Update on the Millennium Forum for Hague Appeal for Peace Participants

From:           	"Millennium Forum" mngof@bic.org
Subject:        	Update on the Millennium Forum for Hague Appeal for Peace Participants
Date sent:      	Fri, 25 Feb 2000 16:47:32 -0500


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: 25 February 2000

Re: Update on the Millennium Forum for Hague Appeal for Peace Participants

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 with the Hague Appeal for Peace, we are
writing to you with information about the next step in the general process
of civil society's evolution with respect to the United Nations, peace, and
related issues.

As you may have learned at The Hague, civil society is holding a major
conference in May at the United Nations. Called The Millennium Forum, the
event is scheduled for 22-26 May 2000 at United Nations headquarters as part
of the preparations for the UN's Millennium Assembly in September

In particular, 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. The Forum will also be gender balanced in its representation.

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 you or 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 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.

-- 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.)

-- If you do not have access to a web browser, please consider registering
via the emailable registration form at the bottom of this message. 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. WE
WANT, PARTICULARLY, TO WIDEN THE NETWORK. PLEASE PASS THIS TO GROUPS YOU
WORK WITH ON OTHER ISSUES, SUCH AS GLOBALIZATION, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT,
HUMAN RIGHTS, AND POVERTY ERADICATION.

-- 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@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. Much of
the Peace section of the document is already based on the Hague Agenda, but
we wish to gather more input.

The Millennium Forum
mngof@bic.org
866 United Nations Plaza, Suite  120
New York, NY 10017, USA
Phone: USA 212-803-2522
Fax: USA 212-803-2561


*****  Application for Accreditation to the Millennium Forum *****

TEXT BASED Email Version
Reply to: mngof@bic.org

The Millennium Forum will bring together representatives of civil society
from all over the world to consult about our future - the future of the
peoples of the world - and, particularly, the role of the United Nations in
confronting the great global challenges of the 21st Century.

Limitation of Space: The main meeting of the Millennium Forum is scheduled
for 22-26 May 2000 at United Nations headquarters. While this location will
give the Forum the highest degree of credibility, access and impact, it also
means that the number who can physically attend the main event is limited to
a maximum of 1,400 people. Accordingly, not every applicant or applying
organization can be accommodated at the main event of the Forum in New York
in May. There will, however, be subsidiary events and meetings (in person
and on-line) that will allow representatives of civil society worldwide to
give their direct input to the processes of the Forum. (See the website at
http://www.millenniumforum.org for more information).

Criteria for Selection: Because of space limitation, and in order to create
a gathering that is representative of the diversity, depth, and breadth of
global civil society, criteria for choosing those who will be accredited to
the Millennium Forum from among those applying to attend the New York event
have been established. These criteria give priority to those organizations,
as well as to those individuals, although to a much lesser extent, that:

-- reflect the broad base of global civil society, including issue-oriented,
non-governmental organizations and representatives of academia, research
institutes, labor organizations, local authorities, parliamentarians and
religious organizations;

-- have been the most active and/or have the most expertise in addressing
the major themes and sub-themes of the Forum;

-- have democratic structures and/or most appropriately and genuinely
represent major groups (including, but not limited to women, youth, workers,
indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities) who have often been neglected or
underrepresented in the global arena;

-- meet the need for an equitable geographic distribution.

Selection for attendance to the main meeting of the Forum will be largely on
the basis of objective data related to these criteria.

Process of Selection: The attached application form can be used by
organizations wishing to send a representative to the Forum, or by
individuals who would like to be accredited to attend. Organizations should
fill in Sections I, II, III, IV and if applicable, VI. Individuals should
fill in Sections II, V and if applicable, VI. (Organizations will receive
clear priority over individuals.)

Data from these forms will be forwarded to the appropriate Millennium Forum
Committees and/or Coordinators. Organizations that have regional, national
or local standing will have their applications processed by regional
committees and/or coordinators of the Forum. The Forum is treating as
international non-governmental organizations those organizations that have
national-level affiliates and/or projects in more than one of the five
global regions as defined by the United Nations; their applications will be
forwarded to the Millennium Forum Executive Committee.

Additional participants will come from the membership of the Forum's
Planning Consultative Council and such special invitees as Nobel Prize
laureates and relevant members of the UN Secretariat, agencies and
commissions.

Registration Fee and Cost: Registration for the Forum includes a fee of $200
US, payable upon notification of acceptance. This fee is needed to offset
expenses of registration and to create a fund for the benefit of those
participants coming from the Global South who need financial assistance. The
fee will be waived or adjusted for organizations or individuals that can
document the need for assistance. The Forum is arranging for low-cost travel
to New York, and for the availability of various kinds of accommodations.
Further information will be available through the website.

