The summary of the work of the the Ninth International Forum of NGOs in Official Partnership with UNESCO organized by the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee in cooperation with the UNESCO Secretariat  and hosted by the Arab Institute for Human Rights, in Tunis (Tunisia), on 26 and 27 September 2018 is now available in English under the  heading  « Forum » and  sub-tab « Forum on Migration ».
You will also find the document by clicking HERE.

 

The Ninth International Forum of NGOs in official partnership with UNESCO on the theme “Another Perspective on Migration”, will take place in Tunis, Tunisia on 26 and 27 September 2018, and is hosted by the Arab Institute for Human Rights of Tunis.

The Forum will be followed in Tunis by two other events organized by the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee on 28 and 29 September, for which more information is available in the Committee web site.

Documents and other relevant information are available on the dedicated forum page on this web site.

If, as we hope, your Organization is in a position to participate in this Forum, we should be most grateful if you would kindly pre-register your representatives online before 30 July 2018.

To pre-register, please go on the Pre Registration page.

Kindly note that, as customary, the travel expenses of representatives must be borne by the organization they represent. The organizers, within the limits of available places, will cover accommodation costs (hotel and meals). In this regard, please refer to the attached practical information document.

The Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS) celebrates its 70-year anniversary in 2018. In order to mark this historic event, the creation of CCIVS under the aegis of UNESCO, we would like to invite you to join us on the 23/04/2018 from 14:00 until 17:30 for a Forum entitled “Just Volunteers: The Transformational Power of International Voluntary Actions for Climate Justice and Freedom of Movement” at UNESCO House, Paris.

The Forum will highlight the important work of volunteers around the world on issues such as climate change, sustainability, environmental education, peace and freedom of movement. It will invite experts to share information about the impact of international voluntary service, share testimonies from volunteers and look towards the future of volunteering with an expert panel uniting institutions and the NGO sector. The programme can be found here www.ccivs.org/justvolunteers

We hope that you can join us for this important event co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union and supported by the Council of Europe through the European Youth Foundation.

In order to complete your inscription please sign up bit.ly/JustVolunteers or by writing to
secretariat@ccivs.org before the 15 April 2018.

