NGO COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS 21 ORGANIZATIONS FOR CONSULTATIVE STATUS WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

Committee on NGOs

7^th and 8^th Meetings (AM & PM)

NGO COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS 21 ORGANIZATIONS FOR CONSULTATIVE STATUS

WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) today recommended

21 NGOs for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council.  It granted the highest status, pending further clarification before the end of the session on 30 May, to a Zimbabwe-based umbrella organization seeking to coordinate the contributions of NGOs to the social, economic and political development of the people of Zimbabwe.

The National Association of Non-Governmental Organizations, the national organization based in Zimbabwe, was recommended to the Economic and Social Council for "general status (ad referendum)", meaning that the decision would be revisited during the current session pending further clarification.

During two meetings today to consider previously deferred applications, as well as new applications and new requests for reclassification, the Committee also recommended 17 NGOs for special status, three for roster status, with two applications pending.

The 19-member body uses a variety of criteria to recommend 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.

Following a lengthy discussion about whether to recommend consultative status to a new applicant, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, an international organization with more than 250 institutional and individual members, the Committee's decision was left pending.

The debate drew attention to the inference in the application that the organization sought to implement international and United Nations guidelines on HIV/AIDS.  It was noted that those guidelines had been prepared by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, but had never been deliberated or agreed by Member States. 

Prior to a decision, the Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Network said the NGO was committed to improving access to information, in particular, access to legal information that would assist countries and organizations in dealing with HIV/AIDS issues.  All of its projects relied on

careful consultation with organizations and people in the field to minimize the adverse impact of HIV/AIDS. 

The Committee also left pending a decision about United Nations Watch, an international organization based in Switzerland of 89 individual members and one organizational member in 12 countries.  Its expressed aim was to promote the balanced, fair and non-discriminatory application of the United Nations Charter, and to encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all.

The Observer for Palestine raised several questions about the NGO's treatment of Israel.  A representative of United Nations Watch provided some answers, but was interrupted by the departure of the interpreters at 6 p.m.  A decision on the NGO was left pending.

Special status was recommended today for Hope for Africa, an international organization based in the United States; International Environmental Law Research Centre, based in Switzerland; Canada Family Action Coalition, a national organization based in Canada; Medico International, a national organization of Germany; International Movement for Leisure Activities in Science and Technology, an international organization based in France; Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action, an international organization in Trinidad and Tobago; Citizens’ Rights Protection Society (ad referendum); and Drug Watch International, based in the United States.

Also granted special status were:  Association Marocaine de Planification Familiale, a national organization of Morocco; the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, an international NGO based in the United States; Indonesian National Council on Social Welfare, a national NGO of Indonesia; Association Marocaine d'Aide a l'Enfant et a la Famille, a national organization based in Morocco; Jose Marti Cultural society, a national NGO of Cuba; Open Family Australia, an international organization based in Australia; Association Européenne des Cheminots, an international organization based in France; and Asian Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Network, a national organization of India;

Canadian Race Relations Foundation, a national organization of Canada, was granted special status, following a discussion in which an observer of Canada participated, about the scope of its mandate to build a national framework for the fight against racism in Canadian society.

Roster status was recommended for the National Council of the Saemaul-Undong Movement, a national organization of the Republic of Korea, which began in the 1970s with the goal of improving the quality of living in rural areas; the Association of American Railroads, an international organization based in the United States; and Association angolaise pour les Activités Sociales, an international organization based in Germany.

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

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Friday, 17 May, to continue its consideration of new applications.