NGO COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS 2 ORGANIZATIONS FOR CONSULTATIVE STATUS WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

Committee on NGOs

41^st & 42^nd Meetings (AM & PM)

NGO COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS 2 ORGANIZATIONS FOR CONSULTATIVE STATUS

WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) today recommended SOS Attentats, an international anti-terrorism organization based in Paris, and the Japanese Cleft Palate Foundation, a national organization, for roster consultative status with the Economic and Social Council.  The Committee also left pending the applications of seven other organizations.

Also today, the Transnational Radical Party was asked to provide further clarifications of its special report (document E/C.2/2002/3), as the Committee continued its consideration of special reports and complaints by governments.  The Committee also closed the cases of complaints of misconduct against Agir Ensembles, the Asian Legal Resource Centre and International Peace Bureau following the acceptance of apologies to the respective complaining States.

The 19-member NGO Committee makes recommendations to the Economic and Social Council on applications for consultative status with the Council, on reclassification of that status and on related matters.  Organizations with 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 attend meetings.

The applications for status of Indian Social Institute, Morality in Media, Foundation Mentor, the Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions for the Aid of Citizens, Ligue internationale contre le racisme et l’antisemitisme,and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth were left pending today, awaiting further clarification by the organizations or further consideration by delegations.

Theapplication of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Western Hemisphere Region, Inc., based in New York, was also left pending, despite support by representatives of the United States and Germany, due to a request by Pakistan’s representative for a clarification of “emergency contraception” and the advocacy of certain rights.  He also asked for an explanation of the organization’s relationship with other Planned Parenthood entities.

Regarding the Special Report of the Transnational Radical Party, an international organization with general consultative status since 1995, the observer representative of Viet Nam said that, by providing accreditation to members of the Montagnard Foundation to speak before the Commission on Human Rights, the Transnational Radical Party had threatened the sovereignty and

national integrity of his country.  Viet Nam considered the foundation a terrorist group.

He was not satisfied by the explanation given by the Transnational Radical Party; he requested an apology and a pledge not to accredit members of the foundation in the future.  His proposal was supported by the representatives of Cuba, Pakistan, Iran and China, all of whom stressed that NGOs should take care not to provide credentials to politically motivated speakers in such forums.  The representatives of Germany and France said that, while further clarification was needed, it was premature to require the Transnational Radical Party to desist from accrediting the Montagnard Foundation, as the latter’s status was unclear. 

In the complaints against the International Peace Bureau and the Asian Legal Resource Centre, the representative of Sri Lanka said that, at the Commission on Human Rights, the groups had made politically motivated statements, and circulated material, attributed to NGOs without consultative status.  He accepted the apology of the International Peace Bureau.  The Chairperson, Mihaela Blajan (Romania), said that reminders of rules had been sent to both NGOs.  Agir Ensembles, whose apology was accepted by Colombia’s representative, had been involved in what speakers called a serious, unfortunate incident at the Human Rights Commission.

Also speaking today were representatives of the Russian Federation, Peru, Chile, India, Cameroon and Romania.  The observer representatives of Nigeria and Syria also spoke.

Applications considered today can be found in document E/C.2/2002/R.2, Adds. 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, and 15.

The NGO Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Tuesday, 21 January, to continue its consideration of new applications for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council.

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