UN DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION APPROVES 17 NON-GOVERNMENTAL

ORGANIZATIONS FOR ASSOCIATION, 47 ARE DISASSOCIATED

 

The United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) approved the association of 17 more organizations, bringing to 1,523 the total number of non-governmental organizations (NGO) associated with DPI.

The DPI Committee on NGOs noted that the newly associated NGOs represented five different regions of the world -- Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), North America and Western Europe.  Each conforms to the principles of the United Nations Charter, operates solely on a not-for-profit basis and is involved with the United Nations issues.

Raymond Sommereyns, Chair of the Committee and Director of the Outreach Division of DPI, stated that the “most important, all of them have information programmes in place to reach a broad audience about their work as it relates to the United Nations.  This information dissemination capacity is a unique criterion for the over 1,500 NGOs associated with DPI”.

The 17 NGOs are advocates for a diverse array of issues ranging from humanitarian assistance, sustainable development, education, poverty alleviation, peace, women, media and the environment.

They include five from developing countries.  There are two organizations from Pakistan -- Association of Network for Community Empowerment (ANCE), that works for community empowerment with optimum participation of the local community; and the Kuchlak Welfare Society, that organizes workshops, seminars and walks against drug abuse, terrorism and in favour of capacity building and women’s rights in the remote areas of Bolochistan.  Conseil et Assistance Juridiques, Togo, organizes education and information courses on the Internet for thousands of Togolese to fight against irregularities and abuses in the application of the law. The National Association of Vocational Education of China (NAVEC), China, assists laid-off workers to get the necessary skills to find new jobs through vocational training and helps students with financial difficulties to continue their study.

Twelve of the approved NGOs are based in developed regions.  The Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT) in Switzerland is an organization committed to development cooperation and disaster relief, which has a base in Kenya, and its services reach out to neighbouring countries such as southern Sudan.  Global Action Network, USA, facilitates youth participation and intergenerational partnership in global decision-making.  The International Public Foundation “ExperimentalCreativeCenter” (IPF-ECC), the Russian Federation, organizes conferences, seminars, symposia for an exchange of opinions and clarification of the key problems of contemporary Russia and the world.

Following are the organizations newly associated with DPI, listed alphabetically by region:

Africa:  Conseil et Assistance Juridiques

Asia and the Pacific:  Association of Network for Community Empowerment (ANCE), Pakistan; Kuchlak Welfare Society, Pakistan; National Association of Vocational Education of China (NAVEC), China; and The Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Development, China.

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS):  International Public Foundation “Experimental CreativeCenter” (IPF-ECC), Russia.

North America:  ActionAgainst Hunger, USA; Global Action network, USA; International Institute for Peace through Tourism, USA; SeaWeb, USA; UNANIMA International, USA.

Western Europe:  AMURT, Switzerland.

The DPI Committee on NGOs also confirmed the association of five NGOs that have consultative status with the ECOSOC (United Nations Economic and Social Council):  Chinese Society for Sustainable Development, China; Cooperzione Internazionale, Italy; Femmes Africa Solidarite, Switzerland; International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, Canada; and VIVAT International, USA.

The Committee dissociated the following NGOs, because they no longer meet the criteria for association:  Access: A Security Information Service, USA; Aciad/Orad- Association de Cooperation International au Development Organizations pour la Recherche Appliquée, France; Acropolis Appeal, Greece; Agrupación de Periodistas para la Infancia, Argentina; Aids Found Immunology and Allergology, Italy; Airport Association Council International, France; Alberta Global Education projects (Alberta Teachers’ Association), Canada; Americas Society, USA; Asociación Conciencia, Argentina; Asociación Programa Bolivar, Venezuela; Associates of the National Agricultural Library, USA; Association Burkinabe Pour les Nations Unies, Burkina Faso; Asian Non-Governmental Organizations Coalitions for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC), Philippines; Association des Professeurs pour des programmes Universitaires Internationaux (APPII Inc.), Canada; Association of Catholic Clergy “Pacem In Terris”, Czech Republic; Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies, Australia; Austrian Association for Political Science (OGPW), Austria; Austrian National Union of Students, Austria; Banner of Peace Center, Bulgaria; Battelle Memorial Institute, USA; Boy and Girls Clubs of America, USA; Business Executives for Nations Security, Inc., USA; Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation, Ltd., Netherlands Antilles; Carrying Capacity Network, Inc., USA; Catholic International Union for Social Service, Belgium; Catholic Relief Services US Catholic Conference Lesotho Program, Lesotho; Center of Telecommunications for the Third World, Costa Rica; Center for International Understanding, USA; Centro UNESCO do Porto, Andorra; Chamber of Commerce of the USA, USA; Citizens’ Advice Bureau, Zimbabwe; Clergy and Laity Concerned, USA; Comité Argentino Latinoamericano contra el Apartheid, Argentina; Comite International des Camps (Austrian Branch), Austria; Comité Nicaraguense por la Paz, Nicaragua; Committee for Citizens’ Rights (Dhaka), Bangladesh; Congress of Journalists, Cyprus; Conseil national des Femmes Belges (Belgian French-Language National Women Council), Belgium; Consejo Argentino de la Paz, Argentina; Continents, The, Czech Republic; Coolidge Center for Environmental Leadership, USA; Council for Education in World Citizenship, United Kingdom; Council of European and Japanese National Ship-owners’ Association, United Kingdom; Council on International Educational Exchange, USA; Czechoslovak Committee for European Security and Cooperation, Czech Republic; Deutscher Frauenring E.V., Germany; and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award International Association, United Kingdom.

For further information, Contact the DPI/NGO Section, tel.:  212-963-6842; email:dpi@un.org.  The Directory of NGOs associated with DPI is also available on the DPI/NGO web site: www.un.org/dpi/ngosection.

* *** *