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To improve transparency, UN Committee on NGOs will start broadcasting meetings live

Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne C. Richard speaking at the 63rd Session of the UNHCR Executive Committee

The United Nations Economic and Social Council approved, on April 19, a resolution that requires the meetings of the UN Committee on NGOs to be broadcast live on the internet. The Committee is the UN body responsible for approving, rejecting and withdrawing the consultative status of civil society organizations.

The resolution presented by Chile, Mexico and Uruguay received 37 votes in favor – including by Brazil – 16 abstentions and no votes against. There are currently almost 4,500 organizations authorized to work with the UN. Conectas Human Rights has had consultative status since 2006.

Calls for more transparency in the Committee have been made frequently by many organizations. Formed by 19 countries with four-year terms that are renewable indefinitely, the Committee has some members that are averse to more participation by civil society. States such as Russia, China, Cuba, Iran, Pakistan and India have all tried to block the accreditation of NGOs that are more critical of their governments.

“As the body that represents the doorway for civil society to the UN, this measure is a good first step towards greater transparency and ending the political reprisals that restrict the work of various organizations in their countries,” said Camila Asano, coordinator of the Foreign Policy program at Conectas. “We hope that new resolutions open the body even further to outside participation, facilitating the accreditation process for NGOs that have few resources and permitting them to make public statements,” she added.

In January, a representative of Conectas was barred from speaking in the Committee. The statement planned by the organization would have criticized the lack of transparency in the body and stressed the importance of civil society for the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015.