THE 'PREHISTORY' OF Social Watch

14 - Footnotes

1 Nittin Desai, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, In: NGLS, Social Priorities of Civil Society. Speeches by Non-Governmental Organizations at the World Summit for Social Development, Copenhagen 6-12 March 1995, Development Dossiers, United Nations, Geneva, 1996, pp. vii.

2 Juan Somavía, Inaugural Address, published in: NGLS, Social Priorities of Civil Society. Speeches by Non-Governmental Organizations at the World Summit for Social Development, Copenhagen 6-12 March 1995, Development Dossiers, United Nations, Geneva, 1996, pp. 135-140.

3 Max van den Berg for Eurostep, published in: NGLS, Social Priorities of Civil Society. Speeches by Non-Governmental Organizations at the World Summit for Social Development, Copenhagen 6-12 March 1995, Development Dossiers, United Nations, Geneva, 1996, pp. 35-37.

4 Persverklaring. Het Sociale Gezicht van de VN. Plannen voor verdere actie: nieuwe campagne Social Watch, Novib, Copenhagen, The Hague, March 6 1995.

5 Bissio, Roberto, 'Occupying new space for public life. Politics and People in a network society.' Whose World is it Anyway? Civil Society, the United Nations and the multilateral future (Foster, J. & Anand, A.), Published by the United Nations Association in Canada, Ottawa, 2000.

6 M. van Reisen, De Sociale Top: Instrument voor Herijking van Ontwikkelings-samenwerking (The Social Summit, Instrument for reassessment of Development Co-operation), Derde Wereld, Vol 13, Nr. 4, 1995.

7 Mahbub Ul Haq, Special Advisor to the Administrator of UNDP, In: The Earth Times, February 7, Vol. VI, No. 7., 1994, p. 1-5.

8 United Nations, Report of the Preparatory Committee for the World Summit for Social Development, General Assembly, Official Records, Forty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 24 (A/48/24), New York, 1993. The meeting was held on April 12 - 16, 1993.

9 The Earth Times, February 1 1994, Vol. VI, no. 3, p. 5.

10 The Resolution set out the following broad objectives: 1) to further the objectives of the Charter of the United Nations; 2) to put the needs of people at the centre of development; 3) to stimulate international cooperation; 4) to formulate strategies on goals, policies and priority actions; 5) to address the interaction between the social function of the State, the market and social demands; 6) to identify common problems of marginalized and disadvantaged groups; 7) to promote programmes to ensure legal protection and enhance education and training; 8) to highlight the need to mobilise resources for social development; 9) to make recommendations to the UN system.

11 The meeting was held in Santiago, Chile, April 20-22nd, 1993, convened by the International Council for Adult Education and the South American Peace Committee. The objective of the Alliance is to "constitute ourselves as an organizing committee to enhance public participation of social actors in the preparatory process towards the World Summit through the People's Alliance for Social Development". People's Alliance for Social Development, Non Governmental Organizations in support of the World Summit on Social Development, undated information document.

12 Letter by Carlos Contreras, Comisión Sudamericana de Paz, to Mrs. Mirjam van Reisen, June 9th 1993.

13 Social Summit Special Edition, Novib News, 1993, 11th edition, special issue.

14 Max van den Berg, Lichtenstein revisited. Novib tussen Washington en New York, Reisverslag, 19 t/m 23 Juli 1993. [Novib between Washington and New York, Travel account]

15 The term 'partner-organisation' is used by Novib to refer to organisations whose projects it supports. With some NGOs Novib has a long-standing relationship of co-operation in different areas, including financial support political co-operation and otherwise, that the term 'partnership' specifically relates to.

16 Information from Eveline Herfkens to Max van den Berg, ibid.

17 Conferencia de Mexico sobre desarollo social y pobreza, Oaxaca, 8-11 September 1993. This conference was attended by delegations of 63 countries. The objective of the conference was to 'contribuir con ello a los trabajos preparatorios de la Reunión Mundial en la Cumbre sobre desarollo Social" [to contribute to the preparations of the Summit on Social Development].