Ingrid Danckaerts

CCIVS President

The NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee Newsletter (Issue number 3)
The first year’s mandate of the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee has come to a timely end with the 8th forum dedicated to the contributions of NGOs in facing climate change, right after the 39th session of the General Conference with the adoption of UNESCO updated strategy as well as the Declaration of Ethical Principles in relation to Climate Change and just before the « One Planet Summit ».
The Eighth International Forum of NGOs in official partnership with UNESCO, 7-8 December 2017
The forum’s title « Changing minds not the climate » and slogan chosen by UNESCO for COP 21 sums up UNESCO strategy not only to face climate change but also to leverage social transformations through inclusion, equality and solidarity for sustainable development.
The newly elected UNESCO Director General, Ms Audrey Azoulay, honored us with her presence and an opening speech for this 8th forum with more than 200 participants and happening thanks to the generosity of M Kenneth Kam, Founding president of the Kenn Foundation as mentioned by Philippe Beaussant, President of the Liaison Committee in his opening speech.
The two days’ forum introduced by the Liaison Committee’s president showed the urgency and necessity of a holistic as well as multisectorial approach (communication, education, exact and natural sciences) in line with the 2030 Agenda so as to leave no one behind.
The forum was centered around three cross-cutting themes as a follow-up to the NGO Action Day and Call launched at COP 21 as well as the result of an online consultation ( with answers compiled with the help of Teresa Kennedy, Liaison Committee member) and was introduced by each focal point of the thematic sessions .The first session addressed « The Role of Civil Society Organisations in Facing Climate Change» (Marie-Claude Machon-Honoré ), the second one « Ocean & Climate Change » (Patrick Gallaud) and the third one « Cultural heritage, Biosphere reserves and Indigenous peoples’ Knowledge and Actions» (Victoria Lovelock). Thanks to multiple and various presentations available shortly on the website) together with films, power points and pictures, the forum was an illustration of the complementary approaches (scientific, ethical , social and societal ones) to face climate change , with testimonies leading to a meaningful debate and arousing emotion.
Following the discussions and vote on the priorities (see the official report and list),Peter Dogse (Co-Chair, Executive Secretariat, UNESCO Task Team on Climate Change) announced three proposals to work more closely with NGOs and benefit from the knowledge and actions of local populations including indigenous peoples.
We extend our thanks to all panelists, NGOs and volunteers for making a success of this forum !
The 39th session of the General Conference of UNESCO, 30 Oct-14 Nov 2017
At the 39th session of the General Conference Ms Audrey Azoulay was inaugurated as the second woman at the head of UNESCO and Ms Irina Bokova made her farewell speech sharing moving narratives about UNESCO’s role and its Soft Power with vibrant tributes from Member States’ delegations.
The General Conference was yet another opportunity of sharing and meeting between Unesco and NGOs in a dedicated space jointly run by the Secretariat (Desk for Intergovernmental and non-Governmental Organizations) and the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee. Before an audience also composed of Member States’ representatives, UNESCO sectors gave presentations and answered questions on the different Commissions ( as observers NGOs could make oral statements as was the case during the plenary sessions- available shortly on the website-NGO-UNESCO partnerships-consultation & contribution) ; the Liaison Committee presented the outcomes of its work, the ongoing preparation of the 8th forum and the perspectives for the next events ( forums and international days) as well as its representation to the CCNGO and read Ms Fouilhoux’s oral statement on behalf of the CCNGO Education 2030 (delivered on the occasion of the high-level ministerial round table organized during the UNESCO General Conference on Strengthening Accountability in Implementing SDG4 – Education 2030).
The UNESCO COURIER
UNESCO wishes to share more on its role, values and actions with its partners and to inform us on the reissuing of the UNESCO COURIER (first issued in 1948) in the print version and in 8 languages with subscription fees (http://publishing.unesco.org/) and in the digital version 100% free (http://en.unesco.org/courier/subscribe). The UNESCO Courier is meant to be a platform for dialogue between cultures and a forum for international debate.
The contribution of NGOs
NGOs which are the « forces vives » of Unesco partnerships and dear to Ms Irina Bokova whom we warmly and truly thank for her support and commitment (as expressed in her letter to the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee) throughout her two mandates, contribute by their actions and events to UNESCO strategy and to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. The newly-elected UNESCO Director General also underlined the necessary contributions of NGOs in in her letter addressed to the Liaison Committee.
In order to better identify NGOs’ regions and areas of activities, Dyslexia International proposes a logic model form you are kindly requested to fill in.
We wish you a Happy New Year and invite you to our first meeting of the year 2018 !
TUESDAY, January 23, 2018
from 15:30 to 17:15 : for the results of the year 2017 and perspectives for the year 2018 in room IX (Fontenoy)
from 17:15 to 18:15; for a cocktail and galette des rois, Bar – Cafeteria Ground floor (Fontenoy)
Eric Falt will join us at the end of the meeting around 5 pm…
We take this opportunity to confirm that we have moved our office to Building VI in Bonvin, first floor, Room 1-43.

January 19, 2018

On behalf of the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee, Marie-Claude Machon-Honoré,
Chair of Communication and Relations with CCNGO/Education 2030
Philippe Beaussant, NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee President

1, rue Miollis, 75732 Paris Cedex 15. Tél: +33 1 45 68 36 68
www.ong-unesco.org Facebook: Ngo-UNESCO Liaison Committee
E-mail: comite.liaison.ong@unesco.org
Twitter account: Liaison Ngo-Unesco @NgoUnesco

Dear partners,

As you know, during the 39^th session of the General Conference of UNESCO (30 October – 14 November 2017), an NGO space will be available, jointly run by the Secretariat (Desk for Intergovernmental and non-Governmental Organizations) and the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee.

With a view to your participation, please find here below practical information on this space, which will be both an information point and a meeting place:

-         The space will be open from 31 October to 11 November inclusive.

-         It will be located in the heart of the public areas of the General Conference, on the ground floor of the Fontenoy building (entrance: Hall Ségur).

-         We will be at your disposal over fixed periods of time during the day to provide you with any relevant information regarding the work of the General Conference and to facilitate your participation in various commissions and events:

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

-         As in previous sessions, presentations and mini-debates will be organized on the work of the General Conference and/or UNESCO’s programmes.

