64th Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference, September 3- 5, 2011

DPI/NGO Relations is pleased to announce that the Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information is in support of the NGO/DPI Executive Committee’s recommendation that Mr. Felix Dodds, Executive Director, Stakeholder Forum for Sustainable Future, be appointed chair of the 64th Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference, which will be held in Bonn, Germany, Saturday, 3 September, to Monday, 5 September, 2011.

Mr. Dodds, who possesses an extensive background in sustainability, is appropriately suited to Chair the Conference. As you may already be aware, the theme of the Conference is “Sustainable Societies; Responsive Citizens”.

Mr. Dodds has played a critical role in promoting multi-stakeholder dialogue at the UN. From 1997 to 2001 he chaired the NGO Coalition on Sustainable Development at the UN.  He facilitated the setting up of the international NGO Coalition for the UN Commission on Sustainable Development and the UN Habitat II Conference. He has published seven books, the latest, edited with Andrew Higham and Richard Sherman, is called “Climate Change and Energy Insecurity”, and the previous one, with Tim Pipard, “Human and Environmental Security” brought out for the World Summit 2005 and was nominated as best environmental book of 2005.

During the months of planning leading to the opening of the 64th Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference, Mr. Dodds will serve as Co-Chair of the Conference Planning Committee along with Maria-Luisa Chávez, Chief of NGO Relations.

Although Mr. Dodds’ NGO only has consultative status with ECOSOC, we look forward to getting to know him better and build a fruitful, cooperative relationship with him in the coming year.

Good intentions are no longer enough. I wanted to support humanity in my own way. Meaningful World was a natural way for me to help the victims of tsunami.

So many systems have failed us and as we transition from failed models, attitudes and behaviors that are polarizing, destructive and failing all around us I could not just sit back, be overwhelmed and do nothing… I am doing something with Meaningful World.

Meaningful World cultivates well-being, relatedness, a deep awareness and understanding how to elevate some of the world's suffering. Our choices impact all living systems and I choose to be an agent of good.