Committee on NGOs

5^th & 6^th Meetings (AM & PM)

Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations Approves 36 Applications,

 

Postpones 17, in Third Day of Two-week Session

 

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), entering its third day of examining applications for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, today added 36 groups to the more than 3,500 it has accredited since its creation in 1946.

With its two-week session concluding on 8 February, the Committee also postponed consideration of 17 applications, pending responses to questions posed by Committee members.

Tasked with vetting applications submitted by NGOs, the 19-member Committee recommends general, special or roster status on the basis of an applicant’s mandate, governance and financial regime, among other criteria.  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:  “Iqtisadi Resurslarin Öyr¿nilm¿si” Ictimai Birliyi; American Heart Association; Association d’Aide à l’Education de l’Enfant Handicapé; Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education; Barinu Institute for Economic Development; Binaytara Foundation; Büro zur Umsetzung von Gleichbehandlung; Center for International Virtual Schooling; Community Education Services Canada; Cork Forest Conservation Alliance; Farmers Educational & Cooperative Union of America; Fédération des Villes Moyennes; Fundación Familias Monoparentales Isadora Duncan; Gede Foundation; Geopolitikai Tanács Közhasznú Alapítvány; Inga Foundation; International Council for the Day of Vesak; and the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences.

Also recommended for special status were:  International Seafood Sustainability Foundation; Japan Center for a Sustainable Environment and Society; Kinder in Kenia; Les rencontres du Mont-Blanc - Forum international de l’économie sociale; National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty; Perfect Union; Pitirim Sorokin-Nikolai Kondratieff International Institute; Prisoners’ Legal Service; International Academy of Sciences on Information, Information Procedures and Technologies; Responding to Climate Change; Stichting Both ENDS; Shalupe Foundation; School of Environmental Studies Education Foundation; World Stroke Organization; Yelen; Centre for Climate Change & Environmental Study; International Relief Friendship Foundation; and Iraqi Al-Mortaqa Foundation for Human Development.

The Committee postponed action on applications submitted by the following NGOs:  Youth for a Child in Christ; Youth Foundation of Bangladesh; African Computer and Technology Literacy Awareness; Arab Forum for Environment and Development; Association for Citizen’s Tolerance and Cooperation; Atheist Alliance International; Asylum Access; Child Rights Information Network; Coastal Association for Transformation Trust; Corporación Centro de Estudios de Derecho Justicia y Sociedad; Freann Financial Services; India Media Centre; Institut International pour la Paix, la Justice et les Droits de l’homme; Omega Research Foundation; Stichting Coalition for Work with Psychotrauma and Peace; The Jewish Renaissance Foundation; and the Youth Affairs Network of Queensland.

During the Committee’s interactive dialogue with applicants, members posed questions about, among other things, financial details, partnerships with donors, their countries of operation, and the aims of certain projects.  Members also sought information about their current activities with United Nations entities, and asked which subsidiary bodies of the Economic and Social Council they intended to work with, if accredited.  They also advised NGOs to use correct United Nations terminology in their information materials.

In other business today, the members elected Hassan Hamid Hassan ( Sudan) as a Committee Vice-Chair.

Participating in today’s exchanges were representatives of the United States, Israel, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Cuba, Venezuela, Pakistan, Morocco, Sudan and the Russian Federation.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations will meet again at 10 a.m. Thursday, 24 January, to continue its review of new and deferred applicants.

Special Consultative Status

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

“Iqtisadi Resurslarin Öyr¿nilm¿si” Ictimai Birliyi — a national organization advancing economic knowledge and developing financial markets in Azerbaijan;

American Heart Association — a national organization working to build healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke;

Association d’Aide à l’Education de l’Enfant Handicapé — a national organization in France helping persons with disabilities in Cameroon;

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education — a United States-based international organization seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on campuses and to educate students about climate change;

Barinu Institute for Economic Development — an international organization in the United States promoting economic development in the world’s poorest regions;

Binaytara Foundation — an international organization in the United States promoting health and education in underprivileged communities;

Büro zur Umsetzung von Gleichbehandlung — a national organization in Germany working to create a society free of discrimination;

Centre For Climate Change & Environmental Study — a Nigeria-based international organization promoting public awareness of climate change, global warming and green technology transfer;

Center for International Virtual Schooling — an organization in the United States helping young students to live harmoniously with those of different cultures;

Community Education Services Canada — a national organization dedicated to providing access to education for orphans and HIV/AIDS-affected children in Kenya;

Cork Forest Conservation Alliance — an international organization in the United States focused on preserving the Mediterranean cork forests;

Farmers Educational & Cooperative Union of America — a national organization seeking to enhance the economic well-being of farming families;

Fédération des Villes Moyennes — a national organization in France promoting sustainable development, local democracy, social justice and international cooperation;

