Continuing Its Resumed Session, Non-Governmental Organizations Committee Recommends Status to 12 Entities, Postpones Consideration of 31 Others
The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations continued its 2023 resumed session today, recommending that the Economic and Social Council grant special consultative status to 12 entities, while postponing consideration of 31 others.
The subsidiary body also considered 25 deferred quadrennial reports from previous sessions of the Committee for the period 2009 to 2021, deferring 22 of those, as Member States posed questions about them, while taking note of the remaining three.
Finally, the Committee also acted on a list of organizations whose consultative status is to be suspended, a list of organizations whose consultative status is to be reinstated and a list of organizations whose consultative status is to be withdrawn, as well as a list of those requesting a change of name.
The 19-member Committee considers applications for consultative status and requests for reclassification submitted by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). 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.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 22 May, to continue its resumed session.
Review of Quadrennial Reports
The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations first took note of Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.50, containing 25 deferred quadrennial reports from previous sessions of the Committee for the period 2009 to 2021, taking note of three of them — Families of the Missing 2018–2021; Global Voices 2018–2021; and Il Cenacolo 2018–2021. The Committee further deferred 22 reports, as Member States posed questions about them, as follows:
Amnesty International 2012-2015 — as the representative of China requested details on its statements to the United Nations Human Rights Council and treaties bodies;
Amnesty International 2016-2019 — as the representative of China raised a question about its attendance at the Programme of Action on Small Arms biannual meeting in 2016, requesting details on its contributions;
Ecumenical Federation of Constantinopolitans 2016-2019 — as the representative of Türkiye asked for details on its contribution to various Human Rights Council meetings;
Families of the Missing 2018-2021;
Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe 2014-2017 — as the representative of Armenia requested details on any activities undertaken during the reporting period in support of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Economic and Social Council’s work in general and related costs;
Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe 2018-2021 — as the representative of Armenia asked for details on any projects or initiatives serving its status in the Economic and Social Council’s work in general and the Sustainable Development Goals;
FreeMuslim Association, Inc 2016 - 2019 — as the representative of China raised a question requesting details on its participation in the thirty-first session of the Human Rights Council and its contributions;
Front Line, The International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders 2016-2019 — as the representative of China raised a question about its contribution to the Commission on the Status of Women in New York in 2019, if it organized events, and its donors;
Fundacion Pro Humanae Vitae 2014–2017 — as the representative of Türkiye requested details on a project titled “Alliance Development Programme International” and its results;
Global Voices 2018–2021;
Human Rights Watch 2009-2012 — as the representative of Cuba requested more clarification and details on its contribution to the United Nations office on the ground and United Nations country teams in the Latin American region;
Human Rights Watch 2013-2016 — as the representative of Cuba asked why it paid so little attention to the issue of human rights in developing countries;
Human Rights Watch 2017-2020 — as the representative of China asked about its participation in the Commission on the Status of Women meeting, including co-hosted activities and their themes, and the representative of Chile commented that during the 2019 crisis in his country, the support of the organization was crucial and fundamental, noting this non-governmental organization has done remarkable work;
Il Cenacolo 2018–2021;
International Bar Association 2015-2018 — as the representative of China raised a question about contributions to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) programme and expert meetings in Vienna;
International Eurasia Press Fund 2018-2021 — as the representative of Armenia requested an explanation of activities and publications and how they contributed to peace and reconciliation, if they were without bias and rooted in human rights;
Islamic Relief USA 2016-2019 — as the representative of China raised a question about projects with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other bodies, and the role of its President in promoting that cooperation;
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. 2018-2021 — as the representative of Cuba requested detailed information on a memorandum of understanding with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC);
Lawyers for Lawyers 2017–2020 — as the representative of Türkiye asked for details on organizing online side events with the Human Rights Council;
National Assembly of Youth Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (NaYORA) 2018-2021 — as the representative of Armenia asked for outlines on projects and initiatives in the context of their contribution to the Economic and Social Council;
The RINJ Foundation 2017-2020 — as the representative of Türkiye requested details on support activities for war refugees in Syria and northern Iraq;
The Smile of the Child 2016-2019 — as the representative of Türkiye raised a question on implementation of a 2018 memorandum of cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and its concrete outcomes;
US Committee for Human Rights in North Korea 2018-2021 — as the representative of China raised a question on its cooperation with organs and agencies in Asian countries;
Union internationale des avocats/International Union of Lawyers 2015-2018 — as the representative of China asked for a list of countries where it undertook projects; and
United Nations Watch 2018-2021 — as the representative of China requested information on side events at the sixty-second Commission on the Status of Women, including participants.
