- Seneiya
Kamotho
- English/Kenya
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- Disorganisation might render the NGO Forum less fruitful than intended, in the countdown to the Government Conference. Many of the 7,000 NGO delegates from diverse countries are still milling around in confusion, while others have continually complained of cold-shouldering by the organising officials. At this very instant, even as the intergovernmental meeting begins, there are still hundreds of hopeful NGO delegates trying to register, as others head back home. Some have been booked into five-star, 500 rand-a-day hotels over 200 kms from the Forum, while 350 women from Gauteng Province of South Africa spent most of their days living in a parked train in the Durban Train Station. Reportedly, the coalition of community groups from Gauteng Province could not register due to a 100-dollar Forum registration fee that they thought had been waived by the organisers. The train Station Manager Krish Gondan pointed out that the women were living in a very confined space and the NGO Secretariat representative Meria Andrews said the situation is made worse because some of the women are HIV positive. Spanish and Russian speakers also complained that inadequate arrangements were made for simultaneous interpretation hence leaving them out of active participation and the disabled also had their bone of contention. Jerry Nkeli, a Commissioner of the South African Human Rights Commission says, "the organisers did not ensure that the committee themes, deliberations and programmes had an impact on the disabled. Even at the logistical level there are no special toilets for the disabled despite the fact that the discussions take the whole day, and the participants are far from their hotels. Ironically, the International Steering Committee had a disabled person, one would have expected more sensitivity with him there." Mersha Andrews, the President of SANGOCO admitted that the facilities at the forum were inadequate and said at a press briefing, "A member in the Executive committee is himself in a wheelchair and we will try and create access to all venues." Press statements from some caucuses have come out a day late, and programmes and signs indicating where some discussions are taking place have been hard to come by. Those selling food took advantage of the situation and raised food prices. "I don t take lunch at these food stalls, I would rather serve my money says Rinda Kuku, a delegate from Sudan. These people are taking advantage of us." Ironically, the Forum is a culmination of an intensive and broad-based 18 months international process of planning and consultation. A lot of the current disorganisation is blamed on rifts between SANGOCO, the International Steering Committee, and the World Conference Against Racism NGO Forum Secretariat which all had a hand in the planning of the conference. The Forum was to design practical strategies and recommendations to address the sources, victims, and prevention measures of Racism worldwide and present them to the Intergovernmental meeting at the World Conference of Racism. Disorganisation may hinder this effect.
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