[governance] Annan in Davos on Civil Society

[Wolfgang Kleinwächter]

Annan in his speech in Davos gave some interesting support for Civil Society in Global Policy Development. 
 
See: http://www.weforum.org/site/homepublic.nsf/Content/Kofi+Annan+Address+-+English
 
Here is one part, helpful arguments when talking with the ITU :-))):
 
Kofi Annan:

What all these activities have in common is that they involve the United Nations not simply in relations among its member States, but also in the lives of their peoples. To carry out such tasks, we must engage not only with governments but with all the new actors on the international scene. 

That includes the private sector, but it also includes parliamentarians; voluntary, non-profit organizations; philanthropic foundations; the global media; celebrities from the worlds of sport and entertainment; and in some cases labour unions, mayors and local administrators. And it includes less benign actors such as terrorists, warlords, and traffickers in drugs, illicit weapons or - worst of all - the lives and bodies of human beings. 

That is why I have repeatedly urged all the organs of the United Nations to be more open to civil society, so that their decisions can fully reflect the contribution made by groups and individuals who devote themselves to studying specific problems, or working in specific areas. 

It is also why I myself have cultivated contacts with scholars, with parliamentarians, with practitioners of all sorts, and with young people - seeking to learn from their views and also encouraging them, whatever sector they work in, to use their talents for the public good and to keep the global horizon in view. 

It is one of the reasons why I have worked constantly to make our Organization more transparent and comprehensible to the public, and thereby more genuinely accountable. 

And, of course, it is why I launched the Global Compact, to which the international business community - including some of you in this audience - has responded with such enthusiasm that it is now the world's leading corporate citizenship initiative, involving more that 2,400 companies, in nearly 90 countries. 

 

Wolfgang

 

 

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