COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS 24 ORGANIZATIONS FOR SPECIAL CONSULTATIVE STATUS WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

Committee on NGOs

25^th & 26^th Meetings (AM & PM)

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS 24 ORGANIZATIONS FOR SPECIAL CONSULTATIVE

STATUS WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

Opening its resumed 2002 session, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) recommended 24 national and international organizations for special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council in two meetings today.

The 19-member Committee makes recommendations of standing or reclassification to the Council.  It uses a variety of criteria, including applicant's mandates, governance and financial regimes.  Non-governmental organizations with consultative status have either general, special or roster status, with different privileges and obligations accorded to each. 

Organizations with general status can propose items for the Council's agenda, attend and speak at meetings and circulate statements, while those on the roster can only attend meetings.  Organizations with general and special status must report every four years on their activities in support of the United Nations.

In an opening statement this morning, Committee Chairperson Mihaela Blajan (Romania), welcomed new members to the Committee, namely Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Iran, Peru and Zimbabwe.  The Committee had a critical role to play in monitoring the relationship between the United Nations and NGOs and should consider ways to enhance cooperation between the two.  The Committee's responsibility could only be realized through improved efficiency.  Regarding its role in ensuring that NGOs in consultative status contributed to the work of the Economic and Social Council, the Committee would have to pay increased attention to the extent to which NGOs were promoting the Millennium Development Goals.  During the Committee's resumed 2002 session, it would have a total of some 176 items before it for discussion and decision.

Hanifa Mezoui, Chief of the Non-Governmental Organizations Section, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said that out of 176 items, 48 letters had been sent asking for clarification on applications.  As of today, 38 responses had been received.  That rate of reply had been the highest so far.  She was pleased that so many NGOs had answered the call.  The NGO Section was fully committed to playing its part to furthering the Millennium Development Goals and was working with a broad range of NGOs in that regard.

Before considering new applications for association, the Committee first adopted its agenda and organization of work for the 2002 resumed session, which will conclude on 24 January.  It also elected Martin Thuemmel (Germany) Vice Chairman, to replace Philip Ackermann (Germany) for the unexpired term which extends to the end of the 2002 session.

Recommended for special consultative status today were the following international organizations:  European Disability Forum; Agir pour les Femmes en Situation Precaire; International Volunteer Organization for Women, Education, Development -- VIDES; Union of Social Child Care; Agermanament Sense Fronteres; International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development; Women in Europe for a Common Future; World Rehabilitation Fund, Inc.; World Space Foundation; Action pour le developpement de l'Afrique a la base; African Action on AIDS; International Bureau for Children's Rights; and Organisation de la Mere Maghrebine.

National NGOs recommended for special consultative status were:  Association pour le Developpement Economique, Social, Environmental du Nord; Hong Kong Council of Social Service; National Association of Community Legal Centres; Programme Insertion des Enfants Desherites; Union de l'Action Feminine; Hariri Foundation; Zoroastrian Women's Organization; Chinese Association for International Understanding; New York County Lawyer's Association; Congo Watch; and Human Rights Defense Centre.

The Committee decided to grant roster status to the organization Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE International) following a discussion on the organization's reference to “Taiwan” in its application, with several speakers stressing the need for NGOs to strictly abide by United Nations terminology.  

China's representative said the United Nations had long ago passed a resolution which clearly defined the legal status of Taiwan, which was a province of China.  Pakistan's representative said that while such mistakes were usually unintentional, the Committee was duty-bound to ensure that NGOs applying for association be made aware of the sensitivities of the United Nations.  The representatives of Sudan and Cuba voiced their agreement. 

Senegal's representative, however, regretted that the organization had had to use the terminology Taiwan, Province of China, in its application.  Many NGOs did not use United Nations designations in their applications and the Committee needed to show flexibility, he said.

Also recommended for roster status was the national organization, Foundation Idole (FONI) of Cameroon.  The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Society of Catholic Social Scientists, Inc. -- both international organizations -- were also granted roster status.

This morning, the Committee deferred action on the applications of two organizations:  Association Internationale de Boxe Educative and the Indian Social Institute, with the representative of Pakistan requesting more information on the latter before taking a decision.  In the afternoon session, the Committee delayed action on the applications of the New Japan Women's Association; SOS Attentats; and Myochikai.

Following lengthy discussion, the Committee decided to defer action on the application of the Thirty-first December Women's Movement, a national organization in Ghana, after hearing the views of the delegation of Ghana on the application.  According to Ghana's delegate, the Government of Ghana was unable to endorse the application, as the NGO operated as an integral part of one of Ghana's political parties.  Citing the need to comply with ECOSOC resolution 1996/31, speakers in the debate requested the NGO to respond to the concerns raised by the delegation

of Ghana.  The representatives of China, Turkey, Senegal, Pakistan, Cuba, Côte d'Ivoire, Iran, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, India, Sudan and Chile participated in the discussion.

Information on the organizations considered today can be found in document E/C.2/2002/R.2/Add.6-12.

In other business today, the Committee also took up the agenda item entitled "implementation of ECOSOC resolution 1995/32", deciding to return to the issue later in the session.  The item was first addressed during the Committee's resumed 2001 session in January 2002.  It concerns applications of indigenous organizations not in consultative status with the ECOSOC which were interested in participating in the Working Group of the Commission on Human Rights.

Reporting on the issue, Ms. Mezoui said that, since the Committee's last session, the NGO Section had researched how the interested organizations could be granted the right to participate in the working group.  As of today, 110 such organizations had received the right to participate in that body's meetings.  In May, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues had been established and would address requests for participation by NGOs.

The Committee is currently comprised of Cameroon, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, China, Pakistan, India, Iran, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Cuba, Russian Federation, Romania, Germany, France, United States and Turkey.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 9 January, to continue its consideration of applications.

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