TWENTY-NINE NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS APPROVED FOR ASSOCIATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION

4 December 1998

Press Release
PI/1101

TWENTY-NINE NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS APPROVED FOR ASSOCIATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION

19981204 The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations of the Department of Public Information (DPI), at its meeting on Wednesday, 2 December 1998, decided to grant DPI association to 20 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from nine countries, bringing the total number of NGOs associated with DPI to 1,581. All the organizations have strong public information outreach, the principal criterion used by the Committee in making its decision.

The NGOs newly associated with DPI include one from Asia; eight from Europe; one from the Middle East; and 19 from the United States. These organizations represent a diverse range of interests, including the rights of indigenous and disabled people, women and youth, human settlement and disarmament. Several of the NGOs conduct research and promote education on peacekeeping, conflict resolution and reconciliation. The Lester B. Pearson Canadian International Peacekeeping Training Centre, named after the former Canadian Prime Minister, offers an extensive range of courses on peacekeeping for the military, academics and NGO representatives. The Life and Peace Institute (Sweden) emphasizes justice, conflict resolution and reconciliation, while the Anuvrat Global Organization (India) focuses on multi-cultural understanding and tolerance through its non-violence education programmes.

Many of the newly associated organizations reach very large constituencies. American Water Works Association (USA) -- one of the largest publishing sources on drinking water information -- has 51,000 individual members. The Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (United Kingdom), which promotes a free media, counts among its members the British Broadcasting Corporation, All India Radio, and Kenya Broadcasting Corporation. The College Art Association (USA) has 12,340 individual and 1,802 institutional members including universities, museums and libraries from over 35 countries. They include Harvard University, Cambridge University Library, the Museum of Modern Art and the French National Library. The Congregation of the Mission (Italy), established in 1625, has publications in four languages (Italian, English, French and Spanish), with a circulation of up to 335,000.

Organizations eligible for association with DPI must share the ideals of the United Nations Charter, operate solely on not-for-profit basis, and demonstrate an interest in United Nations issues. In addition, they must have a proven ability to reach large or specialized audiences with well-developed

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information programmes, as well as the commitment and means to disseminate information about the United Nations.

For further information, please contact the DPI/NGO Section, tel. (212) 963-6842.

Following are the organizations newly associated with DPI, listed per region:

Asia and the Pacific: Anuvrat Global Organization (India)

Europe: Association of Rural Women and Their Families (Spain) Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (United Kingdom) Congregation of the Mission (Italy) Federacio Catalana d'Escoltisme I Guiatge (Spain) Institute for the Creation of Spiritual Consciousness in Politics and Economy (Switzerland) Life and Peace Institute (Sweden) Solidaridad Internacional Fundacion Espanola para la Cooperacion (Spain) World Youth Services and Enterprise (United Kingdom)

Middle East: Peace Centre of Iran (Iran)

North America: American Indian Law Alliance (USA) American Water Works Association (USA) Athletes United for Peace (USA) College Art Association (USA) Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (USA) Dominican Leadership Conference (USA) Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (USA) Institute for Science and International Security (USA) International Association for Sufism (USA) International Council for Caring Communities, Inc. (USA) International Religious Liberty Association (USA) Knights of Columbus (USA) Modern Buddhism of America (USA) People to People Committee on Disability (USA) Resource Center for the United Nations (USA) The Lester B. Pearson Canadian Peacekeeping Training Centre (Canada) United States Servas, Inc. (USA) World Chiropractic Alliance (USA) Youth Power (USA)

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