This year, we do wish to make of this space a place for greater visibility of our collective action, particularly towards Member States, and a meeting place with their representatives.

Stands and presentations will therefore focus on the collective work of NGOs such as forums, celebration of intentional days as well as projects implemented by NGOs collectively.  In this regard, we wish to inform you that no space will be available for individual stands (this formula – “open space session” – will be reserved for the International Conference of NGOs). However, you will be able to provide visitors with information materials about your NGO, if you wish to do so.

We shall provide you with the detailed programme in due time.

We also wish to remind you that all information concerning the General Conference – including the NGO space – will be available on the following web page, which will be daily updated: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/general-conference-39th/

We look forward to meeting you.

Yours Sincerely,

Philippe Beaussant                                                           Sabina Colombo

Chairperson                                                                        Senior Desk Officer

NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee                                Desk for IGOs and NGOs – UNESCO

COMITE SUR LES PARTENAIRES NON GOUVERNEMENTAUX
(6 octobre 2017)
INTERVENTION DE Philippe Beaussant
Président de la Conférence internationale des ONG – Comité de Liaison ONG-UNESCO

Monsieur le Président du Conseil exécutif,
Monsieur le Président du Comité sur les Partenaires Non Gouvernementaux,
Monsieur le Sous-directeur général pour les Relations extérieures et l’Information du Public,
Excellences, chers amis des ONG, Mesdames et Messieurs,

Le Comité de Liaison que j’ai l’honneur de présider est le troisième à fonctionner dans le cadre des Directives votées par la Conférence générale de 2011 qui transformaient à la fois le travail du Comité, en lui demandant d’organiser des forums internationaux, et sa composition en lui demandant d’élargir sa représentation géographique au monde.

La Conférence Internationale des ONG, qui regroupe toutes les ONG partenaires officiels de l’UNESCO et qui constitue un élément important de la coopération collective expressément prévu par les directives, se réunit tous les deux ans. Organisée en étroite collaboration entre le Secrétariat et le Comité de Liaison ONG-UNESCO, la conférence internationale des ONG 2016 s’est tenue du 14 au 16 Décembre, elle a mobilisé autour de 250 participants issus de plus de 120 ONG partenaires, d’observateurs, d’un nombre sans précédent de représentants d’Etats membres, avec la participation spéciale du Président du Comité PNG, son Excellence M. Darko Tanaskovic. Cette conférence avait pour thème de réflexion « les défis de la révolution numérique pour les ONG ». Elle était articulée autour de 4 sous thèmes :
- La révolution numérique et son impact sur la diversité des expressions culturelles
- Les défis de l’accès numérique à l’information
- La formation en ligne relève-t-elle les défis des systèmes éducatifs dans le monde ?
- La science face à la révolution numérique : Quelle éthique ?
La conférence a été un moment privilégiée pour définir les grandes lignes de la coopération collective pour les années 2017-2018. Les ONG ont réaffirmé leur engagement à inclure leurs futures activités dans le contexte du programme 2030 pour le développement durable. Elles ont également encouragé l’UNESCO et le comité de liaison à poursuivre l’organisation des forums dans différentes régions du monde en particulier sur des sujets pertinents pour le Programme 2030, y compris le changement climatique, la jeunesse, les migrants et les sciences…
Conformément aux directives ; la conférence 2016 s’est également penché sur les propositions préliminaires de la Directrice générale concernant le 39C/5 et, à l’issu de ses débats, elle a approuvé le document intitulé
« Contribution de la conférence internationale des ONG 2016 à l’élaboration du 39 C/5 » qui a été transmis à la Directrice générale par mes soins et qui a été soumis pour information au conseil exécutif à sa 201ème session.
Le huitième Forum international des ONG va avoir lieu très prochainement. Cela veut dire qu’il y en a eu sept depuis 2011 :
le forum sur l’éducation au siège à Paris en 2013,
le forum sur l’accès à l’eau potable en Côte d’Ivoire en 2014,
le forum sur le patrimoine et les jeunes en Bulgarie en 2014,
le forum sur le rôle des femmes dans la lutte contre la pauvreté au siège à Paris en 2015,
le forum sur le rapprochement des cultures en Chine en 2015.
Le forum sur le rôle des ONG en faveur de la Paix au Mexique en novembre 2016
Le forum sur la jeunesse et son impact social en Arabie Saoudite en Mai 2017