The Committee then took up document E/C.2/2023/CRP.51, “List of organizations whose consultative status is to be suspended, pursuant to Council Resolution 2008/4”, recommending that those organizations listed have their consultative status suspended.
Next, the Committee then turned to E/C.2/2023/CRP.53, “List of organizations whose consultative status is to be reinstated, pursuant to Council Resolution 2008/4”, recommending that those organizations listed therein be reinstated.
The Committee then took up E/C.2/2023/CRP.52, “List of organizations whose consultative status is to be withdrawn, pursuant to Council Resolution 2008/4”, recommending that those organizations listed therein have their consultative status be withdrawn.
The Committee then turned to E/C.2/2023/CRP.54, entitled “Organizations requesting a change of name”, recommending name changes for the following seven non-governmental organizations: China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (Special, 2011) to be renamed China Foundation for Rural Development; Christian Children’s Fund (Special, 1985) to be renamed ChildFund International; Comparatively for Tanzania Elites Community Organization (CTECO) (Special, 2020) to be renamed Comparatively for Tanzania Elites Community Organizers (CTECO); More Peace Less Aids Foundation (Special, 2016) to be renamed Fundación Paz y Ciudadanía, ILAPyC; Niger Delta Women’s Movement for Peace and Development (Special, 2011) to be renamed Noble Delta Women for Peace and Development International (NDWPD); Positive Youth Development Association (Special, 2020) to be renamed Accès Communautaire Cameroun; and Soroptimist International of the South West Pacific (Special, 2014) to be renamed Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific.
Special Consultative Status
The Committee recommended that the Economic and Social Council grant special consultative status to the following 12 organizations:
Be Positive Association (Lebanon);
Community Partners for Sustainable Development (Cameroon);
Fountain of Hope Global Ministry (South Africa);
Nde Zachariah’s Descendants Foundation (Cameroon);
Subjective Physics Sciences (Iran);
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the U.K. (United Kingdom);
International Ministerial Alliance of Churches (United Kingdom);
Operation Friendship International (Sweden);
The Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (United States);
Transparency International — Bulgaria (Bulgaria);
World Women Organization (United States); and
Oronos Stiftung (Switzerland).
The Committee postponed consideration of the following 31 organizations:
Association Humaniste de France (Comoros) — as the representative of Eritrea asked how the organization operates with zero members;
Awaz-e-Niswan (AAN) (Pakistan) — as the representative of Pakistan asked for details on the organization’s gender-sensitive reporting;
Community Care and Social Development Foundation (Pakistan) — as the representative of Pakistan asked for details on its observations of local elections held in 2022;
East-lake Institute for Social Advancement, Wuchang District, Wuhan (China) — as the representative of the United States asked about the type of activities it organizes for persons living with disabilities;
Equipo Argentino de Antropología Forense – Asociación Civil (Argentina) — as the representative of China asked for a full list of the countries in which the organization has been active over the past two years;
Fourth Wave Foundation (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked for further details about its participation in certain side events;
Human Social Care Foundation (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked for further details about certain international seminars held by the organization;
Institute of International Peace Leaders (Private) Limited (Pakistan) — as the representative of Pakistan asked for details on a $2 million contribution received from “other members” and the representative of Georgia asked for details on a certain publication;
Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology Deemed to be University (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked for details regarding a centre on children’s studies;
National Agro Foundation (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked for an update on its project relating to integrated community development that was initiated in September 2022;
Pragati Foundation (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked for further details on its project to establish a hospital;
Samaritan Help Mission (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked for an update on its project to train a paramedical-services unit;
Shanghai Arbitration Commission (China) — as the representative of the United States asked for information on its Government ties;
Shree Someshwar Education Trust (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked for details on its partnerships relating to the Sustainable Development Goals;
Sichuan Haihui Poverty Alleviation Center (China) — as the representative of Nicaragua asked for details on its cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the area of poverty mitigation;
