From:                 Self <Single-user mode> Anne, Craig, Steve, Bo
& some others, who asked for participation in the Jakarta Conference:

as a matter of fact, WHO relates to governments (who pay the
membership fees) rather than to people. It's an inter-governmental
organization, not an NGO. That's why its conferences are almost always
exclusive in terms of participation. One may not like this fact but
that's what WHO is all about.

What can electronic participation in the Jakarta Conference
possibly accomplish? To comment on what papers are given or what
recommendations are decided upon? The conference will be prepared
excellently in terms of WHO's own standards, i.e. no further input
from the outside will be necessary in July 1997. Again, this is not an
open forum, this is a closed shop!

Individual input could have been given on national level, whatever
that means. I never heard about a national conference here in
Australia, in which the preparation of the Jakarta Conference was an
agenda item. Well, that's not true, I heard of a meeting in December
1996, but then, that seemed to be a closed shop as well, since I have
not received an invitation or read a public announcement.

Don't worry - everything will be taken care of.

Eberhard Wenzel
Griffith University
Faculty of Environmental Sciences
Nathan, Qld. 4111
Australia
Tel.: 61-7-3875 7103
Fax:  61-7-3875 7459
e-mail: [log in to unmask]