Le sixième forum s’est déroulé au Mexique, à Querétaro, les 3 et 4 novembre 2016 sous l’invitation du gouvernement régional de Querétaro. Premier forum à se dérouler en Amérique Latine.
Le thème choisi répondait tout à fait aux questionnements posés par ces temps mondiaux extrêmement troublés : « De la promotion à la construction de la Paix avec les ONG ».
Chaque session a fait appel à l’un des thèmes récurrents de l’UNESCO ; ils ont été choisis à la suite d’une consultation en ligne des 380 ONG partenaires de l’UNESCO ;
« l’éducation : le chemin pour une Paix durable » ;
« l’engagement des jeunes pour la Paix » ;
« la culture et le sport outils pour la Paix ».
Pendant 2 jours plus de 800 participants (un record) dont 170 représentants de plus de 50 ONG partenaires officiels avec l’UNESCO, mais aussi plus de 600 étudiants d’écoles secondaires et universités locales ont pris part à des discussions ouvertes et dynamiques sur le sujet de la promotion à la construction de la paix avec les ONG.

Le septième forum international des ONG s’est quant à lui tenu à Riyad (Arabie Saoudite) les 3 et 4 Mai 2017 et a été organisé en partenariat avec la fondation MiSK. « La jeunesse et son impact social « était le thème de cette septième édition du forum, la première à se tenir dans la région arabe. L’événement a rassemblé quelques 2000 participants (nouveau record), parmi lesquels des ONG partenaires de l’UNESCO et des jeunes de plus de 70 pays.
S’attaquant à des questions tels que l’analphabétisme numérique, le chômage des jeunes, l’entreprenariat jeunesse et le volontariat, la destruction du patrimoine culturel, le changement climatique et, en particulier, le rôle crucial de la jeunesse dans l’élaboration des politiques et dans la création d’emplois, le forum a appelé les ONG, les gouvernements et le secteur privé à renforcer les initiatives des jeunes à l’échelle locale, nationale et internationale, à intégrer les jeunes à tous les niveaux des secteurs public et privé et à les accompagner dans le développement des compétences dont ils ont besoin pour maximiser leur impact social et leur engagement citoyen, en particulier par l’apprentissage non formel et informel.

Le huitième forum international des ONG devrait se tenir au siège de l’UNESCO à Paris les 7 et 8 Décembre 2017 et sera centré sur le changement climatique. (L’impact du changement climatique sur la société civile, les océans, le patrimoine culturel, les réserves de la biosphère et les peuples autochtones).
Deux autres forums seront organisés en 2018 : l’un autour de la question des migrants et l’autre sur la science et l’utilisation des connaissances scientifiques.

A la suite du forum de Yamoussoukro dont les conclusions soulignaient notamment le déficit de spécialistes de l’eau en Afrique sub-saharienne, un groupe de 8 ONG a construit en coopération avec l’Institut 2IE de Ouagadougou, un projet de sessions de formation. En 2016, 13 personnes venues de trois pays ont bénéficié de cette formation, financée par le Programme de Participation de l’UNESCO. Le projet sera poursuivi en 2017-2018 pour de nouveaux pays, dans les mêmes conditions. Ce suivi montre que les forums des ONG suscitent une dynamique et des initiatives diverses

CCONG – Consultation collective des ONG pour l’Education
Lors de la 8ème réunion mondiale de la CCONG Education pour tous, les représentants des ONG membres ont recommandé dans leur déclaration que la CCONG encourage les échanges, l’apprentissage et le partage des connaissances et prennent part à des débats plus larges et à des initiatives transversales, notamment en renforçant le dialogue avec le Comité de Liaison ONG-UNESCO et le Groupe de parties prenantes de l’éducation et du milieu universitaire, dans le contexte global de l’Agenda 2030 pour le développement durable.
Suite à cette recommandation une réunion a été organisée avec les ONG membres de la CCONG et les ONG non-membre pour voir comment collaborer efficacement et étroitement avec la CCONG/éducation 2030 à la mise en œuvre de l’ODD4
Nos forums sont l’occasion de renforcer cette collaboration.

