Committee on NGOs

3^rd & 4^th Meetings (AM & PM)

Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations Approves 33 Accreditation Requests,

Reclassifies 1 Group, While Postponing 19 Applications

 

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), continuing its scrutiny of applicants seeking consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, today added 33 groups to the more than 3,500 accredited since it was established in 1946.

It postponed consideration of 19 applications pending responses to questions posed by Committee members, while recommending the reclassification of one NGO from special to general status.

The 19-member Committee — whose current session concludes on 8 February — vets applications submitted by NGOs, recommending general, special or roster status on the basis of such criteria as the applicant’s mandate, governance and financial regime.  Organizations enjoying general and special status can attend meetings of the Economic and Social Council and issue statements, while those with general status can also speak during meetings and propose agenda items.  Organizations with roster status can only attend meetings.

Recommended for special status today were the following non-governmental organizations:  Isiziba Community Based Organisations of South Africa; Kenya Healthcare Federation; Kevoy Community Development Institute; LIGHT Africa; Mama Zimbi Foundation; Mission des Volontaires Contre la Pauvreté; Modern Advocacy, Humanitarian, Social and Rehabilitation Association; Moremi Initiative for Women’s Leadership in Africa; Organisation de Développement et des Droits de l’Homme au Cameroun; Organisation des Jeunes pour le Monde d’Avenir; Organisation Internationale pour le Développement Intégral de la Femme; Outreach Social Care Project; Peace Corps of Nigeria; Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water; and Pro-Biodiversity Conservationists in Uganda Limited.

Also recommended for special status were:  Registered Trustees of Pastoralists Indigenous Non-Governmental Trust Forum; Réseau National de la Jeunesse de Côte d’Ivoire (RNJ-CI); Ripples International Registered Trustees; Social & Healthy Action for Rural Empowerment; Solidarité pour un Monde Meilleur; Strategic Humanitarian Services; Support for Women in Agriculture and Environment; Syrian Environment Protection Society; TOKACF Consul Cabinet Cameroon; Treasureland Health Builders; Twekembe Association Centre for Rural Systems and Development; Volunteers for Africa; Water Safety Initiative Foundation; Women Research Centre; World Union of Small and Medium Enterprises; Yayasan Pendidikan Indonesia; Young Women’s Christian Association; and Youth Awareness and Guidance Organisation, Agbarha-Otor.

The Committee postponed action on applications submitted by the following:  Initiative for Change; International Human Rights Commission Relief Fund Trust; International Union of Parents and Teachers; Last Hope International; New Vision International; Organisation des Laics Engagés du Sacré-Coeur pour le Développement de Kimbondo; People’s Development Organization; Prahar; Prime Educational and Social Trust; Ray of Hope; Rural Peoples Sangham; Sewa Development Trust Sindh; Shalupe Foundation; The Catholic Health Association of India; Vicony’s Global Success World; Women Empowerment Literacy and Development Organization; Women in Alternative Action; Young Naturalist Network; and Young Power in Social Action.

The Committee also recommended the reclassification of the International Road Transport Union from special to general status.

During the Committee’s interactive dialogue with NGOs seeking accreditation, Committee members posed questions to applicants about, among other things, financial details, the proportion of funding going to actual projects, and existing relationships with the United Nations.  They also asked questions about the activities of certain NGOs, their independence from Government and how they intended to work with the Economic and Social Council.

Participating in today’s exchanges were representatives of Israel, India, Belgium, China, Morocco, Cuba, Venezuela, Sudan, Pakistan, Bulgaria and Bangladesh.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations will meet again at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 23 January, to continue its review of new applications and requests for reclassification.

Special Consultative Status

The Committee recommended that the Economic and Social Council grant special consultative status to the following non-governmental organizations:

Isiziba Community Based Organisations of South Africa — a national organization helping communities participate in their own development;

Kenya Healthcare Federation — a national organization promoting and enhancing affordable, accessible, quality health care;

Kevoy Community Development Institute — a national organization involved in farm management and community development training in Jamaica;

LIGHT Africa — a national organization working to protect the interests of the poor and facilitate access to basic social services in Cameroon;

Mama Zimbi Foundation — a national organization in Ghana supporting widows and children, while educating adolescents on HIV, sexual and reproductive health;

Mission des Volontaires Contre la Pauvreté — a national organization fighting poverty in Togo through vocational training and rural development;

Modern Advocacy, Humanitarian, Social and Rehabilitation Association — an international NGO fostering equality in Cameroon;

Moremi Initiative for Women’s Leadership in Africa — a Ghana-based international NGO seeking to empower women and girls to take on leadership roles;

Organisation de Développement et des Droits de l’Homme au Cameroun — an international NGO seeking to improve living conditions for the poor;

Organisation des Jeunes pour le Monde d’Avenir — a national organization working for youth empowerment in the Democratic Republic of Congo;

