Committee on NGOs

770^th Meeting (AM)

COMMITTEE ON NGOS RECOMMENDS GRANTING ECOSOC STATUS TO FOUR MORE ORGANIZATIONS

The 2000 resumed session of the Committee on Non-governmental Organizations this morning continued its consideration of applications from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) which were deferred from its previous sessions.

The Committee decided to recommend the granting of special consultative status to Hadassah: the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, following a roll-call vote of nine in favour (Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Romania, Turkey, United States) to five against (Algeria, Cuba, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sudan), with three abstentions (China, India, Russian Federation).  Senegal and Tunisia were absent at the time of the vote.  Some Committee members expressed concern about the manner in which this application was considered.

By consensus, it recommended granting special consultative status to Grameena Vikas Samithi and to Minbyun -- Lawyers for a Democratic Society, and roster status to the Centro de Derechos Humanos Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez.

The Committee recommended that consultative status not be granted to Management Sciences for Health, the National Opinion Research Centre and the Olabisi Olaleye Foundation.  It deferred action on applications from five other NGOs, pending responses from those organizations to questions it raised.

The 19-member Committee on Non-governmental Organizations makes recommendations on applications from NGOs for standing with ECOSOC, and on requests for reclassification of that standing.  NGOs may be granted either general, special or roster consultative status, according to their work, with different privileges and obligations according to the different categories.

General consultative status is intended for NGOs concerned with most of the activities of ECOSOC that are broadly representative of society in different regions of the world.  Once accorded general status, NGOs can propose items for ECOSOC’s agenda, attend and speak at its meetings and circulate statements.  Organizations concerned with only a few of the fields of ECOSOC’s activity may be considered for special consultative status, which would allow them to attend meetings and circulate statements.  Roster status is accorded to those NGOs which can make occasional and useful contributions to ECOSOC or to other United Nations bodies.  Roster status NGOs can attend meetings and are available for consultation at the ECOSOC’s request.

Regarding the application for general consultative status from the Korea International Volunteer Organization, the representative of Algeria asked for more information on the ties between the NGO and the Government were, as the organization’s answer to her question was not clear.  She also asked clarification

about the category of status the NGO was applying for.  Action on the application was deferred pending a response to those requests.

Relief International had applied for general status as an international organization.  The representative of the Russian Federation expressed an objection to wording in the NGO’s presentation that implied the Chechnya Republic was not part of the Russian Federation.  The Web site of the organization suggested the same thing, the representative said, and also spoke of a Chechnyan war of independence, he said.  He asked for clarification of the NGO’s position on this matter.  The representative of Algeria asked for further information on the NGO’s sources of income, as the largest part seemed to come from intergovernmental bodies; something that should have been highlighted in the original application.  Action on the application was deferred pending the NGO’s response.

Action on the application of Vishva Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) for general consultative status was also deferred, since questions raised by Committee members had only been sent to it yesterday.

As for the application for special consultative status of Le Foyer Musulman, Association International pour les Droits de l’Homme, the Russian Federation representative noted that part of its answers were in French.  Also, reference was made to the Chechnya Republic, which was mentioned as not being part of the Russian Federation.  He wanted its position on the latter clarified and also asked for an English translation of the French parts of the organization’s answer.  The representative of India seconded that request.  The representative of Algeria said she was not satisfied with the organization’s answer to the question about its not-for-profit status, as it was listed in the Geneva commercial register.  The Committee deferred action on the application pending receipt of clarifications on these matters.

The Committee decided not to recommend any consultative status be granted to Management Sciences for Health, as the representative of India stated that the organization was an agency that executed contracts and therefore did not fall within the definition of a non-governmental organization.

Grameena Vikas Samithi, a national organization, had requested general consultative status.  The representative of India suggested recommending special consultative status.  The Committee decided to follow that suggestion, recommending granting of special consultative status.

Following a recorded vote, requested by the United States, of nine in favour (Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Romania, Turkey, United States) to five against (Algeria, Cuba, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sudan), with three abstentions (China, India, Russian Federation), the Committee decided to recommend the granting of special status for Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc.  The vote was requested in writing to the Committee’s Chairman, Levent Bilman (Turkey), which meant discussion of the organization’s answers to questions asked was not possible under the Committee’s rules of procedure.

In explanation of position before the vote, the representative of Algeria objected strongly to the procedure.  She said the usual procedure in the Committee was to consider the organization’s response to questions.  The current situation meant Committee members did not have the opportunity to speak on the responses from the NGO.  The delegation requesting the vote had created a precedent.  Her objections were supported by representatives of Cuba, Sudan and China, and by observer member Syria and the Permanent Observer of Palestine.

In a general statement after the vote, the representative of Chile, said the correct procedure had been followed.  Chile had voted in favour of recommending special status because, in his view, it was the Committee’s task to determine whether or not an organization was in line with General Assembly and Security Council resolutions.  That was the case with Hadassah.

The representative of observer member Syria said that Hadassah used a form of racism and acted against the will of the international community.  It did not respect United Nations resolutions on the Middle East.  Its attitude seemed hostile to the Middle East peace process, particularly with respect to the city of Jerusalem.  Syria was deeply disappointed with the decision taken by the Committee, she said. 

The representative of observer member Israel expressed gratitude to the members of the Committee for this important and courageous recommendation.  However, he remained outraged by certain statements made in the course of deliberations on the issue.  He had hoped that anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric of the past had disappeared.  He categorically rejected statements of certain Committee members who preferred to perpetuate a fruitless campaign of defamation and propaganda, and hoped that the United Nations would act to uproot discriminatory elements from within and continue to move towards fulfilling its mandate to resolve conflict and foster peace and understanding among all the peoples of the world.

Representatives of Lebanon, Germany, France, Ethiopia and Romania also spoke in explanation of their vote. 

Regarding the application for special consultative status of the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, the representative of Algeria said that its field of activity was important, but she would like an explanation of the organization’s link with the FBI.  The representative of Sudan asked for clarification of the organization’s financial situation, as it had accepted funds from several areas of government in the United States.  The Committee deferred a decision on the application pending responses from the organization.

Regarding the National Opinion Research Centre’s application for special consultative status, the representative of China said he was not yet clear about the nature of this body.  Its primary activities were carried out under contractual arrangements with other entities.  He doubted whether it was an NGO in the strictest sense, or a non-profit corporation.  The organization was similar to one of the organziations considered earlier.  Therefore, perhaps the Committee should come to a similar conclusion in the current case.  The representative of India said the organization could not be described as an NGO.  Although it was a non-for-profit organization, its application indicated that there was an element of client satisfaction in its work.  The Committee decided not to recommend that ECOSOC not grant any status to this organization.

The Committee decided to recommend granting special consultative status to Minbyun – Lawyers for a Democratic Society.  The representative of Germany said that the organization had answered the questions put to it very well. 

Regarding the application of Olabisi Olaleye Foundation, the representative of Pakistan said he was amused by the organization’s response to questions asked, but was unable to understand its activities.  The request for special consultative status should be declined, he said.  The Committee decided not to recommend granting any status to this organization.

The Committee will meet again to continue its consideration of applications at 3 p.m. this afternoon.

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