9th & 10th Meetings (AM & PM)
NGO/904

Continuing Regular Session, Non-Governmental Organizations Committee Recommends 16 Groups for Status, Defers Action on 89 Others

Continuing its 2020 regular session, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today recommended 16 entities for special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and deferred action on the status of 89 others.

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 are 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 respective organizations’ activities, partners, expenditures and sources of funding.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 27 January, to continue its session.

Special Consultative Status

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today recommended that the Economic and Social Council grant special consultative status to the following entities:

Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini (Italy);

Global One 2015 (United Kingdom);

Gooddler Foundation (United States);

HERE-Humanitarian Exchange and Research Center (Switzerland);

Institut international de recherche, de documentation et de formation pour la prévention et la lutte contre la falsification des produits de santé (France);

International Interfaith Peace Corps, Inc. (United States);

OneNess Foundations Diaspora USA;

Pangloss (France);

Stichting Iranian Center for International Criminal Law (Netherlands);

Stichting Youth for Road Safety (Yours) (Netherlands);

Tangata Group, Inc. (United States);

The United Society (United Kingdom);

Welcome Clubs International, Incorporated (United States);

i-Smile International (Ireland);

Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH) (State of Palestine); and

Women in Politics Forum (Nigeria).

The Committee postponed consideration of the following organizations:

French Refugee Council (France) — as the representative of China requested more information about the United Nations-related meetings and conferences in which it participated;

Fédération Euro-Méditerranéenne contre les Disparitions Forcées (France) — as the representative of Libya asked if it planned to hold a general assembly any time soon and whether it adopted any financial reports and action plans since 2013;

Gaia Education (United Kingdom) — as the representative of Cuba requested more details about its activities in Latin America and the Caribbean;

Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) Limited (Ireland) — as the representative of Pakistan asked what training and networking projects and activities it plans in 2020, who the beneficiaries will be and where they will take place;

Humanitarian Tracker (United States) — as the representative of the Russian Federation requested that it clarify the way it checks or verifies the data it receives from its volunteers;

International Child Rights Center (Republic of Korea) — as the representative of Cuba asked whether it held, as planned, an event in 2019 to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, including whether it received Government funding, and as the representative of China asked whether it has finalized its planned establishment of a network of NGOs in East Asia;

International Civil Society Action Network, Inc. (United States) — as the representative of Burundi asked for details about its partner organizations in his country;

International Council on Monuments and Sites (France) — as the representative of China asked how it plans to contribute to target 11.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which deals with strengthening efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage;

International Economic Organization World Distribution Federation (WDF) (Republic of Korea) — as the representative of Cuba requested clarification of the manner in which is receives voluntary contributions;

Lawyers for Justice in Libya (United Kingdom) — as the representative of Libya asked why it has not registered in his country since the 2011 revolution;

Mangfoldhuset (Norway) — as the representative of Turkey requested more information about its annual award for peaceful coexistence, including criteria and nomination and decision-making processes;

NAUH (Now Action & Unity for Human rights) (Republic of Korea) — as the representative of Cuba asked for more information about its activities in South Africa;

NK Watch (Republic of Korea) — as the representative of the Russian Federation asked for specifics about its status and how it intervened in the thirty-fourth session of the Human Rights Council in March 2019;

National Youth Organization of Pakistan, Inc. (United States) — as the representative of India requested that it explain a difference in the figures it provided in its income and expenditures;

Non c’è pace senza giustizia (Italy) — as the representative of Cuba asked to know more about its project from 2014 to 2018 to help develop the capacity of Syrian civil society, including where in Syria it carried out its work, whether it was in contact with Syrian authorities, and which Government, if any, provided financing;

Organisation mondiale pour les femmes et les enfants (Switzerland) — as the representative of China asked to know more about the progress of its latest projects, and as the representative of Cuba requested information on the details of a project in which it said it incurred expenses of “thousands of francs”;

Peace Without Limits (PWL) International Organization, Inc. (Switzerland) — as the representative of Turkey requested more information about its planned first international forum for peace and development, including its scope, participation, sources of financing and results obtained;

Réseau des Droits Humains du Kurdistan (Kurdistan Human Rights Network) — RDH-K (France) — as the representative of Turkey, noting that its entire budget is funded by foreign organizations, asked for more information about those groups and the terms and conditions attached to their contributions;

