Conference of NGOs (CoNGO and new eco-social world

CoNGO President: Use People’s Charter for an Eco-Social World as advocacy tool; organize a robust and protected transborder and transnational civil society

New York City | UPDATED 8 August 2022 (CoNGO InfoNews) — The Global People’s Summit “Co-building a New Eco-social World: Leaving No One Behind” concluded its online meetings on July 2. The Summit run for 24 hours for four days between June 29 and July 2.

The Summit produced The People’s Charter for an Eco-Social World. The Summit’s website hailed the Charter, “which comprises voices from throughout the world, highlights the importance of participatory democracy in effecting transformational change.”

Liberato Bautista, the President of the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO), delivered a keynote speech and joined 25 global partners in drafting the Summit’s People’s Charter.

Bautista called on CoNGO members to study the People’s Charter and use it as an advocacy tool and inspiration in pursuing CoNGO’s strategic organizational mantra: “defining the present, shaping the future, making the change, now”.

Delivering one of the Summit’s keynote speeches, Bautista challenged the Summit participants to “co-build an eco-social world that depends largely on the empowerment of the voice and agency of peoples as they identify their concerns and craft their futures.”

Addressing more directly some of the elements of the People’s Charter, Bautista implored everyone to join in the task of increasing hope and decreasing fear. “Decreasing fear and replacing it with increased hope augurs well into assuring people of their dignity and human rights and of the planet’s sustainability,” Bautista added.

“To increase hope, we must build a common future for all the inhabitants of the earth and their natural ecology by promoting and safeguarding the common public goods and services indispensable to life. We must increase hope through arrangements that truly put peoples and the planet at the center of both the local and global public imagination of policy and legislation.”

Bautista stressed the need today for “a cadre of leaders from grassroots, local, national, regional and international arenas to provide leadership for the much needed catalytic strategies and action for transformative change in social and ecological relations” such as those identified in the “Pathway Forward” section of the People’s Charter.

Organizing the Summit and drafting the People’s Charter were done under the joint facilitation by Rory Truell, Secretary-General of the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) and Paul Ladd, the Director of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD).

As you use the People’s Charter in your own contexts, the CoNGO President would like to know your experience. This will enhance our understanding of the elements of the Charter and enrich them. Email him at president@ngocongo.org. Read more about the Global People’s Summit and CoNGO’s collaboration here.

CoNGO joins the People’s Global Summit “Co-building a New Eco-Social World: Leaving No One Behind”

Photo: Co-Building a New Eco-Social World: Leaving No One Behind

Geneva, Switzerland | 29 June 2022 (CoNGO InfoNews) — The People’s Global Summit, ‘Co-building a New Eco-Social World: Leaving No One Behind’ starts today, June 29, Wednesday. The Summit will run 24 hours for four days, June 29 – July 2, online. Join here.

Liberato Bautista, the President of the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO) will be one of the keynote speakers, scheduled to talk on June 30, Thursday (at 17:30 UTC | 19:30 CEST |  13:30 EST). CoNGO members who are partners of the Summit include the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) which is on the CoNGO Board and led the planning of this Summit, Baha’i International Community (BIC), International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW), International Council of Social Welfare (ICSW), and Public Services International (PSI). 

Here is the full press release on the Summit:

“During the Summit people will be able to share their experiences and stories in different ways. These will include presentations from people in communities, live panels, open mic rooms, indigenous-led sessions, storytelling, interviews, cultural expression along with workshops, academic presentations, and keynote addresses from political and civil society leaders. All live and video-presentations will have a chat section for your contributions and to interact with the presenters. This process will provide opportunities for co-building a new eco-social world, and generate security, safety and sustainability for this and future generations.

“The summit effectively acts as a people’s assembly that uniquely and proudly comprises differing world cultures and values, with a holistic vision that combines sustainability, social justice and ‘we the people’ working together for an eco-social world. It was initiated by 26 global diverse organizations and represents 100s of millions of people with roots in communities throughout the world. We share the perspective that the lofty pledges made by governments after the second world war – on peace, development and human rights – have not been realized. Inequalities and fractures have grown. Poverty sits alongside extreme wealth. Nature has been stripped, leading to climate warming and environmental destruction. Millions of people have been displaced as a result, adding to the millions more displaced by conflict and violence. The governments that made these commitments have prioritized competition over collaboration, sovereignty over solidarity. They have not yet served the people they represent.

“In the Summit all participants will contribute to The People’s Charter for an Eco-Social World. The process has already started by people and communities submitting their contributions on what values, policies and practices needed to be developed to give everyone and the planet safety and security. During the Summit, the Charter will be developed and drafted from everyone’s contributions. The partners have agreed that the Charter needs to be a living document and will be initially submitted to the world’s leaders as they gather at the 2022 United Nations High-Level Political Forum and General Assembly as an invitation to join us and call to action to work with us for our shared futures.

“This is one step on the journey of a continuing process for sustainability, justice and equality for all.”