Continuing its 2022 Resumed Session, Non-Governmental Organizations Committee Recommends 3 Entities for Consultative Status, Defers Action on 31 Others
The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations continued its 2022 session today, recommending 3 entities for special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and deferring action on 31 others, pending their response to additional questions posed by Committee members.
The 19-member Committee considers applications for consultative status and requests for reclassification submitted by non-governmental organizations. Once an application has been reviewed and approved by the Committee, it is considered recommended for consultative status. Organizations which were granted general and special status can attend meetings of the 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.
Action on several applications was postponed because Committee members requested further information from the candidates about, among other items, details of their organizations’ activities, partners, expenditures and sources of funding.
It also considered the quadrennial reports of a number of organizations, along with recommending the suspension, reinstatement and withdrawal of the consultative status of certain organizations and taking note of the name-change requests of others.
The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations will meet again at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 6 September, to continue its session.
Special Consultative Status
The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations recommended that the Economic and Social Council grant special consultative status to the following groups:
Social Progress Imperative, Inc. (United States);
The Royal Institute of International Affairs (United Kingdom); and
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania (United States).
The Committee postponed action on the applications of the following organizations:
Nations Global Consulting LLC (United States) — as the representative of Israel asked for clarification regarding a discrepancy in the number of members listed in different parts of its application;
Northeastern University (United States) — as the representative of Cuba, noting that the organization states it is not associated with any security agency or army, asked for information regarding its work on “critical defence research”;
Novact (Spain) — as the representative of Israel asked how the organization can maintain its impartiality given its engagement with Governments in the area of funding;
Panhellenic Union of Cappadocian Associations (Greece) — as the representative of Türkiye asked for it to explain its membership criteria in further detail;
Photographers without Borders (Canada) — as the representative of the Russian Federation asked how it chooses certain audio-visual projects;
SAM pour les droits et les libertés (Switzerland) — as the representative of the Russian Federation asked how it verifies the information it collects in countries where it is not present;
SJAC (United States) — as the representative of the Russian Federation asked in which regions of Syria the organization works;
SKT Welfare (United Kingdom) — as the representative of China asked how it chooses the countries in which it conducts humanitarian and development projects, and whether or not it has any offices, representatives or partners in these countries;
Salam for Democracy and Human Rights (United Kingdom) — as the representative of Bahrain asked for details regarding its “grass-roots projects” over the last five years;
Sheikh Abdullah Al Nouri Charity Society (Kuwait) — as the representative of Israel asked for information regarding a certain project, namely what kinds of products are provided and to whom;
Syria Relief (United Kingdom) — as the representative of Cuba asked for information regarding the funding it receives from external bodies;
Terre Des Femmes - Menschenrechte fuer die Frau e.V. (Germany) — as the representative of Nicaragua asked how the organization ensures its independence from the Government bodies from which it receives funding;
The Andrey Rylkov Foundation for Health and Social Justice (Russian Federation) — as the representative of China asked for details regarding its project aimed at providing support to drug-addicted people during the COVID-19 pandemic;
The Center for Bioethics and Culture (United States) — as the representative of China asked for the organization’s latest financial statement for 2021;
The Conflict and Environment Observatory (United Kingdom) — as the representative of China asked for financial statements to clarify the funding that the organization receives from Governments;
The Humanitarian Forum (United Kingdom) — as the representative of Israel asked for clarification regarding its association with organizations that have special consultative status;
The International Center for Supporting Rights and Freedoms (Switzerland) — as the representative of Nicaragua asked whether it has carried out certain programmes, and for details on the same;
The International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (United States) — as the representative of Cuba asked how it maintains its independence when it receives significant funding from a single country, and the representative of Nicaragua asked for the organization’s project plans for 2021 and 2022;
The Minderoo Foundation Pty Ltd (Australia) — as the representative of Cuba asked for information regarding the funding that it receives from philanthropic organizations;
The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) (United States) — as the representative of Burundi asked for a detailed breakdown of its funding sources; the representative of the United States noted that the organization has been asked to provide its funding sources before and if Burundi’s representative could ask a different question; and the representative of Burundi asked for information regarding its participation with United Nations entities;
Türkiye Diyanet Vakfi (Türkiye) — as the representative of Greece asked for information on the eligibility criteria for membership in the organization;
UAAR — Unione degli Atei e degli Agnostici Razionalisti (Italy) — as the representative of Cuba asked in what countries the organization has members, activities and partners;
US Council of Muslim Organizations (United States) — as the representative of China asked for a financial statement from 2021;
Ukrainian Think Tanks Liaison Office in Brussels (Belgium) — as the representative of the Russian Federation asked for information regarding the selection procedure for its leadership;
Uluslararasi Ogrenci dernekleri Federasyonu (Türkiye) — as the representative of Greece asked for information regarding the eligibility criteria for membership of both organizations and individuals in the applicant organization;
Uluslararası Mülteci Hakları Derneği (Türkiye) — as the representative of China asked for details regarding projects in which the organization cooperates with Government agencies;
Uyghur Human Rights Project (United States) — as the representative of China asked for the organization’s latest financial statement, along with information regarding its plans to eliminate its budget deficits;
War Child (United Kingdom) — as the representative of Nicaragua asked for details regarding any funding the organization has received from Government sources over the last five years;
Women’s Refugee Commission, Inc. (United States) — as the representative of Cuba asked for up-to-date information regarding its sources of funding;
World Without Genocide (United States) — as the representative of China asked whether the organization has resumed certain trips, and if so, for details regarding these projects and related expenditures; and
Òmnium Cultural (Spain) — as the representative of Greece asked for information regarding its campaigns to denounce violations of human rights.
