Continuing Session, Committee on Non-Governmental Deferring Action on 43 Entities
The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations continued its 2022 session today, deferring action on 43 entities seeking special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, whose applications had been deferred from previous sessions.
None of the organizations whose applications were examined today were granted consultative status.
The deferred applications were further postponed as Committee members requested additional information from the candidates about, among other items, details of their organizations’ activities, partners, expenditures and sources of funding.
The Committee also noted that the organization Goal (Ireland) withdrew its application in December 2021.
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 on Non-Governmental Organizations will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 26 May, to continue its work.
Special Consultative Status
The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations postponed action on the application of the following 43 groups:
Anukulan (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked for more information about the group’s collaboration with the Government of India on one project, and the amount of money contributed to it by both the Government and the organization;
Association de la femme saharienne pour le développement intégré (Morocco) — as the representative of Nicaragua asked the organization for a complete list of its projects undertaken in the last three years and requested that it specify all sources of funding;
Association de l’Alliance Nationale des Chourafa Naciryiene et leurs cousins, chargés des affaires de la Zaouia Naciria (Morocco) — as the representative of Cuba asked the organization to clarify a discrepancy about its sources of funding;
Association for Social Solidarity and Empowerment Training Trust (ASSET) (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked the organization to provide the names of the entities which provided financial contributions to its work;
Belarusian Fund of Peace (Belarus) — as the representative of Estonia asked the organization to provide the Committee with information on its recent projects, and the representative of the United States requested details about its administrative and other operational costs;
Blue Cross & Blue Crescent Society (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked about assets held in the name of members of the organization, and whether that creates conflicts of interest;
Dialogue & Development Forum (Yemen) — as the representative of Bahrain asked the organization to provide a list of its activities in 2021 and 2022, including any remaining projects planned for the rest of 2022;
Forum for Development and Human Rights Dialogue (Egypt) — as the representative of Turkey asked the organization to elaborate on the intended functions and purpose of a media group it plans to establish;
Fundación Venezolana por el Derecho a la Vivienda (Venezuela) — as the representative of the United States asked for more information about a project that helped improve relationships between tenants and landlords in Caracas, including how many tenants were assisted between 2019 and 2021;
General Union of Arab Experts (Morocco) — as the representative of China asked the organization to specify the types of funding it has received and requested details about its donors;
Global Village Forum Chakwal c/o Shaheen Degree College Chappar Bazar Chakwal (Pakistan) — as the representative of Pakistan asked the organization to provide a list of contributions provided by its members;
Gramin Vikas Vigyan Samiti (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked the organization to provide details on any project it carried out related to Sustainable Development Goal 4 on education;
Human Rights Protection Group and MFP Federation (India) — as the representative of India asked the organization whether it has any formal relationship with a group in the United States, which provided funding for some of its activities, as well as whether it conducts any work internationally;
Human Welfare Charitable Trust (India) — as the representative of India requested further clarification about the organization’s membership categories;
Humanitarian Aid International (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked the organization to provide a breakdown of the donations it has received;
Instance démocratique pour la citoyenneté et les droits de l'homme (Morocco) — as the representative of China requested more information about the content of its studies and workshops;
Institute for Integrated Rural Development (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked the organization to provide details on its operational costs and generated revenues, and to explain the drop in its revenue from year to year;
Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies (Pakistan) — as the representative of Pakistan asked the organization to provide details on its activities to promote the Sustainable Development Goals in recent years;
Mentor Amiable Professional Society (Pakistan) — as the representative of India requested more information about its participation in a meeting with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as well as on its activities related to migration more broadly;
Organization of female conscience renewal (Morocco) — as the representative of India asked the organization to provide more details about an international symposium on women’s rights held in 2018;
Pak Special Persons Welfare Society (Pakistan) — as the representative of Pakistan requested the organization to provide a list of the entities which are providing it with financial support;
Piramal Swasthya Management and Research Institute (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked the organization to provide a full list of its members;
Populous Education Foundation (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked for more information about a discrepancy in the organization’s membership structure;