Journées Internationales 2018
-
- Journée de la paix (21 Septembre 2018)
Drones et robots au service de la paix. Il s’agit avant tout d’une campagne d’information et d’éducation à la paix à partir des drones et des robots si familiers aux enfants et aux jeunes.
Les jeunes des 5 régions réaliseront des peintures et des créations de toutes sortes sur le thème des drones et des robots pour la paix. Ces œuvres seront exposées dans différents pays et une manifestation au siège de l’UNESCO permettra de mettre en relation toutes ces initiatives.
- La journée de la fille (6 Octobre 2018) ; Ce projet s’inscrit dans la stratégie opérationnelle pour la jeunesse, la lutte contre la discrimination et pour l’égalité des genres. Il s’agira d’une célébration associant des écoles, des conseils municipaux d’enfants et des enseignants. Une enquête internationale réalisée en amont permettra d’enrichir les débats.

Tout ceci semble simple, mais il faut savoir, Excellences, mesdames, messieurs, la complexité de l’organisation de forums hors-siège.
Le succès et la qualité de ces forums internationaux des ONG organisés sous l’égide du comité de liaison ONG-UNESCO en étroite coopération avec le Secrétariat dépend principalement des Etats membres à soutenir leur organisation dans différentes régions afin de sensibiliser et mobiliser les organisations de la société civile autour des valeurs et des priorités de l’UNESCO tant au niveau international que local.
D’où la nécessité d’une interaction efficace entre les Etas membres et la société civile.

Le dialogue entre les ONG et le Secrétariat fonctionne bien ; le travail est bien rôdé et, s’il n’est pas simple, le résultat recherché est toujours atteint.
Malheureusement le dialogue entre les ONG et les Etats membres n’est pas encore arrivé à ce niveau.
Mais il faut toujours garder espoir et nous travaillons dans ce sens.

C’est la raison pour laquelle le Comité de liaison ONG-UNESCO que je préside soutient fortement les suggestions formulées par le Secrétariat au paragraphe 16 du document 202 EX/37 concernant la participation des ONG aux sessions du Conseil Exécutif
Une participation plus active des ONG aux organes en lien avec des points de l’ordre du jour du Conseil permettrait sans nul doute d’enrichir la réflexion et les débats sur ces points. Dans le cadre de cette réflexion le Conseil Exécutif pourrait également envisager d’inviter les ONG qui bénéficient du statut de partenaires officiels avec l’UNESCO de participer activement et de manière régulière aux sessions du Conseil exécutif (plénières et commissions) au-delà du comité PNG, sans droit de vote et selon les mêmes modalités s’appliquant aux OIG.
Nous regrettons que cette proposition allant dans le bon sens ne devienne pas effective dès cette année.

Mais dans un futur infiniment plus proche, penchons nous sur la Conférence générale de l’UNESCO durant laquelle grâce au soutien d’Éric Falt et de son équipe le comité de liaison ONG-UNESCO aura à sa disposition un espace des ONG dans le hall. Ce sera l’occasion d’évoquer les Forums et autres événements du comité… et de discuter avec tous des projets à venir.

Nous serons très heureux de vous y accueillir.

Je vous remercie
Philippe Beaussant

Président du Comité de Liaison ONG-UNESCO-Président de la Conférence internationale des ONG

The Forum will take place at UNESCO Headquarters on December 7 and 8 2017 and should highlight NGOs good practice on the implementation of UNESCO strategy in its action to fight against climate change. The purpose of the meeting was to define how the team will work on the preparation of the Forum. It was agreed to build upon the Final draft for an updated UNESCO Strategy for Action on Climate Change (document 201EX/5 part 1 (B)) that Peter Dogse, programme specialist within the UNECO Sciences Sector, made a presentation.

He explained that it is important to promote the interdisciplinary collaboration between UNESCO Headquarters and field offices.

Thus, since the COP 15 in 2009 (which did not succeed in making a decision), there has been a strong mobilisation on the issue of climate change. The COP 21 was a success and culminated in the Paris Agreement. UNESCO has been able to mobilise NGOs.

The Final draft for an updated UNESCO Strategy for Action on Climate Change will be submitted for approval by the 39th Session of the UNESCO General Conference (30 October -14 November 2017).

