Committee on NGOs

777^th Meeting (PM)

COMMITTEE ON NGOS CONTINUES DISCUSSION OF APPLICATIONS FOR CONSULTATIVE STATUS

The Committee on Non-governmental Organizations continued its consideration of applications from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) requesting consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), this afternoon.  Committee members asked a series of questions of representatives of the applicant organizations present at the meeting.

The Committee decided not to recommend ECOSOC grant consultative status to Mandat International, and deferred taking action on applications from the Jubilee Campaign and the Non-aligned Youth and Students Organization, pending receipt of answers to its questions.

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.

Regarding the application for general consultative status from Mandat International, the NGO’s representative said that Mandat’s centre was one of its primary activities.  It was funded by companies and semi-governmental bodies.  The centre was established five years ago to help NGOs from developing countries to participate in the work of the United Nations, by providing them with reasonably priced accommodation, a guide containing practical information about meetings and internet access to similar information.  He did not feel his organization was just a service.  Consultative status would give it easier access to conferences and the opportunity to submit proposals formally.

Many Committee members, including Chairman Levent Bilman (Turkey), praised the work of the organization, but expressed a belief that the services it provided would not directly contribute to ECOSOC’s understanding of issues.  The representatives of the Sudan, Pakistan, India, Germany, United States, Russian Federation, China, Bolivia and Algeria spoke.  The Committee decided not to recommend general consultative status for the NGO. 

Discussion then turned to the application for special consultative status from the Jubilee Campaign, an international organization that researches and investigates reported allegations of human rights abuses.  A number of Committee members said they were not in a position to take action on this application until they had seen the NGO’s reports on countries in which it worked.  The Committee decided to defer action on the application pending provision of more information.

Representatives of China, Algeria, Russian Federation, Sudan, India, Turkey and Pakistan spoke during the discussion.

The Committee then took up the application for general consultative status from the Non-aligned Youth and Students Organization, during which the representatives of the United States and Germany asked a number of questions on the structure of the organization, its secretary-general’s position as a member of the Consultative Committee in the Iraqi Assembly, and the main emphasis of its work.

The Non-aligned Youth and Students Organization representative said that the organization’s secretary-general was no longer a member of the Iraqi Parliament, and although it was headquartered in Baghdad, that location had been chosen before 1990.  The NGO gave regular workshops and seminars in regional centres, he explained, and allowed those centres to set priorities.  It was seeking consultative status in order to better disseminate information about United Nations activities and to avoid having to seek accreditation each time it wanted to participate in activities.

The Committee decided to defer taking action on the application, as some Committee members wished to ask additional questions.  The representatives of Algeria, Sudan, China and India also spoke.

The Committee will meet again on Monday 23 January at 10 a.m. to continue its consideration of applications.

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