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Lobbyists' Role at UN Human Rights Talks Prompts Heated Debate - Gobal Policy Forum - NGOs Lobbyists' Role at UN Human Rights Talks
Prompts Heated DebateBy Bruno Franceschi
Agence France Presse
March 23, 2001
The role of lobbyists at the annual sessions of the UN Human Rights Commission has prompted a heated debate here after a number of member states openly contested the legitimacy of actions by some non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Seventeen nations, including a number of the 53 members of the UN's main human rights body holding its annual session here, have officially called for the activities of NGOs to be limited.
Algeria, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Cuba, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Vietnam voiced concern at the growing role of NGOs, who are officially entitled to take part in the annual Human Rights Commission session. Speaking on behalf of the 17 states which he called "like-minded countries", Ambassador Susanto Sutoyo of Indonesia asked the United Nations to revise its rules on the accreditation of NGOs to the commission.
"There should be a check and balance mechanism such as a code of conduct so as to ensure that no misconduct or abuses should happen," he told the commission. "NGOs attending the commission should not be permitted to distribute scurrilous and politically motivated material," he said. Some member states are concerned that accreditated NGOs are able to invite representatives of their choosing to speak at the forum, a right granted by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the main body coordinating the UN's work.
Many NGOs, of which there were 224 at the 2000 Commission, make full use of this right, for example to present victims of human rights violations, sometimes giving up their own right to take the floor to allow their guests to speak instead. This has proved controversial.
In 1999, the US protestant organisation Christian Solidarity International (CSI) allowed southern Sudan rebel chief John Garang to speak during their allotted time. The following year CSI's accreditation was temporarily suspended.
The French-based humanitarian organisation, the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), has run up against problems on two occasions when Algeria and Bahrain demanded -- without success -- for their accreditation to be suspended.Diplomatic sources have put these actions by some member countries against NGOs down to efforts to avoid "harrassment" by lobbyists. But the countries themselves underline their national sovereignty should be respected, as the Chinese representative argued before the commission on Tuesday. Ambassador Qiao Zonghuai said NGOs' activities must conducted in accordance with ECOSOC rules and other UN resolutions. "They must neither abuse their consultative status, nor act against the principles and purposes of the (UN) Charter," he said.
Beijing tried unsuccessfully this year to have both the UN and the canton of Geneva ban demonstrations outside the UN headquarters here by the Chinese spiritual movement Falungong.
Another emerging issue is the creation of so-called "GONGOs," or "governmental non-governmental organisations", NGO sources said. Such bodies are set up to speak in favor of some governments, either as a member of the 53-member body or by getting them accredited as NGOs, the sources said. "This situation has got worse in the past few years," said Eleni Petroula, the FIDH representative here.
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