Committee on NGOs

20^th & 21^st Meetings (AM & PM)

group has status with Economic and Social Council reclassified as committee

on non-governmental organizations defers 24 applications

The 2009 resumed session of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) today recommended a reclassification of status with the Economic and Social Council for one organization and postponed its consideration of 24 applications pending receipt of additional information.

Interested non-governmental organizations are granted general, special or roster status with the Council upon recommendation by the 19-member Committee, which reviews the suitability of each applicant on the basis of various criteria, including mandate, governance and financial regime.  Groups enjoying general and special status can attend meetings of the Council and circulate statements.  Those with general status can, in addition, speak at meetings and propose items for the Council’s agenda, while organizations that have roster status can only attend meetings.  Non-governmental organizations with general and special status are required to submit a report every four years.

Russian Peace Foundation, an international organization headquartered in the Russian Federation, was reclassified from special to general consultative status with the Council.  It works to promote and strengthen peace, friendship and accord between Russian national and ethnic groups.

The Committee postponed its consideration of applications submitted by the following NGOs pending receipt of more information:

-- Global Witness, an international NGO based in the United Kingdom, which investigates and campaigns to prevent natural resource-related conflict and corruption and associated environmental and human rights abuses.  The representatives of Angola, India, Pakistan and Egypt had questions about the organization’s finances, affiliates and activities;

-- Humanist Institute for Co-operation with Developing Countries, a national organization in the Netherlands seeking to contribute to a free, fair and sustainable world through the application of humanist values.  The representatives of China, Egypt and Pakistan had questions about the group’s recent activities, core values and relationship with IKV/Pax Christie;

-- Institute of Noahide Code – 7 Laws for 70 Nations, a national organization based in the United States that follows the teachings of Lubavitcher Rabbi M.M. Schneerson, which encourage the practice of the Seven Laws of Noah.  The representatives of China and Egypt had further questions about the organization’s activities and the lack of information in its application form;

-- International Confederation of Childhood Cancer Parent Organizations, an Netherlands-based NGO that shares information and experiences with parent groups around the world, and with all others involved in the treatment and care of children with cancer, in order to ensure the best possible access to treatment and care.  Egypt’s representative had questions about its membership, registration and structure;

-- International Confederation of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, an NGO headquartered in Paris which fights for poverty alleviation and social change while enhancing local development capacities.  The representative of China, expressing appreciation for the organization’s corrections of Chinese names, asked about its activities in the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong and the Chinese Province of Taiwan, while Egypt’s representative raised finance-related queries;

-- International La Strada Association, a Netherlands-based anti-trafficking network of nine independent human rights NGOs working also in Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Poland and Ukraine.  It works from a human rights perspective in support of all trafficked persons, but with a focus on women in Central and (South) East Europe.  The representative of China posed questions about the organization’s finances and requested it to use proper United Nations terminology in referring to the Chinese Province of Taiwan.  Egypt’s representative asked about the registration of the group’s member organizations;

-- International Foundation for Electoral Systems, an organization based in the United States which provides professional support to electoral democracy.  The representative of Cuba asked about funding by the United States Department of State, as well as the group’s activities in Latin America and the Caribbean.  India’s representative asked about its activities in India;

-- NAFSA:  Association of International Educators, a national organization in the United States, which seeks to advance international education and exchange, and global workforce development.  The representatives of Egypt and India posed finance-related questions, while the representative of China noted that the organization had not corrected its website to accord with United Nations terminology as it had promised.  Consideration of its application should be postponed until that was done.

Several representatives, including those of Cuba, India, Egypt, United Kingdom, Pakistan and Romania, asked the Secretariat to make things clearer to applying NGOs.  The Secretariat explained several actions it had undertaken to clarify things, including, reference to the United Nations database “UNTerm”, which was open to the public;

-- National Association of Friendship Centres, a organization in Canada which strives to improve the quality of life for aboriginal peoples in an urban environment.  The representative of China asked about the group’s indigenous membership and raised queries regarding its interaction with and funding by the Government;

-- Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality, a national organization in Israel which advocates equal rights and Government recognition of Bedouin villages, as well as the elimination of civil, economic, social and cultural discrimination against them.  It had not provided answers to the Committee’s questions;

-- Opportunity International, a leading global microfinance network of organizations headquartered in the United States and working in 28 countries to provide financial and related services to the world’s poor, especially women.  China’s representative asked whether the organization was carrying out religious work in its projects, while India’s representative asked about the banking aspect of its activities and its membership in India.  Egypt’s representative also posed finance-related questions;

-- Orphans International Worldwide, a United States-based NGO which seeks to help orphaned or abandoned children grow into solid citizens of an Internet-connected world linked through a sound structure based on interfaith, interracial, international and intergenerational qualities.  The representatives of Egypt, India and Pakistan said they needed additional information in the financial field, among other things;

-- Pacific Women’s Watch, a national organization in New Zealand which seeks to ensure a hearing for Pacific subregion women, and particularly New Zealand, in the international arena.  Egypt’s representative asked how the NGO could contribute to the Economic and Social Council, while Israel’s representative pointed out that it could contribute to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women;

