UN Authority Figures

Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations: Pakistan


Western nations, including the United States and European countries, expressed "serious concerns" to Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan about a crackdown on aid groups. Diplomats and foreign journalists also face severe restrictions on their movements in the nuclear-armed nation.
Source: Reuters, October 25, 2018. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Mission of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations: "The main tasks of the Committee are...The consideration of applications for consultative status and requests for reclassification submitted by NGOs; The consideration of quadrennial reports submitted by NGOs in General and Special categories; The implementation of the provisions of Council resolution 1996/31 and the monitoring of the consultative relationship; Any other issues which the ECOSOC may request the Committee to consider." (Committee on NGOs website)

Pakistan's Term of office: 2019-2022

Pakistan's Record on NGOs:
"Human rights issues included ... government restrictions on freedom of peaceful assembly and association, including overly restrictive nongovernmental organizations (NGO) laws;...Several domestic intelligence services monitored... political activists,...NGOs, employees of foreign entities, and media professionals. These services included the Inter-Services Intelligence, Police Special Branch, the Intelligence Bureau, and Military Intelligence. There were credible reports authorities routinely used wiretaps, monitored cell phone calls, intercepted electronic correspondence, and opened mail without court approval... The government maintained a series of policies that steadily eroded the freedom of international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) to carry out their work and access the communities they serve. INGOs, UN organizations, and international missions must request government permission in the form of no-objection certificates before they can conduct most in-country travel, carry out certain project activities, or initiate new projects... Furthermore, domestic NGOs with all required certificates faced government monitoring and harassment."
(U.S. State Department Country Report of Human Rights Practices in Pakistan, 2018)