When to Apply: In order to arrange visas to the United States, and to ensure
balanced representation from each region and for each theme, applications
will need to be submitted to the Millennium Forum Secretariat as soon as
possible.

How to Apply: Although we recognize that not every organization or
individual has access to the internet, we must urge you to attempt to fill
out either the organizational (priority in selection) or individual form
on-line, at the website www.millenniumforum.org. Filling out the form
on-line will enable us to access this data more quickly and more easily send
it to the appropriate regional or international committee for consideration.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. PLEASE FILL THIS FORM OUT ON-LINE IF POSSIBLE.

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A WEB CAPABLE COMPUTER AND/OR CANNOT SHARE ONE
WITH ANOTHER GROUP OR ORGANIZATION, YOU MAY USE THIS EMAILABLE FORM.

If you cannot email this form, print it out, answer the questions by hand
(preferably with a typewriter), and mail it to:

The Millennium Forum Executive Committee
866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 120
New York, NY 10017-1822
USA

OR fax it to: USA (212) 803 2561


Please be sure to fill out your application as completely as possible, and
to type or print information if you are submitting this as a paper form,
since incomplete or illegible applications are less likely to receive
favorable consideration.

MILLENNIUM FORUM APPLICATION FORM for ORGANIZATIONS & INDIVIDUALS

(PLEASE NOTE: THIS FORM IS BASED ON A FORMATTED DOCUMENT THAT USES CHECK
BOXES. IT HAS BEEN REDUCED TO A TEXT-BASED FORMAT TO MAKE IS EASIER TO
EMAIL. IF YOU CAN USE THE MICROSOFT WORD VERSION OF THE DOCUMENT WITH CHECK
BOXES, THIS IS PREFERABLE. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE IT, USE THIS EMAILABLE FORM):

I. Organizational Information (Please type or print legibly)

Organization Name:


Your Name and Title in the Organization:


Are you the head of the Organization or has your organization authorized you
to submit the name given in Section II below to represent them at the
Millennium Forum? Answer yes or no:


If no, you must get authorization from your organization or apply as an
individual. Your chances of approval are greater as a representative of an
organization than they are as an individual. Large, regional organizations
that deal with more than one sub-theme may submit up to two names
(preferably a woman and a man), by attaching a page providing all the
information requested in Section II for each individual in preferential
order. Note that the Forum may not follow the organization's preferences in
order to satisfy gender, regional, national, age or other balances.

Organization Address:


Headquarters City:


State:

Postal Code:

Country:

Main Phone Number (please include country & city codes):

Fax Number:

Organizational E-mail address:

Organizational URL (Website address):


II.  Information about the Person Applying to Attend the Millennium Forum

Type of Application (Indicate one of the following):

-- Representative of the above Organization
-- Individual with specialized knowledge (Individuals should complete this
section and Section V, and VI if needed. Organizations should complete
Sections I, II, III and IV, and VI if needed.)


Last Name:

First Name:

Middle Initial:

Honorific (Dr., Prof.):

Home Address Information:


Mailing Address:

City:

State:

Postal Code:

Country:

Personal E-mail:

Demographic Information:

Your age (indicate one of the following):

--11-20;
--21-30;
--31-40;
--41-50;
--51-60;
--61-70;
--71-80;
--81-90;
--over 90

Your gender (indicate one of the following):

--Male
--Female

Your nationality:

State your area of specialized knowledge:

III. Additional Organizational Information

Type of Organization (indicate one of the following):

--NGO
--CBO
--PVO (Private Voluntary Organization)
--Research Institute
--Local authority or agency
--Parliamentarian
--Civil Society Network
--Civil Society Coalition

Which of the six major sub-themes does your organization focus on and/or
seek to address at the Millennium Forum? (Indicate one of the following. You
may pick more than one):

-- Peace, Security and Disarmament
-- The Eradication of Poverty, Including Debt Cancellation and Social
Development
-- Human Rights
-- Sustainable Development and The Environment
-- The Challenges of Globalization, Achieving Equity Justice and Diversity
-- Strengthening and Democratizing the United Nations and Other
International Organizations

What major groups of the Millennium Forum does your organization belong to?
(indicate one of the following):

--NGOs

--Academic & Research Institutions

--Local Authorities

--Parliamentarians

--Women

--Youth

--Indigenous Peoples

--Coalitions

--Networks

--NGO Confederations

--Other:


Which of these thematic issue areas does your organization focus on and/or
plan to address at the Forum? (Indicate one of the following. You may check
more than one):

