Committee on NGOs

26^th & 27^th Meetings (AM & PM)

committee on non-governmental organizations considers 123 quadrennial

reports, taking note of 110, postponing 13 others

 

Chief Announces Section’s Upgrade to Branch; Members Approve Work Programme

The resumed 2009 session of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs) considered 123 quadrennial reports submitted by groups in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, taking note of 110 and deferring 13.  It also postponed consideration of one application for consultative status and addressed other items on its agenda.

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

Prior to the Committee’s action on the reports and applications submitted by various NGOs, Andrei Abramov, Chief of the NGO Branch in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs announced that the Branch had been upgraded from the NGO Section as of 1 May.  He was speaking under the agenda item “Strengthening of the NGO Section of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat and the General voluntary trust fund in support of the United Nations Non-governmental organization Informal Regional Network (IRENE)”.

He said that, although many improvements had been made, and the Branch was reassessing its work in order to make it more efficient and effective, there was a definite need for resources to replace ancient computer equipment and for outreach activities.  Resources could be found in the Voluntary Fund in support of IRENE, were it not for the Fund’s low balance at the moment.  The Branch, therefore, appealed to all to make a modest contribution for the purchase of new equipment and the improvement of its database and website.

In the ensuing discussion, speakers welcomed the new Branch team, saying they looked forward to proposals on how the Committee could help further strengthen it.  They stressed, however, that more attention should be paid to an equitable geographical distribution in bolstering the under-staffed Branch.

Speakers also asked the Branch to ensure that documents were available at least 60 days before the start of a session, as required by Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31.  The Branch should be more flexible in providing paper documents in the “paperless committee”, as some developing countries had limited access to computers.  Some speakers stressed the importance of leaving certain practices in place and boosting the Committee’s efficiency, while others asked for a greater allocation of time for its deliberations.

Participating in that discussion were the representatives of Cuba, Pakistan, Egypt, Israel, United States, China, Colombia, Burundi, Sudan and India, as well as the observer representative of Morocco.

The Committee then heard from a representative of the Democracy Coalition Project, Inc., a United States-based organization which conducts research and advocacy relating to democracy promotion policies at the national, regional and global levels, who took questions from the representatives of the United States, Cuba, Russian Federation, Burundi, China, India, Romania, Qatar and Egypt.

She said the organization was involved in compiling information on the United Nations and monitoring the work of the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council.  It also undertook advocacy and advised Governments on how to advance the Organization’s work.

Denying that the NGO had any policy to exclude Member States from the United Nations, she conceded that it did lobby in relation to the elections for the Human Rights Council, for instance.  Its goal was to ensure that Member States upheld their own commitments on human rights and the promotion of democracy, measured against standards set by the United Nations.  As a parameter for democracy, the NGO supported the definition given in the Vienna Declaration.

She said the group worked with many other NGOs to provide expert opinions and research to strengthen the Community of Democracies, and was also engaged in other multilateral forums.  It functioned as a secretariat for the International Advisory Committee of the Community of Democracies, which was not an intergovernmental body but a group of individuals.  The NGO considered torture a serious human rights violation, wherever it occurred, and was concerned about its increasing use in the developed world.

The NGO used a variety of reports and research from many well-known institutions, including Freedom House, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, she continued.  It took accuracy very seriously and any mistakes identified by the representatives would be looked into.

In its reports the organization cited all information, she said, adding that, although it had followed the Durban Review Conference from a distance, it applauded the role of the Russian Federation and welcomed the outcome document.  It saw no reason for some participants to leave the Conference.

The Committee then postponed consideration of the NGO’s application until Tuesday, 26 May, asking its representative to submit written answers to other questions.

Non-governmental organizations with general and special status are required to submit a report to the Economic and Social Council every four years.  The Committee took note of all but two quadrennial reports out of a total of 109 for the period 2004-2007, namely:

-- European Intermodal Association; Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association; International Astronautical Federation; Médecins sans frontières; Research Centre for Feminist Action; and Research Institute for Enhancing Women’s Lives, as contained in document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.19;

-- Center for International Rehabilitation; EarthRights International; International Automobile Federation; International Federation of Beekeepers Associations; National Council of Women of Thailand; and Rehab Group (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.20);

-- American Psychological Association; Fondation Mohammed V pour la solidarité; Indian Social Institute; International Council on Social Welfare; Peter Hesse Foundation:  Solidarity in Partnership for One World; and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.21);

-- Aging Research Center; Amnesty International; Asociación International de Presupuesto Publico; Commission of the Churches on International Affairs of the World Council of Churches; Foundation for the Support of the United Nations; and Fraternité Notre Dame (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.22);

