SOME DELEGATIONS CHARGE ABUSE OF STATUS BY NON-GOVERNMENTAL BODIES, AS COMMITTEE ON NGOS REVIEWS WORK METHODS

Press Release
NGO/340

SOME DELEGATIONS CHARGE ABUSE OF STATUS BY NON-GOVERNMENTAL BODIES, AS COMMITTEE ON NGOS REVIEWS WORK METHODS

Serious concern was raised in the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) this afternoon, as several delegations criticized NGOs that either disregarded the withdrawal of their consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, or else violated that status.

As the Committee on NGOs met to review its methods of work and other organizational matters, the representatives of the Sudan, Russian Federation and China cited NGOs involved in such violations and gave related details.

The representative of the Sudan said that her country's permanent missions in New York and Geneva had drawn the attention of the President of the Economic and Social Council to the distribution of press releases by Christian International Solidarity during the fifty-sixth session of the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, despite having lost its consultative status last October.

Distribution of the publications of any NGO whose consultative status had been withdrawn was totally unacceptable, she said. The Geneva incident demonstrated blatant disregard of both the Council and United Nations decisions. The Sudan had requested a prompt investigation to identify the person who had allowed the NGO's press releases to be circulated inside a United Nations building.

The delegate of the Russian Federation said that a representative of Chechen separatists, addressing the fifty-sixth session of the Human Rights Commission on behalf of the Transnational Radical Party, had spoken on such issues as hostage- taking, slave trading and capital punishment. That NGO had also addressed matters relating to the international narcotics trade, propagated the legalization of narcotics and distributed its arguments by post. Its philosophy and behaviour represented a gross abuse of its consultative status, and the Russian representative asked the Committee to deprive it of that status.

Referring to another NGO, China's representative said that on 29 March in Geneva, Freedom House had misused the names of the Chinese delegation and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to obtain interpretation services for the NGO's own activity. The Chinese Ambassador in Geneva had asked the Director-General of the United Nations Office in Geneva for a thorough inquiry into the incident. On 8 May, the Director-General had confirmed that a Freedom House member had used the telephone in the High Commissioner’s Office, pretending he was requesting services for the Chinese delegation. The incident was a serious abuse of confidence.

Committee on NGOs - 2 - Press Release NGO/340 737th Meeting (PM) 15 May 2000

Tunisia's representative pointed out that his delegation had voted against granting consultative status to Freedom House when the NGO had first applied. At that time, the Committee had rejected the application, but the Economic and Social Council had granted Freedom House consultative status. The distribution of Christian International Solidarity press releases had been a challenge not only to the Sudanese Government, but also to the Committee and the Council, which had confirmed the Committee's decision to withdraw the NGO's consultative status.

Supporting the representative of the Sudan, the representative of Cuba said that the problem was far more complex than it appeared, and the Committee should consider it later. Algeria's representative said that beyond investigating the incident, the Committee must know how to avoid that kind of thing in the future, otherwise its decisions would never be respected. The Committee must ensure strict compliance with its own decisions, as well as those of the Council.

Levent Bilman (Turkey), Committee Chairman, responding to the statement by the Russian delegate, said due process would be applied to the matter in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31, which dealt with withdrawal of status. He was was not in a position to suggest any action to the Committee regarding the Sudan, since that country had referred its complaint to the Council President. Once he had consulted with the President, he would inform the Committee about any action taken or to be taken.

During the Committee's review of its working methods, delegates raised issues relating to accreditation, including the underrepresentation of NGOs from the South, and the number of representatives accredited. The representative of Cuba said a balance should be found between NGO and government representatives, particularly in light of logistical problems such as the unavailability of meeting rooms for government representatives.

France's representative said that it was not up to the Committee to deal with the question of numbers. That was an issue to be dealt with by the various bodies, such as the Human Rights Commission, themselves. China's representative said that the number should be a reasonable one determined by the organizations concerned. The issue was not the number of representatives, but rather how the NGOs could conduct themselves in accordance with the rules.

The representative of the United States said that given the limited amount of time available for the Committee's work, its mandate should be narrow -– to review new applications, consider deferred applications and review quadrennial reports. While the process of accreditation was essentially fine, it was the conduct of the NGOs that affected the Committee.

Also speaking this afternoon were the representatives of Turkey, Chile, Bolivia and Germany.

The Committee on NGOs will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow to continue reviewing its working methods.

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