COMMITTEE ON NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS CONCLUDES TWO-WEEK SESSION; RECOMMENDS 93 GROUPS FOR CONSULTATIVE STATUS WITH ECOSOC

Committee on NGOs

23^rd and 24^th Meetings (AM & PM)

COMMITTEE ON NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS CONCLUDES TWO-WEEK SESSION;

RECOMMENDS 93 GROUPS FOR CONSULTATIVE STATUS WITH ECOSOC

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) this evening concluded its 2002 session with the approval of a revised draft decision stressing the importance of the diverse and geographically balanced involvement of NGOs in the work of the United Nations, and calling for the establishment of a voluntary trust fund in support of the United Nations NGO Informal Regional Network.

Over the full two-week session, from 13 to 30 May, 93 NGOs were recommended for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and three more for upward reclassification.  It closed the files on two applications and two complaints, and took no action on a third.  One NGO withdrew its application.

Today, the Committee approved another draft decision to hold a resumed session for a period of two weeks and three days, from 8 to 24 January 2003, in order to complete the work of the 2002 session.  (Both draft decisions will be forwarded to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for adoption).  It adopted its draft report of the session, pending written comments by member delegations.

The National Association of NGOs, based in Zimbabwe, had been recommended for general status ad referendum last week, meaning the Committee would revisit its decision before the end of the session.  Members this afternoon recommended granting it general consultative status.

Earlier today, the 19-member Committee recommended granting special consultative status for the American Society of Criminology, an international organization with more than 3,000 individual members and 36 institutional members in 35 countries, and to Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, an international NGO.

Both had been left pending earlier in the session.

A review of applications deferred from previous sessions today resulted in a decision to recommend United World Colleges, an international organization based in the United Kingdom, for special consultative status.

The Committee deferred a decision on the application from the Uganda-based Africa Christ International, following questions by the representative of Sudan that concerned whether the organization was working within the framework of Operation Lifeline Sudan and whether it had bilateral agreements with the Sudanese Government regarding the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Also deferred today was the application from the Coordinating Body for the Indigenous Organization in the Amazon Basin, an international organization based

in Ecuador, following questions by the United States delegation about the NGO's involvement in the kidnapping of two American citizens and a veiled death threat to another.  While the NGO did good work, he said, those issues needed to be fully explained to the satisfaction of his delegation. 

Revisiting another application left pending earlier in the session, the Committee deferred its decision on the application from the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, an international NGO based in India, following questions posed by the delegate of Pakistan.

In closing remarks, Committee Chairperson Mihaela Blajan (Romania) said the session had been particularly productive, as members had been able to considerably reduce the long list of deferred applications from previous sessions, from 92 to 47.  The draft decision to establish a voluntary trust fund supported the United Nations' evolving relationship with NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC and stressed the importance of diverse geographically balanced NGO involvement. 

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations makes recommendations on applications from NGOs for standing with the ECOSOC, and on requests for reclassification of that standing.  NGOs may be granted either general, special or roster consultative status, according to their work, with different privileges and obligations, according to the different categories.

General consultative status is intended for NGOs concerned with most of the activities of the Council that are broadly representative of society in different regions of the world.  Once accorded general status, NGOs can propose items for the ECOSOC agenda, attend and speak at its meetings and circulate statements.  Organizations concerned with only a few of the fields of the Council’s activity may be considered for special consultative status, which would allow them to attend meetings and circulate statements.  Roster status is accorded to those NGOs which can make occasional and useful contributions to the Council or to other United Nations bodies.  Roster status NGOs can attend meetings and are available for consultation at the request of the Council.

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. 

Mihaela Blajan (Romania) is the Committee Chairman.  The Vice-Chairmen are Philipp Ackermann (Germany); Guillermo Francisco Reyes (Colombia), Ali Cherif (Tunisia), and Ishtiaq Hussain Andrabi (Pakistan), who is also the Committee Rapporteur.  Otto Gustafik is the Committee Secretary and Hannifa Mezoui is Chief of the NGO Section.

