UNGASS in response to covoranavirus disease pandemic

New York, 30 November 2020 (CoNGO InfoNews) – More than a hundred NGOs related to the United Nations have joined CoNGO—the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations—in a statement reaffirming the importance of NGO access to and at the United Nations. More NGOs are expected to endorse the statement according to Liberato Bautista, CoNGO President, who welcomed the big number of endorsements in the first thirty-six hours since the call to sign on was sent to NGO leaders. (List of endorsements is found at the end of this story).

CoNGO issued the statement on the eve of two important meetings at the United Nations this week, the UN General Assembly Special Session in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on 3 to 4 December 2020 and a panel discussion on 4 December dealing with strengthening participation, protection and participation of civic space.

The statement asserted that “NGO access to and at the UN is a major channel through which NGOs assert their voice and exercise their agency throughout the UN System, contributing their expertise, commitment, energy,  and substantive input to policy-making processes. CoNGO has constantly striven to ensure and defend the free exchange of ideas among all parties at the United Nations, including in relation to UN Summits and Conventions.”

A November 18 consultation convened by CoNGO provided the latest assessment by nongovernmental organizations of the state of access experienced by their representatives, especially in UN Centres like New York, Geneva and Vienna. Many participants agreed that the “current coronavirus disease pandemic restrictions are a serious, though unavoidable, handicap to regular NGO contacts with UN officials and government delegates.”

An earlier dialogue, also convened by CoNGO, held 5 March 2020, between NGOs and the acting chief of the civil society branch of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Marc-André Dorel, and the chair of the ECOSOC Committee on NGOs, Mr. Mohamed Sallam provided the opportunities for NGOs to illustrate their determination to reinforce their “long-term engagement in promoting and enhancing NGO access to and participation in the United Nations System”.

The full statement may be viewed here.

NGOs related to the UN may endorse the Statement here.

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Organizational Endorsements as of 09 January 2021, 12:00 PM EST New York

1. The Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO)

and the following NGOs in consultative status with the UN, plus others in associated and observer relations (*) and other arrangements (**), have joined together to endorse the Statement on NGO Access to and at the United Nations in  the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic:

