COMMITTEE ON NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS BEGINS SECOND PART OF 2000 SESSION

Press Release
NGO/351

COMMITTEE ON NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS BEGINS SECOND PART OF 2000 SESSION

The Committee of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) this afternoon began the second part of its 2000 session scheduled for 12 to 23 June.

Based on complaints registered during informal consultations this morning, the Committee decided to start discussions on adoption of its agenda and other organizational matters on Wednesday, 21 June. If more time were needed, the Committee would subsequently decide whether additional meetings would be required on Thursday, 22 June and Friday, 23 June. The Committee also decided to adopt its programme of work as orally amended.

Under other matters this afternoon, the Committee began consideration of 39 applications by NGOs for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council. Those applications had been deferred from previous sessions of the Committee in 1998 and 1999.

The Committee decided to drop the request by the Israel Women’s Network -- a national NGO -- for special consultative status, because that organization had asked for its application to be withdrawn.

The Israel Women’s Network, a non-partisan organization with 2,400 members, aims to improve the status and welfare of women in Israel by promoting women’s rights, combating discrimination and firmly placing women’s issues on the national agenda.

A request by the Local Government International Bureau, a national NGO, for general consultative status, was deferred since questions by Committee members on the true character of the organization needed further clarification.

The Bureau, with 410 organizational members, is the international outreach arm of the Local Government Association of England, the Welsh Local Government Association, the Association of Local Authorities of Northern Ireland and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. It seeks accreditation to the Council as the national affiliate body of the International Union of Local Authorities, which is based in The Hague, Netherlands and has branches in all United Nations regions.

Addressing a request by the Council for the Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms -- a national NGO -- for general consultative status, the Committee decided to continue consideration of the application of that organization tomorrow

Committee on NGOs - 2 - Press Release NGO/351 746th Meeting (PM) 12 June 2000

morning. Committee members drew attention to the fact that no communication had been received from it since December 1998 and there was no knowledge as to whether that NGO still existed.

The Council for the Defence of Human Rights has 74 individual members and was founded in 1989 in Pristina, Kosovo. Its objective is to monitor human rights abuses in the province and other ethnic Albanian regions in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, to inform international and local public opinion, and when possible, to defend all those whose rights have been violated.

The representatives of Algeria, China, Cuba, France, India, Lebanon, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Sudan, Turkey and the United States spoke during the meeting. The United Kingdom and Syria also spoke in their capacity as observers.

The Committee on NGOs will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow to continue its consideration of the applications by NGOs for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council.

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