Oslo High Level Conference on Armed Violence and the MDGs: Call for Expression of Interest to Participate.

On 21-22 April the Government of Norway and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are hosting a high level conference on armed violence and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Oslo. This meeting will bring together governments and civil society to build engagement with the problem of armed violence ahead of the MDG Review Summit in September at the UN in New York.

We are now seeking expressions of interest from civil society organisations to participate in this conference and to work to promote this agenda in the Millennium Development Goals Review Process currently underway. Interested organisations should express their interest through submission of this application form. Forms should be completed and returned to Portia Stratton (pstratton@aoav.org.uk) by 22 February.

As space for civil society participation in the April confrence is limied, organisations and individuals that are already involved in programming or advocacy work accross the fields of development, disarmament, public health, human rights and transparency will be given priority. Oganisations and indivduals that are able to support the call on governments in section 2 of the expression of interest (application) document will also be given preference.

Please be aware that because of space constraints, expressing an interest will not necessarily result in an invitation to the conference.

Sponsoship will be avaliable for organisations that are not able to fund their own participation. Priority for sponsorship will be given to organisations from the global south.

This conference, and the MDG Review Process, presents a significant opportunity for civil society to work with governments to develop an agenda for action that sees concrete steps agreed to reduce armed violence, improve measurement and monitoring, and support the rights of armed violence victims. We hope you will wish to participate.