Objectives of the strategy (4 thematic Action Focus Areas):

-          supporting Member States to develop and implement climate change education and public awareness programmes ad policies

-          promoting interdisciplinary climate knowledge and scientific cooperation for climate  change mitigation and adaptation

-          promoting cultural diversity and cultural heritage safeguarding for climate change mitigation and adaptation

-          supporting inclusive social development, fostering intercultural dialogue and promoting ethical and gender mainstreaming principles in relation to climate change mitigation and adaptation

A slogan was created for this purpose: « Changing Minds, not the Climate »

It was also recalled that it is important to work with other UN agencies in particular on:

- World Heritage Sites

- Biosphere reserves

- Geological parks

It was also recalled that it is important to work with NGOs in order to facilitate its implementation (reading of the paragraph made during the meting).

COP 23 (6-17 November 2017) will take place at Bonn where challenges will be discussed. UNESCO wants to attend it and has already booked for.

Concerning the forum, Victoria, asked to see on what we already have work through an internet questionnaire. A basis has already been provided: the three themes will be divided into three parts.

We already began to think about the themes below:

- Oceans

- Indigenous peoples and cultural heritage

- Biosphere reserves

- Impact on societies

Marie-Claude recalled the theme of the group “Impact of Climate Change on Civil Society”. She proposed to work on “Education, social inclusion and solidarity for a climate justice” related to the SDG 4.7 and recalled that Ethics (rights and duties) underpin action in the fight against climate change.  It is important to try to interconnect all the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It was also recalled the global priorities of UNESCO: women, youth and Africa.

There was a question and answer session on the UNESCO strategy to Mr Dogse.

Question / Comment: (World Federation of Scientific Workers):

The Strategy proposes to assist Member States in the implementation of the Paris Agreement. How and on which?

Answer: The Paris Agreement stipulates that each country will a national plan. UNESCO will focus on this plan.

Question / Comment: (Marguerite for Pax Romana) the strategy has to involve different stakeholders. Is it your strategy to compensate for the United-States withdrawal?

Answer: the issue of the United-States withdrawal is interesting in the international debate. It is considered as unfair and raises the issue of justice.

Question / Comment: (Alain for AIEP)

The first international Conference devoted to protecting oceans held in New-York from 5 to 9 June 2017. Has UNESCO been involved?

Answer: UNESCO has been strongly involved and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) has published an Ocean State Report. Taking into account oceans is essential for our actions.

Sabina Colombo added that the UNESCO 2001 Convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage has been involved in the UN Oceans Conference. She also mentioned the initiative concerning the decade for oceans that was favourably welcomed and that may be submitted for approval by the next UNESCO General Conference.

Question /Comment: (Gloria for AIEP…): Noted that the role of civil society will be more important due to the United-States withdrawal. Furthermore, the role and position of women, and gender equality should not only be regarded as goals but must transcend the proposals.

Question / Comment: (Josette for World Federation of Scientific Workers): mentioned that at least 70 countries are seriously threatened. Time is against us. We should work on reducing greenhouse gas. It is necessary to work on binding legal instruments. She also mentioned the March for Science that recently started in United-States and wants civil society to be more active.

Answer: The situation is alarming. We need civil society. It was recalled that Paris Agreement requests Member States to propose their own national plan. It was also recalled that women and gender equality are UNESCO global priorities.

Question / Comment: (Monique for International Alliance for Women) noted that in many cities, there is a Sustainable development day. For example, the city of Saint-Cloud, a specific unit is dedicated to it. A number of schools have also launched interesting initiatives that should be listed such as oceans cleaning.

Answer: The educational aspect is important for UNESCO (good practices, educational tools for youth). Furthermore, some projects dedicated to the safeguarding of culture are at risk of disappearing.

Concerning the design of the NGO – UNESCO forum on climate Change

 

Sabina Colombo recalled that the forum will take place at the same moment as the General Conference. This is the perfect time to give to the Forum another dimension (not just only a brainstorming meeting) and to see what kind of synergy to develop with civil society.

 

Genuine situation for:

- A strategy

- Adoption of an action plan

- A synergy extending UNESCO’s actions

Question / Comment: (Renée) noted that the notion of ecological transition could be defended and also noted that China would work on further changes.

