COMMITTEE ON NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS CONCLUDES TWO-WEEK SESSION

Press Release
NGO/338

COMMITTEE ON NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS CONCLUDES TWO-WEEK SESSION

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, a standing body of the Economic and Social Council, this afternoon concluded its two-week resumed 1999 session, during which it considered the applications and reports of more than 100 civil society groups.

Committee Chairman Wahid Ben Amor (Tunisia) announced in his concluding remarks that during the session, the Committee had recommended that 60 new non- governmental organizations be granted consultative status with the Economic and Social Council. It had also recommended 11 reclassifications of status and considered 47 quadrennial reports. The Committee also recommended that roster status with the Council be given to 15 organizations already accredited to the Commission on Sustainable Development.

During the two years of his Chairmanship, he said, the Committee had accredited more than 400 organizations and reviewed some 200 quadrennial reports. Some hundred groups came from countries from the South and Africa.

In recommending 400 groups for consultative status, the Committee had recognized the dynamic role non-governmental organizations played and was in accord with the Secretary-General’s encouragement for broad non-governmental organization participation in the work of the United Nations. Stressing the need to improve working methods, he said the Committee’s work was judged and must be safeguarded. He was grateful to those who helped protect procedure.

In its work today, the Committee approved its provisional agenda for its 2000 session, as orally amended. It also adopted its report to the Council, as amended, and authorized the Rapporteur, in consultation with Committee members, to establish a final version with a view to submtting it to the Council for decision. The Committee also considered its 1999 agenda and organizational matters in order to make corrections of status, omission and withdrawal of requests.

The Committee took note of special reports received from two organizations: the International Federation of Human Rights and the Pan-African Islamic Society for Agro-Cultural Development. Those were requested in light of incidents that had been attributed to individuals acting on behalf of the groups. The view was expressed that problems arising from statements or actions by groups acting on behalf of non- governmental organizations that enjoyed consultative status should be studied in detail by the Committee.

Committee on NGOs - 2 - Press Release NGO/338 735th Meeting (PM) 28 January 2000

In other action, the Committee took note of the quadrennial report of the Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation, although Pakistan’s representative expressed reservations. The report is submitted in accordance with Council resolution 1996/31, by which non-governmental organizations in general and special consultative status submit to the Committee, every fourth year, a report on their activities, in particular regarding their contribution to the work of the United Nations.

Also, the Committee recommended placing 15 groups on the Council’s roster, pursuant to resolution 1996/302 regarding non-governmental organizations participating in the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development that wished to expand their participation into other fields of the Council. The groups are: Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisoning; Earth Council; Evergreen Club of Ghana; European Environmental Bureau; Loretto Community (Sisters of Loretto); Maulik Chahida Karmashuchi; National Foundation of Indian Engineers; OIKOS Cooperacao e Desenvolvimento; Pan African Movement; Peace Trust; Rural Development Foundation of Pakistan; Sajju Institute and Research Foundation; Society for Rural Development; United Nations Association of Sweden; and World Circle of the Consensus.

It decided to defer its consideration of organizations that did not seem to be in conformity with the provisions of resolution 1996/31, after hearing from the representative of one such group -- Women’s Exchange Programme International. In addition to that group, the Committee decided to defer its consideration of other groups in the “gray area”: International Group of P and I Clubs; European Fertilizer Manufactures Association; International Federation of Inspection Agencies; German Advisory Council on Global Change; International Association of Conference Translators; Confederation of German Forest Owners Associations; Syrian Orthodox Church in America; Southern States Police Benevolent Association; and Working Party “Brussels 1952”.

Concluding statements were made by the representatives of Ireland, Lebanon, Pakistan, Turkey, Cuba, Colombia, United States, India, Russian Federation, Algeria, China, France, Sudan, Romania, Chile, Tunisia and Bolivia, and by the Chief of the Non-Governmental Section of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Hanifa Mezoui.

The 19-member Committee recommends to the Council which organizations should be granted consultative status in one of three categories: general, special and roster, the full Council membership making the final decision. The Committee’s work is guided by resolution 1996/31, which details the types of non-governmental organizations that can apply for consultative status, requirements for obtaining status, as well as duties and responsibilities of the non-governmental organizations in consultative status. When reviewing applications, Committee members consider matters including the relevance of the organization's work to the Council, as well as its decision-making mechanisms and financial regimes.

Groups with consultative status contribute to the work programmes and goals of the United Nations by serving as technical experts, advisers and consultants to

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governments and Secretariat. The consultative relationship allows for participation in the Council and its subsidiary bodies through attending meetings, and through oral interventions and written statements on agenda items of those bodies. Organizations with general status may propose new items for consideration by the Council.

Committee Officers, Membership

The Chairman of the Committee is Wahid Ben Amor (Tunisia). Eduardo Tapia (Chile), Joyce Duffy (Ireland), Hassan Najem (Lebanon) and Mihaela Blajan (Romania) are Vice-Chairman; Ms. Duffy also serves as Rapporteur.

The Committee’s membership is as follows: Algeria, Bolivia, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Ethiopia, France, India, Ireland, Lebanon, Pakistan, Romania, Russian Federation, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey, United States.

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