the un corner

participation of dianova at the ecosoc ngo forum at the un headquarters in new york

The ECOSOC NGO Forum took place in the ECOSOC Chambers at United Nations Headquarters in New York, from 3-7 PM on April 4, 2008.

The Forum served as a preparatory event for the 2008 High-Level Segment of ECOSOC and was an excellent platform for organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social council to share their best practices and success stories.

The theme of the Forum centered on the contributions of NGO's to the UN Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), especially that of Sustainable Development, which implies not only the development of natural resources but also the development of human resources.

In this spirit, Mr. Dave Breckenridge, Vice-President of Dianova USA and UN representative of Dianova International, presented Dianova Spain's best practices for adolescents with substance abuse and/or behavioral problems, a program which had already been honored by the Spanish Red Cross. The presentation provided a brief description of the features and accomplishments of the Spanish program and, citing objectives of the UN’s Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development, pointed out that these objectives are just as applicable to the needs of disadvantaged populations of developed countries as they are to the needs of populations of developing countries.

The presentations of best practices presented during the NGO Forum may be found at

http://esa.un.org/coordination/ngo/new/best/stories.asp