BREAKING NEWS: NGOs take a “United we stand, divided we fall” approach to UN

By DIVJOT ANAND and JOHN SUNUNU, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

NGOs united: several of the organizations that hope to make up the coalition.

The Non-Governmental Organization Program, one of the most integral parts of Harvard National Model United Nations 2015, had decided to shake up the way they conduct themselves in committee.  Led by a partnership between Oxfam International and Search for Common Ground, two of the organizations, the NGO Committee has launched a campaign to band together to enact change by way of sheer numbers.

When asked why the NGOs were choosing to form this coalition, Oxfam International responded simply that “we each had a voice as individuals, but it was not necessarily heard in these large committees. We wanted to show the UN that we could have a more influential impact on committees en masse — in a group basis.”

Search for Common Ground, the other pioneering organization in the coalition, echoed these sentiments. “We, as NGOs, individually, were strong in what we do, but many of our proposals and voices were lost when speaking and making recommendations.”  This lack of a concrete voice was extremely disappointing to many of the NGOs who hoped to make a more tangible impact in their committees.  Search for Common Ground continued on this train of thought, emphasizing that “together, the United Nations will see that there are more than 70 NGOs making the same points together.”

The Non-Governmental Organizations Program continues its quest to unite in Salon D of the Boston Marriott Copley Place Hotel.

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