Committee on NGOs

19^th & 20^thMeetings (AM & PM)

COMMITTEE ON NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS DEFERS ACTION ON APPLICATIONS

OF 12 GROUPS SEEKING AFFILIATION WITH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

Queries Raised over Use of Non-United Nations Terminology in Group’s Name

Continuing its resumed session, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today completed its consideration of new applicants for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, set to begin on 30 June, but decided to defer all 12 cases pending additional information on each organization.

The 19-member Committee uses various criteria to recommend general, special or roster status with the Council, including the applicant’s mandate, governance and financial regime.  Organizations with general and special status can attend Council meetings and circulate statements of a certain length.  Those enjoying general status can, in addition, speak at meetings and propose items for the Council’s agenda.  Groups with roster status can only attend meetings.

Of the applications considered today, many were typically deferred because they failed to reveal their sources of funding or did not provide sufficient information on activities budgeted for the year.  In a few notable cases, decisions were deferred due to questions over the applicant’s status as a non-governmental organization according to Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31, which governs United Nations relations with such entities.  For example,the Committee deferred its consideration of the International Gas Union, an international organization based in Norway that promotes technological advancement and best practices in the gas industry, after Egypt and China took issue with its largely corporate membership.  That led the representatives of India and the United Kingdom to suggest that the organization be granted roster, rather than special status.

Similarly, the Committee deferred its consideration of Universitas 21, a network of research institutions headquartered in Guernsey -- a British Crown dependency in the English Channel that is not part of the United Nations.  The Committee agreed to consult the Organization’s Office of Legal Affairs before revisiting that application after Egypt questioned the merit of awarding consultative status to an entity not belonging to a Member State.

Consideration of the application for WITNESS, a New York City-based international organization that seeks to use video and online technologies to showcase human rights violations, was deferred after some members -– including Egypt, China, Qatar and Colombia –- queried the credibility of information gathered by the organization and its partners.  The representative of the Sudan asked specifically about its opinion on events occurring in Darfur, while the representative of Burundi sought its views on violence against men.

Other applications deferred until later in the session were those of:  the Center for Health and Gender Equity, an organization in the United States that studies the effects of that country’s policies on the health and rights of women and girls abroad, as the representatives of the Sudan and Egypt posed questions about its decision-making processes and its definition of the phrase “safe sexual reproductive rights”; Hope Medical Enterprises Ltd., an organization in the United Kingdom that seeks to empower Iraqiwomen and girls through medical counselling on sexual health, family planning and dental hygiene, after Egypt and the Sudan requested more information regarding its activities in Iraq, if any; and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, an international organization based in Switzerland that seeks to build public and private partnerships to reduce malnutrition worldwide, after Egypt posed questions about its budget and work plan.

The Committee also deferred its consideration of Service for Peace, an international organization based in the United States that brings together people of diverse faiths and backgrounds to address community needs through volunteer work, after the Sudan asked to hear its official thoughts on the situation in Darfur.  The application of Genève pour les Droits de l’Homme -- an international organization based in Switzerland that provides training for human rights advocates and diplomats in the area of human rights law -- was also deferred, after Egypt asked to see its registration documents and Cuba asked whether it cooperated with national Governments in deciding its curriculum.

Another deferral met the application of Lestime, a Swiss organization providing support and counselling to the lesbian community, after the Committee agreed to revisit its application -- originally submitted in French -- pending receipt of written testimony in English, even if official United Nations translators were able to provide an oral translation.  Vice Chair Bilal Hayee (Pakistan) explained that the Committee had a tradition of taking decisions based on documentary, rather than oral, evidence.

The Committee also deferred applications from:  the African Child Care Association, an international organization based in the United States that provides young people with tools to protect themselves against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, after Egypt asked for proof of its registration as a non-governmental organization and adherence to the appropriate laws; Junior Achievement Worldwide, a United States-based international organization dedicated to educating young people about free enterprise, after Qatar and Egypt sought more information about dues-paying “member nations”; and Presse Emblème Campagne, an international organization based in Switzerland that seeks to protect journalists in areas of armed conflict and internal violence, after Egypt requested a written explanation of its budget in English.

Also today, the representative of Armenia Fund USA, an organization deferred at the Committee’s previous session, was allowed the opportunity to address members on an exceptional basis to explain its usage of the term “Nagorno-Karabakh region” in its application, which the representative of Turkey said did not reflect Azerbaijan’s claim to the region.  In defence of the organization, she explained that using official United Nations terminology amounted to taking sides in an ongoing political dispute, in violation of United States federal law requiring non-profit organizations to be non-political, non-partisan and non-religious.

In the ensuing dialogue, the representative of Azerbaijan -- who participated as an observer –- reiterated Turkey’s enjoinder to use United Nations terminology with respect to country names.  He also lodged a complaint against Armenia Fund USA for not coordinating with the Government of Azerbaijan when conducting activities in the region, and further described those activities as political in nature.  He requested the Committee to obtain a written explanation from the organization regarding its goals of promoting “self-sustainable development” in the region.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 2 June, to consider further applications for consultative status.  More information on the Committee and the non-governmental organizations can be found on the website www.un.org/esa/coordination/ngo.

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For information media • not an official record