COMMITTEE ON NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS CONTINUES REVIEW OF WORKING METHODS

Press Release
NGO/342

COMMITTEE ON NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS CONTINUES REVIEW OF WORKING METHODS

As the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) continued to review its working methods this morning, most speakers agreed that it was important to emphasize electronic means of communication with NGOs, taking into account the development of modern technology.

NGOs should be encouraged to submit applications for accreditation by e-mail, whenever possible, stated the representative of France. The Secretariat then could send questionnaires by the same electronic means to the delegations. That would save money and paper, and facilitate the work of the Secretariat. Currently, the investment was quite staggering and there was too much paperwork in circulation.

The representative of Turkey believed that enormous capital investments would not be needed to start processing applications electronically. He recommended that the NGO Section of the Secretariat contact the Working Group on Informatics to benefit from its expertise. Also supporting the French proposal, the representative of the Russian Federation said that it was necessary to amend the questionnaire in order to reflect modern technology. In addition to other data, the NGOs could be asked to provide the addresses of their Web sites.

Levent Bilman (Turkey), Committee Chairman, said that the Committee could recommend to the Economic and Social Council that the Secretariat be supplied with the means of processing papers electronically. Also, the deadlines set with regard to the application process were not feasible. The question was how to speed up the process of applications, improve communication with the NGO community and to relay members’ questions to the Secretariat on time.

The Chief of the NGO Section, Hanifa Mezoui, said that under the current procedure, NGOs were required to provide a letter of intent to apply for status by 1 June. They were then placed on the list for consideration by the Committee during its spring session. After that, they were sent a questionnaire, which they had to send back to the Section. Often the responses received were incomplete or inaccurate. Thus, the Section had to go back and forth with the NGOs for a few months before the application was completed.

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* There was no press release for the 739th Meeting.

Committee on NGOs - 2 - Press Release NGO/342 740th Meeting (AM) 17 May 2000

While most speakers supported improving the efficiency of the NGO Section through the use of electronic technology, some cautioned against alienating large numbers of NGOs from the South, which did not yet have access to the Internet. The Cuban representative stressed the need to consider the needs of poor countries and to provide them with the necessary technical means to avoid creating unequal conditions for NGOs from the developed and the developing world.

It was also emphasized that making use of modern methods of communication should not replace the traditional ones, which still had significance. E-mail was not widely used in many developing countries, stated Algeria's representative. Conventional means were still the only way for many NGOs to submit their applications.

The representative of the United States said that even if poor NGOs from the South did not have the means now, the technology would become available to them in the near future. Many NGOs already used electronic means of communications, and it was necessary to take advantage of that. The discussion also focused on the use of all six languages in communicating with NGOs.

Following the discussion, the Committee Chairman stated that the Committee was ready to establish a working group on improving the questionnaire, as suggested by India. Second, the Secretariat could send applications via e-mail, while not changing the established practice for the moment. Third, a Web site containing all the relevant information was already available and was currently being improved by the Secretariat.

Fourth, he continued, the Secretariat would contact other relevant bodies of the United Nations, particularly the Working Group on Informatics, on ways to improve their work in a technical way. Fifth, members were requested to send their comments to the Committee before its informal session. Also, while the deadline for applications for NGOs should be strictly observed, a second deadline should be provided, so that they could supply missing information.

On the issue of national clearance for the application of NGOs for consultative status, Committee members sought clarification regarding cases of national NGOs registered in one country, yet active in another. Speakers raised the question whether nationality applied to the country in which an organization was registered, or to the country at which it aimed its work. It was also asked to whom the Secretariat should address the letter seeking national clearance.

Many delegates agreed that the main criterion should be the country of registration of a particular NGO, while others stressed that if an organization worked in a country different from that of its registration, it should be considered an international organization. The language of resolution 1996/31 was ambiguous in that respect. Some maintained that it was necessary to seek opinions from all countries concerned and that additional information would only facilitate the Committee's work. According to current procedure, it was the NGO itself that determined whether it was a national or international organization. Speakers agreed that it was necessary to establish a clear definition of national versus international NGOs

Committee on NGOs - 3 - Press Release NGO/342 740th Meeting (AM) 17 May 2000

The Committee, a 19-member standing body of the Economic and Social Council, began the first part of its 2000 session on Monday, 15 May. Non-governmental organizations that fulfil requirements set out in Council resolution 1996/31 can be granted consultative status under "general", "special" or "roster" categories. Each category carries distinct privileges and responsibilities. (For further details, see Press Release NGO/339, issued on 15 May.)

Statements were also made by the representatives of China, India, Bolivia, Colombia, Germany, Chile, Pakistan and Sudan.

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue reviewing its working methods.

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