Annual Civil Society Briefing

Palais des Nations, Room XII
Wednesday, 29 January 2014 from 16:00 to 17:00

Mesdames et Messieurs
Chers collègues:

J’apprécie beaucoup cette occasion de vous rencontrer. L’ouverture à la société civile est une priorité pour moi et je suis impatient de travailler étroitement avec vous. Je souhaite avoir une conversation ouverte avec vous aujourd'hui – et dans le futur - et discuter de notre travail ensemble.

Tout d’abord, j’apprécie cette occasion de rendre hommage à M. Ricardo Espinosa, notre Chef de l’Unité de liaison avec les ONG, qui a travaillé sans relâche pour le partenariat entre les Nations Unies et la société civile au cours des 11 dernières années.

Comme il prend sa retraite à la fin de la semaine, notre réunion est une excellente occasion pour le remercier chaleureusement pour sa contribution et son engagement pour la société civile. Sa passion pour la société civile et sa ferme croyance en la nécessité d’un plus grand engagement avec les Nations Unies sont bien connues. Il est respecté et très bien-aimé, non seulement en tant que défenseur de la société civile, mais aussi comme collègue et ami.

Je suis heureux que nous ayons cette occasion - les Nations Unies et la société civile ensemble - pour le saluer et lui souhaiter tout le meilleur dans le nouveau chapitre de sa vie. Comme vous le savez, c’est une personne très active et il a déjà plusieurs projets en cours donc je suis sûr que nous le reverrons bientôt parmi nous.

Merci beaucoup, Ricardo !

Ricardo est difficile à remplacer. Mais il faut essayer. Nous sommes dans le processus de sélection de son successeur et nous avons été impressionnés par l'intérêt suscité. Il y’a beaucoup des demandeurs. Nous vous informerons dès que le poste aura été pourvu. Entretemps, l’Unité continuera son travail sous la supervision de la Cheffe de la Section Politique, Charlotte Warakaulle.

Aujourd’hui, je voudrais commencer avec trois messages-clé:

Premièrement, je pense que nous devons œuvrer pour mieux intégrer la voix de la société civile dans les travaux des Nations Unies. Mais, nous devons également protéger les avantages déjà acquis et nous assurer que nous n’allons pas « reculer » par rapport aux progrès réalisés jusqu’ici. C’est l’un des points que j’ai soulevés la semaine dernière, en parlant de gouvernance mondiale au Club Suisse de la Presse. A cette occasion je disais que la gouvernance mondiale subit une transformation radicale, bien plus profonde qu’il ne pourrait paraître. Ces transformations ont aussi mis en évidence la lenteur de nos institutions à s’adapter.

En effet, les problèmes et les défis auxquels le monde fait face aujourd’hui ne sont plus les mêmes que par le passé : crises financières et bancaires, accroissement des inégalités, changements climatiques, graves atteintes à l’environnement, montée des intolérances, pauvreté et misère …et j’en passe. La conjonction des crises fait que celles-ci prennent des dimensions globales, sans précédent dans l’histoire. C’est dans ce contexte que les contributions des ONG et de la société civile peuvent et doivent être particulièrement utiles.

Vous, les représentants et représentantes des diverses ONG, par votre connaissance et votre expérience directe des réalités quotidiennes vécues par des millions de personnes à travers le monde, par vos propres réflexions et vos recherches indépendantes, vous avez la responsabilité de contribuer, aux côtés des Nations Unies, à concevoir les nouveaux outils qui permettront de lutter contre ces risques qui menacent l’humanité et son environnement.

Les ONG sont déjà nos partenaires sur le terrain, dans les processus d’aide au développement. Elles peuvent aussi aider les Nations Unies à repenser les principes mêmes de la gouvernance mondiale. Les réflexions et conclusions qui sont menées par les organisations de la société civile en dehors du cadre du système onusien devraient pouvoir être transmises, à travers des mécanismes innovateurs, aux divers organes des Nations Unies.

Des mécanismes de participation de la société civile aux travaux des Nations Unies existent, dont le statut consultatif auprès de l’ECOSOC. Nous sommes conscients qu’ils doivent pouvoir être élargis, afin d’accorder plus de temps et d’espace aux acteurs de la société civile. Ces décisions relèvent des Etats Membres de l’Organisation comme vous le savez. Avec votre capacité de plaidoyer et votre force de conviction, vous avez déjà contribué à ce qu’un certain nombre d’instruments internationaux voient le jour – je pense notamment à la Convention pour les droits de l’enfant et à la Déclaration sur les droits des peuples autochtones, parmi d’autres. Vous avez devant vous un vaste champ d’action en ce qui concerne la définition de ce qui sera la nouvelle gouvernance mondiale de demain.

Second point: a number of key opportunities are coming up where I believe that civil society input will be critical. And I see ongoing challenges where I believe we need a particularly strong civil society contribution for long-term solutions.

The post-2015 development agenda is the overriding priority for the United Nations system and for our Member States over the coming years. And we have already seen how much interest there is in civil society to be a part of this process. In particular, the civil society contribution to the definition of the new Sustainable Development Goals will be crucial.

