NGO Forum

UN News Centre published an article titled, “Shaping future development agenda seen by UN-NGO forum as ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’.” The article reads in part as follows;

“A United Nations conference focusing on the role of civil society in shaping the global development agenda beyond 2015 concluded in New York today with a declaration that will serve as an “Action Agenda” in the lead-up to negotiations on the future framework.

The declaration “should enable you and communities across the globe to speak with a common voice and advocate for ambitious goals, and for a commitment to leave no one behind,” Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said in his remarks to the closing session of the 65th Annual UN Conference for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).

Scoop News published an article titled, “590 NGOs Call to Stop Japan’s Whaling Policy.” The article reads in part as follows;

“Nearly fifty non governmental organizations (NGOs) of Latin America, the Caribbean and international made an urgent call on Monday to their regional governments requesting urgent actions against the obvious intentions of the Japanese government to continue using so-called “scientific” whaling programs in Antarctica to cover commercial whaling operations and move towards the elimination of Southern Ocean whale sanctuary.

China.org.cn published an article titled, “China to issue manual on overseas NGO registration.” The article reads as follows;

“China’s public security authorities are soliciting public opinion on a draft manual about registration of overseas NGO representative offices.

According to a symposium on overseas NGOs co-organized by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and Shanghai Public Security Bureau held in Shanghai on Friday, the manual will be published before China’s new law on overseas NGOs takes effect in January 2017.

The MPS has been working on measures to provide efficient services to overseas NGOs operating in China in accordance with the law, said Hao Yunhong, head of the MPS overseas NGO management office.

openDemocracy published an article titled, “Five disempowering traits that international NGOs must drop.” The article reads in part as follows;

“The global landscape of social action is changing in important ways, but international NGOs like Amnesty, Oxfam, World Vision and Actionaid are struggling to keep up with these changes—and that leads to growing questions about their role, impact and legitimacy. A collapsed North-South world order has generated new power centres within and across different countries. Political elites are imposing new legal and administrative restrictions on civil society action. And activists are demanding new models of cross-border organising based not on the hierarchies of foreign aid but on peer-to-peer learning and collaboration between equal partners.

National Geographic posted an article titled, “International Community Uniting for Wildlife, NGOs say.” The article reads in part as follows;

“As the world’s largest environmental and nature event takes place in Hawaii, conservationists herald the adoption of 85 motions calling on the international community to do more to save endangered species and habitats.

Over 8,000 delegates representing governments, business, the scientific community, NGOs and indigenous peoples from more than 160 countries will [have attended] the World Conservation Congress of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), from September 1-10. Major topics on the agenda include debate over the closure of domestic markets for ivory.