Organisation Internationale pour le Développement Intégral de la Femme — a national NGO seeking comprehensive health care and reduced unemployment among women and young people in Togo;

Outreach Social Care Project — a national organization working to empower disadvantaged and underprivileged vulnerable groups in South Africa;

Peace Corps of Nigeria — a national organization committed to peace and youth development;

Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water — a Saudi Arabia-based international NGO awarding prizes for achievements in water-related fields;

Pro-Biodiversity Conservationists in Uganda Limited — a national organization working to conserve biodiversity through sustainable development;

Registered Trustees of Pastoralists Indigenous Non-Governmental Trust Forum — a national organization seeking sustainable livelihoods for pastoralists, hunter-gatherers and other indigenous peoples in the United Republic of Tanzania;

Réseau National de la Jeunesse de Côte d’Ivoire (RNJ-CI) — a national organization promoting responsible sexual and reproductive health among adolescents and the integration of unemployed youth;

Ripples International Registered Trustees — a national organization seeking to empower children in Kenya and to defend and promote their rights;

Social & Healthy Action for Rural Empowerment — a national organization helping underprivileged, disadvantaged people in remote hilly areas of India;

Solidarité pour un Monde Meilleur — a national organization fighting hunger and poverty through agriculture and fishing in the Democratic Republic of Congo;

Strategic Humanitarian Services — a national organization in Cameroon focused on sustainable rural development through community empowerment;

Support for Women in Agriculture and Environment — a national organization helping grass-roots communities in Uganda develop sustainable development skills;

Syrian Environment Protection Society — a national organization aiming to protect the natural and urban environments;

TOKACF Consul Cabinet Cameroon — a national organization focused on social development, human rights activism and good governance;

Treasureland Health Builders — a national organization in Nigeria seeking better reproductive health services and supporting vulnerable children in Africa;

Twekembe Association Centre for Rural Systems and Development — a national organization aiding vulnerable, poor rural communities in Uganda;

Volunteers for Africa — a Kenya-based international NGO working to strengthen local capacities to eradicate poverty, hunger and disease;

Water Safety Initiative Foundation — a national organization focused on sustainable development in Nigeria;

Women Research Centre — a national organization involved in developing strategies, plans and programmes for women’s advancement in Sudan;

World Union of Small and Medium Enterprises — an international NGO safeguarding the rights, interests and competitiveness of small businesses in San Marino;

Yayasan Pendidikan Indonesia — a national organization promoting basic computing literacy in Islamic boarding schools;

Young Women’s Christian Association — a national organization focused on empowering women, youth and children in Zambia to reach their full potential;

Youth Awareness and Guidance Organisation, Agbarha-Otor — a national organization combating HIV/AIDS, substance abuse and child labour in Nigeria.

Reclassification

The Committee recommended that the Economic and Social Council reclassify the International Road Transport Union from special to general consultative status.

Action Postponed

The Committee postponed its consideration of applications submitted by the following:

Initiative for Change – a national organization promoting primary and secondary education, as well as agriculture and livestock development in Pakistan;

International Human Rights Commission Relief Fund Trust — a Pakistan-based international organization helping displaced people in relief camps;

International Union of Parents and Teachers — a national organization in Ghana defending against illegal actions;

Last Hope International — a national organization working to enhance the lives of the underprivileged in Nigeria;

New Vision International — a national organization fighting poverty through job creation in the Democratic Republic of Congo;

Organisation des Laics Engagés du Sacré-Coeur pour le Développement de Kimbondo — a national organization fighting poverty and helping to reintegrate former prisoners in the Democratic Republic of Congo;

People’s Development Organization — a national organization promoting socio-economic development in Pakistan through education, health and employment;

Prahar — a national organization in India promoting voluntary education, health and economic development services for the disadvantaged and marginalized;

Prime Educational and Social Trust — a national organization seeking to empower the rural and urban poor in India to become self-reliant;

Ray of Hope — a national organization involved in treating and rehabilitating drug addicts, as well as preventing drug abuse in Pakistan;

Rural Peoples Sangham — a national organization striving to empower the poor in India by creating associations for women, children, labourers and the landless;

Sewa Development Trust Sindh — a national organization working to help marginalized communities in Pakistan achieve economic prosperity;

Shalupe Foundation — an international organization seeking to create an environment conducive to peace and security in the Democratic Republic of Congo;

The Catholic Health Association of India — a national organization promoting quality health-care services for poor, marginalized people in India;

Vicony’s Global Success World — a national organization in Cameroon promoting environmental protection and sound natural-resource management;

Women Empowerment Literacy and Development Organization — a national NGO working to raise awareness of civic, social and economic rights in Pakistan;

Women in Alternative Action — a national organization focused on gender equality and ending discrimination against women and girls in Cameroon;

Young Naturalist Network — an international organization in India promoting an eco-friendly lifestyle, nature conservation and environmental protection; and

Young Power in Social Action — a national organization in Bangladesh working to create a society free of poverty.

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For information media • not an official record