Committee on NGOs

3^rd and 4^th Meetings (AM & PM)

NGO COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS EIGHT ORGANIZATIONS FOR SPECIAL CONSULTATIVE STATUS,

THREE FOR ROSTER STATUS WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

Seven Applications Left Pending, Including That of NAACP

Eight non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were recommended for special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council by the Committee on NGOs today, as the Committee met in morning and afternoon sessions to consider previously deferred applications for consultative status with that body.

As it continued its 2002 session today, the Committee also recommended three NGOs for roster status.  It left seven applications for consultative status pending, including that of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) of the United States, after questions were raised about that organization’s stance on human rights in the Sudan.

Recommended for special consultative status were the Netherlands Centre for Indigenous Peoples, a national organization; the Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc., an international organization based in the United States; the Ethiopian World Federation, Inc.; Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem, an international organization based in the United States; Association internationale de lutte contre la pauvreté et pour le développement, an international organization based in Senegal; Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women Foundation, an international organization based in Japan; Korea Freedom League of the Republic of Korea; and the International Association for Human Values, based in Geneva.

Recommended for roster status were the UNESCO Centre of the Basque County of Spain and the UNESCO Centre of Catalonia, both national organizations of Spain; and the Rethinking Tourism Project, an international organization of the United States.

Also left pending were the applications of Physicians for Social Responsibility and American Conservation Union of the United States; International Centre for Peace Studies, based in India; Pro Dignitate-Foundation of Human Rights of Portugal; Coordinating Body for the Indigenous Organizations in the Amazon Basin, an international NGO based in Ecuador; and Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, of India.

The NGO Committee uses a variety of criteria to make recommendation for general, special and roster status to the Council, including mandates, governance and financing.  Organizations that have 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.  Organizations with roster status can only attend meetings.

Consideration of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)’s request for general status was left pending after the representative of the Sudan said the organization had falsely accused her country of promulgating genocide and slave trading.  She requested further clarification from the organization. 

In the ensuing debate, delegates discussed the question of whether or not it was appropriate for NGOs that described themselves as “national” organizations to express views on issues outside their national borders, and whether or not the NAACP had actually accused the Government of the Sudan of human rights violations.  It was agreed that the organization’s goals were praiseworthy, but that clarification of its international outlook, especially as regarded the Sudan, was, however, warranted.  Representatives of Senegal, United States, China, Pakistan, Turkey, Tunisia, France, Germany, Ethiopia, Russian Federation and Colombia, along with the observer delegations of the Syria and Iran, participated in that discussion.

Information on the NGOs considered today can be found in documents E/C.2/2002/CRP.1 and E/C.2/2002/R.2/Add.2 and 3.

In other business this afternoon, Ali Cherif (Tunisia) was elected Vice-Chairman for a one-year term.  It was decided that Vice-Chairman Ishtiaq Hussain Andrabi (Pakistan), elected yesterday, will also serve as the Committee’s Rapporteur.

The NGO Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 15 May, to continue consideration of applications for consultative status deferred from previous sessions.

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