Salam for Democracy and Human Rights (United Kingdom) — as the representative of Bahrain asked that it provide evidence that it is registered in Switzerland;

Scholé Futuro (Italy) — as the representative of Nicaragua asked whether it has organized any projects recently in her country, where it has a member;

Sex & Samfund (Denmark) — as the representative of Nicaragua requested more information about its recent projects;

Sheikh Abdullah Al Nouri Charity Society (Kuwait) — as the representative of Libya asked for detailed information about how it reached and targeted beneficiaries in Syria, as well as the identity of its local partner and the location of its work;

Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea (Republic of Korea) — as the representative of Cuba asked what it is referring to when it states on its certificate of registration that independence is among its objectives;

Stichting Mama Cash (Netherlands) — as the representative of the Russian Federation asked to know which of its partner organizations abroad are not officially registered, and to explain more about the mediators it refers to in its annual report;

Syrian American Medical Society Foundation (United States) — as the representative of the Russian Federation requested more information about the authorization it says it has to work in Syria, and as the representative of Libya requested a list of countries in which it employs Syrian administrative staff;

Terram Pacis (Norway) — as the representative of Burundi asked that it clarify its relationship with the European Commission and to include a financial statement;

The Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (Switzerland) — as the representative of Turkey requested more information about its two dialogue processes focused on the United Nations;

The International Center for Supporting Rights and Freedoms (Switzerland) — as the representative of Bahrain asked which sessions of the Human Rights Council it participated in and in what way did it contribute to its work;

Trocaire (Ireland) — as the representative of China requested more information about its past participation in the Commission on the Status of Women;

White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, Inc. (United States) — as the representative of Nicaragua, noting that it works in Mexico, asked if it plans to undertake projects in other parts of Latin America, and to also provide its latest financial report;

Women’s Freedom Forum, Inc. (United States) — as the representative of Pakistan asked how it undertakes reporting in countries in which it has no people on the ground, and to give more details about its panel of experts;

World Association for Sexual Health (United Kingdom) — as the representative of the Russian Federation asked what it meant when it said it was registered as an NGO with the Council when it participated in the work of the Commission on Population and Development in April 2014;

Youth RISE (Resource, Information, Support, Education) Limited (United Kingdom) — as the representative of Pakistan wanted to know more about a project undertaken in 2019 and its partners there;

Al-Imdaad Trust (South Africa) — as the representative of the Russian Federation asked for a list of projects undertaken with Turkish partners in Syria and to specify where these were conducted;

Association Against Women Export (AAWE) (Nigeria) — as the representative of Nigeria pointed out that the entity’s name on the application is different from the one on its incorporation document, seeking a clarification on this point;

Atwar Organization for Research and Community Development (Libya) — as the representative of the Russian Federation asked for a complete list of foreign entities that provided funding to the group, including their country of origin;

Beijing Volunteer Service Federation (China) — as the representative of the United States wished to know which cities and regions the entity works in;

Belarusian Fund of Peace (Belarus) — as the representative of the United States asked the NGO to provide more information about its partners and projects undertaken with them;

Carlsron Initiative for Peace and Human Rights (Nigeria) — as the representative of Cuba asked the entity to provide information about its work in Latin America, including details about its projects and partners;

Chanan Development Association (Pakistan) — as the representative of India asked the entity to explain how it provides secretariat service to a network of 360 youth, elaborate on “peer education model” and submit more information about beneficences.  She also asked if the entity still receives support and funding from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA);

Charity Organization "International Charity Foundation "Global Ukraine" (Ukraine) — as the representative of the Russian Federation sought details of its relationship with the International Renaissance Foundation and the amount of funds spent on joint projects;

Chinese Culture Promotion Society — as the representative of the United States asked for more information about a cultural event undertaken and plans for 2020;

Diplomatic Mission Peace and Prosperity (Albania) — as the representative of Greece said that the entity did not provide sufficient answers to previous questions posed by the Committee, requesting those answers again, including the current sources of income;

East Human Rights Group (Ukraine) — as the representative of China wanted to know more about projects funded by foreign embassies and consulates;

