NGO COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS ONE ORGANIZATION FOR GENERAL CONSULTATIVE STATUS WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL, FOUR FOR SPECIAL CONSULTATIVE STATUS

Committee on NGOs

48^th Meeting (PM)

NGO COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS ONE ORGANIZATION FOR GENERAL CONSULTATIVE STATUS

WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL, FOUR FOR SPECIAL CONSULTATIVE STATUS

“Friends World Committee for Consultation” was recommended for general consultative status with the Economic and Social Council this afternoon by the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), raising its privileges in the Council from the special consultative status it had long held.

As the Committee, approaching the end of its resumed 2001 session, took up a variety of pending and new issues, it also recommended four organizations for special consultative status.  It accepted one special report and deferred three, including that of “Freedom House”, which had been the focus of a debate during the session.  It also deferred consideration of two quadrennial reports.

Recommended for special consultative status this afternoon were “Africa Legal Aid”, a foundation based in the Netherlands and Ghana; and “Delta Sigma Theta Sorority”, an international organization based in Washington, D.C.  Both of those new applications for status with the Council may be found in document E/C.2/2001/Add.8.

Also recommended for special consultative status was “Family Research Council” of the United States.  Its application, deferred from previous sessions, is contained in document E/C.2/2001/CRP.5.  “The European Union of Women” was reclassified to special consultative status from its previous roster status (document E/C.2/2001/R.3.)

The NGO Committee makes recommendations to the Economic and Social Council on applications for consultative status with the Council, on reclassification of that status and on related matters.  Organizations with general and special consultative status can attend meetings of the Council and circulate statements of a certain length; those with general status can, in addition, speak at meetings and propose items for the Council’s agenda.  Quadrennial reports on activities in support of the United Nations are required by all organizations with general and special consultative status.  Organizations with roster status can attend meetings but are not required to submit quadrennial reports.  Special reports may be required if delegations desire clarification of the quadrennial reports or related issues.

This afternoon, a decision on a recommendation for the Monaco-based “Amitie sans frontières internationale” was deferred because further information, requested on its application for roster consultative status, had not been received.

Regarding the special reports that had been pending (document E/C.2/2001/3 Add.1,2.), the Chairman of the Committee, Levent Bilman (Turkey) said that he had consulted with the delegations concerned.  It was agreed that the report of “International Association of Democratic Lawyers” would be accepted.  In addition to the special report of “Freedom House”, those of the “International Federation of Human Rights Leagues” and “The Women’s Human Rights International Association” were deferred.

Concerning the deferred quadrennial reports (document E/C.2/2001/CRP.6), consideration of that of “Pax Christi International” awaited further information.  Action on the report of the “World Evangelical Fellowship” was deferred after a question-and-answer session with the representative of the NGO, who was asked about its concept of evangelism and the nature of its activities.  In addition, the representatives of Pakistan, Sudan and India asked about relief activities in their countries. 

The NGO representative replied that “evangelism” referred to the Protestant basis of the organization; the organization did not target vulnerable persons for conversion.  The NGO, he said, supported inter-religious cooperation and worked in coordination with governments to bring emergency humanitarian assistance; $25 million had been spent on children’s programmes as mentioned in the report.  Following his response, members asked for further written clarifications.

Also speaking on the various items this afternoon were the representatives of Algeria, China, Germany, Russian Federation, Senegal, Bolivia, Ethiopia and Cuba.

The NGO Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 25 January, to continue to consider applications for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council.

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