Committee on NGOs

9^th & 10^th Meetings (AM & PM)

Concluding First Week of Session, Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations

Approves 9 Applications, Postpones 31, Defers Reclassification Request

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

It also postponed its consideration of 31 applications, pending responses to questions posed by its members, in addition to deferring action on a request by one NGO for reclassification from special to general consultative status.

The 19-member body recommends general, special or roster status on the basis of an applicant’s mandate, governance and financials, among other criteria.  Once accredited, NGOs can attend meetings of the Economic and Social Council and enjoy different levels of benefits, depending on their status.  Those with general and special status can speak during meetings, with the former also allowed to propose agenda items.  NGOs with roster status are more restricted and may only address meetings with the Secretary-General’s permission.

Recommended for special status today were the following non-governmental organizations:  Fondation pour les Etudes et Recherches sur le Développement International; Friends of ISTAR; Sisters Inside Inc.; Under The Same Sun Fund; World Faith Inc.; Ilitha Labantu; Iranian Vegetable Oil Industries Association; TrustAfrica; and Al-Mahdi Institute.

The Committee postponed action on the applications submitted by the following NGOs:  Educación para la Acción Crítica; Fundación DARA Internacional; Helping Hands International Foundation; Institute for Practical Idealism; International Association for Advancement of Space Safety; Jewish Voice Ministries International; Organisation pour la Femme et le Developpement Inc.; Society for the Policing of Cyberspace; United Sikhs; Addameer Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association; Al-Maqdese for Society Development; Al-Marsad, The Arab Centre for Human Rights in the Golan Heights; Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights; Asian-Eurasian Human Rights Forum; and Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism.

Action was also deferred on the applications of the following:  Business and Professional Women Voluntary Organization; Human Rights Network; Hokok Coalición Internacional Contra la Impunidad; Islamic African Relief Agency; Kuchlak Welfare Society; New Era Educational and Charitable Support Initiative; New World Hope Organization; Palpung Munishasan Dharmachakra Sangh; Sairam Population Research Trust; Shikhar Chetna Sangathan; Skyian Welfare Organization; South Asia Partnership Pakistan; The Kuki Organization for Human Rights Trust; West Africa Centre for Peace Foundation; African Refugee Development Center; and Bureau International pour le Respect des Droits de l’Homme au Sahara Occidental.

The Committee postponed action on a request by the International Institute of Administrative Sciences to be reclassified from special to general status.

During their interactive dialogue with applicants, Committee members posed questions about their current activities, future plans and countries of operation, among other things.  The scope of NGOs’ activities also came under scrutiny.

Acting by acclamation at the outset of the meeting, the Committee elected Marghoob Saleem Butt ( Pakistan) as its Chair, replacing his countryman, Suljuk Mustansar Tarar, whose term with the delegation had just expired.

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

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 28 January, to continue its review of deferred applicants.

Special Consultative Status

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

Fondation pour les Etudes et Recherches sur le Développement international — an organization in France promoting understanding of international economic development and innovative ideas for the design of future development policies;

Friends of ISTAR — an international organization in the United States involved in strategy and security issues;

Sisters Inside Inc. — an international organization in Australia promoting women’s empowerment in order to create a more socio-economically just society;

Under the Same Sun Fund — an international organization in Canada supporting albinos in Africa and other marginalized or disabled people through advocacy and education initiatives;

World Faith Inc. — an international organization in the United States working to counter religious extremism;

Ilitha Labantu — a national organization in South Africa promoting educational and socio-economic support for women and children victims of violence;

Iranian Vegetable Oil Industries Association — a national organization working to create more jobs by expanding private sector activities;

TrustAfrica — a Senegal-based international organization seeking to strengthen initiatives to address Africa’s most difficult challenges; and

Al-Mahdi Institute — a United Kingdom-based international organization providing Islamic learning to students residing in Europe and serving Muslim communities.