Fundación Familias Monoparentales Isadora Duncan — a national organization defending equal rights for single-parent families, particularly single mothers, in Spain;

Gede Foundation — a United States-based international organization promoting access to health services;

Geopolitikai Tanács Közhasznú Alapítvány — a national organization in Hungary promoting international cooperation and geopolitical research;

Inga Foundation — a United Kingdom-based international organization promoting alley-cropping as an alternative to slash-and-burn agriculture in rainforests;

International Council for the Day of Vesak — an international organization in Thailand seeking to mobilize the global Buddhist community to address climate change, and challenges to sustainable development, education and peacebuilding;

International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences — a United States organization promoting the use of technology advice among key intergovernmental institutions;

International Relief Friendship Foundation — a national organization in Nepal focused on sustainable development programmes that promote healthy lifestyles;

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation — a United States organization engaged in long-term conservation and sustainable use of tuna stocks;

Iraqi Al-Mortaqa Foundation for Human Development — a national organization fostering capacity-building through skills training, education and social peace initiatives;

Japan Center for a Sustainable Environment and Society — a national organization dedicated to sustainable development and social justice;

Kinder in Kenia –—a national organization in Switzerland seeking to break the cycle of poverty afflicting children in Kenya;

Les rencontres du Mont-Blanc — Forum international de l’économie sociale — a organization in France fostering collaboration between social and economic leaders worldwide;

National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty — an organization working to prevent and end homelessness in the United States;

Perfect Union — an international organization in France that promotes sustainable development and equality for all;

Pitirim Sorokin-Nikolai Kondratieff International Institute — an organization in the Russian Federation focused on sustainable development and the Alliance of Civilizations;

Prisoners’ Legal Service — a national organization promoting the rule of law in the administration of prisons and punishment in Australia;

International Academy of Sciences on Information, Information Procedures and Technologies — a Russian Federation-based organization promoting the wider use of information technology in science, economy, industry and intellectual creative activity;

Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America — a United States-based international organization promoting the health of individuals with disabilities through the use of technology;

Responding to Climate Change — a national organization in the United Kingdom dedicated to raising awareness of climate change issues;

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

Stichting Both ENDS — a national organization in the Netherlands supporting innovations for the sustainable management of natural resources;

School of Environmental Studies Education Foundation — a national organization in the United States offering grants and scholarships to foster environmental leadership;

United Nations Association of New Zealand — a national organization promoting understanding of, and engagement with, the United Nations;

World Stroke Organization — a Swiss organization supporting stroke patients’ access to optimal care; and

Yelen — a national organization in France assisting the economic, social and cultural development of migrants and displaced persons.

Action Postponed

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

Youth for a Child in Christ — a national organization working to reduce poverty and HIV/AIDS prevalence among young people in Zimbabwe;

Youth Foundation of Bangladesh — a national organization seeking youth participation in all areas of development;

African Computer and Technology Literacy Awareness Program — a Canada-based international organization promoting the use of technology to alleviate poverty;

Association for Citizens’ Tolerance and Cooperation — a national organization dedicated to European-style democracy in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia;

Atheist Alliance International — a United States organization committed to ensuring that religious beliefs do not influence public policy, scientific inquiry and education;

Arab Forum for Environment and Development — an international organization in Lebanon promoting prudent environmental policies and action in Arab countries;

Asylum Access — an international organization in the United States helping refugees obtain legal sanctuary, as well as the right to work, attend school and access local health-care services;

Child Rights Information Network — a United Kingdom-based international organization focused on making human rights enforcement mechanisms universally accessible;

Coastal Association for Social Transformation (COAST) Trust — a national organization in Bangladesh supporting the poor in coastal areas trough ecological protection, disaster preparedness and humanitarian welfare programmes;

Corporación Centro de Estudios de Derecho Justicia y Sociedad — a national organization in Colombia that encourages debate on human rights, democracy, and the rule of law throughout Latin America;

Freann Financial Services — a national organization in Ghana providing mortgage financing, brokerage and management advisory services;

India Media Centre — a national organization seeking to empower the poor through literacy and their active participation in development;

Institut international pour la Paix, la Justice et les Droits de l’homme — a Switzerland-based international organization promoting human rights for all;

Omega Research Foundation — a United Kingdom-based international organization providing evidence-based research on military, security and police technologies;

Stichting Coalition for Work with Psychotrauma and Peace — an international organization in the Netherlands helping people with mental health problems recover from violent conflict, discrimination and other traumatic events;

The Jewish Renaissance Foundation — a United States-based international organization striving to help socio-economically vulnerable persons and families; and

Youth Affairs Network of Queensland — a national organization in Australia promoting the interests of disadvantaged and marginalised young people.

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For information media • not an official record