NGO COMMITTEE MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS ON SEVEN OF TWELVE APPLICATIONS DISCUSSED THIS AFTERNOON

Committee on NGOs

779^th Meeting (PM)

NGO COMMITTEE MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS ON SEVEN OF TWELVE APPLICATIONS

DISCUSSED THIS AFTERNOON

The Committee on Non-governmental Organizations met this afternoon to continue consideration of applications from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), requesting consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), during its resumed 2000 session.  It recommended granting special consultative status to seven organizations, deferred four applications, and kept one pending

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.

Women’s Health in Women’s Hands, the Greek Council for Refugees, International Family Health, and the National Board of Catholic Women of England and Wales, were all recommended for special consultative status, as were the Center for Migration Studies of New York, and the Center for Studies on Turkey.  The Committee also recommended granting special consultative status for the Foundation for the Social Promotion of Culture, a national organization based in Spain, which Lebanon’s representative said had done commendable work in Lebanon.  The Committee deferred decisions on applications from Monitor International, the Russian Public Movement “For Civil Rights”, the Alliance Musulmane d’Angola and the American Motorcyclists Association, pending responses to questions.

Responding to a question from the United States’ representative, the American Motorcyclists Association representative explained it was seeking consultative status to offer itself as a resource to ECOSOC, to encourage safety and road construction, and to help governments recognize the benefits of motorcycle transport in developed and developing countries.  The application was deferred pending responses to Committee concerns.  A decision on the application from Consumer World Organization was kept pending, as the Committee could not conclude its deliberations on that application today.

The representatives of Algeria, China, India, France, Germany, Chile, Ethiopia, Russian Federation, Sudan, Colombia, Cuba, Tunisia and Bolivia also spoke on applications.

The Committee will meet again tomorrow, 23 January at 10 a.m. to consider applications.

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