Meetings Coverage

Continuing its resumed 2012 session, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today recommended the reclassification of two national organizations — from Pakistan and the United States, dealing, respectively, with poverty eradication and health care — from special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council to general consultative status, meaning they not only can attend meetings of the Council, but they can also address them.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today recommended four entities for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, and postponed its consideration of nine applications. It also took note of 137 quadrennial reports submitted by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in consultative status with the Council, while deferring consideration of 14.

While lauding the improved financial situation of the United Nations at year-end 2011 and further progress since then, delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this afternoon expressed concern over the continued cash shortages in peacekeeping operations and the subsequent lag in payments to countries providing troops and police to such operations.

Acting on the recommendation of the Secretary-General, the General Assembly this afternoon extended for two years the appointment of Navi Pillay as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today recommended 19 entities for special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and 1 for roster status, but postponed consideration of 35 other applications as it continued consideration of applications deferred from previous sessions during its resumed 2012 session.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Member States to strengthen individual and collective conflict mediation efforts through better coordination, funding and sharing of best practices, as high-level officials, academics, civil society leaders and others convened in an informal high-level General Assembly meeting on the topic today.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today voted to block the proposed closure of the application for consultative status of an organization alleged to have terrorist ties — including financial links to Osama bin Laden and the Al-Qaida network — as delegates felt the organization should be given a chance to respond to those allegations before such “abrupt” action was taken.

As the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) scrutinized the financing requirements for two special political missions today, delegates complained that the backstopping and support arrangements for such missions had to be considered in a more transparent and rational way, as it currently was diminishing the United Nations ability to give the missions the operational support they required.

With the much-anticipated United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development just a month away, and with intergovernmental negotiations on an outcome mired in minutiae, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called today for ambitious leadership to seize this “once in a generation opportunity” to transform ideas and aspirations into bold action “for the sake of our planet and our children”.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today recommended 26 entities for special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, and postponed consideration of 26 more — as well as of one request for reclassification of status — pending responses to questions posed by Committee members, as it continued its resumed 2012 session.