COMMITTEE ON NGOS RECOMMENDS CONSULTATIVE STATUS FOR TWO ORGANIZATIONS, DEFERS APPLICATIONS OF THREE OTHERS

Committee on NGOs

2001 Session

18^th Meeting (PM) 

COMMITTEE ON NGOS RECOMMENDS CONSULTATIVE STATUS FOR TWO ORGANIZATIONS,

DEFERS APPLICATIONS OF THREE OTHERS

This afternoon the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) recommended that two organizations receive consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and deferred the applications of three others.

Special consultative status was recommended for Benevolent Community Education and the Rural Development Society, while roster status was recommended for the American Motorcyclist Association.

Pending clarifications, the Committee deferred the applications of the American Society of Safety Engineers, Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights and International Center for Not-For-Profit Law.

While several delegates supported the American Society of Safety Engineers, a national organization which had played a key role in the development of many important safety and health standards, the representative of Algeria stated that while she had no particular problem with the NGO, she would like to have further clarifications on its contribution to certain subsidiary bodies of the Council and on its membership. 

Questions were posed to the International Center for Not-For-Profit Law concerning its projects in various countries, its relationship to the World Bank and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and on its concepts of “NGO law” and “legal security”.  

The Committee considers, among other things, applications submitted by NGOs for consultative status and their requests for reclassification.  Non-governmental, non-profit voluntary organizations can be admitted into consultative status with the Council if they meet the requirements detailed in Council resolution 1996/31, regarding matters such as the NGO’s activities, decision-making processes and resources.

Non-governmental organizations with consultative status are classified under the "general", "special" or "roster" categories.  Those in the general category must be "concerned with most of the activities of the Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary bodies".  The special category concerns those "which have a special competence in, and are concerned specifically with, only a few of the

fields of activity covered by the Council".  The roster category relates to NGOs which "can make occasional and useful contributions to the work of the Council or its subsidiary bodies". 

Different privileges and obligations are accorded to each category.  Non-governmental organizations with general status can propose items for the Council agenda, attend and speak at meetings and circulate statements.  Those with special status can attend meetings and circulate statements, while those on the roster can only attend meetings.  Organizations with general and special status must report every four years on their activities in support of the United Nations.

Statements were also made this afternoon by the representatives of Turkey, Ethiopia, Russian Federation, Sudan, France, China, India, Pakistan, Cuba, Algeria, Germany and United States.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Friday, 18 May, to continue consideration of quadrennial reports submitted by organizations with general and special consultative status.

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