Call for Signatures - Letter to ECOSOC Committee re: NGO Rights in Accreditation Process

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Subject: [WUNRN] Call for Signatures - Letter to ECOSOC Committee re: NGO Rights in Accreditation Process
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UN ECOSOC NGO WEBSITE - http://csonet.org/?menu=100

Additional ISHR Reference - http://www.ishr.ch/news/getting-past-gatekeeper-practical-guide-un-committee-ngos-guia-practica-sobre-el-comite-de-ongs

 

IMPORTANT LETTER TO THE ECOSOC COMMITTEE RE: NGO RIGHTS IN THE UN ECOSOC NGO ACCREDITATION PROCESS

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Via ISHR – International Service for Human Rights

To Sign On – See http://ishr.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=97549cf8cb507607389fe76eb&id=2960e7d444

For More Information - e.ope...@ishr.ch

 

OPEN LETTER TO ECOSOC COMMITTEE REGARDING NGO RIGHTS

 

To: Member States of ECOSOC

 

Cc: President of the General Assembly, President of the Human Rights Council, Member States of the UN General Assembly, UN Secretary General.

Excellencies,

 

We write to you regarding the ECOSOC Committee on NGOs (the Committee), which recommends approval of the participation of non-governmental organisations in a range of UN bodies and processes. ECOSOC Resolution 1996/31—which provides the mandate for the work of the Committee— acknowledges ‘the breadth of non-governmental organisations’ expertise and the capacity of non-governmental organisations to support the work of the United Nations.’

 

We are concerned about recent actions taken by the Committee suggesting it functions in a politicised manner, particularly in regard to its consideration of applications for consultative status from human rights organisations. We therefore call on UN Member States to ensure that the Committee upholds and respects the rights to freedom of expression and association and accords due process to all applicants for consultative status.

 

Several States have criticised the practice of the Committee in ECOSOC meetings. In 2015, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay, as well as the European Union, expressed strong concerns about the recent politicisation of the work of the Committee, in which some Committee members use procedural tactics to block certain organisations from being granted consultative status. The European Union noted that withdrawal of consultative status might be used as a form of reprisal for the activities of NGOs. Chile, Mexico and Uruguay called for greater transparency in the work of the Committee, recommending webcasting of Committee sessions.

 

In his 2014 report to the General Assembly (A/69/365), UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, Mr. Maina Kiai criticised the multiple deferrals and perpetual questioning of some applications by Committee members. He noted that ‘in multilateral arenas.’

 

At its most recent session in January 2016, the Committee voted to close an NGO’s application on the basis that its work was contrary to the UN Charter, and then voted to deny the organisation the right to engage in dialogue with the Committee and address the allegations. This was condemned in ECOSOC by US Ambassador Mendelson who said that Committee members were using the body ‘to subvert the purpose of the Committee by further restricting civic space at the UN and blocking or deferring NGO applications on non-substantive grounds’.

 

As the parent body, ECOSOC must ensure that the practice and procedures of the Committee are in keeping with the principles, spirit and purpose of ECOSOC resolution 1996/31, and in strict compliance with international human rights standards.

 

The practice and procedures of the Committee should thus be uniformly applied, apolitical, fair, transparent, non-discriminatory, consistent and expeditious. The practice and procedures should not be used to block accreditation through repeated questioning and persistent deferrals. ECOSOC must not allow its Committee's procedures and powers to be abused by imposing de facto restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression or freedom of association in violation of international human rights standards.

 

ECOSOC, and its NGO Committee, should demand that States fully respect the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, GA res 53/144 (1998), which affirms “the right, individually and in association with others, to unhindered access and communication with international bodies.” Instead, far too many of the Committee's arbitrary actions appear themselves to pose an unacceptable hindrance to such access, whether by design or in their impact.

 

ECOSOC should explicitly affirm the need for the NGO Committee to ensure that its own processes fully respect international human rights standards, including by ensuring full respect for the right of NGOs at risk of adverse decisions to be heard by the Committee, by excluding any decision motivated by discrimination of any kind, and by committing itself to upholding the right of everyone to unhindered access to international human rights bodies.

