Commission for Social Development – Civil Society Forum

Prior to the first day of the Commission on Social Development, a Civil Society Forum was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York where various non-governmental stakeholders assembled to review the Commission's theme of Social Integration. The Forum was jointly convened by the NGO Committee on Social Development, a Committee chaired by Bahá'í International Community Representative to the United Nations, Ms Tahirih Naylor.

The program included speeches by representatives of various non-governmental organizations; an interactive panel on specific experiences of social inclusion; and small-group discussions on the content of the Civil Society Declaration to be presented to the Commission. The speakers included H.E. Ms Kristi Lintonen, Chairman of the 47th Session of the Commission for Social Development; Mr Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs; H.E. Mr Paul Kavanagh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations; and Mr Eugene Gadsden, a homeless person who collects cans for a recycling center.

The inclusion of speakers from various walks of life and of diverse races, religions, and economic backgrounds demonstrated that the Civil Society Forum on Social Integration is translating words into actions and putting into practice its ideals of social integration. To see an Ambassador, a homeless person, a representative of an indigenous group from the Amazon region, and a representative of the Women's Global Connection standing side-by-side and collaborating in their efforts to build a society for all was an encouraging foreshadowing of the cohesive society they seek to build.