EU Explanation of Vote – UN ECOSOC Management Segment: Application of NGOs for consultative status with ECOSOC

Madam Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries Montenegro^*, Albania^*, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, align themselves with this statement.

Civil society organisations were present in San Francisco at the founding of the United Nations and have been an integral part of the UN work since then. They play a key role in promoting multilateralism and supporting the implementation of the decisions taken in this building. The EU considers these contributions essential and is therefore a staunch supporter of the free and open participation of civil society in and outside the UN.

NGOs make important contributions to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. They are working in several parts of the world to eradicate poverty, to provide health care to those most in need or to help build strong institutions.

The NGO Committee has a key role as recommendations of this Committee directly influence the participation of NGOs in the UN System and, in turn, shape the relations between the UN and civil society. Hence, the NGO Committee bears a high responsibility for the credibility of the UN.

The European Union firmly believes that the NGO Committee must be guided by the sole consideration of the general interest when reviewing applications. Resolution 1996/31 must not be used for the pursuit of national or politicized objectives, as it is frequently the case now. ECOSOC is responsible to review and if necessary reverse erroneous decisions taken by the NGO Committee.

The European Union sees no justification to delay further a number of applications that have been pending for a very long time.

In this respect, the EU takes note of the presented proposal for ECOSOC to grant special consultative status to 6 non-governmental organisations.

Many NGOs have shown their interest in supporting the work of the UN and engaged constructively with the NGO Committee on their applications for consultative status.  They have shown that they fulfil the criteria set by ECOSOC. Yet some of them have been waiting for years to be accredited. They have been asked irrelevant or repetitive questions, often having to answer the same questions again and again. We regret this misuse of the NGO Committee’s methods of work, which undermines the mandate and objective set to it by ECOSOC.

 In so many cases, there has been ample time to ask questions. Comprehensive responses have been provided.

ECOSOC has the final decision making authority on granting consultative status and it has exercised it previously in cases where the Committee failed to fulfil its mandate.

Thank you.