UN Committee Votes to Deny Christian Organization From Getting UN Status After 15 Attempts

A UN committee charged with allowing non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to gain greater access to the organization, but whose members include states infamous for denying freedom of association, has just voted to deny a Christian non-profit dedicated to religious freedom from receiving UN accreditation. Christian Solidarity Worldwide first applied for UN accreditation in 2009, and has had its application deferred 14 times by over 80 repetitive requests for more information.

NGOs seek UN accreditation because it permits NGOs to attend meetings, to circulate documents, and on occasion to hold events inside the UN and address UN sessions. However, undemocratic states - the ones that compose the majority of UN members - dominate the UN NGO committee and even include China, Iran, Sudan, and Venezuela. Their standard operating procedure is to defer applications session after session with inappropriate, specious or repetitive questions and demands of the NGO. After years of deferrals, Western states occasionally force applications to a vote, but then are simply outvoted.

In the case of the Christian Solidarity Worldwide, after Cuba and China requested additional information, Greece called for a vote to grant or deny the NGO UN accreditation instead of deferring consideration yet again. The NGO Committee then rejected the application by a vote of 4 in favor (Greece, Israel, United States, Uruguay), 11 against (Burundi, China, Cuba, India, Iran, Nicaragua, Pakistan, South Africa, Sudan, Turkey, Venezuela), and 1 abstention (Russia).