Action Postponed

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

Educación para la Acción Crítica — a national organization in Spain advocating social justice and solidarity to promote sustainable human development;

Fundación DARA Internacional — an NGO in Spain committed to improving the quality and effectiveness of aid in conflict-, disaster- and climate change-related situations;

Helping Hands International Foundation — an NGO in the United States helping people move from poverty to self-sufficiency in Kenya and elsewhere;

Institute for Practical Idealism — a United States-based international NGO focused on training and mentoring community leaders, youth, professionals and administrators to foster peace and a culture of participation worldwide;

International Association for Advancement of Space Safety — an international organization in the Netherlands seeking to promote good space-safety practices and harmonizing international space-safety regulations;

Jewish Voice Ministries International — a United States-based international NGO engaged in health-care and humanitarian relief partnerships in support of Jewish or Israelite communities in Africa and around the world;

Organisation Pour La Femme et le Developpement Inc. — an international NGO in the United States working to empower women socio-economically as a way to promote agricultural and rural development in developing countries;

Society for the Policing of Cyberspace — a Canada-based international organization promoting cyber-security through global international partnerships to prevent, detect and combat cyberspace crimes;

United Sikhs — an international organization in the United States seeking to empower under-privileged minority communities and individuals through civic, educational and personal development programmes;

Addameer Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association — a national organization in the State of Palestine supporting the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Palestinian prisoners and detainees;

Al-Maqdese for Society Development — a national organization in the State of Palestine defending Palestinian political, social, economic, cultural and civil rights, while striving to maintain the Palestinian demographic in Jerusalem;

Al-Marsad, the Arab Centre for Human Rights in the Golan Heights — a national organization in the occupied Syrian Golan promoting human rights and the rule of law, and offering legal aid to victims of rights violations;

Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights — a national NGO in Ghana advocating for the sexual and reproductive health rights of under-served, marginalized and poor communities;

Asian-Eurasian Human Rights Forum — an India-based international NGO working to identify, defend and eliminate obstacles to civil, social, political, cultural and economic rights;

Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism — a national NGO in Iran comprising relatives of terrorism victims and generating awareness of terrorist groups;

Business and Professional Women Voluntary Organization — a Sudan-based international NGO striving to empower women and protect their rights in the economic, educational, health, social and political spheres;

Hokok Coalición Internacional Contra la Impunidad — an international organization in Lebanon seeking to bring criminals who have violated the safety and security of others to justice, and defending the rights of unjustly imprisoned people;

Human Rights Network — a national organization in Uganda focused on developing partnerships, training, information-sharing and policy guidelines to promote and protect human rights;

Islamic African Relief Agency — an international organization in Sudan focused on humanitarian relief, rehabilitation and development;

Kuchlak Welfare Society — a national organization working to develop poor communities in far-flung areas of Balochistan Province, Pakistan;

New Era Educational and Charitable Support Initiative — a national organization in Nigeria committed to reviving human values transcending religious, ethnic and cultural differences;

New World Hope Organization — a Pakistan-based international NGO striving to alleviate human suffering regardless of race, colour, religion or cultural background;

Palpung Munishasan Dharmachakra Sangh — an international NGO in India emphasizing humanitarian principles in striving for peace and cooperation;

Sairam Population Research Trust — a national NGO in India focused on population control and family-welfare activities in Andhra Pradesh State;

Shikhar Chetna Sangathan — a national organization in India aiming to help the poorest people by pursuing equality, brotherhood and democratic values;

Skyian Welfare Organization — a national NGO working to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in Pakistan;

South Asia Partnership Pakistan — a national organization promoting the participation of workers and peasants in democratic governance;

Kuki Organization for Human Rights Trust — an international NGO in India organizing village-level committees to protect the human right to life;

West Africa Centre for Peace Foundation — a national NGO in Ghana serving youth through human rights education and leadership training for peacebuilding;

African Refugee Development Center — an international organization committed to protecting refugees and asylum-seekers in Israel; and

Bureau international pour le Respect des Droits de l’Homme au Sahara Occidental — a national NGO in Switzerland promoting human rights in Western Sahara.

The Committee also postponed action on a request for reclassification from special to general consultative status, submitted by:

International Institute of Administrative Sciences — an NGO in Belgium promoting systematic studies of public administration.

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For information media • not an official record