Strengthening Civil Society Engagement with the Conference on Disarmament: ProActive Strategic Invol

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Strengthening Civil Society Engagement with the
Conference on Disarmament Pro-Active Strategic
Involvement on Nuclear Issues An international
event organized by the NGO Committee for
DisarmamentGeneva, Thursday 15 June 2006

• The NGO Committee for Disarmament recognizes
  that only by working together in a strategic
  fashion with national NGOs and coalitions at all
  levels can we move the multilateral disarmament
  agenda forward. In 2006, there has been a
  considerable increase in the level of activity
  and substantive discussions in the Conference on
  Disarmament. The CD has been unable to begin any
  negotiations for almost 10 years, but it is now
  working to set the legal, technical and political
  foundations, so that when the time arrives and
  there is agreement to begin negotiations, many
  issues will already have been discussed, and a
  framework will have been created. In order to
  further this substantive work, and prepare
  ourselves and our coalitions to influence
  eventual negotiations, the NGO Committee has
  organized a day of events to bring the CD to
  life. This day will take advantage of a decision
  made by the CD in 2004
• NGOs shall be entitled, at their own expense,
  twice per annual session, to make written
  material available to the members of the
  Conference outside the conference hall.
• Thus the NGO Committee for Disarmament
  has planned a day comprising 3 parts
• 1.    Display of materials outside the CD
  chamber andinteraction with delegations
• 2.    Observing the session of the Conference
• 3.    Discussion meetings with diplomats and NGOs
  (afternoon) evening reception.

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• The Committee is planning to display materials
  (must be relevant to the topics under
  consideration by the CD) on tables outside the
  CD chamber on June 15. This also provides an
  opportunity to interact with delegates. We invite
  your NGO to be one of the groups presenting
  materials The schedule also permits attendance at
  the CD plenary session, meetings with diplomats,
  and most importantly, an afternoon session at
  which we will hear from CD officials and discuss
  NGO strategies. In the evening, a reception will
  provide time and space for informal dialogue
  between the NGO and diplomatic communities - as a
  way to continue building relationships and to
  expand on discussions from the day's meetings.
  The strategy session will bring together actors
  at both the international and national levels,
  from key countries that participate in the CD.
  These individuals will leave having increased
  their expertise and knowledge of the basic issues
  under discussion at the CD, and of ways to impact
  the CD from home. This can then be shared with
  colleagues, and together disarmament advocates
  can strengthen their commitment to mobilize their
  national and local constituencies, both to press
  for negotiations, and to influence them once they
  begin.

• For the last several years the CD has been
  focused on four main issue areas- Nuclear
  Disarmament, Negative Security Assurances, a
  Fissile Materials Cutoff Treaty and the
  Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space
  (PAROS).  We request that any information you
  bring with you to present to CD members be
  specifically related to one or more of these
  issues.  In 2006, the rotating Presidents of the
  Conference decided to join forces and create a
  timetable of specific discussions designed to
  facilitate agreement on a programme of work as
  well as to delve deeper into the main issues
  under consideration.  On June 15th, the CD is
  planning to discuss transparency and confidence
  building measures in outer space.
• Hoped-for outcomes include
•   Increasing CD awareness among NGOs of the CDs
  work and its role as a multilateral framework
•     Strengthened communication and interactivity
  between national and international disarmament
  NGOs
• Rapid-response network prepared to organize
  locally and impact globally

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PROGRAMME
For further details, contact  NGO Committee
Secretariat International Peace Bureau 41 rue
de Zurich, CH 1201 Geneva Tel [phone]
6429 Fax [phone] mailbox_at_ipb.org
Womens International League for
Peace and Freedom/ Reaching Critical Will 1 rue
de Varembé, Case Postale 28, CH 1211 Geneva 20
Tel  [phone] Fax [phone]
7081 susi.snyder_at_wilpf.ch     Preparation
Documents   CD Reports from Reaching Critical
Will http//www.reachingcriticalwill.org/politi
cal/cd/speeches06/reports.html  RCW Summary of
Statements by Topichttp//www.reachingcriticalwi
ll.org/political/cd/speeches06/topics.htmlRCW
Positions Matrix- A Quick Guide to who stands
where in the CDhttp//www.reachingcriticalwill.o
rg/political/cd/positions_matrix.htmlWhy the CD
Still Matters? Article by David
Atwoodhttp//www.reachingcriticalwill.org/politi
cal/cd/atwood.html

• MORNING PROGRAMME
• Palais des Nations from 900 am
• Set up display tables in lobby outside the CD
  chamber (Salle du Conseil)
• Opportunities for interaction with delegates
• 1000 Opening of CD Plenary Session (Topic
  PAROS)
• Observe CD from public galleryImmediately
  following session and over lunch possibility of
  arranging further meetings with disarmament
  delegations
• AFTERNOON PROGRAMME (Language English) Palais
  des NationsNGO engagement with the CD
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• 15.00 Government perspectives
• Speakers Diplomats, to be confirmed (Amb. Valery
  Loschchinin, Russian Federation, President of the
  CD, Amb. Petko Draganov, Bulgaria, Amb. Mary
  Whelan, Ireland)
• 16.00 NGO perspectives
• Discussion
•        How to implement and strengthen the
  networks and tools already have in place, so that
  civil society groups can be responsive and
  pro-active towards the CD and other fora a
  strategy discussion.
•        Reports on other initiatives Disarmament
  Commission/General Assembly Mayors for Peace
  Parliamentary Network on Nuclear Disarmament
  etc.
• 1800 Reception