Committee on NGOs

11^th and 12^th Meetings (AM & PM)

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS TWO NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS FOR CONSULTATIVE STATUS

WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) this afternoon recommended two organizations for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and the reclassification of one more.  Following a briefing this morning by the Chief of the NGO Section, support was expressed for a number of measures, including increased staffing and a trust fund to support regional networks of NGOs.

The 19-member Committee 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. 

This afternoon, as it considered new applications and new requests for reclassification, the Committee recommended the International Higher Education Academy of Sciences based in the Russian Federation, for general status ad referendum, meaning that the decision would be revisited in the current session.

The Committee recommended special status for United States-based Kiwanis International, but left pending an application for general status by the international NGO Focus on the Family, also based in the United States, which has more than 2 million members in 164 countries.

The Committee recommended reclassification from roster to special status for the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, based in Canada.  It left pending the reclassification applications of two international NGOs:  the Rome-based February '74 Centre for Research and Documentation (CERFE), and the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), based in the Netherlands.

Information on the organizations considered today is contained in documents E/C.2/2002/R.2 and Add.1 and Add.5, and E/C.2/2002/R.3.

Earlier today, the Chief of the NGO Section, Hanifa Mezoui, drew attention to the backlog of new applications and deferrals awaiting processing and review.  Steady growth in the number of applications over the years had outpaced the Section's capacity to deal with them.  There was also the trend of rising deferrals of applications from one session to the next, which had nearly doubled since 1999. 

Among the possible remedial measures she cited were imposing a processing fee, limiting the number of applications accepted each year, declaring a moratorium on any new application until that backlog was cleared up, and increasing the Section's staff.  Such proposals could be discussed in the Committee's working group, she suggested.

Most of the 15 speakers who responded to the briefing called it critical and forward-looking.  As evidence of the support for creating a trust fund to support regional networks of NGOs, the representative of the Sudan indicated that a draft text on the matter might be introduced later in the session.  That delegate, along with several others, called for a review of Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31, which concerned accreditation processes but included no specific rules for deferred applications.

The underrepresentation of NGOs from Africa deserved attention, some speakers stressed.  In 2002, the a speaker noted, only 10 per cent of NGOs with consultative status came from the African continent, whereas the largest number of Member States per continent were from Africa.  That question deserved close consideration given the aim of equal representation from all regions of the world, he said.

Another speaker suggested posting an NGO officer at United Nations regional offices around the world to inform local NGOs about their options with respect to participating in the work of the United Nations.  Such an officer could also monitor the performance and activities of NGOs already holding consultative status.

Broad support was expressed for strengthening the capacity of the Secretariat by increasing staff to offset the growing volume of work.  Noting that the number of NGOs accredited to the United Nations since 1996 had doubled from approximately 1,000 to more than 2,000 in 2002, one representative suggested limiting the number of applications or having a "break" year to reduce the backlog. 

Participating in the discussion on strengthening the NGO Section were the representatives of France, Sudan, Germany, Senegal, China, Russian Federation, Tunisia, Algeria, Colombia, Pakistan and Cuba.  Observers participated from Egypt, Israel, Nigeria and Iran.

The Committee on NGOs will meet again at 10 a.m. Tuesday, 21 May, to consider deferred quadrennial reports.

Statement by NGO Section Chief

HANIFA MEZOUI, Chief of the NGO Section, said that when it had become clear that most government complaints against NGOs referred to the Committee originated from incidents in sessions of the Commission on Human Rights, the Committee had decided that the situation called for increased coordination between the two bodies.  Areas for collaborative action would include guidelines on delivering oral and written statements by NGOs; more uniformity in NGO accreditation procedures for meetings in both Geneva and New York; and harmonizing regulations governing parallel NGO meetings and arrangements for other activities.

Since 1999, she said, the number of applications deferred from one session to the next had nearly doubled, while the number of final decisions reached by the Committee had nearly halved.  The trend of rising deferrals was undoubtedly affecting the efficiency and effectiveness of both the Committee and its secretariat.  In addition, to addressing that issue as a matter of some urgency, it might be advisable to institute time limits depending upon the reasons for deferral.  A maximum of two years should be adequate for a quite thorough review of all but exceptionally complex or sensitive applications.

Regarding staffing, she said the Section would benefit greatly by having a Senior NGO Officer at the P-5 level to take on additional responsibilities in the review and harmonization of accreditation with United Nations bodies.  It would also need an international adviser to strengthen capacity building for the United Nations NGO Informal Regional Network.  The staff had been able to keep up by increasing working hours above the normal standard and use of short-term assistance, but such heavy reliance on ad hoc arrangements inevitably resulted in discontinuities and a loss of accumulated experience and institutional memory.

With respect to the future, she said it would be recommended that the Council broaden its outreach to civil society, private sector, professional and other organizations.  Further recommendations would include institutionalizing arrangements for NGO participation in the high-level segment, as well as structuring such a mechanism to ensure their presence was geographically representative.  It would also be recommended that the Economic and Social Council explore ways to fund developing-country NGO participation in its relevant areas of work; support and encourage the NGO Informal Regional Network, in order to build the capacities of those organizations; support NGO coalitions; and disseminate information on the Council’s work.

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