Quadrennial Reports
The Committee took note of the following batches of quadrennial reports submitted by non-governmental organizations in general and special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council for the periods of 2016-2019 and 2017‑2020:
E/C.2/2022/2/Add.6; E/C.2/2022/2/Add.7; E/C.2/2022/2/Add.8;
E/C.2/2022/CRP.49, except for the report of FreeMuslim Association, Inc, as the representative of China asked the organization for details regarding its attendance of events at United Nations Headquarters from 2016-2019;
E/C.2/2022/CRP.50, except for the report of Islamic Relief USA, as the representative of China asked the organization for more details regarding its published papers and policy briefs;
E/C.2/2022/CRP.51, except for the report of The Smile of the Child, as the representative of Türkiye asked the organization to provide details regarding its participation in an informal hearing on human trafficking in 2017;
E/C.2/2022/CRP.52; E/C.2/2022/CRP.53; E/C.2/2022/CRP.54; E/C.2/2022/CRP.55; E/C.2/2022/CRP.56;
E/C.2/2022/CRP.57, except for the report of International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL), as the representative of Türkiye asked for details regarding the organization’s participation in two conferences in 2017 and 2018 in Istanbul and Naples, respectively;
E/C.2/2022/CRP.58, except for the report of International Union of Socialist Youth, as the representative of Türkiye asked for examples of the work it has carried out with organizations and foundations that pursue the same values;
E/C.2/2022/CRP.59, except for the report of Organization Earth, as the representative of Türkiye asked for details regarding the organization’s cooperation with certain United Nations entities;
E/C.2/2022/CRP.60, except for the report of Thalassaemia International Federation Limited, as the representative of Türkiye asked for details on a certain workshop held by the organization;
E/C.2/2022/CRP.61, except for the report of The RINJ Foundation, as the representative of Türkiye asked for information regarding specific projects the organization carried out in certain countries, including details on its local partnerships;
E/C.2/2022/CRP.62, except for the report of Therapy Center for Dependent Individuals (KETHEA), as the representative of Türkiye asked for information on the provisions of new and former laws that affect the organization’s structure and functioning;
E/C.2/2022/CRP.63; E/C.2/2022/CRP.64; E/C.2/2022/CRP.65; E/C.2/2022/CRP.66; E/C.2/2022/CRP.67; E/C.2/2022/CRP.68; and E/C.2/2022/CRP.69.
The Committee postponed action on the following deferred quadrennial reports submitted by non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council:
AUA Americas Chapter Inc (2017-2020), as the representative of Türkiye asked for a list of the civil society organizations with which it cooperates in the Middle East;
Academic Council on the United Nations System (2016-2019), as the representative of China asked if the organization held an annual meeting in 2018, and if so, for details on the same;
Amnesty International (2008-2011), as the representative of Cuba asked how the organization guarantees that the information it provides to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is accurate;
Amnesty International (2012-2015), as the representative of Cuba asked why there was a delay in providing certain information requested by the Committee;
Amnesty International (2016-2019), as the representative of Cuba asked for information regarding the effect of the organization’s decision to decentralize its regional centres;
CIVICUS — World Alliance for Citizen Participation (2016-2019), as the representative of Cuba asked for information regarding meetings held with other organizations to address modalities for the participation of indigenous peoples in the United Nations;
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (2017-2020), as the representative of Cuba asked for details regarding nine parallel events the organization held at Human Rights Council sessions during review period;
Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (2014-2017), as the representative of Greece asked for details on certain collaborations and events;
Front Line, The International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (2016-2019), as the representative of China asked for more information on the organization’s co-sponsors for certain events;
Fundacion Pro Humanae Vitae (2014-2017), as the representative of Türkiye asked for more information regarding its cooperation with certain United Nations bodies;
Human Rights Watch (2009-2012), as the representative of China asked for information on side-line events it organized in September 2010;
Human Rights Watch (2013-2016), as the representative of China asked for information concerning the organization’s decision to expand the scope of its work and whether this impacts its financial situation;
Human Rights Watch (2017-2020), as the representative of China asked for more information on the organization’s “digital investigation lab”;
International Bar Association (2015-2018), as the representative of China asked for information concerning certain contributions to one of its white papers;
Lawyers for Lawyers (2017-2020), as the representative of Türkiye asked for further details on the organization’s “shared learning projects”;
Omega Research Foundation Limited (2017-2020), as the representative of Türkiye, noting that the organization collaborates with partners to improve access to justice and strengthen institutions, asked for information on what specific capacity-building activities were carried out in this time period;
People for Successful Corean Reunification (2016-2019), as the representative of China asked for a list of entities with which the organization has cooperated;
UPR Info (2016-2019), as the representative of Cuba asked from what sources the organization collects information and how it ensures that this information is accurate; and
United Nations Watch (2014-2017), as the representative of Cuba asked for information regarding the organization’s ties with United Nations human rights bodies.
Other Related Matters
The Committee then took several actions pursuant to Economic and Social Council resolution 2008/4:
Recommended the suspension of the consultative status of the organizations listed in document E/C.2/2022/CRP.44;
Took note of the organizations listed in document E/C.2/2022/CRP.46 and recommended the reinstatement of their consultative status;
Took note of the organizations listed in document E/C.2/2022/CRP.45 and recommended the withdrawal of their consultative status; and
Took note of the name-change requests of the organizations listed in document E/C.2/2022/CRP.47.