2. AFEW International
3. African Action on Aids (AAA)
4. Africa Network of People Who Use Drugs (AfricanPUD)**
5. Agora of the Inhabitants of the Earth**
6. Alcohol and Drug Foundation
7. Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice*
8. American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA)*
9. American Psychological Association
10. Amman Center for Human Rights Studies (ACHRS)
11. Appui Solidaire pour le Renforcement de l’Aide au Developpement
12. Arab Society for Academic Freedoms (ASAF)
13. Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD)**
14. Asociación Latinoamericana de Derechos Humanos (ALDHU)**
15. Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE)
16. Association for Farmers Rights Defense (AFRD)
17. Association for Promotion of Sustainable Development
18. Association Montessori Internationale*
19. Basel Peace Office**
20. Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation
21. CGFNS International, Inc.
22. CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
23. CREDO-ACTION
24. Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHRDI)
25. Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
26. Centre for Social Research (CSR), India
27. Childhood Education International (CEI)*
28. Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI)
29. Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd
30. Observatory of Crops and Cultivators Declared Illicit (OCCDI Global)**
31. Congregation of the Mission
32. DRCNet Foundation, Inc
33. Dianova International
34. Dominican Leadership Conference
35. Drug Policy Australia
36. Election Network in the Arab Region (ENAR)
37. End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT-USA)
38. Environment Liaison Centre International (ELCI)
39. European Union of Women (EUW)
40. Families of the Missing
41. Fédération Internationale des Associations de Personnes Âgées (FIAPA)
42. Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas (FAWCO)
43. Feminist Task Force**
44. Fondazione PROCLADE Internazionale-Onlus*
45. Fondazione Villa Maraini**
46. Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC)**
47. Fundacion Latinoamerica Reforma (LAR)
48. Fundacion para Estudio e Investigacion de la Mujer
49. Fundamental Human Rights & Rural Development Association (FHRRDA)
50. Global Distribution Advocates, Inc.
51. Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD)
52. Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime*
53. Grupo de Mujeres de la Argentina – Foro de VIH Mujeres Familia
54. Guild of Service, The
55. Haiti Cholera Research Funding Foundation, Inc. USA
56. Initiative for Peace and Innovation (IPI)**
57. Institute for Research and Development “Utrip” (UTRIP)**
58. Inter Press Service (IPS)
59. Intercambios Asociación Civil
60. International Alliance of Women (IAW)
61. International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP)
62. International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG)
63. International Association of Judges (IAJ-UIM)
64. International Centre for Environmental Education and Community Development (ICENECDEV)
65. International Council of Nurses (ICN)
66. International Council of Women (ICW-CIF)
67. International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC)
68. International Federation of Business and Professional Women (IFBPW)
69. International Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers
70. International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW)
71. International Federation of Women in Legal Careers (IFWLC)
72. International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA)
73. International Federation on Ageing (IFA)
74. International Inner Wheel
75. International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD)
76. International Peace Research Association (IPRA)
77. International Public Relations Association (IPRA)
78. International Presentation Association (IPA)
79. International Real Estate Federation, The (FIABCI)
80. International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA)
81. International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD)
82. International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS)
83. International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations (ISMUN)
84. Koalisi Rakyat untuk Hak atas Air (KRuHA) (People’s Coalition for the Right to Water)*
85. Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP)
86. Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada
87. Make Mothers Matter (MMM)
88. Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic, Inc.
89. Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA)
90. Middle East & North Africa Harm Reduction Association (MENAHRA)**
91. Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI)*
92. Moms Stop the Harm**
93. NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, Inc.
94. Narconon Nigeria Initiative
95. National Campaign for Sustainable Development, Nepal**
96. New Future Foundation, Inc.
97. New Humanity
98. Nonviolence International
99. Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF)
100. Pan Pacific and South East Asia Women’s Association (PPSEAWA)
101. Passionists International
102. Peace, Education, Art, Communication (PEAC) Institute
103. Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM)
104. Planetary Association for Clean Energy, The
105. Red Dot Foundation
106. Salesian Missions Inc.
107. Save Cambodia
108. Servas International
109. Seventh Day Adventist Church
110. Sisters of Charity Federation
111. Soka Gakkai International (SGI)
112. Socialist International Women (SIW)
113. Soroptimist International (SI)
114. Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (OSMTH)
115. Sri Swami Madhavananda World Peace Council (SSMWPC)
116. TalentPlus Resources International (TRI)**
117. Tanzania Peace, Legal Aid and Justice Center (PLAJC)**
118. The Brazzaville Foundation for Peace and Conservation
119. Tinker Institute on International Law and Organizations
120. To Love Children Educational Foundation International
121. Tribal Link Foundation, Inc.
122. Tripla Difesa Onlus
123. Trust for Youth Child Leadership (TYCL)
124. UNANIMA International
125. UNIDOS – Rede Nacional Sobre Droga & HIV**
126. Union of International Associations (UIA)
127. Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA)*
128. United Methodist Church—General Board of Church and Society (UMC-GBCS)
129. United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA)
130. Universal Esperanto-Association (UEA)
131. Universal Peace Federation (UPF)
132. VIVAT International
133. Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund (DBA Women First International Fund)
134. WUZDA Ghana
135. West Africa Drug Policy Network*
136. Women for Peace and Gender Equality Initiative*
137. World Development Foundation (WDF)
138. World Organization for Early Childhood Education (OMEP)
139. World Student Christian Federation (WSCF)
140. Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa
141. Yayasan Wadah Titian Harapan (Wadah Foundation)
142. Young Global Leadership Foundation, Inc. (YGLF)
143. Youth Foundation of Bangladesh
144. Zenab for Women Development
145. Zonta International

Photo courtesy of Globalt Fokus.

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The Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO) is an international NGO founded in 1948. It has general consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council. For more information about this story, the Statement, and CoNGO, contact Liberato C. Bautista, CoNGO President at president@ngocongo.org.