The United Nations and NGOs explore ways of rebuilding societies emerging from conflict

"Rebuilding Societies Emerging from Conflict: A Shared Responsibility" was the tiltle of the 55th Annual Conference of Nongovernmental Organizations, held 9-11 September at UN Head quarters in New York. At the conference the United Nations, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society (CSOs) discussed ways of improving cooperation when assisting countries recovering from the trauma of conflict.

The conference brought together United Nations and government officials, NGO representatives with first-hand experience from conflict areas, as well as individuals who have played a leading part in civil society efforts to rebuild a post-conflict society. Also various cultural leaders, journalists, academics and medical professionals contributed to the discussions with personal experiences from countries undergoing processes of recovery and reconstruction.

The Head of the UN Operation in Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi appealled to the United Nations and NGOs to allow room for an important third player: local leadership. He stressed the importance of letting local leadership remain in charge of rebuilding processes. UNHCR Mary Robinson called on the International Community to first and foremost prioritize conflict-prevention. Many lives could be saved through prevention of large-scale deadly conflicts rather than when pieces had to be picked up afterwards.

The conference featured workshops on particular regions and thematic workshops on issues such as gender equality, disarmament, and mental health.

The annual NGO Conference has become one of the most important NGO events at the United Nations Headquarters. Also last year a large number of people registred for the conference: more than 2000 people from 90 countries, representing more than 600 NGOs.

For more information on the 55th Annual Conference of Nongovernmental Organizations, please visit UN's NGO Section Website.