> > > >Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 01:29:12 -0500 (EST) >From: The Millennium Forum <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [mai] Registration Deadline - Update on the Millennium Forum >To: United Nations NGO Community <> >Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >To: All non-governmental organizations, humanitarian and >community-based organizations, private voluntary organizations, >academic institutions, religious organizations, unions, >parliamentarians, local authorities and other representatives and >groups of global civil society. > >From: The Millennium Forum > >Date: 2000.03.08 - 8 March 2000 > >Re: Registration Deadline Extended -- Update on the Millennium Forum > > ** Please distribute as widely as possible ** >** Please forward to other interested groups and organizations ** > ** Please accept our apologies for cross-postings ** > >Dear Friend(s), > >In an effort to accommodate the vast numbers of grassroots-level >non-governmental organizations and civil society groups in remote >areas of the world who have expressed a keen interest in >participating in the Millennium Forum, the deadline for >applications to attend the Millennium Forum has been extended to >31 March 2000. > >The Millennium Forum is scheduled to be held 22-26 May 2000 at >United Nations headquarters in New York. It strives to solicit >the best thinking of civil society in all its sectors worldwide >as they relate to six broad themes: > > * Peace, Security & Disarmament, > > * Poverty Eradication > > * Human Rights, > > * Sustainable Development and the Environment > > * Facing the Challenge of Globalization: Achieving Equity, > Diversity & Sustainability > > * Democratizing and Strengthening the United Nations and > Global Institutions > >The Forum will also be gender-balanced in its representation. > >As of the initial deadline of 1 March 2000, the Forum had >received more than 750 applications for participation in the >Forum, from organizations and individuals in more than 90 >countries. However, the Forum has also received many inquiries >from remote regions of the world, and the time-delay in getting >information out to and back from civil society organizations in >such regions has necessitated extending the deadline. > >To be assured of being considered for participation in the Forum, >then, organizations and individuals should ensure that their >printed application forms are postmarked ** no later than 31 March >2000 ** or that their on-line, email or fax applications have >been sent to the Forum by the end of the day on 31 March 2000. > >To Register on-line, or to learn more about the Forum, please >visit our website at: http://www.millenniumforum.org > >REGISTERING ON-LINE IS THE QUICKEST AND MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO >SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION. > >In other developments, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan gave the >Forum a boost recently during remarks to civil society in New >Zealand, when he said that the "NGO Revolution" has been "the >best thing that has happened to our Organization in a long time." >He invited civil society organizations to the Millennium Forum, >calling for a stronger partnership between the UN and civil >society. > >"Civil society organizations have already given new life and new >meaning to the idea of an international community," said >Secretary General Annan on 23 February 2000. "And you can give us >your ideas about the role the United Nations should play in the >twenty-first century. > >"I hope you will come to the Millennium Forum in May full of >constructive suggestions on how to approach the worldís most >pressing problems, and how to deal with them in a spirit of >global solidarity," Mr. Annan concluded. "I hope you will help us >achieve our goal of bringing the United Nations closer to the >people." > >The Millennium Forum represents the next step towards >strengthening the influence of global civil society in >international affairs, particularly at the United Nations. It is >the next in the series of major global NGO conferences, following >on The Earth Summit, the Social Summit, the Beijing NGO Forum for >Women, the Hague Appeal for Peace, and other great conferences of >the 1990s. > >In tackling such a wide range of issues, from peace to human >rights to globalization, and in its attempts to reach a new level >of global diversity and participation, the Forum is unique for a >United Nations-related civil society conference. > >We continue to seek your participation in this process, which we >believe will result in more effective efforts by NGOs and civil >society organizations in global decision-making and the >implementation of action plans, especially at the United Nations >and in other international organizations. > >In particular, we hope that you will take one or more of the >following actions: > >-- Log-on to our Website at http://www.millenniumforum.org and >read through the various draft papers on the themes that interest >your organization and send comments on those drafts to the >thematic convenors, which are listed on the website. > ** Your input into these papers is vital if we are truly to >represent the views of civil society worldwide. > >-- Log-on to our Website at http://www.millenniumforum.org and >register for participation in the Forum's main meeting in May via >our on-line registration form (which can be found under the "How >to get involved" section). (Please note: we do hope to have some >travel funds available in the near future for organizations from >the Global South.) > >-- Send this message to other NGOs and civil society >organizations in your network and/or to the appropriate person >within your own organization. > ** We want, particularly, to widen the network. so please >forward this to other people you are working with on >local-to-global issues. ** > >-- Print out this message and share it with others at various >NGO/Civil Society organization meetings such as you may be >attending or organizing in the next few weeks. We do understand >that many organizations in the Global South do not have email, so >we are counting on those that do to spread this message. > >-- Publish news about the Forum in your organization's >newsletter, magazine or website. We have on our website a range >of press releases and publishable background materials that are >available for downloading and publication. Visit >http://www.millenniumforum.org for more information. > >Up to 1,400 representatives of non-governmental organizations >(NGOs) and other groups of civil society will be able to gather >at the United Nations in May to discuss these topics through an >innovative program of "interactive plenaries" focusing on the >main themes of the Forum. Plans are also being made to allow >representatives of civil society worldwide to participate through >various on-line and satellite meetings. > >Among the main expected outcomes of the Forum will be an extended >document on the topics of peace, poverty, human rights, >environment, globalization and "strengthening and democratizing >the United Nations and other International Organizations," all >under the main theme of "the United Nations for the Twenty-First >Century." This document will be presented to the world leaders >who gather at the Millennium Summit in September. > >If you send in registration form for the Millennium Forum, you will be >added to the main Millennium Forum electronic mailing list which will >be the primary vehicle for the exchange of general information relating >to >the Millennium Forum. > >If you have any questions, please contact us by at our main email >address: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >The Millennium Forum >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 120 >New York, NY 10017, USA >Phone: +1 212-803-2522 >Fax: +1 212-803-2561 > > > > > > ............................................. > Bob Olsen, Toronto [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ............................................. > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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