Beyond 2008 Forum

A Global NGO Forum contributing to the 10 year Review of Achievement following the 1998 United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on Illicit Drugs.

The BEYOND 2008 Forum is an attempt to collect, analyse and disseminate the views and experience of civil society in relation to the achievements of the worldwide global drug control efforts based on the targets established by the UNGASS on Illicit Drugs in 1998. The end of this ten-year programme also presents an opportunity for the NGO community to reflect on its own achievements in drug control, exchange ideas on promising new approaches, reach agreements on ways to work together and make recommendations to multilateral agencies and UN member states on future directions for drug control. Moreover, this target date is a unique opportunity for NGOs to rethink current collaboration mechanisms with UN agencies with a view to establishing a more effective partnership.

Building on their past experience, the Vienna NGO Committee (www.vngoc.org) is hosting a 4th International NGO Forum in Vienna in July 2008 to contribute to the 1998-2008 review and forward looking agenda setting exercise. The Forum will be preceded by regional consultations which will provide essential information from a wide spectrum of NGOs working in the drugs and drug-related fields.

The Forum will take place in Vienna, Austria, 7-9 July 2008 and the regional consultations will be held from September 2007 to February 2008.

The Steering and Programme Committees of BEYOND 2008 want to ensure that this NGO forum is as representative as possible of civil society from around the world. For this we need your contribution. Please take the time to play a part in this unique and important process and visit www.vngoc.org. Here you will find detailed information and ways in which you and your Civil Society / Non-Governmental Organisation can ensure that your experiences are recognised in this process.

You can help by:

- Completing the on-line NGO Questionnaire

- Contributing your responses to the local organisers of your regional consultation

- Publicising this information in your newsletter and/or on your website

- Providing a link from your website to the VNGOC website (www.vngoc.org)

- Promoting the forum to anybody who may be interested in participating or publicising it