Public Association "Regional Consumer Protection Society" (PA "Regional Consumer Protection Society") (Belarus) — as the representative of Estonia asked the organization to clarify its membership structure and whether it has any operations outside Minsk;
The New Woman Foundation (Egypt) — as the representative of Pakistan asked the organization for more details about the objectives and financing of a conference it held, titled “Economic Contribution of Women”;
Vishwa manavadhikar parishad (India) — as the representative of Pakistan asked the organization to provide more information about any schools or institutes it supports;
ARCS Arci Culture Solidali APS (Italy) — as the representative of Turkey asked the organization to provide more details about projects financed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Lebanon;
Autonomous Nonprofit Organization "International Centre Save the Children from Cybercrimes" (Russian Federation) — as the representative of Estonia asked the group to clarify its membership structure and provide a list of its organizational members, as well as to explain its participation in United Nations activities;
Autonomous non-profit organization humanitarian programs organization “Russian Humanitarian Mission” (Russian Federation) — as the representative of the United States requested details and documentation which it provided to the Government of the Russian Federation in order to receive subsidies;
Brussels International Center for Research and Human Rights (Belgium) — as the representative of the Russian Federation requested the organization to provide more details on the sources of its contributions;
Center for Military Human Rights Korea (Republic of Korea) — as the representative of the Russian Federation asked why the organization’s previous application to the Economic and Social Council was closed;
Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (Republic of Korea) — as the representative of China requested more information about the organization’s plans to work with the United Nations;
Eiropas demokrātijas attīstības centrs (Latvia) — as the representative of Estonia asked the organization to provide its financial report for 2019 and 2020 and an overview of its projects, while the representative of the Russian Federation noted that information has already been provided. The representative of Estonia reiterated his question, pointing out that insufficient information has been provided and financial situations can change. The representative of the United States supported that request;
Ethiopian Genocide Committee 1935-1941, Inc. (United States) — as the representative of Turkey asked the organization to provide more information about its relationship with an entity known as the “Corporations Educational Ministry”;
Global Action for Trans* Equality Inc. (United States) — as the representative of the Russian Federation asked the entity to provide the full names of three organizations on whose behalf the group engaged in sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council, and for more information about its relationship with them;
Global Alumni Alliance (Russian Federation) — as the representative of Estonia requested the organization to provide details on the selection of its members and leaders;
Global Detention Project (Switzerland) — as the representative of China asked for a breakdown of “other expenditures” listed on its financial statement;
Health and Environment Justice Support e.V. (Germany) — as the representative of the Russian Federation asked for a list of projects the organization is undertaking, or plans to undertake, in her country;
Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (Georgia) — as the representative of the Russian Federation requested more information about the organization’s cooperation with the Open Society Foundation, including whether the latter provides any input in its decision-making;
International Association for the Development of the Abaza-Abkhaz Ethnos "Alashara" (Russian Federation) — as the representative of Estonia requested the organization to use approved United Nations language on its website, and asked for a list of international conferences and seminars in which it will take part. Meanwhile, the representative of the United States asked for more information about the influence of the Government of the Russian Federation in a workshop on cultural diversity and other activities hosted by the organization;
International Association of Genocide Scholars, Inc. (Australia) — as the representative of India requested the organization to provide an audited financial statement, as well as a breakdown of its income;
International Funders for Indigenous Peoples Inc. (United States) — as the representative of the Russian Federation requested a full list of entities from which the organization receives funding, as well as the corresponding amounts contributed; and
International Society of Criminology (United States) — as the representative of China requested the organization to provide details about its contributions to an event titled “New Trends in the Global Terrorist Threat”, which was held in China.
At the meeting’s outset, the representatives of Estonia and the United States raised concerns about delays in uploading both questions posed to non-governmental organizations, and responses received, in the Committee’s papersmart system.
The representative of Cuba expressed concerns about returning to applications that had already been examined by the Committee, even in the context of slow upload speeds, which he said would create a negative precedent.
Responding, the Chief of the Economic and Social Council’s Non-Governmental Organizations Branch, acknowledging the issue raised, said it is largely due to an outdated technical platform used by his office — which is currently being updated — as well as challenges posed by “serious understaffing”.
The representative of the Russian Federation also took part in that discussion.