-- China Care and Compassion Society; Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace; Woods Hole Research Center; World Association of the Major Metropolises; and World Council of Independent Christian Churches (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.23);

-- Finnish Youth Cooperation; Fondazione Giovanni e Francesca Falcone; International Catholic Child Bureau; Isis:  International Women’s Information and Communication Service; Planetary Association for Clean Energy; and Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.24);

-- Arab Network for Environment and Development; Global Fund for Children; Human Lactation Center; International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims; and Legal Advisory Office for Popular Organizations (contained in document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.25);

-- Doğal Hayati Koruma Derneği:  Society for the Protection of Nature; Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy; Institute for the Development of Education, Arts and Leisure; Lay Movement for Latin America; National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty; and World Vision International (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.26);

-- Aids Information Switzerland; Alulbayt Foundation; European Network of Policewomen; Links Incorporated; and Nippon International Cooperation for Community Development (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.27);

-- American Society for Training and Development; Association de volontaires pour le service international; Foundation ECPAT International; International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property; National Council of Women of Great Britain; and Project One (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.28);

-- International Catholic Migration Commission; International Planned Parenthood Federation (South Asia region); International Youth Hostel Federation; and World Vision Canada (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.29);

-- Alan Guttmacher Institute; Foundation Partners for Local Development; International HIV/AIDS Alliance; National Association of Negro Business and Profession Women’s Clubs; Network of Human Development; and UMUT Foundation (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.30);

-- Comite nationale d’entraide de la jeunesse et de l’enfance; International Association “Znanie”; International Council of Environmental Law; Institute for Multicultural Communications, Cooperation and Development; and Vie montante internationale (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.31);

-- Front Line:  International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders; Kindernothilfe; Soroptimist International; World Veterans Federation; and World Wide Fund for Nature (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.32);

-- Community and Family Services International; Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd; HOPE worldwide; International Native Tradition Interchange; and World Information Clearing Centre (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.33);

-- Drug Abuse Information Rehabilitation and Research Centre; Press Council; World Energy Council; World Movement of Mothers; and Zayed International Prize for the Environment (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.34);

-- Asia Crime Prevention Foundation; China Association for Science and Technology; International Buddhist Relief Organisation; People with Disabilities – Uganda; and Sister to Sister International (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.35);

-- Institute of Social Studies Trust; Peace Education Foundation; People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy; Right to Play; Turtle Island Restoration Network; and Women’s Cultural and Social Society (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.36);

-- Asia-Japan Women’s Resource Center; Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Production of the Argentine Republic; Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief; Palestinian Centre for Human Rights; and Volontari nel Mondo (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.37); and

-- International Federation for Human Rights Leagues; International Prisoners Aid Association; Islamic Women’s Institute of Iran; Minority Rights Group; United Nations Association of China; and World Organization of Former Students of Catholic Education (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.38).

The Committee deferred consideration of the quadrennial reports submitted by Amnesty International and the International Federation for Human Rights Leagues (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.22 and 38 respectively) pending receipt of requested information.

It took note of the quadrennial reports submitted by the following NGOs, deferred from previous sessions:  Pax Christi International (document E/C.2/2008/2/Add.2); Armenian Assembly of America (document E.C.2/2008/2/Add.7); and Ligue internationale contre le racisme et l’antisémitisme (document E/C.2/2008/2/Add.17).

Because members requested additional information, the Committee did not take note of the deferred quadrennial reports submitted by:  Christian Democratic International (document E/C.2/1999/2/Add.13); National Council of Women of Thailand (document E/C.2/2005/2/Add.19); International Press Institute (document E/C.2/2007/2/Add.9); Centrist Democratic International (document E/C.2/2007/2/Add.25); Human Rights Internet (document E.C.2/2008/Add.6); Ukrainian World Congress (document E/C.2/Add.11); International Network of Liberal Women (document E/C.2/2008/2/Add.16); Heritage Foundation (document E/C.2/2008/2/Add.26); Freedom House (document E/C.2/2008/2/Add.34); Transnational Radical Party (document E/C.2/2008/Add.36); and CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation (document E/C.2/2009/2/Add.13).

The Committee was informed that, of the NGOs accredited to the World Summit on the Information Society in 2007-2008, a total of 13 had been granted consultative status with the Economic and Social Council.  At the current resumed session, the Committee was considering two new applications from among those submitted and three deferred applications.  The NGO Branch was reviewing the applications of 35 organizations accredited to the World Summit on the Information Society, which would be submitted to the Committee at the next session.

In other matters, the Committee amended its Programme of Work.

Members of the Committee 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. on Tuesday, 26 May.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record