NGO COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS FIVE ORGANIZATIONS FOR SPECIAL CONSULTATIVE STATUS, THREE FOR ROSTER STATUS WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

Committee on NGOS

47^th & 48^th Meetings (AM & PM)

NGO COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS FIVE ORGANIZATIONS FOR SPECIAL CONSULTATIVE STATUS,

THREE FOR ROSTER STATUS WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

Decides against Recommending Three Organizations

For Consultative Status, Leaves Pending Applications of Five Others

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) recommended five organizations for special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council today, while recommending another three for roster status with that body.

As it took up a variety of pending issues in anticipation of the close of its resumed 2002 session tomorrow, the Committee also decided against recommending three organizations for consultative status and left pending the applications of five others.  It also considered quadrennial and special reports.

In addition, the Committee was given a briefing on the General Voluntary Trust Fund in support of the United Nations NGO Informal Regional Network, by Hanifa Mezoui, head of the NGO Section of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Organizations with special consultative status to the Council can attend its meetings, can circulate statements at those meetings, and are required to submit quadrennial reports.  Organizations with roster status can attend meetings but are not required to submit quadrennial reports.  Special reports can be requested by the Committee if the reports or activities of organizations are called into question by Member States.

Recommended for special consultative status today were:  Minaret of Freedom Institute, a national organization from the United States; Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, a national organization from Japan; Human Rights Information and Documentation Systems, an international organization based in Switzerland; Centre for Democracy and Development, an international organization based in London; and Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society, a national organization from the United States.

Recommended for roster consultative status were:  American-Islamic Zakat Foundation; International Multimodal Transport Association, an international organization based in Geneva;and Southern States Police Benevolent Association from the United States.

The Committee decided not to recommend the following organizations for consultative status:  International Prostitutes Collective, an international organization based in San Francisco; the Working Party “Brussels 1952”, an

international organization based in Italy; and the Visions of a Better World Foundation, an international organization based in the United States.

Left pending were the applications of the American Conservative Union, Population Concern, World Organization for Education, Science and Development and ProChoix. 

The Committee took note of the quadrennial reports of the International Federation of Human Rights Leagues, the World Evangelical Alliance, and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial.  It left pending quadrennial reports of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims and the World Safety Organization, and it deferred the quadrennial report of the International Association of Religious Freedom.

Consideration of the special report submitted by France libertés: Fondation Danielle Mitterrand was postponed this morning after China said the organization persisted with erroneous comments on the status of Tibet, which had been part of China long before Corsica was part of France.  She proposed that the organization submit a further explanation, and have a representative appear before the Committee at its next session.

While many subsequent speakers expressed approval of the organization’s work in human rights, all of them supported China’s proposal, stressing the importance of respecting the territorial integrity of Member States.  Also supporting China’s proposal, the representative of France said that the organization was probably confusing a technical question about the status of Tibet with a political question.  China’s representative said that such confusion was unacceptable in an organization with consultative status.

Also this morning, after the decision not to recommend the International Prostitutes Collective for consultative status, Germany’s representative disassociated his delegation from the consensus on that action, saying that legalization of prostitution was promoted by the group for humanitarian purposes with which his country agreed.

In addition, the application of American Conservative Union was left pending this morning after queries by the representatives of Iran and Cuba about material in its application that the group, they said, admitted had nothing to do with the work of the Economic and Social Council.  Examples given by the representatives included the support of Nicaraguan freedom fighters and opposition to disarmament treaties.

This afternoon, in her briefing on the United Nations NGO Informal Regional Network and its Trust Fund, Ms. Mezoui announced the assignment of a full-time project coordinator.  She also summarized worldwide activities in support of an enhanced United Nations NGO sector, including regional launches of the network and preparatory activities to make it functional.  Finally, she thanked all those who had supported the new endeavour, and appealed for continued support from Member States.  The representatives of China, Cuba, Romania, Sudan, and the United States commended the NGO Section for the initiative.

Also speaking today were the representatives of Turkey, India, Colombia, Russian Federation, Zimbabwe, Peru, Cameroon and Senegal.

The observer delegates from Nigeria and Syria also spoke.

Applications considered today are contained in documents E/C.2/2002/CRP.5, C/C.2/2002/CRP.7 and E/C.2/2002/R.2, Adds.8, 11, 12.  Reports considered can be found in E/C.2/2002/3 and C/C.2/2002/CRP.6.

The NGO Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Friday, 24 January, to take up the remaining issues of its resumed 2002 session.

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