Establishment of Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah al Thani for Humanitarian Services (Qatar) — as the representative of the United States wished to know why the entity’s overseas projects were suspended and whether it was a case of Government control;

Etrat Fatemi Charity Institute (Iran) — as the representative of the United States sought more information about the entity’s recent activities, including where they took place and how much funding was allocated;

Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (China) — as the representative of the United States asked the entity to provide a plan of action for 2020 and explain how it intends to contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

Habilian Association (Iran) — as the representative of the United States wished to know if the entity still publishes a particular magazine mentioned in the application and receives funding to do so;

Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation (Iran) — as the representative of the United States asked for a submission of the memorandum of understanding with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS);

International Non-Olympic Committee (India) — as the representative of India asked the entity to explain its role in publishing a journal and how it contributes to the objective of promoting non-Olympic sport;

International Non-Olympic University (India) — as the representative of India asked the entity to explain its role in publishing a journal and how it contributes to the objective of promoting non-Olympic sport;

Islamic African Relief Agency (IARA) (Sudan) — as the representative of the United States sought updates on recent projects, wishing to know if the entity carried out projects in 2018 and 2019, and if it plans to do so in 2020;

Justice Centre Hong Kong Limited (China) — as the representative of Cuba wanted to know more about the goals and results it achieved;

National Human Rights Civic Association “Belarusian Helsinki Committee” (Belarus) — as the representative of the Russian Federation wanted to know if a project conducted in 2016 covered other years;

Non-Governmental Organization «Association Of Wives And Mothers Of Soldiers Participating In Ato» (Ukraine) — as the representative of the Russian Federation asked the entity to provide a breakdown of income from non-governmental organizations, and if its donors are international;

Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness) (Lebanon) — as the representative of Israel asked about the NGO’s affiliation with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad and their joint activities.  The representative of the Russian Federation spoke in support of the organization, saying that there is no indication that the entity engaged in terrorist activities;

Pouya Institute for Communications and Social Development (Iran) — as the representative of the United States asked the entity to elaborate on its research and communication science, as well as the documents produced;

Public Organization “Institute for the Study of Dependencies, Drug Policy Issues and Monitoring the Drug Situation” (Ukraine) — as the representative of Libya asked for a list of projects funded by the Renaissance Foundation;

Research Society of International Law (Pakistan) — as the representative of India noted that the entity received a total donation of 24 million in local currencies, up from 1 million in 2015, asking for details of this change, including sources of income and an explanation of how its work expanded as a result;

Sabawon (Pakistan) — as the representative of India sought clarification on contributions from members;

Shaik Taher Azzawi Charity Organization (Libya) — as the representative of the Russian Federation asked whether the entity has participated in United Nations activities on behalf of an NGO which has consultative status.

Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce (China) — as the representative of the United States asked for a list of members who are private businesses;

Swadhikar (India) — as the representative of India sought details of the entity’s country visits with Special Rapporteurs over the past five years, including sources of funding.

Syrian Youth Council (Syria) — as the representative of the United States asked for more details about the entity’s projects;

The Union of Non-governmental Associations “The International Non‑governmental Organization “The World Union of Cossack Atamans” (Kazakhstan) — as the representative of the Russian Federation sought more information about an invitation it received from the High Commissioner for Human Rights;

Welfare Association Jared (Pakistan) as the representative of India sought a list of local partner organizations and capacity-building projects;

West Africa Coalition for Indigenous People’s Rights (WACIPR) (Nigeria) — as the representative of Nigeria asked for evidence of incorporation of the entity;

West Papua Interest Association (Indonesia) — as the representative of India asked whether the entity receives support and funding from NGOs with consultative status;

World Federation of Free Trade Zones Co., Limited (China) — as the representative of the United States sought updates on the entity’s blockchain project and details of other multiyear projects;

World Fund for Development and Planning (WFDP) (Uganda) — as the representative of United States asked the entity to provide more information about its participation in the United Nations Global Compact Network;

World Historic and Cultural Canal Cities Cooperation Organization (China) — as the representative of the United States wanted to know more about the conferences it held, including participants;

Zhongguancun Belt and Road Industrial Promotion Association (China) — as the representative of the United States asked whether a side event it hosted with the United Nations Department of Public Information had taken place, and if so, what was the outcome achieved;