-- Rissho Kosei-Kai, an international organization headquartered in Japan, which tries to contribute to world peace through the attainment of human dignity by all, in accordance with Buddhist principles.  The representative of China requested that the NGO use the correct United Nations terminology in referring to the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong and the Chinese Province of Taiwan;

-- Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, a national organization in the United States which strives to enhance human well-being and performance in organizational and workplace settings by promoting the science, practice and teaching of industrial-organizational psychology.  China’s representative queried the organization’s finances, while Egypt’s representative asked why it wanted consultative status when its parent organization already had it;

-- Stichting Forest Peoples Programme, a United Kingdom-based international organization promoting institutional, legal and policy changes at the local, national and international levels in order to secure the human rights of those living in and directly from forests.  India’s representative sought more details to the answers provided;

-- Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo (International Volunteers for Development), an international NGO based in Italy, works in the field of international cooperation to promote human development and human rights for vulnerable groups.  The representative of Egypt asked for proof of the registration of its affiliated groups, while the representative of the Sudan requested official documentation about its office in Khartoum.

-- Wildlife Conservation Society, an international organization headquartered in the United States, saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, global conservation, education, and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo.  The NGO had not yet responded to Committee members’ questions;

-- World Buddhist Supreme Tathagata Followers Peace Foundation, an international organization based in the Republic of Korea which provides welfare facilities for the handicapped and aged, a cremation house and pagodas.  It also promotes friendship among world Buddhists through international exchanges and grants scholarships to those interested in religious culture.  The representatives of China asked whether the organization was registered as a religious or a non-governmental organization.  The representatives of Egypt and India raised finance-related questions;

-- Yun Lin Temple, a national organization in the United States, which preaches Buddhist teachings for peace, harmony and spiritual development among all people.  Several representatives, including those of Egypt and China, questioned the organization’s religious nature, while the representative of the United States stated that religious activities should not preclude NGOs from accreditation.  Israel’s representative noted that the group had participated in United Nations events, and the representative of the Sudan asked what contribution it could make to the Economic and Social Council and what work it carried out in the field.

A representative of Passionists International, a United States-based international group which promotes the vision of the Passionist Family, responded to questions from members by explaining the group’s organizational structure.  Most members of the umbrella organization were working in some 58 countries to promote the vision of the Millennium Development Goals and address issues of poverty.  Projects grew out of local needs, and the organization was mostly invited to start work by local communities.  Its projects were funded by its member organizations, two of which were based in Italy and England, respectively, and whose registration could be provided.  The organization’s work was indeed religiously motivated, but had no religious intent.

Further consideration of that NGO’s application was postponed pending receipt of its two member organizations’ registration.

A representative of the Alliance Defense Fund, a United States-based international NGO seeking to defend and promote human rights and civil liberties recognized and protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and applicable international instruments, said it could contribute to the work of the Economic and Social Council as it had provided nations with legal analysis on human rights issues.  It had trained a network of 1,200 attorneys who could provide legal advice to NGOs, but more of its cases were resolved through discussion with Government officials than through litigation.  The organization had advised the United States Government on a number of issues, including families and speech.  It had defended Ireland and Croatia, but did not plan any projects in Latin America.  The NGO had not yet taken a position on defamation of religion because that issue must be studied in depth.

Although the representative of the United States recommended that the Committee grant the NGO special consultative status, action was postponed until written answers to members’ questions were received.

Representatives of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission ‑‑ a United States-based group whose mission is to secure the full enjoyment of human rights by all people and communities subject to discrimination or abuse on the basis of sexual orientation or expression, gender identity and/or HIV status ‑‑ said the NGO could contribute to the Economic and Social Council as it based its work on human rights treaties and had worked with organizations around the world to improve their reporting on violations to various international treaty bodies.

Explaining several projects, including some in Romania, they said that in the area of HIV/AIDS, the organization had undertaken research into ways in which men who had sex with men had been neglected by HIV/AIDS programmes around the world, particularly in the global South and East, but also in the United States.  Its work was always carried out in partnership with local organizations, using constitutional provisions such as the right to privacy and equality to make the point that gay and lesbian people were entitled to the same citizenship rights as others.

The representatives of the United Kingdom and Peru asked for special consultative status, but as the representatives of Egypt, Sudan, Qatar and Pakistan needed more time to study answers provided, further consideration was postponed.

A representative of the Internet Society, a Switzerland-based international organization which provides leadership in addressing issues facing the future of the Internet, responded to remarks by China’s representative about adherence to correct United Nations geographical terminology by stating that the organization organized its chapters by location and economy, not country name.  The Society was a technical rather than a political organization and avoided sensitive discussions.  It undertook educational, policy and standard work in addition to contributing to capacity-building by training engineers in developing countries.  She also answered questions about the budget and membership.

However, the representative of China suggested that the organization should amend its website to accord with United Nations terminology, because only then could the Committee discuss its application further.  Egypt’s representative sought more information about the activities and registration of the NGO’s constituent organizations.

The Committee’s members are Angola, Burundi, China, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Egypt, Guinea, India, Israel, Pakistan, Peru, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Sudan, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 20 May, to continue its consideration of applications.

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For information media • not an official record