Patrick Sciarratta
Patrick Sciarratta, President of the Global NGO Executive Committee, discusses how non-governmental organizations (NGOs) interface with the United Nations Department of Global Communication regarding issues to eliminate the devastation of war, promote economic and social development and enhance human rights. Many NGOs have Consultative Status at the United Nations with organs such as the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). One NGO that has been a major UN partner is Rotary International (RI). In 1987, Rotary invited some UN agencies, namely the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), along with the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to form a unique public-private partnership to combat the scourge of polio. Other NGOs such as Kiwanis International and Lions International have collaborated with UN agencies on a wide-range of health and legal problems. Nearly 2,000 NGOs representing faith-based, businesses, environmentalists, labor, human rights, etc. groups are networking with the UN.
