[sustran] fwd: Update on the Millennium Forum

[SUSTRAN Network Secretariat]

>From: "Millennium Forum" <mngof at bic.org>
>To: <sustran at po.jaring.my>
>Subject: Update on the Millennium Forum
>Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 14:38:54 -0500
>
>Sustainable Urban Transport Action Network for Asia and the Pacific
>(SUSTRAN)
>
>To: All non-governmental organizations, humanitarian and community-based
>organizations, private voluntary organizations, academic institutions,
>unions, parliamentarians, local authorities and other representatives and
>groups of civil society.
>
>From: The Millennium Forum
>
>Date: 18 February 2000
>
>Re: 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),
>
>Because of your recent involvement in a major United Nations conference or
>related NGO event, we are adding your email address to the Millennium Forum
>Announcement list.
>
>The Millennium Forum, as you may know, is the next step towards
>strengthening the influence of civil society in international affairs,
>particularly at the United Nations.
>
>Scheduled for 22-26 May 2000 at United Nations headquarters as part of the
>preparations for the UN's Millennium Assembly in September, the Millennium
>Forum in particular will strive to solicit the best thinking of civil
>society in all its sectors worldwide as they relate to six broad themes:
>peace, the eradication of poverty, human rights, the environment,
>globalization, and "strengthening and democratizing" the United Nations.
>
>In tackling such a wide range of issues, 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.
>
>Since your organization is involved in one or more of these topics, we are
>seeking 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 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.)
>
>-- 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.
>
>-- If you do not have access to a web browser, please consider registering
>via the emailable registration form included below. PLEASE NOTE: ON-LINE
>REGISTRATION IS MUCH FASTER AND MORE EFFICIENT.
>
>--  Send this message to other NGOs and civil society organizations in your
>network and/or to the appropriate person within your own organization.
>
>-- 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.
>
>If you have any questions, please contact us by email reply at our main
>address: mngof at bic.org. If you hit our reply button, your message will also
>return to us.
>
>If you do NOT wish to receive further announcements, please also hit reply
>and write "UNSUBSCRIBE" in your message header. We will strive to remove
>your from our list. However, we are seeking to reach our worldwide to as
>many NGOs and civil society organizations as possible and you may end up on
>our list again, especially if you subscribe to any of the various list servs
>on the Forum's main topics.
>
>We expect to be making periodic announcements about the Forum to this list,
>at a rate of roughly no more than one per week until the Forum takes place
>in May. Please regard this as a process whereby YOU and your organization
>can be included in a process of global decision-making that is open,
>transparent and representative manner, reflecting democratic principles.
>
>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" that have been designed to advance the often overly
>"compartmentalized" processes of discussion that often takes place at
>international meetings.
>
>Plans are also being made to allow representatives of civil society
>worldwide to participate through various on-line and satellite meetings. In
>all Millennium Forum events, achieving a gender and geographically
>representative balance will be a priority.
>
>In the planning process for more than two years, the Forum has been an
>up-by-the-bootstraps process of cross-boundary networking by some of civil
>society's most prominent organizations. Members of the Forum's Steering
>Committee, for example, include representatives of groups ranging from the
>World Federation of United Nations Associations to the All-India Women's
>Federation; from the Earth Council to the Third World Network.
>
>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.
>
>The Millennium Forum
>mngof at bic.org
>866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 120
>New York, NY 10017, USA
>Phone: USA 212-803-2522
>Fax: USA 212-803-2561
>
... very long application form snipped ...