Very dear Friends in Servas,

Greetings and best wishes to you.
Very soon we'll have for you a report from our Servas International Representatives to the World Summit on Sustainable Development that just ended in Johannesburg.

I do appreciate the news received from several of you, and I'd like to reciprocate by sharing with you some news about the Department of Public Information (DPI) of the United Nations.

We all fully agree that Servas is most effective in building peace through the constant meeting of travellers with the hosts. Nevertheless there is more we can do if we wish. While Servas International, as a global NGO, has Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the UN (ECOSOC), any strong National Servas Group with an interest to doing more for world Peace and development, has the possibility to associate with the DPI.

All Non Governamental Organizations (NGO), and thus any National Servas group which so chooses, anyplace in the world, can be accredited with the DPI.of the United Nations. In fact, the DPI associates NGOs from many countries to its work. The main purpose is for these NGOs to disseminate information about the UN. The NGO must demonstrate that it has the commitment and means to conduct effective information programmes about UN activities. One must apply to the Chief, NGO Section, Department of Public Information, Room S-1070L, United Nations, New York, N.Y. 10017. I would advise whoever of you is interested to consult the UN Home Page (ttp:www.un.org/dpi/ngosection ) for more information. Once you are associated with DPI you can also have access to the other UN Information Services throughout the world, including Geneva and Vienna.

Servas International would like to keep in contact with all Servas Representatives to any UN office or to any other international organization. I thus do ask you to please let me know also all the names and emailaddresses of your representatives to the DPI of the UN. United in Peacebuilding,