT organizations working on the MDGs around the world.

The MDG Monitor is designed as a one-stop-shop for information on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), globally and at the country level. It is intended as a tool for policymakers, development practitioners, journalists, students and others interested in learning about the Goals and tracking progress toward them.

The MDG Monitor has been created by the UN Development Programme in partnership with the Statistics Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Relief Web of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Funding and in-kind support were provided by Google and Cisco. The MDG Monitor will be continually updated as new data becomes available. Subsequent versions of the tool will also be available in multiple languages. The principal country-level data is currently available in Google Earth accessible via the MDG Monitor home page of http://www.mdgmonitor.org.

Ed.

The NGO/DPI Executive Committee, on behalf of all NGOs associated with the Department of Public Information, extends its warm welcome to 17 NGOs recently admitted to the roster of NGOS associated with DPI. The official list now includes 1,650 NGOs, worldwide.

EDITORS

Patrick L. Sciarratta
Friendship Ambassadors Foundation
Lester N. Wilson, Ph.D.
Long Island University

EDITORIAL BOARD

Juan Carlos Brandt
Chief, Non-Governmental Organizations Section / UNDPI

Jeffery Huffines
Chair, NGO/DPI Executive Committee
Baha'is of the United States

Joan Levy
End Child Prostitution and Trafficking

Vincenzo Pugliese
Public Information Officer for the South Region
MINUSTAH, Les Cayes, Haiti

Dr. Elaine Valdov
International Institute of Integral Human Sciences

CONTRIBUTORS

Juan Carlos Brandt
Chief, Non-Governmental Organizations Section / UNDPI

Shamina De Gonzaga
Special Adviser on NGO relations in the Office of the President of the General Assembly, Vice- Chair, NGO/DPI Executive Committee and Chair of the 61st DPI/NGO Conference Planning Committee

Mona Gillet
Supervisor, NGO Resource Centre

Jeffery Huffines
Chair, NGO/DPI Executive Committee
Baha'is of the United States

L. Eudora Pettigrew, Ph.D.
Chair, Regional Representatives Committee International Association of University Presidents

Dr. Jorge Rojas-Zegers
NGO/DPI Regional Representative for Latin America
Director, COANIQUEM Aid to Burned Children Corporation (Corporación de Ayuda al Niño Quemado)

Line Vreven
Director, AARP International

LAYOUT

Patrick Sciarratta
Friendship Ambassadors Foundation

COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS

Lester Wilson (Lester.Wilson@liu.edu)
Patrick Sciarratta (psglobal@faf.org)

WEBMASTER

Daniel Uitti
Philippine Human Rights Information Center

NGO/DPI EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE · 2007-2008
OFFICERS

Jeffery Huffines, Chair*
Baha'is of the United States

Aaron Etra, Vice-Chair
Academia Mexicana De Derecho Internacional

Shamina De Gonzaga, Vice-Chair
Fundación Cultural Baur

Janet Stovin, Secretary
Women of Reform Judaism

Catherine E. Moore, Treasurer
International Federation of University Women

MEMBERS

Joyce Braak, MD
International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies

Elizabeth Burns
International Association for Volunteer Effort, United Kingdom

Anne-Marie Carlson*
The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International

Juanita Carrillo
International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics

Niger Innis
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)

Richard Jordan*
International Council for Caring Communities

Stafford Mousky*
Federation of Association of Former International Civil Servants

Deirdre Mullan*
Mercy Global Concerns Office

L. Eudora Pettigrew, Ph.D.
International Association of University Presidents

Swadesh Rana, Ph.D.
Academic Council on the United Nations System

Jackie Shapiro*
Zonta International

Stephanie Sigg
The ArtCenter College of Design

Alice Slater*
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

*Newly Elected