Closing Its 2022 Session, Non-Governmental Organizations Committee Recommends Special Consultative Status to 173 Entities, Defers Action on 319 Others

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today closed its resumed session for 2022, which began on 29 August, approving its report and recommending that the Economic and Social Council grant special consultative status to 173 entities out of the 564 applications it examined.  The Committee deferred 319 requests for further consideration during its ordinary session in 2023, according to Vice-President Mine Ozgul Bilman (Türkiye).

The Committee also took note of seven name change requests and 308 of the 403 new or deferred quadrennial reports from previous sessions of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with consultative status.  Fifty-nine requests for consultative status were closed without prejudice, the NGOs in question having not answered questions despite three reminders during two consecutive sessions of the Committee.  The report contains a total of seven draft decisions on issues requiring Council action.

The representative of Mexico — an outgoing member of the Committee — praised the work carried out during the session, while calling for greater participation of NGOs in the United Nations.

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.

Special consultative status is reserved for NGOs working in a specific area and allows them to submit written communications and petitions to the Council.  Further, NGOs that work in a more technical and/or restricted manner can only submit written communications to the Council.

If the Council follows the recommendation of its subsidiary body, the Committee is expected to hold its next regular session from 23 January to 1 February 2023.