COMMITTEE ON NGOS CONCLUDES SESSION, HAVING RECOMMENDED 44 ORGANIZATIONS FOR CONSULTATIVE STATUS WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

Committee on NGOs

2001 Session

30^th Meeting (PM) and Round-up

COMMITTEE ON NGOS CONCLUDES SESSION, HAVING RECOMMENDED 44 ORGANIZATIONS

FOR CONSULTATIVE STATUS WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

In spite of the overwhelming number of issues before it, the huge amount of documentation and the sensitivity of some subjects, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) had, once again, come to a successful conclusion, its Chairman Levent Bilman (Turkey) stated this afternoon as the Committee suspended its 2001 session.

He went on to say that over its three-week session, the Committee had recommended 44 organizations for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council.  It had reviewed a total of 52 deferred applications, 47 new applications, 4 reclassification requests and 230 quadrennial reports.  Unfortunately, despite efforts, 47 applications could not be examined due to lack of time.  Also, during the current session, the Committee was able to listen to

19 NGO representatives.  In addition, the Committee had approved the request of three organizations to be heard at the high-level segment of the Council. 

In action this afternoon, the Committee recommended to the Council the adoption of a draft decision by which the Council would authorize the Committee to hold a resumed session from 14 to 25 January 2002, in order to complete the work of its 2001 session.  Committee Secretary Otto Gustafik informed delegates that should the Council adopt the draft decision, no additional appropriations would be required for the biennium 2002-2003.

In addition, the Committee approved the draft provisional agenda and documentation for its 2002 session, contained in E/C.2/2001/L.1, as orally amended.

The Committee’s Vice-Chairperson and Rapporteur, Mihaela Blajan (Romania), presented its draft report (E/C.2/2001/L.2), which was approved without a vote.  The Committee also approved an informal paper containing decisions taken during the session and summary of discussions, and authorized the Rapporteur to finalize the report in consultation with Committee members and the Secretariat, with a view to its submission to the Council for appropriate action.

Concerning the strengthening of the Secretariat's NGO Section the Section’s Chief, Hanifa Mezoui, said that although the Section had achieved progress and improved its working methods, a lot remained to be done.  The Section had reached a point where the number of incoming applications had outpaced the Section’s

capacity to deal with them.  The record increase in new applications was due to a surge in organizations seeking accreditation for events related to the new millennium. 

The Section, she continued, had worked on the development of a comprehensive database to keep track of organizations.  Its construction was well advanced but it needed to be improved and continually updated. The Section’s new Web site -- www.un.org/coordination/desa/ngo contained regularly updated information on NGOs.  In addition, the Section had presented over 30 workshops in 2000-2001 to NGOs both at Headquarters and elsewhere.

On human resource requirements, she said that the General Assembly had decided to strengthen the capacity of the Section in the second half of 2000-2001.  In light of the increasing workload, the Section had requested that the additional P-4 and General Service posts be converted to permanent posts for the biennium 2002-2003 and that the P-4 post be reclassified to a P-5 post.  The Section’s workload would continue to grow and diversify in the future.  It would have to call on all its resources and devise innovative ways to continue the mutually beneficial relationship between the Council and the community of NGOs.

Sudan’s representative said that she was always impressed with the work accomplished by the NGO Section, in light of its heavy workload.  She wondered whether it would be possible for the Committee to adopt a decision on strengthening the Section.  Agreeing that something should be done, India’s representative suggested that a possible draft decision be considered at the beginning of the resumed session.  The representative of Algeria noted that the Secretariat was the “brains” of the Committee, and thus, required steady and constant support.

The situation was actually deteriorating, noted China’s representative.  The Committee should consider requesting the Assembly or the Council to give the Committee a mandate to take action on strengthening the Section.  The representative of Russian Federation said concrete steps to avoid the impending “crisis” should urgently be taken up within the Committee’s working group.  Several delegates suggested that the Section itself could best outline the necessary measures needed to strengthen it. 

Closing remarks were also made this afternoon by the representatives of Bolivia, Tunisia, Cuba, France, Germany, United States and Pakistan.

The Committee’s other Vice-Chairpersons were Mercedes de Armas Garcia (Cuba), Ilham Ibrahim Mohamed Ahmed (Sudan) and Ishtiaq Andrabi (Pakistan). 

Background

The Committee, a standing body of the Economic and Social Council established in 1946, considers applications submitted by NGOs for consultative status and their requests for reclassification; considers quadrennial reports submitted by those organizations; implements the provisions of Council resolution

1996/31 and the monitoring of consultative relationships; and considers other issues as requested by the Council. 

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, including the organization’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.

The current members of the Committee are Algeria, Bolivia, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Ethiopia, France, Germany, India, Lebanon, Pakistan, Romania, Russian Federation, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey and the United States.

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