COMMITTEE ON NGOS CONTINUES CONSIDERING APPLICATIONS FOR CONSULTATIVE STATUS WITHIN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

Press Release
NGO/353

COMMITTEE ON NGOS CONTINUES CONSIDERING APPLICATIONS FOR CONSULTATIVE STATUS WITHIN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

Pressing on with the second part of its 2000 session this afternoon, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) continued its consideration of applications by NGOs for consultative status within the Economic and Social Council.

In line with a decision taken during its morning session, the Committee continued to give precedence to applications by NGOs whose representatives are currently in New York.

The current requests for consultative status were deferred from previous sessions of the Committee in 1988 and 1999.

The Committee first resumed consideration of the application of the Human Rights International Alliance –- an international NGO requesting special consultative status -- which had been deferred from the morning session. The Committee’s Chairman, M. Levant Bilman (Turkey), drew attention to the fact that during the morning session, some members had noted that there was a difference between the information provided by the Alliance’s representative and the written application.

He said that other members had requested clarification on the connection between the Alliance and the Global Peace Foundation, since both organizations shared the same address, phone number and in some cases key personnel. It was therefore decided that until those two main matters were cleared up, the Committee would not be in a position to take a decision on the issue.

Considering time constraints, it was also decided that the Secretariat request clarification in writing on those two main points and that the application by the Alliance be deferred until that was received. (For more details on the Committee’s consideration of this application, see Press Release NGO/352 of 13 June.)

Also this afternoon, the Committee decided to grant special consultative status to the Global Eco-Village Network -- an international NGO. The Network, which is headquartered in Denmark, serves as a global administrator and catalyst and promotes the establishment and development of eco-villages worldwide. It has 3,423 individual members and 162 organization members in 82 countries.

Organizations wishing to apply for the “general” category must be concerned with most of the activities of the Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary

Committee on NGOs - 2 - Press Release NGO/353 748th Meeting (PM) 13 June 2000

bodies. The “special” category is granted to organizations that are concerned specifically with only a few of the fields of activity covered by the Council. Organizations that can make occasional and useful contributions to the Council or its subsidiary bodies are included on the “roster”. Such NGOs tend to have a more specific or technical focus or both.

Also this afternoon, after much debate and the absence of consensus, the Committee decided to defer consideration of the application for general consultative status by the International Prostitutes Collective, an international NGO, based in San Francisco, United States. The Committee further decided to ask the Secretariat to obtain the establishing statute of the Collective and to ask the organization to further clarify its aims.

Some delegations felt that the Collective encouraged prostitution, while others advocated granting it special status, since it dealt with women’s issues. Still other members drew attention to the fact that the NGO could be seen as promoting child prostitution. In response to that, other delegations pointed to interpretation of the organization’s aims and goals as a contributing factor in the formulation of such perceptions.

The Collective aims to “highlight the effects and end the criminalization of prostitute women, children and men”. It presses for sex workers to be recognized as workers with human, legal and civil rights. Among other things, however, the organization also aims to make policy makers aware of how the feminization of poverty increases the number of women and children forced into prostitution. In addition, the NGO presses for viable economic alternatives so that no one is forced into prostitution by poverty.

Also this afternoon, consideration of an application by the National Association of Women’s Organizations in Uganda –- a national NGO requesting general consultative status –- was deferred to give that body more time to respond to questions raised by the Committee.

The mission of the Ugandan NGO is to promote a coordinated network of member organizations for the efficient use of resources to improve the status and living conditions of women in Uganda.

The Committee also decided this afternoon not to recommend the granting of special consultative status to the Association pour la Fondation Mohsen Hachtroudi -- an international NGO requesting special consultative status.

The aim of the Association, which is based in Paris, France, is to become a foundation based on Iranian soil. Given the current political situation in Iran, preparatory work is being done in Europe. The objectives continue to be education, a secular society, democracy and human rights. The Association also acknowledges that NGOs are a very significant force of opposition in the world and that opposition forces are needed to preserve democracy.

Addressing the application of that NGO, a large number of speakers cited the organization’s political nature, its links with terrorist organizations and pointed to certain activities that did not confirm with the decisions of the Economic and Social Council. It was also noted that the objectives of the Association were not clear. A number of speakers saw it as an opposition party that aspired to assume political power in Iran. It was also underscored that

there were elements within the organization’s makeup that ran counter to principles of the Security Council.

One speaker, however, said that Mohsen Hachtroudi was not a terrorist but a journalist and that the French Government would not have tolerated a terrorist organization on its soil. The fact that Ms. Hachtroudi had also announced her withdrawal from the Iranian Revolutionary Council was also brought to the attention of the Committee.

The representatives of Algeria, Chile, Cuba, Ethiopia, France, Germany, India, Lebanon, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia and the United States made statements this afternoon. Interventions were also made by Iran in its capacity as an observer.

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

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