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

Committee on NGOS

4^th & 5^th Meetings (AM & PM)

NGO COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS SEVEN ORGANIZATIONS FOR CONSULTATIVE STATUS

WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) continued its session today, recommending seven organizations for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), while deferring a decision on two others.  It also took note of 15 quadrennial reports, and left another suspended.

The 19-member Committee makes recommendations on an organization’s standing or reclassification with the ECOSOC using a variety of criteria, including applicant mandate, governance and financial regime.  Currently, 2,234 NGOs have such status.  Those with roster status can attend meetings; those with special status can attend meetings and circulate statements; and those with general status can attend meetings, circulate statements and propose items for the Council’s agenda.

In today’s action on applications, the Committee recommended a special status for three international organizations:  Indigenous and Peasant Coordinator of Communal Agroforestry; International Union for Land Value Taxation and Free Trade; and International Council for Human Rights Policy.  Special status was also recommended for one national organization:  the Little House of Nazareth.

Roster status was recommended for two international organizations:  Delta Kappa Gamma Society International; and Union de Selvicultores del Sur de Europa; and one national organization, the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Two requests for consultative standing -- from the Antiviolence Center, a national organization based in Italy, and the Free Viet Nam Alliance, a French-based international organization, were left pending

Organizations with special and general consultative status are required to submit quadrennial reports on activities of relevance to the Council’s work.  In its review of those reports today, the Committee took note of the reports submitted by Family Care International; Fondazione San Patrignano; Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Council of North and South America; Human Rights Advocates; Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children; International Air Transport Association; and International Association of Judges.

Further, the Committee took note of reports by Canadian Environmental Network; CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation; International Association of University Presidents; International Council on Management of

Population Programmes; International Federation for Home Economics; International Human Rights Law Group; Rotary International; and Sisterhood Is Global Institute.

Left pending was consideration of the Human Rights Watch report, in view of requests for clarification on issues of concern about the organization.  What criteria did the organization use in choosing the countries it studied? the representative of Zimbabwe asked.  Cuba’s representative asked the same question, saying the organization grouped countries into a so-called “human rights violators’ club”.  Sudan’s representative said the organization should be more balanced and not lead a campaign against African countries, as it had recently done against the Sudan and Zimbabwe.  France’s representative said the European Union had come under equally severe criticism by the group at the same time, so the organization appeared to be balanced and objective. 

Information about the organizations considered today can be found in documents E/C.2/2003/2 and Adds.2 and 3.  It is also available to the Committee in electronic form on laptop computers, as part of the “Paperless Committee” initiative being launched during this session of the Committee.  (See Press Release NGO/497 of 5 May.)

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 3 p.m., Thursday, 8 May, to continue deliberations on applications for consultative standing.

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