The Secretary-General has mandated a number of reports at different levels and areas of expertise, such as scientists, businesses representatives, civil society organizations and development specialists. In addition, a survey has been led through the Non-Governmental Liaison Service on NGOs and civil society organizations’ opinions on Sustainable Development Goals. Participatory mechanisms for the involvement of civil society organizations and NGOs in this process have been established.

Four main priorities were identified through the survey: 1) a rebalancing power relations for justice; 2) fulfilling human rights and overcome exclusion; 3) ensuring equitable distribution and safe use of natural resources; and 4) establishing participatory governance, accountability and transparency.

There is no doubt that the international community in Geneva has a lot of valuable experience and expertise to contribute in all of these areas.

Much of the discussions is based in New York – as is to be expected as the main process is driven by Member States in the General Assembly. But this should not preclude us from feeding into the discussion, mobilizing the knowledge in Geneva.

My office has already started to facilitate interaction in this regard. Already last year, the NGO Liaison Unit organized a briefing session in cooperation with the United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service and the Executive Office of the Secretary-General/One Secretariat, a thematic debate and dialogue in the context of the high-level segment of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The discussion was centered on the effective participation of civil society in the shaping of the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

And even this week, on Monday, we hosted another event with the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform on peace and security as part of the post-2015 agenda, following on from a similar event in September of last year. We will continue these efforts, and welcome ideas and suggestions from you.

As part of a global effort to mobilize action and ambition on climate change, Mr. Ban Ki-moon is inviting Heads of State and Government along with business, finance, civil society and local leaders to a Climate Summit on the 23rd of September 2014 in New York. It is aimed at catalyzing action by governments, business, finance, industry, and civil society in areas for new commitments and substantial, scalable and replicable contributions to the Summit that will help the world shift toward a low-carbon economy.

Another major event will be the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on Indigenous People – the “World Conference on Indigenous Peoples” in September as well. Civil society is already part of the process leading up to the conference. A civil society preparatory conference was held in Alta in Norway in June of last year.

The United Nations counts on substantial participation at this high-level meeting. Further pre-meetings will take place in February, with the Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund on the support to the indigenous participation, and in April in Mexico where specific themes for the panel discussions and the round-table will be identified.

The NGO Liaison Unit has already organized briefings to inform NGOs on these processes and will continue these efforts.

Civil society has already made an important mark in the human rights debates in Geneva. It adds nuance and depth to the discussions, and we look for this to continue. I hope that some of the lessons learned from the involvement on the human rights agenda can be applied in the disarmament area.

When I arrived here late last year and got re-acquainted with the Conference on Disarmament, I was struck by the absence of a civil society component and I continuously bring up this point with the Members of the Conference. I know that we benefit from the dedicated work of a number of NGOs active on the disarmament front and I salute your work. I hope that many more will join you. A strong, vocal and committed civil society voice, pushing for greater disarmament, is necessary. And you have my full support in this regard. It is unacceptable that the CD has not had a Programme of Work for 18 years.

With the extraordinary range of actors in Geneva – including civil society – and the wide agenda, the work of the international community here has a direct impact on people’s lives across the globe. But the substance and the impact are not always fully recognized.

An important priority for me is to change the perception and visibility of the work undertaken here – by all of us together. And I am already working with colleagues in the United Nations family and elsewhere to “re-brand” what we are doing here.

The way I see it, we work across three broad areas here in Geneva, namely peace, rights and well- being. All the more detailed subjects that we are working on can be subsumed under those headings – and there is strong civil society involvement across all of them. I really hope that you can also be partners in this effort to “re-brand” International Geneva. This is not an exercise focused on individual institutions; it is about the substantive work that all of us do. It is a process. If we are successful, it would benefit all of us and – most importantly – the people we work for.

Dear Friends:
I am committed to ensuring the best possible conditions for civil society to contribute to the work of the United Nations in Geneva, within the constraints that we have both in terms of infrastructure and budget – realities that we are all aware of and adapt to on a daily basis. Particularly when it comes to the budgetary constraints, the situation is not improving.

The NGO Liaison Unit is at the heart of these efforts, working closely with their counterparts in the United Nations system here.

In this context, I place particular emphasis on improving access and participation for persons with disabilities. This is a challenge shared by the entire United Nations system within a context of limited resources as well. This will be a central component also of the Strategic Heritage Plan for the Palais des Nations. As you know, the Strategic Heritage Plan aims to renovate and modernize the Palais des Nations, and will take place over ten years.

An important point for me is ensuring that all parties can take part in debates here at the Palais des Nations without concerns for their safety and that of their families and friends in other parts of the world. Guarding against reprisals for civil society participants is therefore an key priority for me. UNOG is working closely with the colleagues in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in this respect. I rely on you to bring issues of concern to our attention so we can address them appropriately.

On that note, I will stop for now. I thank you for attending and for listening to me.

I look forward to your questions and comments.

Thank you very much.