Monitoring Policy Making at the United Nations |
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NGOs Global Policy Forum is
Considered for ECOSOC StatusCONGO Requests More Information from GPF
Excerpts from UN Press Release
January 17, 2000
The Committee's decision to leave pending consideration of the Global Policy Forum to a later date in the current session took place after a delegation raised a series of questions. Written responses to earlier questions were distributed, and the organization's representative addressed the Committee. Several representatives expressed concern about a note to the Secretary- General, in which the Forum had expressed the view that the Committee had become politicized.
Cuba's representative said it must be clear what the link was between the Forum and a campaign to discredit the work of the Committee. The Committee was not politicized, she said. Still, she stressed, her delegation would consider the organization's application carefully. The representatives of Sudan and China asked for further information on the views expressed in the note. The Committee had been pursuing its work in accordance with Council resolution 1996/31 despite its heavy workload, China's representative said. France's representative said, however, that the Forum was making substantial contributions to the United Nations already, and it would be a pity to penalize it for its positions on any particular subject. Instead, the concern should be whether the organization could contribute to the debate.
The representative of Ireland said the more diversity of views, the better the outcome of a debate. Chile's representative said she welcomed criticism and comments, and the representative of the United States said dissent was healthy for growth. Pakistan's representatives wondered if, in view of the Forum's stated aim to promote more openness and accountability in the Security Council, it was more interested in working with the Security Council than with the Economic and Social Council.
The Executive Director of the Global Policy Forum, James Paul, said there was always room for improvement in any body's work, and non-governmental organizations should provide constructive input. The Forum was not part of any campaign to discredit anybody, but it was the responsibility of civil society to be able to speak freely about organs of the United Nations. During the General Assembly's general debate each year, comments were always made about the Security Council that were far from flattering. The Cuban delegation itself often did that. The Forum had said some things about the Committee that some delegations might not agree with, but they had been submitted in the spirit of a humble discussion with the goal of creating a better United Nations and a better world.
While one of the Forum's most visible projects had to do with dialogue between the Security Council and non-governmental organizations, there were a number of other important programmes, he added. Those included work on global social and economic policy, such as financing for development and the social and economic aspects of security crises.
