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Reaching Critical Will: NGO Strategy Summit October 2002. (RCW NGO Summit).

Article Excerpt
General Introduction

On the weekend of October 18-20, 2002, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) focused on disarmament and international security gathered in New York for the Reaching Critical Will NGO Strategy Summit, an intensive weekend of discussion. One point was made clear: NGOs have the energy and motivation to work on the issue of disarmament and the NGO movement must, at this pivotal moment in the history of arms control and disarmament, reassess current approaches to strategy and advocacy.

How NGOs approach these challenges will depend on how this movement addresses the need to focus its efforts on outcomes of greater policy relevance and impact, in our context - "results-based disarmament." This strategy summit was the beginning of a process intended to shift gears from the "what" of disarmament substantive issues to "how" NGOs in different environments, fora, and capacities working on disarmament can strategize together and coordinate efforts in an effective and qualitative manner.

This report on the Summit will include a summary of the panels and discussions, will pull out some recurring themes and insights ascertained from the Summit proceedings and will conclude with a section on feedback received on the summit and looking forward to future follow-up summits.

Summary of Summit Proceedings

Friday, October 18, 2002

The summit began with a reception on Friday evening featuring remarks...