“A community-based organization meeting the needs of its environment”
In May 2015, a high-level thematic debate on drugs was organized in New York by the United Nations General Assembly, under the theme “The role of civil society in implementing a multi-dimensional and multi-stakeholder approach in addressing the world drug problem.” This thematic debate was organized as part of the preparatory activities for the UNGASS 2016 and it was attended by representatives of UN member countries and those of the UNODC and CND.
A declaration was submitted prepared by civil society representatives gathered the previous day at the 5th informal Civil Society Hearing in preparation for UNGASS 2016. This session hosted five speakers, including representatives of four New York-based NGOs and the representative of Dianova International who reviewed 30 years of progression of the Dianova Nicaragua Foundation, “a community-organization organization which meets the needs of its environment.”
Ms Elena Goti spoke of the history of Dianova Nicaragua, explaining that the foundation had begun with an offer exclusively dedicated to the treatment of addiction-related problems to extend later on its various services so as to provide children from low-income rural families with primary and secondary education and prevention-oriented approach with the ‘Neovida’ cross-cutting program.
Thereafter, motivated by the desire to offer those young people better job opportunities, the Dianova school specialized in teaching agricultural techniques, which demonstrates that NGOs can and must adapt to their environment on an ongoing basis in order to meet emerging needs. In conclusion, we may emphasize that Ms Goti’s address shed a different light on the role of NGOs, the other NGOs invited at the session being primarily dedicated to advocacy programs.
During the session’s second panel, participants discussed the role and function of the Civil Society Task Force, and how it can help facilitate cooperation with governments and the UN System, including the non-governmental organizations, the scientific community and the private sector; thereafter they shared their experiences and made various suggestions and proposals in the leadup to UNGASS.
