Leaders of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from throughout the world join together at the World Congress of NGOs to discuss issues of pressing importance for the Third Sector. Known often as charities, nonprofits, and civil society organizations, NGOs assume a key role in tackling serious challenges confronting humanity and the world.

Prominent international and national leaders from the intergovernmental, governmental, and for-profit sectors, who share an interest in helping NGOs accomplish their vital tasks, will also be participating in the Congress. Professional and practical training experts will provide invaluable information and useful tools to help the NGOs become more effective in carrying out their missions.

The 2009 World Congress is being held in Manila, Philippines from December 10-13. This is the second World Congress, with the first one held in Toronto, Canada in 2007. Convened by the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO), the World Congress comes on the foundation of the WANGO Annual Conferences, with previous events being held in Washington, D.C. (2002), Bangkok, Thailand (2003), Budapest, Hungary (2004), and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (2005).

The 2009 World Congress is unique in that it is being held in partnership with the Global Peace Convention, which will take place over the same dates at the same hotel (Manila Hotel). The Global Peace Convention is the culmination of numerous Global Peace Festivals held around the world, centered on the pillars of service, family, and interfaith cooperation. The Global Peace Convention in Manila will attract a diverse group of leaders working in the arenas of politics, education, arts and entertainment, media, religion, science, and academia, among many other areas. Participants also will engage in a local service project, following the tradition of such GPF service projects as cleaning the Nairobi River in Kenya and cleaning areas along the Manila coastline. Participants also will be invited to participate in an optional post-conference field trip to the island of Mindanao to witness peace endeavors in the area, including a Peace Park.

The theme for the 2009 World Congress of NGOs is Enhancing Human Dignity: The Role of NGOs. The concept of human dignity is fundamental to the character of being human, signifying that all human beings possess an intrinsic worthiness. This intrinsic worthiness is widely recognized by international law as the source of all human rights. As noted in the Preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), respect is owed to every individual by the mere fact that he or she is a “member of the human family.” Article 1 of this same Declaration notes that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, are endowed with reason and conscience, and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” Both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) state that human rights “derive from the inherent dignity of the human being.”

As a core component of human beings, human dignity is the concern of all NGOs. Whether striving to prevent or treat disease, advance reconciliation or prevent conflict of warring parties, or provide humanitarian aid, at the forefront of an NGO’s mission is the recognition of the inherent dignity of each human being.

NGOs have a unique capability to advance initiatives enhancing human dignity. Their flexibility and grassroots connections aid them in quickly mobilizing resources and their often single-minded commitment and strong motivation gives them a civic power that other institutions may lack. They typically strive to use cost-effective means, mounting projects without large offices, staff, or funding—making do with what little they have for the sake of their mission. Often NGOs are willing to address threats to human dignity that other groups may overlook, and have an ability and willingness to work beyond borders and build partnerships. NGOs have used these advantages to forge an effective middle ground between the state and the corporate world, providing a third sector that is impacting policies and guiding agendas that once were nearly exclusively the arena of these first two sectors. In many cases, NGOs have proven to be more adept than government and business in responding to particular needs.

However, NGOs also face numerous challenges. A key, oft-cited weakness of the sector is lack of inter-NGO communication and coordination. Other challenges include limited institutional capacity and management expertise, frequent poor government-NGO cooperation, lack of understanding of the broader social and economic context, and funding difficulties. And this is not to forget the complication of having some NGOs that act unethically, thus weakening trust in the NGO sector. As institutions that do not place profit as their number one goal, NGOs tend to be among the most trusted institutions in society and most do strive ethically and responsibly to promote the public good. But there are also actors in the NGO community that do not follow acceptable standards of conduct.

The World Congress of NGOs is convened to bring leaders of NGOs together to address common concerns, propose and discuss solutions to the many challenges of the sector, connect and learn from one another, and help empower NGOs to be more effective in their missions.

One of the highlights of the World Congress of NGOs is the Awards Banquet, when NGOs that have shown remarkable leadership and service in their field of endeavor are honored. Recognizing the spirit of volunteerism among NGOs and acknowledging particularly effective NGOs, both large and small, has been a hallmark focus of WANGO. The 2009 awardees will be announced at the WANGO Awards Banquet on December 12 at a major banquet for both attendees of the World Congress and the Global Peace Convention.

Awards will be presented in diverse categories, including Peace & Security, Education, Human Rights, Environment, Inter-religious Cooperation, and Family & Peace. Among past WANGO awardees are such NGOs as Rotary International, the Arias Foundation, Free the Children, SurfAid International, the Bahrain Women’s Society, the World Association of Early Childhood Educators, the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (Canada), the United Religions Institute, and the African American Islamic Institute. Dr. Wangari Maathai’s Green Belt Movement was recognized with the Environment Award just one year before she became recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and Yusef Islam’s (Cat Stevens) Small Kindness was recognized with the Humanitarian Award shortly before he became recipient of the annual award from an association of Nobel Prize winners.

The Universal Peace Award has been WANGO’s highest award for individuals. Among previous award recipients are Prof. Dr. Federico Mayor Zaragoza, former Director General of UNESCO; H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand; and H.E. Kenneth Kaunda, founding President of Zambia; and Chief Oren Lyons of the Onondaga Council of Chiefs of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy.