[The United Nations confronts the challenges of a changing world: the 49th Annual DPI/NGO Conference]

The United Nations (UN), previously considered a forum exclusively for sovereign governments, has changed over time in tune with various political, economic, social, and cultural phenomena. One of these is the growing presence of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in international agencies and activities. The 49th Annual Conference of the Department of Public Information and NGOs, held at UN headquarters on 10 September 1996, analyzed the extent to which the UN is allowing NGOs to participate in its discussions of policy, institutional reform, and field operations. The issues discussed at the Conference and the challenges that face the UN in a changing world from the subject of this report.