FIVE NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS RECOMMENDED FOR CONSULTATIVE STATUS WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL BY COUNCIL"S STANDING COMMITTEE

Press Release
NGO/327

FIVE NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS RECOMMENDED FOR CONSULTATIVE STATUS WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL BY COUNCIL’S STANDING COMMITTEE

Five non-governmental organizations would be granted special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, according to recommendations made by the Council’s Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations this afternoon.

The Committee’s 19 members are charged with reviewing and making recommendations on applications for consultative status with the Council, based on criteria including groups’ mandates and financial information. Non-governmental organizations which are granted consultative status are general, special or roster status; each carries with it privileges and responsibilities aimed at the creation of a mutually beneficial relationship with the Council.

This afternoon the Committee recommended granting special consultative status to the: Femmes-Afrique-Solidarite; Charitable Society for Social Welfare; Hong Kong Federation of Women; Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning; and National Council of Women of Thailand. The first three had requested general status.

It decided to leave pending its decisions on requests for consultative status by the Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights; the National Opinion Research Center; Local Government International Bureau; and the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms.

Regarding the Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights, India’s representative asked for clarification on several matters. The organization had been described as international, he said, but its activities were confined to one region of one country. Also, it seemed the organization did not seem to reflect the totality of the principles in the United Nations Charter. He asked for the group’s reaction to armed elements in Kashmir who were segregating and killing minority communities in the name of religion. Was the organization, which stated it was working for the advancement of human rights in South Asia, monitoring human rights violations in “Pakistan-occupied Kashmir”? What was the organization’s relationship with the All-Party Hurriat Conference, which was a political body in Kashmir? Did the organization have any position on refugees and displaced persons in the region?

The Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights representative said his organization was very concerned with the plight of displaced persons in Jammu and Kashmir. All refugees had the right to return to their homes safely. “The worst thing that can happen to a person is to be without a home”, he said. He also said

Committee on NGOs - 2 - Press Release NGO/327 724th Meeting (PM) 21 January 2000

his organization had no relationship with the All-Party Hurriat Conference. His organization was a charitable institution providing human rights education services, and assisting in conflict resolution and information distribution. It did not subscribe to any specific political belief and defended against human rights violations wherever they occurred. He said that the work of the organization was not confined to one region and it had responded to conflict situations in South Asia and East Timor.

Pakistan’s representative stressed that there was no such entity as “Pakistan- occupied Kashmir”.

After being told that the Israel Women’s Network had informed the Secretariat that it wished to be considered at the Committee’s June 2000 session, Cuba’s representative said the applicant should not determine the Committee’s work schedule. India’s representative agreed that while an organization could ask for a deferral, it could not determine the date of its consideration. Algeria’s representative recalled that the same organization had sent a letter last year communicating that its representative was unable to attend the session last June. As a matter of principle, her delegation would not accept the organization’s current request, particularly as no valid reason had been provided. The Committee decide to continue its discussion of the issue on Monday, 21 January.

In this afternoon’s meeting, Committee members from United States, Ireland, Turkey, Tunisia, Chile, Sudan, China, United States, Colombia, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Russian Federation, France and the observers from Yemen and Syria also spoke; the Chief of the Non-Governmental Organizations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Hanifa Mezoui, responded to Committee members questions.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Monday, 24 January.

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