 

Specifically, ECOSOC should take into account the recommendations set forth by Chile, Mexico and Uruguay and institute webcasting sessions of the Committee to encourage transparency in its operations and enable NGOs whose applications are being considered by the Committee to follow proceedings.

 

Furthermore, when putting themselves forward for membership of the Committee, Member States must remember their responsibility to comply with international human rights standards, including obligations to uphold the rights to freedom of association and expression.

 

Unfortunately, the practice of the Committee is reflective of growing restrictions on civil society globally at the very time restrictions at the national level make access to the UN all the more crucial. The members of ECOSOC should take into account the recommendations above in order to promote a safe, transparent and enabling environment for civil society at the UN. By fostering such an environment, the UN can take full advantage of the particular expertise and insights provided by NGOs while protecting the legitimacy and credibility of its work.

 

Yours sincerely,

(signatories to date: 16th May) Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights

African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS)

Akahatá AC

Albanian Helsinki Committee

Alkarama Foundation

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) American Association of University Women

Amnesty International

APC

Asian Legal Resource Centre

Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID)

Association of Women for Awareness & Motivation (AWAM)

Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights

British Humanist Association

Brot für die Welt

CAP Liberté de Conscience

Center for Egyptian Women's Legal Assistance (CEWLA)

Center for Inquiry

Center for Reproductive Rights

Center for Women's Global Leadership

Centre for Civil and Political Rights

Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS)

Child Rights Connect

Child Rights International Network (CRIN) CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation

Community Self Reliance Centre (CSRC)

Development Alliance

Dimension Humaine

Diverse Voices and Action (DIVA) for Equality - Fiji

Due Process of Law Foundation

Egyptian Organization for Human Rights

FIACAT (International federation of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture)

Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action (FAIRA)

Freedom Now

Frente de Mujeres Defensoras de la Pachama - Ecuador

Fundamental Human Rights & Rural Development Association (FHRRDA)

Gender Empowerment and Development (GeED)

Global Fund for Women

Global Initiative for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights

Global Justice Center

Green Advocates

Human Rights Council of Australia

Human Rights Law Centre Human Rights Watch Human Rights Without Frontiers International Hungarian Civil Liberties Union ILGA - the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association International Alliance of Women International Association of World Peace Advocates International Centre for justice and human rights (ICJHR) International Commission of Jurists International Dalit Solidarity Network International Platform against Impunity International Service for Human Rights International Volunteer Organisation for Women Education Development International Women's Development Agency Iranti-Org Jass Associates Karapatan Alliance Philippines La Brique – Burkina Faso Lutheran World Federation Mexican Commission for the Defence and Promotion of Human Rights Mongolian Gender Equality Center Montage Initiative National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders-Kenya Nazra for Feminist Studies Network of Rural Women Producers Trinidad and Tobago OT Watch Mongolia Penal Reform International People's Watch Plataforma Mulheres em Acção Positive Vibes Trust Programme Against Custodial Torture and Impunity (PACTI) Promo-LEX Association Refugee Council of Australia Scholars at Risk Network SUARAM The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights The European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR) The Norwegian Human Rights Fund The Tandem Project Think Centre Unión Latinoamericana de Mujeres - ULAM Unidad de Protección a Defensoras y Defensores de Derechos Humanos - Guatemala (UDEFEGUA) Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights US Human Rights Network West African Human Rights Defenders' Network/Réseau Ouest Africain des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (ROADDH/WAHRDN) Women’s Freedom Forum Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) Women Living under Muslim Laws World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) World Uyghur Congress WUNRN – Women’s UN Report Network Yemen Organization for Defending Rights & Democratic Freedoms Yemen Organizations Yemen Organizations For Defending Rights & Democratic Freedoms Y-Fem|The Young Feminists Movement Namibia

 

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