ACHRS, thanks to its consultative status with the United Nations, participated as observer in the CoNGO Board Meeting, held in Bangkok from 23rd to 25th February 2009. For the first time in the CoNGO’s history, a meeting has been held out of the three centers (Geneva, New York, Vienna). This is a meaningful event that shows the willingness to outreach regions in the "Global South" that are not fully represented at international level.CoNGO (the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations) is an independent, international, non-profit membership association of non-governmental organizations. It facilitates the participation of NGOs in United Nations debates and decision-making, ensuring that NGOs are present when governments discuss issues of global concern at the United Nations and to facilitate NGO discussions on such issues. Since its foundation in 1948, it has relentlessly worked to ensure that NGO voices be heard throughout the international arena. The three-days CoNGO Board Meeting had a full agenda: the officers presented their annual reports, the members reviewed CoNGO programs and services and activities for 2009 were set up. In addition to this, CoNGO is embarking on a revised membership profile, on improvements in the communication and on a revision of the structure and leadership of CoNGO Substantive Committees.In his inspiring speech, the President Liberato Bautista focused the attention on the opportunity to "define the present and shape the future". He said: "we can bring CoNGO to a level where it can help civil society re-imagine international relations so that NGOs can be valued and taken seriously as a pillar of the international system". The launch of the CoNGO Regional Committee for Asia-Pacific represents one step towards the revitalization of civil society and the organization of regional expressions of CoNGO.ACHRS is now part of this first Regional Committee, along with other 24 organizations from the Asian Continent. Therefore, we will be actively engaged in the new challenge of facilitating Asian NGOs’ participation in all UN and CoNGO activities, globally and regionally.