NGOs Recommended for Consultative Status

The following organizations were recommended for consultative status with ECOSOC:  International Federation of Inspection Agencies, Limited; Korea International Volunteer Organization; United World Colleges; Association Mauritanienne pour le Bien-etre et Le Secours de l'Enfant et de la Mere; Comite International pour le Respect et l'Application de la Charte Africaine des Droits de l'Homme et des peuples; Kyrgyz Committee for Human Rights; American Society of Safety Engineers; Motorcycle Riders Foundation; Centre Feminine pour la Promotion du Developpement; United Nations Watch; and European Association of Automotive Suppliers.

Also, Swedish Organisation of Disabled Persons International Aid Association; A Woman's Voice International; Africa Infrastructures Foundation; Antioch Christian Centre; Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women Foundation; International Possibilities Unlimited; Rainforest Foundation; Confederation of European Forest Owners; Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya; Hope for Africa, Inc.; International Environmental Law Research Centre; National Association of NGOs; Canada Family Action Coalition; Medico International; International Movement for Leisure Activities and in Science and Technology; The National Council of the Saemaul-Undong Movement; Association of American Railroads; Canadian Race Relations Foundation; and Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action.

And, Drug Watch International; Association Marocaine de Planification Familiale; The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty; Indonesian National Council on Social Welfare; Association Internationale de Lutte Contre la Pauvrete et pour le Developpement; Physicians for Social Responsibility; Netherlands Centre for Indigenous Peoples; PRO DIGNITATE - Foundation of Human Rights; Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.; The Ethiopian World Federation, Inc.; UNESCO Center of the Basque County; UNESCO Centre of Catalonia; Rethinking Tourism Project; Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem; and Assembly of First Nations/National Indian Brotherhood.

Also, Association Pour la Formation et L'Insertion Sociale de L'Adolescent et de la Femme; Centre du Documentation de Recherche et d'Information des Peuples Autochtones; The Chinese People's Association for Peace and Disarmament; Christian Blind Mission International; Femme Developpement Enterprise en Afrique; Guinea Development Foundation, Inc.; Kiwanis International; Mariano Y Rafael Castillo Cordova Foundation; Argentine Society of Pediatrics; Assistance Pedagogique Internationale; Association pour la Defense des Droits de la Femme et de l'Enfant; Imam Al-Sadr Foundation; The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative; and Interregional Union of Life Help for Mentally Handicapped Persons "Sail of Hope".

Also, Medical Aid for Palestinians; Viva Network; Alumni Association of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot; Association Angolaise pour les Activites Sociales; Association Marocaine d'Aide a l'Enfrance et a la Famille; Center for Oceans Law and Policy; Dominican Leadership Conference; Jose Marti Cultural Society; Korea Freedom League; Open Family Austria; Association Europeene Des Cheminots; Hawa Society for Women; Hope for the Nations; International Association for Human Values; International Fund for Animal Welfare; Lebanon Family Planning Association; National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; Russian Academy of Natural Sciences; American Society of Criminology; and CARE.

And, Family Health International; Forests Monitor Ltd.; Global Housing Foundation; Hong Kong Federation of Women's Centres; The Institute for Energy and Environmental Research; Jesuit Refugee Service; Asian Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Network; Association de Developpement de la Valle du Dra; Association Francophone Internacionale des Directeurs d'Establissements Scolaires; Health on the Net Foundation; and International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives; Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network; and Confederation of German Forest Owners Associations.

International Higher Education Academy of Sciences, Nippon Foundation, C.E.R.F.E. February '74 Center for Research and Documentation, and International Confederation of Midwives were reclassified. 

The files were closed on the following applicants:  Felege Guihon International; and Syrian Orthodox Church in America.  The German Advisory Council on Global Society Change withdrew its application.  Two cases on which special reports were examined were closed:  United Towns Agency for North South Cooperation; and New Human Rights.  No action was taken on the case involving Freedom House. 

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