18 This group is having a meeting in Oaxaca coinciding with the official conference on structural adjustment policies. The meeting is organised by the Washington-based organisation DGAP.

19 Travel account Mirjam van Reisen, August-September 1993, Social Summit in Mexico.

20 See the original text in annex 1 from the NGO statement made on September 10, 1993, and sent to Somavia.

21 UNDP undertakes to play a facilitating role at the national level for the preparations.

22 Memo from Roberto Bissio to Mirjam / Novib, Oaxaca, Mexico, Sept. 9, 1993.

23 Ibid.

24 Ibid.

25 Novib, Memo 'Wenen mr conferentie', Van Ingrid, Mirjam aan Francesco, Dated 26/7/93; letter to the Members of the Reference Group by Novib (Ingrid van Tienhoven, Mirjam van Reisen), 9/7/93.

26 In February 1994 Novib and ITeM agree that the task of the information manager is to be 'an information broker' and not in independent advocacy or administrative logistical matters, as stated in the contract. Nevertheless Novib did engage the information officer in logistical preparations for the PrepComs. Verslag Dienstreis Allert van den Ham naar de Verenigde Staten, 5-12 februari, 1994, p. 8.

27 The reference group set up by Novib included the following organisations: IBASE (Brazil), Fase (Brazil), Entre Mujeres/CLADEM (Peru), Centro Flora Tristan (Peru), CIPCA (Bolivia), Concertación Centroamericana de Organismos de Desarollo (Nicaragua), CEDEP (..), ICD (..) Equipo Pueblo (Mexico), ENDA (Senegal), FIDA (Uganda), TWN Africa (Ghana), Inter Africa Group (Ethiopia), ORAP (Zimbabwe), Group for Environmental Monitoring (South Africa), Women's Affairs (Israel), LBBT (Indonesia), Centre for Education and Documentation (India), PRRM (Philippines), ADAB (Bangladesh), Proshika (Bangladesh), TWN (Malaysia), ITeM (Uruguay), IHRLG (Washington), IPS (Italy). The composition of the group changed over time, and also became more flexible and fluid in time. Caroline Wildeman to Max van den Berg, Novib Internal Memo, Date 17 December 1993, Subject: Eurostep working group Social Summit.

28 Novib, Caroline Wildeman to Andy Wehkamp et. al, Memo, Social Summit/Vrouwenconferentie [women's conference].,17 september 1993.

29 Max van den Berg to Allert van de Ham, Internal Memo, Subject: Verslag n.a.v. bezoek aan Penang [Report concerning visit to Penang, MvR], January 5 1994. The Meeting in Penang was held from December 31 1993 to January 2 1994.

30 These were called 'regional platform meetings' and were an instrument for dialogue on a variety of issues between Novib and a regional grouping of its 'partners'.

31 Max van den Berg to Allert van de Ham, Novib Internal Memo, Subject: People's Alliance, Date: 6.12.93. A symbolic contribution of Dfl. 25.000 was agreed.

32 Verslag dienstreis Allert van de Ham naar de Verenigde States (5-12 februari 1994). 4 board members of El Taller are also in the reference group.

33 Email message 8 November 1993, from John Schlanger (IPS) to Roberto Bissio (ITeM), subject: job description. Email message from Roberto Bissio to Eddie Farwell, December 14 1993, Subject: Magela in New York?

34 Email message 29 November 1993 from Allert van den Ham (Novib) to Roberto Bissio (ITeM), Subject: job offer.

35 Contact between Novib and WEDO was established just before the first PrepCom. Fax from Susan Davies, Executive Director WEDO to Mirjam van Reisen, Novib, December 28, 1993. In this letter WEDO also asked Novib for a financial contribution.

36 WEDO under the leadership of American old lady Bella Abzug suffered from an image that it leaned too much to US feminist perspectives.

37 Susan Davis, Director of WEDO, to Max van den Berg, Novib, of February 17, 1994, reads: "It always helps when the sun shines and one hears that funding is coming through. We appreciate the symbolic contribution (..) because symbols are important. We do value the partnership with Novib.."