-- Aging
-- Biodiversity
-- Business & Industry
-- Children
-- Citizenship & Governance
-- Climate Change
-- Corporate Accountability
-- Criminal Justice
-- Culture & Development
-- Debt Relief / Forgiveness
-- Disabled Persons
-- Disarmament
-- Drugs & Crime
-- Economics & Finance
-- Education
-- Energy
-- Environment & Health
-- Extreme Poverty
-- Family
-- Financing for Development
-- Food
-- Girl Child
-- Humanitarian Issues
-- Human Settlements
-- Health
-- Holistic Approaches
-- Indigenous Peoples
-- Information Ecology
-- Intellectual Property Rights
-- International Law
-- International Security
-- Justice
-- Media
-- Micro-Credit
-- Minority Rights
-- New Global Institutions
-- Openness & Democratic Process
-- Population
-- Private Sector
-- Refugees / Migration
-- Religion
-- Reproductive Health
-- Safety
-- Science & Technology
-- Social Development
-- Taxation Policy
-- Torture
-- United Nations Funding
-- United Nations Reform
-- Values
-- Violence
-- Water
-- Workers & Trade Union
-- Other:

In what UN region, listed below, do you operate or have affiliates? (If you
check more than one, you will be considered as an "international"
organization for purposes of participation in the Forum. If you check only
one, you will be considered as a "regional" or "national" or "local"
organization, depending on the additional information you provide below. For
many groups and organizations, these will be less competitive categories.
(Indicate one of the following):

-- Africa
-- Asia and the Pacific
-- Western Asia
-- Latin America & the Caribbean
-- Europe & N. America

In how many countries do you have national level affiliates and/or major
operations? (use numbers and not words):

More specifically, under which designation is your organization applying?
(Indicate one of the following):

--Local
--National
--Regional
--International

What is the total membership and total staff of your organization? (Enter as
a numerical estimate in the appropriate category.)

Dues-paying members:

Total paid and volunteer staff:

Those in a willing affiliation with your organization (e.g., with
church-based groups, etc.):

Other (please explain):

How is your leadership created? (Indicate one of the following):

--Elected
--Appointed
--Self-selected
Other:


If elected, the votes were cast by (Indicate one of the following):

--national, regional or local representatives of the membership
--the entire membership
--other:

For the most recent budgetary period available, what was your organization's
annual budget? (Indicate one of the following):
--Under US$50,000
--US$50,000-250,000
--Over US$250,000
--Over US$1,000,000

Roughly what percentage of your funds listed above comes from the following
sources:

-- Percentage from your membership:

-- Percentage from other individuals or corporations:

-- Percentage from government for general operations:

--Percentage from project grants:

Has your organization been granted status by the United Nations or another
international governmental organization (IGO)? (Indicate one of the
following):

--Yes
--No

If yes to the above, with which UN or other IGO are you affiliated, and what
is that status? (Indicate one of the following):

-- General status with ECOSOC
-- Special status with ECOSOC
-- Roster status with ECOSOC
-- ILO (International Labour Organization)
-- FAO (Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN)
-- UNESCO (UN Education, Scientific & Cultural Organization)
-- WHO (World Health Organization)
-- World Bank Group
-- WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization)
-- UNDPI (UN Department of Public Information)

If "Other," please describe:


IV.  If your organization is a member of a network, coalition, or
partnership, please list below:



In 100 words or less, please submit a description of the general work,
viewpoint or expertise of your organization and indicate why your
participation can make a significant contribution to the Millennium Forum in
view of the criteria given above.:

V. To be completed by individuals only:
In 500 words or less, please indicate why you believe your participation can
make a significant contribution to the work of the Millennium Forum. Be sure
to identify the specific sub-themes and thematic areas in which you have
expertise, and detail your experience and expertise in those areas. If you
have been providing input to the convenors of a sub-theme or thematic area,
please so note. See Section III for a list of Millennium Forum sub-themes
and thematic areas. :

VI. Request for Financial Assistance

While the Forum cannot at the present time make commitments to provide funds
or tickets for air transportation for representatives from the Global South,
or underwrite other expenses, it expects to be able to obtain those funds
later in the spring. If you cannot attend the Forum unless you receive
financial assistance, please complete the following:

-- I need to have the registration fee lowered to: US$:

or

--waived.

-- I will need to assist with my airfare and/or assistance to pay for (give
figure in US dollars) by the appropriate category:

-- Airfare:

--Accommodations and/or:

--meals:

Email completed forms to:

The Millennium Forum mngof@bic.org

Or, if email is unavailable, print and fax or mail this complete form to:

The Millennium Forum Executive Committee
866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 120
New York, NY 10017-1822

Fax: 212-803-2561

Thank you for completing this form.

 
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