Question / Comment: (Mireille) it is important to sound the alarm. With the United-Sates withdrawal, it may be appropriate to create a commission aims to oblige states to think about different possibilities, agreements and to make proposals through this forum.

Question / Comment: (Christelle): noted that the writing of a universal declaration was discussed.

Answer: The Social and Human Sciences sector of UNESCO will have a meting on climate change between 27 and 30 June. It may be appropriate to contact directly the Sector. It was also recalled that denunciation is not the purpose of the forum.

Sabina Colombo: General Conference follows the standard process and should present the strategy during the next session. Furthermore, a proposal for consultation was made in the newsletter sent to the NGOs.

Answer: These important themes have split Member States into three groups (for, against and undecided). Concerning the creation of binding instruments, we first need to identify existing instruments. Concerning China, China has been investing a lot in renewable energy.

Question / Comment: How do we ensure that NGOs are more involved?

Answer: At UNESCO, a Task force works on climate change. NGOs could be in touch with them. We should invite representatives to meetings.

Patrick Gallaud added that a web platform will be shortly created in order to give voice to NGOs.

Question / Comment: (Monique): Will we work in groups as before? It is more fruitful to meet and exchange.

Answer: (Marie-Claude, Victoria, Richard): we need both. But we have to work together. We have to involve all NGOs, including those unable to travel to Paris.

Victoria recalled the three main parts of the Forum.

Marie-Claude precised that we need to think about the third group on ethics and civil society. Danielle Levi   noted that civil justice must be taken into account, that we have to integrate the binding aspect, but we also have to take into account the incentive side and awareness.

Marie-Claude proposed to work on training and capacity building.

Concerning the organisation of the forum,

NGOs are invited to consider how organize parallel events.  The provisional budget dedicated to the forum is around 15.000/20.000 EUR. The amount currently available is 3.500 EUR. Interpretation will be in English and French. NGOs are kindly invited to provide assistance.

Josette mentioned that the debate must be opened up. How do we see the consequences? What do we want to do? Good practices must be observed.

Gloria agreed with Philippe regarding the use of new technologies such as streaming so that as many NGOs can participate in the forum.

Monique added that it is important to change the way of working. The representatives of the NGOs are asked to verify that the emails are well distributed. Martine also mentioned the Marie Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice, which it would be interesting to contact.

Claude adds that at the Forum it is important to show what is going well, what is wrong.

Philippe Beaussant: Asked NGOs what they have done through the use of the platform. Martine mentioned the Youth Conference that took place just before COP21.

Also, it would be interesting to contact them. Victoria added that it will be all the easier to contact them because many young people are from our NGOs.

A questionnaire should therefore be sent with very few and precise questions (about 3) and very precise.

Richard: Requested that a surveymonkey on the forum’s results be sent and also noted that the sectors are getting to know us. This is the result of a decade of work. It is extremely important to work closely with them. The next forums on migrants and science were mentioned. Information is relayed via newsletters that also relay information on international days. We must make a call for contributions from foundations, etc.

 The Chair closes the meeting at 4.30 pm.  

 

It is now three months since the first issue of the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee Newsletter. This second  Newsletter will give you access to all the documents related to the seventh international NGO-UNESCO Forum  in partnership with the MiSK Foundation,  which took place in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from 3rd to 4th May (ADG ERI Eric Falt’s Monthly Letter ; The UNESCO-NGO Forum Communiqué ; The report of the Forum by UNESCO ERI Desk ; The report of  the  NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee ; The reports of Breakout Sessions on Entrepreneurship & Volunteering, Cultural Heritage, Climate Change and Equal opportunities between young women and men in education ; The NGOs’ presentations at the Speakers’ Corners (RAMAKRISHNA MISSION, ZONTA International, CID, WFTU, ISOCARP) ; Interviews of NGOs’ young representatives).

 

This forum was the first of its kind, for different reasons: the choice of the Arab region but also the working partnership with the MiSK Foundation which hired a renowned communication agency thus   benefiting the forum with a whole range of new technologies of information to make of this event a unique and interactive experience most adapted to the digitally savvy youth. The exceptional presence of UNESCO Director General, Ms Irina Bokova for the closing speech will most likely have contributed to guarantee the success of this unique forum, if needs be, as a testimony to the importance of the soft power of UNESCO.

