Committee on NGOS

3^rd Meeting (AM)

COMMITTEE TAKES NOTE OF 26 REPORTS SUBMITTED BY NGOS

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) took note of
26 quadrennial reports submitted by NGOs as it met this morning to review those submissions and to continue implementing the computer-based “Paperless Committee” initiative launched yesterday.  (See Press Release NGO/497 of 5 May.)

The 19-member Committee makes recommendations on organizations’ standing or reclassification to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) using a variety of criteria, including applicant mandate, governance and financial regime.  Currently, 2,234 NGOs have consultative status with ECOSOC.  The NGOs with roster status can attend meetings; those with special consultative status can attend meetings and circulate statements; those with general consultative status can attend meetings, circulate statements and propose items for the Council’s agenda.  Organizations with special and general consultative status are required to submit quadrennial reports on activities of relevance to the Council’s work.

Today, the Committee took note of reports by the International Association of Women in Radio and Television; International Indian Treaty Council; International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations; National Action Committee on the Status of Women (Canada); National Council of Women of Canada; Pathways to Peace; and Women’s Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Further, it took note of reports by the Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas; Fondation El Kef Pour le Developpement Regional; Foundation for International Training; Fundacion de Ayuda contra la Drogaddicion; Global Cooperation Society International; Inter-American Housing Union; International Federation of Women in Legal Careers; Institute of Internal Auditors; and Institute for International Economic Cooperation and Development.

The Committee also took note of reports by Amnesty International; the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Production of the Argentine Republic; Communicacion Cultural; Federacion de Asociaciones de Defensa y Promocion de los Derechos Humanos; and Fondazione Giovanni e Francesca Falcone.

Finally, it took note of reports by the Forest Alliance of British Columbia; the International Federation of Hard of Hearing People; the International Lactation Consultant Association; Match International Centre; and the National Space Society.

Left pending today were the reports of the International Press Institute; Islamic Relief; Robert F. Kennedy Memorial; International Centre for the Legal

Protection of Human Rights; World Federation of Therapeutic Communities; and Oxfam Great Britain.

Information about the organizations considered today can be found in document E/C.2/2003/2 and Adds.1, 4, and 5.

Current Committee members are Cameroon, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Sudan, 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. Wednesday, 7 May, to continue deliberations on applications for consultative standing and review quadrennial reports.

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