Suchirindia Foundation (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked for details on skill-development programmes conducted by the organization;
The Belt and Road International Lawyers Association (China) — as the representative of the United States asked to which countries the organization is seeking to expand legal services;
Voice of Youth Organization (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked for clarification on its involvement in projects while its finances are listed as zero;
Association De Solidarite Bordeaux (France) — as the representative of Türkiye asked how it recruits and monitors its international volunteers;
Assyrian Cultural & Social Youth Association Inc. (Australia) — as the representative of Türkiye asked how the organization can cover its administrative costs with such limited financial revenue;
DT Institute (United States) — as the representative of Cuba asked for details regarding projects it conducts in Latin America and the Caribbean;
FIRST.Org, Inc. (United States) — as the representative of Nicaragua asked for a list of its member organizations;
International Child Rights Center (Republic of Korea) — as the representative of Algeria requested further details on relationship with partners providing 76 per cent of its funding;
Knowmad Institut gemeinnützige UG (haftungsbeschränkt) (Germany) — as the representative of Türkiye asked the organization to explain how members of executive bodies are elected or nominated;
Sov Sovereign Order of the Knights of the Lord Lamont Couto of Sct Ltd (United Kingdom) — as the representative of Chile asked for clarification on a lack of consistency in its financial statement;
Comité de América Latina y el Caribe para la Defensa de los Derechos de las Mujeres (Peru) — as the representative of Nicaragua asked for a detailed list of projects implemented in the last three years in the countries involved, as well as results;
Mədəni İnkişafın Təbliği İctimai birliyi (Azerbaijan) — as the representative of Armenia requested details on projects in terms of participation and results;
Social and Media Studies Institute (Morocco) — as the representative of Algeria asked if honourary members are appointed as ambassadors, and if so, their appointments;
Every Woman Treaty Inc (United States) — as the representative of China asked for an explanation of what kind of payment relations it has with staff;
Just Peace Advocates Mouvement pour une paix juste (Canada) — as the representative of India requested an explanation for why it does not mention its physical address, and if it has an established headquarters; and
Yetim Vakfı (Türkiye) — as the representative of Armenia requested detailed information on cooperation or common projects with any universities or think tanks.
Interactive Dialogue
The representative of Canadian Lutheran World Relief said that it was established in 1945 with the mission of addressing the root causes of human suffering and poverty. Its areas of work include humanitarian work, food relief and refugee resettlement, he said. Responding to the question raised earlier regarding the relationship between his organization and the Government of Canada, he said there are two refugee resettlement programmes in that country. The first one is Government-sponsored and the second one is a private sponsorship programme which allows individuals, groups, families and civil society organizations such as his to support refugees resettling in Canada. His organization is not reliant on Government resources, he said, adding that, instead, private individuals, families and community associations who are willing to welcome refugees into Canada raise their own funds. Canadian Lutheran World Relief acts as an intermediary between refugee applicants, sponsors and Government authorities, he said.
China’s delegate requested information on the kind of support offered to refugees and what kind of obligations are part of the organization’s agreement with the Canadian Government. Do the funds come from the Government or the private sector, he asked. Chile’s delegate asked how the organization applies Canada’s “feminist foreign policy” in its work.
Responding, the representative of Canadian Lutheran World Relief said that its role is to provide resettlement services to refugees when they arrive in Canada. That obligation also includes working with community organizations or individuals who have the financial capacity to support those refugees, right from the time of application up to the time of the refugees’ arrival in Canada. Noting that the organization also screens sponsors, he said it ensures that the host family or group will be able to provide support to refugees. The funds are 100 per cent community-generated, he added.
“Canada’s international feminist policy is not part of our organization’s policy,” he said, adding that, nevertheless, the organization works within the framework of gender sensitivity to ensure that women and girls benefit positively from all its interventions. The Government of Canada encourages organizations that apply for its funding to mainstream gender in all activities, he added.
Cuba’s delegate asked about the organization’s activities within the Latin American region. The Chair said that due to time constraints, the organization can provide a written response.