Mother Marie Martha &
Sister Marie Myriam, snd.

63rd Annual United Nations DPI/NGO Conference
Advance Global Health: Achieve the MDGs.
Melbourne - Australia - August 30th to September 1st, 2010

Fraternite Notre Dame Attendance Report

Fraternite Notre Dame is very honored to present its report on the 63rd Annual United Nations DPI/NGO Conference.

Fraternite Notre Dame's members present there, appointed by His Excellency Bishop Jean Marie, Founder of the group, were able first of all to appreciate Australian warm hospitality, for the Conference host country deployed large efforts to effectively and properly run all steps of registration to, and participation in the Conference and its various meetings, lectures and workshops. The venue was the Melbourne Convention Center, located at South Wharf, on the Yara River; on its bank was a very ancient ship restored to its former beauty and witness to Melbourne times gone by.

Welcome and Sharing of Experiences

The main meeting auditorium, near the grand hall with member's informational exhibit booths, was particularly well organized to allow for NGOs to learn about one another and share ideas, find inspiration in their peers' strategies of action, to cause the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to become a reality.

The goals encompass 8 main areas:

We benefited from enriching testimonies from other organizations, dealing with the health of women, and the difficulties they face in their efforts: financial ordeals, but also problems with people who don't accept differences or who prevent you from performing your mission; issues with some governments that take a long time to change laws, regulations and customs.

Conviviality and friendship are essential so changes can happen with order and balance, at the global level, despite the different local or national customs in place in countries, and their way to operate. What is essential is not competing with one another but running complementary actions, using our various strengths to reach the aims set by the United Nations through the MDGs.

The Work of NGOs Around the World

When implementing the MDGs, going from one country to another is very enriching, as it allows NGOs and workers to know other populations and benefit from their specific testimonies and challenges.

We were especially impressed by the work realized in Australia at the level of indigenous populations, and we collected their input to be able to share it with others, both by word of mouth and in writing.

Back in our home country, we have already started sharing this experience with our local community organizations, trying to sensitize people on the ordeals workers are facing in remote countries.

We express positive findings to the UN for its annual DPI/NGO conference as it provides the right framework for interconnecting with other grass root organizations, both at the meeting and workshop levels, and sharing on important experiences in current relief and development topics.

To date, contacts have been made already with other NGOs we met in Melbourne, towards building joint projects involving exchanges and cooperation in the field.

Speaking of the conference without mentioning indigenous traditions would be omitting one of the richest elements in our experience!

We were literally charmed by the welcome greetings from this part of Australia, traditional dances succeeded in giving us a fair idea of the history, often painful, of these folks of indigenous descent, who still bear the scars of these times in their hearts.

Fortunately, official recognition is dawning for these interesting peoples. Poignant testimonies were given on the subject, notably from Mrs. Barbara Flick Nicol, herself from aborigen origins, which aroused great interest.

We were later able to share with her personally, and were deeply impressed by her judgment and clear vision on the future.

Opening Ceremony

Encouraging words from: Mr. Kiyo Akasaka, Under Secretary General for Communication and Public Information at the UN, who took to heart to welcome everyone; followed by a discourse from the host country representative.

Keynote speakers were preceded by opening speeches from Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, and Mrs. Navanethem Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights, an eloquent address retransmitted via video broadcast.

The main speakers included Executive Director at the UN in charge of AIDS relief efforts, M. Michel Sidib, and Mrs. Mary Norton, as Chairman of the 63rd UN DPI/NGO Annual Conference.

Here is a concrete example of hands-on discussions:

Our first round table featured: open heart discussions on the role of NGOs and Civil Society to achieve the MDGs. The persons below presented the following topics:
How to avoid creating more inequalities; how to assess progress in your development efforts; how to achieve efficient services to the poor; how to reach harmonious balance between human rights, public health and education, to mention but a few.

Pannelists for this topic:

NGO Exhibits

Fraternite Notre Dame representatives particularly appreciated NGO informative booths, each explaining their particular actions towards achieving the MDGs, dealing with a wide range of topics:
from child and mother care, to potable water issues, micro-credit grant applications, children education, immunization campaigns, the Rotary Club and its efforts to eradicate Polio, the spread of AIDS and means deployed to tackle it.

Fraternite Notre Dame's action related to this Conference

The Conference is a stamina generator in our interconnecting with other grass root organizations, and our efforts to sensitize wealthy contributors in the world of business and commerce, along with governmental institutions, to prompt them to action, as they have means to change legislation and trends.

The Conference brings us to a wider understanding that solidarity is required among all the individual groups and agencies that strive to achieve the MDGs, empowering them to procuring means for the population to access basic health care, comprehensive education and other vital services they terribly lack.

The main idea that was at the core of this Conference is aiming higher in order to achieve what we want, which is already one of the essential principles of our Founder, Most Reverend Bishop Jean Marie, which he has been teaching us for years; he is actually passionate with helping

"the poor, and all they who suffer in their heart or in their body". 

This our Bishop is a Man of God, really inspired by God, he well understood the urgency of coming to the aid of every population, family or individual in distress, whose cry is scarcely heard in the world, but who succeed however in making their voice heard beyond national boundaries and oceans.

The members of Fraternite Notre Dame dedicate themselves, body and soul, to helping young children in their health and school needs, in Niger, Africa, Mongolia, Haiti, and with immunization campaigns as in Niamey. These 3 countries also benefit from schools from the group, while nutritional assistance is also provided to inner city children in the USA and in our missions, whether to mothers or folks with special needs, including the elderly, the homeless and the outcast.

All of the above fall into the fulfillment of the United Nations Millenium Development Goals.

We at Fraternite Notre Dame's, perfectly understand this patient work for humanity's less fortunate, that scarcely get noticed outside, and we stress on the need there is to advertize more and open new opportunities to spread the word out through community action, meetings and conferences, whose ultimate aim is also to prompt and foster wealth sharing.

Closing Ceremony

Mr. Kiyo Akasaka, Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information at the UN, opened the closing remarks, followed by Mick Gooda who shared some of his interesting thoughts.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Commissioner for Social Justice. Her Royal Highness Princess Muna al-Hussein of Jordan brought her testimony, retransmitted via video broadcast. The last few closing remarks were made by Sir George Alleyne, Chancellor of the West Indies University.

Christopher Varney, former Australian Ambassador for the Youth, particularly moved the audience by his personal experiences, depicted spontaneously. Jeffery Huffines, Chair of the NGO/DPI Executive Committee, graced us with interesting remarks.

Mary Norton, Chair of this 63rd Annual United Nations DPI/NGO Conference, brought the final touches to this day and encouraged all NGOs to continue on their efforts, quoting an inspirational piece of poetry, which she read out to us, where mention of God's name was included, He without Whom nothing can be fully completed.

Finally, Kiyo Akasaka wished everyone a happy end of stay with some warm words, and much encouragements to pursue our goals set out at length at the Conference.

Now, Before Leaving Australia...

We were able to visit and prepare a report on the Museum of Australian Immigration in Melbourne, which gives a fair idea of what must have been the plight of early immigrants there, as well as the conditions of migrants to other parts of the world in general. Touching paintings; poignant testimonies; grand settings and decors; a must see really.

We truly appreciated the warm welcome of the people of Australia, notably at the Rotary Club, which invited us to come again, discover the splendid country and landscape settings they treasure, "like nowhere else on the planet"!

This 63rd Annual United Nations DPI/NGO Conference was a success, so much by the number of participants than by the extent of the workshops and topics covered, towards even more fruitful efforts at the service of the most disadvantaged on our earth.

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