38 Eurostep, minutes of the Steering Committee, 24 March 1993.

39 Eurostep, minutes of the General Assembly, June 18-19, 1993.

40 Eurostep, minutes of the General Assembly, December 9-10, 1993.

41 Cooperation of Eurostep Members Around the Social Summit. A Request to the Steering Committee. Undated report of the meeting. A meeting was held in The Hague, attended by NCOS, MS, terre des hommes Germany, HIVOS, NOVIB, Action Aid, Mani Tese, Oxfam, the gender working group and the Eurostep Secretariat.

42 In the first PrepCom Oxfam UKI, terre des hommes Germany, OIKOS (Portugal), Action Aid (UK) and Novib were involved. Caroline Wildeman to Max van den Berg, Novib Internal Memo, Date 17 December 1993, Subject: Eurostep Working Group Social Summit. In time increasingly more Members became active in the process.

43 Nitin Desai, UN Under-Secretary for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, quoted in: Jaya Dayal, United Nations: Opening Doors wider to NGOs met with caution, IPS, New York, February 19 1994.

44 Annabel Wiener, Deputy Secretary-General of the World Federation of U.N. Associations (WFUNA), quoted by Jaya Dayal, ibid.

45 Jaya Dayal, ibid.

46 Letter from Rosalind Harris, President of CONGO, to Ambassador Somavía, 3 November 1993.

47 Memo, from Mirjam van Reisen to Max van den Berg. Subject: ICVA. Date: 6/12/93.

48 Roberto Bissio (TWN) to Mirjam van Reisen (Novib), fax, dated 11 January 1994, p. 2.

49 The position taken was a result of problems arisen between Southern NGOs and CONGO during UNCED preparations. Roberto Bissio (TWN) to Mirjam van Reisen (Novib), fax, dated 11 January 1994.

50 NGLS is only willing to do it if there are very solid arguments. NY NGLS Director states that the NGOs need to think about the way in which the vacuum of NGO representation could best be filled. Mirjam van Reisen (Novib) to Carlos Heredia (Equipo Pueblo), Fax, date: 11/1/1194, Subject: Social Summit.

51 Mirjam van Reisen to Max van den Berg, Novib Internal Memo, 11/1/1994, Subject: Social Summit.

52 Minutes of the Meeting of NGOs Attending the Social Summit 1st PrepCom. February 9, 1994; Magela Sigillito, World Summit for Social Development, First Session of the Preparatory Committee, January 31 - February 11, 1994, Information Dossier.

53 Ibid.

54 Cordillera People's Alliance Philippines, DAWN, EURODAD, EUROSTEP, Instituto del Tercer Mundo, Uruguay, The International Human Rights Law Group, Washington, Third World Network and WEDO initially endorsed it. Twelve Points to Save the Social Summit. An NGO Statement for the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee of the Social Summit, 25th August 1994.

55 The Quality Benchmark for the Social Summit. An NGO statement for the third session of the Preparatory Committee of the Social Summit, September 1994.

56 A Question of Credibility. Statement on behalf of the NGOs in the development caucus on the revision of the Programme of Action (29/8/94)

57 Did we achieve the Quality Benchmark? An NGO assessment of the Social Summit Declaration and Programme of Action. 10 March 1995.

58 Participants of the meeting were Roberto Bissio, Simon Stocker and Mirjam van Reisen.

59 Translation MvR. Persverklaring. Het Sociale gezicht van de VN. Eerste Reactie van Novib op de resultaten van de Sociale Top. Plannen voor Verdere actie: Nieuwe Campagne Social Watch. Heerko Dijksterhuis, Greetje Lubbi, Novib, undated. (Press Statement, The Social face of the UN. First reaction of Novib to the results of the Social Summit. Plans for further action: new campaign Social Watch.

60 Email by Caroline Wildeman (Novib) to Roberto Bissio, 29th November 1995, Subject: Social Watch Document.

61 Social Watch Programme of Action 1996-1999.

62 Roberto Bissio, unpublished.

63 Ibid.