UN's NGO Committee Doesn't Really Want to Hear from NGOs

Member states of the UN's Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations attempted to prevent an NGO from making a statement criticizing the Committee at its current session on May 24, 2016. The UN NGO Committee is responsible for reviewing the applications of NGOs and recommending them for UN accreditation - a status that gives them the ability to participate in various UN events. The NGO Committee is well-known for holding up or denying accreditation of NGOs for political reasons. Members include China, Iran, Russia, Sudan, and Venezuela - countries which have little respect for freedom of speech or association and hinder the operation of independent NGOs.

At the May 24, 2016 meeting, the US representative requested that an NGO - the Geneva-based International Service for Human Rights that was representing 230 NGOs from 45 countries - be granted an opportunity to make a statement regarding the NGO Committee's work. Committee members from South Africa, India, and Cuba, objected on procedural grounds, grounds that the US disputed. After 45 minutes of debate over procedure, the NGO was given an opportunity to speak for 5 minutes.

Among other things, the NGO complained that the Committee was abusing its mandate by using procedural excuses to prevent admission of NGOs for political reasons, and it stressed that NGOs should have a right to unhindered access to international bodies such as the UN.

The comments were followed by an hour of complaints from China, Cuba, India, Iran, Russia and South Africa.