Civil Society Statement to the 5th Plenary Meeting for the International Conference on Financing for Development

March 22, 2002 Monterrey, Mexico

Presented by Mr. Arjun Kumar Karki and Monica Vincent

The NGO Caucus would like to begin by expressing our appreciation to the Mexican government for its compliance with UN guidelines in providing facilities for civil society work. It sets a precedent that all governments should seek to follow in the future.

But the NGO Caucus states that we are not part of the Monterrey Consensus. We do not consider it a sufficient basis for combating poverty or for advancing economic, social and cultural rights.