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Report of 11 December Informal Consultations on NGO Access Report on 11 December Informal Government Consultations on NGO Access
By Naomi Onaga
World Federalist Movement
December 11, 1997
On 11 December from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, the third "Informal open-ended consultation on the issue of involvement of NGOs in the work of the UN" took place in Conference Room 7 of the UN Headquarters. About 50 government delegates attended. The meeting was closed to NGOs.
A joint letter from NGOs (attached) was distributed to delegations at the beginning of the meeting (by Naomi Onaga, who left the room when the meeting started). (The letter was a collaborative effort among a number of NGOs and was distributed for signature last night; INTGLIM sent out an urgent alert to those on our list - thank you VERY much for those who were able to respond so quickly. If you were not able to sign on previously, please still do so as it will continue to be circulated; INTGLIM will probably fax it to all governments this week.)
According to sources, the meeting was chaired again by the Ross Hynes of Canada. Deliberations were continued on the text, on the basis of a new draft dated 9 December (attached) which reflected the compilation of changes/brackets from the last meeting (which had discussed the preambular paragraphs (p.p.'s) and operative paragraph (o.p.) 1). At this meeting, discussions were mainly on o.p. 4 which request the Secretary-General to to prepare a report on existing arrangements and practices of NGO interaction with the UN, and o.p. 5 which calls on the GA to undertake a review at its 53rd session all aspects of the participation of NGOs in the work of the UN. The discussion was reported to be quite serious and focused on the substance of the resolution, which is a positive sign, and delegations are now relatively close to agreement on o.p.5. However, a number of delegations are clearly uneasy with certain aspects of the resolution, particularly the interim invite of NGOs (o.p. 1 and 2). Some delegations are pushing to delete these paragraphs altogether.
The next meeting is to be held Monday morning 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, location to be announced in the Daily Journal. NGOs will not be allowed to attend if it is listed as a "closed" meeting. We encourage NGOs to talk to delegations before and after the meetings, and to contact delegations by phone or by fax. If possible, please update us of your activities.
INTGLIM believes that the interim invitation of NGOs to the General Assembly cointained in o.p. 1 and 2 is a fundamental element of the draft text under discussion, and NGOs should urge governments to retain the proposal.
Attachment: Joint NGO Letter to Governments on NGO AccessDecember 10, 1997
On 8 December, "Informal open-ended consultations" were held on "the issue of involvement of NGOs in the work of the UN" at which an informal draft text for a resolution under Item 60, Strengthening the UN system, was introduced. We welcome and applaud the efforts of delegations to bring forward this proposal for a resolution in the 52nd General Assembly.
While the draft text does not represent in full our hopes, we feel that it is a necessary first step toward the expansion of participation of NGOs in all areas of the work of the UN as agreed in ECOSOC decision 1996/297. We firmly believe that such arrangements can be made in a manner that will have a minimum financial impact.
We support the review of arrangements of NGOs by the General Assembly in the 53rd Session with the understanding that it will not put in jeopardy or allow dimunition of existing practice.
We strongly hope that all delegations will, in the spirit of compromise and renewed commitment, through the present exercise be able to adopt an effective resolution during the next week. If this is not possible, we hope that sponsors will step forward to table a progressive resolution before the close of the GA session on December 17.
Endorsing NGOs:
Amnesty International
Arab Lawyers Union
Arab American University Graduates
Asociacion Pro Derechos Humanos (Peru)
Baha'i International Community
Carter Center
Campaign for UN Reform
Citizens Network for Sustainable Development
Federation Internationale des Ligues des Droits de L'Homme
Global Policy Forum
Greenpeace International
International League for Human Rights
International Peace Bureau
Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy
NGO Committee on Disarmament
Peace Action
Society for International Development
Tribal Link Foundation, Inc.
UNA-USA
Women's Caucus for Gender Justice in the International Criminal Court (a network of over 300 organizations, mostly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America)
World Economy, Ecology, & Development Association, Germany
World Federalist Movement
World Federation of United Nations Associations
World Information Transfer
[+ ??]
(Please contact Naomi Onaga at 212-599-1320 (tel) or 212-599-1332 (fax) to sign on.)
Attachment: Draft Text #2 For Resolution On NGOs(Status of text after Tuesday, December 9 debate, which discussed preambular paragraphs 1 and 2, and operative paragraph 1. This text does not reflect any discussion on the rest of the text. The Thursday, December 11 continued deliberations based on this text, and discussed operative paragraphs 4 and 5 - this new text to be circulated as soon as possible.)
Item 60: Strengthening the UN system 9 December 1997
The General Assembly,
[Possible general reference to all relevant previous resolutions, decisions and interpretative statements as a p.p. 0 or p.p. 1 bis: Recalling in this context resolutions...]
Recognizing the importance of the [contribution] [participation] by NGO's to [all areas of] the work of the United Nations [as well as the need to develop appropriate arrangements for their participation in [all areas of] its work], [in light of the experience gained through the arrangements for consultation between NGOs and Ecosoc],
Bearing in mind the existing modalities for NGO involvement in the work of the United Nations, [inter alia through the arrangements for NGO participation in the work of the Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary bodies, as well as international conferences convened under the auspices of the United Nations],
1. Decides, as [an interim measure] [[a first step], second step to be clarified], pending the outcome of the review described in para. 5 below, to invite non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Ecosoc or on its roster to attend open meetings of the General Assembly plenary, all its Main Committees and Special Sessions, as well as its intergovernmental subsidiary bodies, [and calls upon these bodies, upon proposals by their respective bureaux, to extend such an invitation to [other] interested NGO's [associated with the Department of Public Information]];
2. Requests the Secretary-General to arrange appropriate access and seating procedures for attendance, access to official UN documentation and provisions to deposit written contributions by such NGOs;
3. Encourages UN bodies to develop further ways and means to improve their substantive interaction with NGO's, inter alia through informal dialogue, panel discussions, without prejudice to any participation already taking place under existing arrangements and practices;
4. Requests the Secretary-General to prepare and present at the 53rd session of the General Assembly a report containing information on existing arrangements and practices of NGO- interaction in the United Nations system;
5. Decides to undertake, at its 53rd session, a review of all aspects of participation of NGOs in the work of the United Nations, including the question of participation of NGO's from all regions, particularly from the developing countries, as well as processes of accreditation of NGO's, giving due consideration to the contents of the SG's report, the provisions of Ecosoc resolution 1996/31, as well as actions taken by other parts of the UN system in furtherance of this resolution.
More Information on NGOs and the General Assembly
