Non-Governmental Organizations Committee, Concluding Session, Recommends 160 Groups for Consultative Status, Defers 200

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today adopted the report of its 2015 May-June session as orally revised, during which it recommended to the Economic and Social Council 160 organizations for consultative status and deferred 200 for further consideration at its regular session in 2016.

In addition, the Committee’s final report (document E/2015/32, Part II) recommended that the Council reclassify the status of four organizations and reinstate the consultative status of 24.

The Committee also recommended that the Council take note of the quadrennial reports of 168 organizations, close the applications of 27 candidates for their failure to respond to queries over the course of two consecutive sessions and suspend for one year the consultative status of 165 groups with outstanding quadrennial reports.  It also recommended the withdrawal of consultative status of 85 others, which continuously failed to submit their quadrennial reports.

Also by the report, the Committee proposed that the Council set the dates for the 2016 session from 25 January to 3 February and on 16 February, and the resumed session from 23 May to 1 June and on 10 June, also adopting the provisional agenda for the 2016 session.

Today’s outcome text was introduced by Rapporteur Farid Jabrayilov (Azerbaijan).

The representatives of Sudan applauded the constructive spirit of the Committee to overcome obstacles and expressed appreciation to all, including those who worked behind the scene.

The representative of Switzerland, as an observer, expressed her delegation’s concern that still too many applications were deferred, including those of the groups in good standing, and called for transparency in recommending withdrawal of the consultative status.

Following those comments, Committee Chair Jorge Dotta (Uruguay) declared the session closed.