|
|
 |
|
|||
 |
|||
|
NGO Activities
Being a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with the U.N. Department of Public Information gives the WCA the opportunity to meet and establish relationships with numerous other group leaders working together for a better world.
During the time the WCA has been recognized as an NGO, it has attended numerous United Nation's meetings, made a ground-breaking presentation to an assembly of NGOs, and worked diligently to share and promote the principles of subluxation-based chiropractic.
Shortly after receiving the WCA status as an NGO, Terry A. Rondberg, D.C., WCA president and Dr. Christopher Kent, D.C., WCA NGO Representative, attended a briefing co-sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme on The Global Meeting of Generations. The presentation focused on the young and the elderly. Demographic information was presented. Since chiropractic emphasizes the importance of remaining vertebral subluxation free from birth until death, intergenerational issues are of great interest to the profession.
Since then, Dr. Kent has represented the WCA at a number of important United Nation's NGO events, including:
 | a briefing on UNICEF's Annual Report-- The State of the World's
Children, 1999. Emphasis was on education, including health issues
which may affect the ability of a child to learn effectively. One of
the participants was H.E. Mr. Fred Byendeza, Deputy Permanent
Representative of Uganda to the United Nations. Ambassador Byendeza
and the other presenters accepted questions from the NGO
representatives in attendance. |
| a meeting of the NGO/DPI Health Committee. The topic was
"Perspectives on Complimentary Medicine." Among the
presenters was Mehmet Oz, M.D., faculty member of Columbia
University and Director of the Complimentary Medicine Program at New
York Presbyterian Medical Center. Dr. Kent spoke informally with Dr.
Oz after the presentation, and conferred with the chairperson of the
Health Committee. Dr. Kent was invited to join the Health Committee. |
| a briefing presented by H.E. Mr. Jorgen Bojer, Permanent
Representative of Denmark to the United Nations; Ms. Catherine
Dumait-Harper, Main Representative of Medicins san Frontieres; Ms.
Sylvie Junod, Head of Delegation, International Committee of the Red
Cross; and Mr. Andreas Ramirez, Senior Liaison Officer, Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, New York. |
| a briefing entitled "Challenges for 1999 and Beyond."
Presenters included Ms. Sudha Acharya, vice- president of the
Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultive
Relationship with the United Nations; Mr. Iqbal Haji, of the United
Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs; and H.E. Samuel
Insanally, Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations.
A spirited question-and-answer session with Mr. Haji and Ambassador
Insanally followed the presentation. |
| a briefing concerning continuing and adult education. Presenters
included H.E. Mr. Shamim Ahmed, Deputy Permanent Representative of
Bangladesh to the United Nations; Mr. Emanuel C. Goued Njayick, of
the Division of Economic and Social Affairs; and Dr. David Waugh,
Secretary-General of the International Federation of Training and
Development Organizations. |
| a special International Women's Day event. Presenters included
Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, and First Lady
Hillary Rodham Clinton. Dr. Kent met personally with an official
from the World Health Organization (WHO) to discuss strategies for
chiropractic collaboration. |
| a briefing with representatives of World Information Transfer, the
American Medical Women's Association, the International Health
Awareness Network, and the Women's Federation for World Peace. |
| a briefing concerning the International Narcotics Control Board.
Speakers included Ambassador Herbert Okun, vice-president of the UN
International Narcotics Control Board, Ambassador Lamuel Stanislaus
of Grenada, Zach Messitte, Chief Speech Writer for the UNDCP, and
Rosalind Harris, former chair of the NGO Committee on Narcotics and
Substance Abuse. Dr. Kent participated in a question-and-answer
session following the briefing. |
| a briefing on population information. |
| a briefing addressing sustainable development. |
| a briefing with Richard Butler, Executive Chairman, UN Special
Commission; Jonathan Dean, of the Union of Concerned Scientists; and
Randall Forsberg, of the Institute for Defense and Disarmament
Studies. |
| a presentation concerning the exploration and peaceful uses of outer space. |