Asociación Enraizados en Cristo y en la Sociedad (Spain) — as the representative of Cuba asked for a list of activities undertaken in Latin America;

Al-Aqsa Association for the Development of the Islamic Waqf/Endowment (Israel) — as the representative of Israel wished to know more about the donor that accounted for 32 per cent of its income;

American Center for International Labor Solidarity — as the representative of Cuba wished to know how it carries out activities with a deficit and asked for a breakdown of deficits;

Anti-Corruption Foundation (Russian Federation), as the representative of Cuba wished to know more about its activities;

Arab-European Center of Human Rights and International Law (AECHRIL) (Norway) — as the representative of Libya asked for a correction on the misuse of his country’s official name and resubmission of two links;

Association Québécoise des Organismes de Coopération Internationale (AQOCI) (Canada) — as the representative of Pakistan asked about the entity’s ongoing project in Haiti and any partners it developed while working there.

Association of Non-for-Profit Organizations to Facilitate the Drug Prevention and Socially Dangerous Behaviour “National Anti-Drug Union” (Russian Federation) — as the representative of the United States wanted to know more about the “My Family Is My Fortress” project and its outcome;

Avaaz Foundation (United States) — as the representative of Cuba sought more information about the entity’s activities in 2018 and 2019, especially those pertaining to climate change;

Bahrain Center for Human Rights (Denmark) — as the representative of Bahrain asked the entity to provide details about its advocacy trip, in which its representatives met with their counterparts from the United States, European Union and Government organizations;

Canadian Human Rights International Organization (CHRIO) — as the representative of Nigeria asked the entity to provide information about is projects in Nigeria, including a list of partners there, also requesting updated audited financial statements;

Child Foundation [USA] — as the representative of the United States asked the entity to provide more information about its intended projects in Cambodia, Mexico and Tajikistan, including how they will be financed;

Christian Solidarity International (CSI) (Switzerland) — as the representative of Cuba asked for a breakdown of donations by country in 2018;

Churches for Middle East Peace (United States) — as the representative of Israel wished to know how aid to Gaza is provided, including partners and measures to prevent involvement of terrorist organizations;

Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (Republic of Korea) — as the representative of China wished to know what United Nations activities in 2019 it participated in;

Congres mondial Amazigh (CMA) (France) — as the representative of India sought more information about the entity’s work, such as criteria for sending alerts;

Congrès National des Arméniens Occidentaux (CNAO) (France) — as the representative of Turkey asked for a breakdown and number of membership by country.  The observer for Armenia said that the entity has sufficiently answered questions by the Committee and one delegation has deferred action on the application.  The representative of Turkey said she is seeking more information about the organization; and

Coptic Solidarity (United States) — as the representative of China wished to know more about its work on women and youth.

Interactive Dialogue

During a question-and-answer period in the afternoon, several NGO representatives responded to questions posed by the Committee.

A representative of World Historic and Cultural Canal Cities Cooperation Organization (China) said that this is her third time sitting on the podium, explaining that the NGO’s secretariat is located in Yangzhou, creating a voluntary network of world canal cities, promoting economic growth for their mutual benefits and working to contribute to the 2030 Agenda, especially Goal 6.  In response to a question from the Committee, she said that the World Canal Forum was held in September 2019, with representatives from 24 countries, including Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as 11 international organizations in attendance.  The outcomes included sharing experiences in canal management and a publication.  Speeches and statements that were delivered during the Forum have been posted on its website.

The representative of the United States asked if the Forum is an annual conference and will be held in 2020, asking the NGO to provide more details such as the theme and how it is financed.

The NGO representative said that Germany will host the next meeting, but her organization will continue a series of activities in 2020.  As for funding sources, she said meetings and conferences are funded by the host city and sponsors.

The representative of the United States asked about the entity’s relationship with the government of Yangzhou City.

The NGO representative said her organization is headquartered in that city and therefore must build a friendly relationship with it.  However, her organization has its own decision-making power without influence by the local government.

The representative of the United States asked for updated financial reports, seeking an explanation about the huge gap between income and expenditure.

The Committee deferred action on the application of the NGO.

For information media. Not an official record.