from:cicc@iccnow.orgHello everyone,
We just received this call for applications to participate in the
conference on War-Affected Children in Canada in September. The deadline
to reply is July 17th (Monday). If you are interested, please follow the
diretions below. I would suggest that if you think you may be interested
but have questions, just send in the application and get your questions
answered later in order to meet the deadline.
All the best,
Jayne
>
>
>The International Conference on War-Affected Children will take place in
>Winnipeg, Canada, September 10-17, 2000. The Conference consists of three
>cascading meetings: i) a meeting of Canadian and international war-affected
>youth (September 10-12) ii) an Experts' Meeting (September 13-15) and iii) a
>Ministerial-level Meeting (September 16-17).
>
>The Experts Meeting, which will be co-hosted by UNICEF and the Government of
>Canada, will bring together international and Canadian NGOs, youth researchers,
>government officials, private sector, international and regional organizations
>and the UN system. We expect that up to 80 of the approximately 350 delegates
>will come from the NGO community (excluding Canadian NGOs).
>
>A considerable number of NGOs have already expressed interest in participating
>in the Conference. There is a need to limit numbers due to space constraints.
>At the same time, we would also like to ensure broad representation of NGOs at
>the Conference and a good cross-section of expertise and experience.
>
>At a recent meeting between UNICEF, some of the major international NGO
>coalitions and the Canadian government, it was decided to pursue the following
>process of NGO selection, in order to be as fair and transparent as possible:
>
>1. Nominations will be solicited from international and regional NGO networks
>and coalitions based on the following criteria:
>
>Experience in the area of war-affected children generally;
>Proven expertise in one or more of the following areas: child rights, child
>soldiers, gender issues, peacebuilding (conflict prevention/peace and
>security),
>small arms, landmines, humanitarian assistance, international development;
>Experience in advocacy and/or programming for children;
>Experience in using innovative approaches, activities or projects for
>war-affected children
>
>Please note that we are looking for nominations of organizations, not
>individuals, and we would request that nominations be limited to those
>NGOs who
>will make the strongest contribution to this Conference. Nominations should be
>sent directly to the Secretariat for the Conference, c/o Ayda Eke, (fax
>613-944-3029, e-mail ayda.eke@dfait-maeci.gc.ca) Kindly provide contact
>information and a brief description of the NGO's activities with your
>recommendations. Please note that the deadline for submitting names is end of
>day July 17, 2000. We recognize that this is an extremely short timeframe
>within which to provide nominations, however, it is essential that
>selections of
>NGOs be made and invitations issued as soon as possible to facilitate
>arrangements (logistics, visa, travel, substantive preparation for the
>Conference, etc.).
>
>2. Once submissions have been received, they will be supplemented by
>nominations from Canadian missions abroad and UNICEF field offices.
>
>3. Final decisions on NGO participants will be taken by July 21 by a panel
>consisting of representatives of NGOs, UNICEF and the Government of Canada.
>The panel will seek to ensure: geographical balance, representation from
>war-affected countries, a balance of programming and advocacy NGOs,
>international and locally-based NGOs, diversity in areas of expertise.
>
>4. NGOs will also be able to self-nominate as part of this process. However,
>since priority will be given to those NGOs nominated by networks, coalitions,
>etc, very few places will be available to self-nominating NGOs. Decisions
>on the selection of these NGOs will be dealt with by the panel on a case-by-case basis.
>
>The participation and contribution of NGOs will be vital to the success of this
>Conference. Please help us ensure that we find the best possible cross-section
>of strong and experienced NGOs to participate.
>
>We have tried to do everything possible to make the selection process for NGOs
>to be as fair and transparent as possible. We do realise that some NGOs will be
>disappointed not to have the opportunity to participate in the Conference but we very much hope that even those who are not invited to attend will join in the
>support of the Conference and moving forward the international agenda for
>war-affected countries.
>
>
>Yours sincerely
>
>
>Christine Siminowski Iain Levine
>Secretariat Office of Emergency Programmes
>International Conference on War-Affected Children UNICEF
>Government of Canada
Jayne Stoyles
Program Director
NGO Coalition for an International Criminal Court
777 U.N. Plaza 12th Floor
New York, NY 10017
U.S.A.
Phone 212 687 2176 Fax 212 599 1332
Email cicc1@iccnow.org
Web http://www.iccnow.org
