NGOs get together for their first coordination meeting

Some 90 participants from NGOs, research institutions and academic entities, as well as volunteer report writers and interpreters, met this afternoon for a first get-together. It was an opportunity for everyone to get information from Mirella Dummar-Frahi of UNODC on how to best get their voice heard by Member States in the Plenary. Mirella also suggested that NGOs identify one organization, ideally one that has been accredited by the Economic and Social Council, to give a message at the high-level segment that will start on the afternoon of Saturday, 17 April.

 Other practical advice was given by Gary Hill, who has been facilitating the ancillary meetings, on how the schedule of meetings would be run and on the kind of assistance he could provide (room allocation, presentation equipment, interpretation services etc.).

During the question-and-answer session and after the meeting, people exchanged information on their respective presentations and the work of their organizations. For many people, this is their first time at a United Nations congress. Others, however, have been attending Congresses and sessions of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice for years. For them, in the words of one participant, these events are “like reuniting with a big family. I end up doing a lot of hugging”.

 NGO coordination meetings will be held daily at 9 a.m. in the Cocal room (third floor of the congress centre).