The Liaison Committee held a meeting on 5th May after the forum in Riyadh and several questions were tackled and decisions made:

1) Youth Network for Peace: A discussion regarding the creation of an International Youth Network for Peace as fruit of this and the previous forum organized by UNESCO and the Liaison Committee. A written proposal concerning this has been submitted to MISK foundation and is currently being studied. We anticipate response by summer of 2017.

2) Forum on Climate Change – though it was mentioned in the strategy document submitted to the Executive board, the Committee agreed to find out more information from the sector as well as take into account the number NGOs still interested in this topic before taking a final decision regarding the hosting in 2017.The committee also appointed Richard Francis Apeh, and Marie-Claude Machon-Honoré to be the focal point for the forum on climate change, and Vicky Lovelock and Patrick Gallaud as Vice-Presidents.

3)Forum on Migration – The choice of theme will be decided taking into account all other issues that UNESCO is involved in and will not be restricted to just education. Were appointed for the forum on Migration: Marie-Christine Griès de la Barbelais as the focal point, and Leonardo Martins.

4) Forum on Science – consultation is still ongoing and a draft project has been sent to the Liaison Committee whose members will look further into this proposal.

5) International Days: three proposals

1. Photography award for the celebration of International Day of Peace
2. International Day of Peace : Using Drone at the service of Peace
3. International Day of The Girl Child

A: The Photo award will be held on the 21^st September 2017 which is the International Day of Peace.

Final decision on the venue will be communicated by end of June 2017. The host organization anticipates larger participation this year at award ceremony and they welcome suggestions from Liaison Committee members on how to make it better than previous editions. They also hope to use the event to increase public awareness about UNESCO and the NGO-UNESCO in the host country.

B: The celebration of the international Day of Peace “Using Drones and Robots at the service of Peace” will be held on the 21^st of September 2018

C: International Day of the Girl Child will be held on the 17^th of October 2018.

6) General Conference of UNESCO & NGO Space – 30 October – 15 November 2017

 

A Tweeter account of the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee (@NgoUnesco) was  initiated ahead of the forum in Riyadh to promote the event and communicate and we already have 755 followers ; we thank you for following us and tweeting during our next events. We would also like to improve our communication on social media and are calling for volunteers to make our events still more visible, take pictures and post them on Facebook and twitter; please let us know if you are interested.

 

The second major event to take place in May was the 8th global meeting of the Collective Consultation of Non-Governmental Organisations on Education For All (CCNGO/EFA), « The Implementation of SDG4 », now referred to as the Collective Consultation of NGOs for Education 2030 (CCNGO/ED 2030) ; the meeting  (8-9 May) held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, was organised by UNESCO and hosted by NEP (NGO Education Partnership). It gathered national, regional and international non-governmental and civil society organisations and members of the Collective Consultation of NGOs for Education 2030, from all over the world. On behalf of the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee, as representative to the CCNGO, member of the coordination group and drafting committee, I participated in this other major event which was collectively prepared by NGOs and civil society organisations and CCNGO members with the support of UNESCO. A declaration was  drafted, submitted to and adopted by the whole assembly, at the end of the meeting as fruit of an open dialogue ; in the context of the holistic and ambitious Agenda 2030 for sustainable development and the implementation of SDG4 as key to the achievement of  the other 16 interlinked SDGs, the CCNGO/ED 2030 representatives recommended to « Foster exchange and learning, share knowledge, and engage in wider debates and cross-sectoral engagement, including through increased dialogue with the UNESCO-NGO Liaison Committee and Education and Academia Stakeholder Group ». The CCNGO working procedures were revised and a new coordination group was elected for 2017-2019.

In light of recommendation 35 of the CCNGO/Education 2030, 2017 Global Meeting Declaration and strengthening of the NGO UNESCO Liaison Committee’s role in the CCNGO coordination group, we need to reflect on our future collaboration to actively engage in an intersectoral dialogue with the CCNGO/ED 2030 and impact the implementation of SDG 4.

 

On behalf of the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee,

Philippe Beaussant, President

Marie-Claude Machon-Honoré, Chair of Communication and Relations with CCNGO

 

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