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Dianova International Granted Consultative Status to the UN

During its Substantive Session of July 2007, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) voted to grant Dianova International "Special Consultative Status".

In order to fulfill its mission adequately ECOSOC calls upon the resources and expertise offered by NGOs to whom the UN body has granted Consultative Status and whose objectives and activities complement those of ECOSOC.

There are a number of privileges that accompany consultative status, the principle ones being: attendance at ECOSOC meetings and conferences, and those of its subsidiary bodies, that are within the NGO’s areas of expertise; the opportunity to submit written statements and, in certain cases, make oral presentations; participation in International Conferences and their preparation.

There are a number of activities of Dianova International that are of interest to ECOSOC, these being: drug treatment and prevention, personal development programs for at-risk youth, primary and secondary education programs and remedial work with homeless individuals.

Special Consultative Status to ECOSOC is a major step in providing new avenues in the development of the Dianova network.

As Montserrat Rafel, Dianova International Executive Director, described the opportunity,

“Beyond the acknowledgement of the work accomplished by our member organizations, it is a unique opportunity to develop a fruitful cooperation with the different UN member states and with other NGO's. We strongly believe that we are more effective when united".

The Dianova Network consists of national organizations in thirteen countries of Europe , North America and South America , offering more than 40 residential drug treatment centers and caring for approximately 4,000 persons every year, with an overall budget of 15 million euros annually.

Residential programs are specialized to meet the individual needs of those in treatment, whether adolescents, women with dependent children, individuals with associated psychiatric disorders, and others. Beyond the focus on addiction treatment however, the Dianova Network develops other initiatives with the objective of promoting personal self-reliance and social progress.

To mention some of these initiatives:

• In Nicaragua, a supportive, remedial education program implemented with the approval and support of the government, offers children and adolescents who are homeless or from low-income families regular primary and secondary education, in addition to and social support tailored to the needs of each child. In 2006, more than 300 students benefited from this program.

• In Spain , a variety of therapeutic and educational programs address the needs of adolescents considered at-risk for delinquency by the national youth social services.

• In the US, programs are offered at Dianova’s Camp Deer Run that provide personal development activities and workshops, environmental education and drug prevention, designed primarily for disadvantaged young people of New York City and the lower Hudson valley of New York State. This program contributes to building protection factors against drug use, delinquency and school drop-out.

• In Canada a special Dianova initiative funded by the Canadian government provides special programs that are designed to demonstrate to homeless young adults the benefits of participation in mainstream society and to encourage a genuine desire for a fundamental change, as well as to promote a better understanding of homelessness by the mainstream.

The experience of Dianova in 13 countries brings about a valuable, multicultural outlook. Ms. Rafel notes,

"We learn every day in the field, and we use what works best, depending on the individuals themselves of course, but also depending on the various cultural considerations. This is the reason why great things are expected of our role as 'consultant' to ECOSOC; we want to share these different sensibilities and participate in the decision-making process at the international level".