New York City | UPDATED 8 August 2022 (CoNGO InfoNews) — The Global People’s Summit “Co-building a New Eco-social World: Leaving No One Behind” concluded its online meetings on July 2. The Summit run for 24 hours for four days between June 29 and July 2.
The Summit produced The People’s Charter for an Eco-Social World. The Summit’s website hailed the Charter, “which comprises voices from throughout the world, highlights the importance of participatory democracy in effecting transformational change.”
Liberato Bautista, the President of the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO), delivered a keynote speech and joined 25 global partners in drafting the Summit’s People’s Charter.
Bautista called on CoNGO members to study the People’s Charter and use it as an advocacy tool and inspiration in pursuing CoNGO’s strategic organizational mantra: “defining the present, shaping the future, making the change, now”.
Delivering one of the Summit’s keynote speeches, Bautista challenged the Summit participants to “co-build an eco-social world that depends largely on the empowerment of the voice and agency of peoples as they identify their concerns and craft their futures.”
Addressing more directly some of the elements of the People’s Charter, Bautista implored everyone to join in the task of increasing hope and decreasing fear. “Decreasing fear and replacing it with increased hope augurs well into assuring people of their dignity and human rights and of the planet’s sustainability,” Bautista added.
“To increase hope, we must build a common future for all the inhabitants of the earth and their natural ecology by promoting and safeguarding the common public goods and services indispensable to life. We must increase hope through arrangements that truly put peoples and the planet at the center of both the local and global public imagination of policy and legislation.”
Bautista stressed the need today for “a cadre of leaders from grassroots, local, national, regional and international arenas to provide leadership for the much needed catalytic strategies and action for transformative change in social and ecological relations” such as those identified in the “Pathway Forward” section of the People’s Charter.
Organizing the Summit and drafting the People’s Charter were done under the joint facilitation by Rory Truell, Secretary-General of the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) and Paul Ladd, the Director of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD).
As you use the People’s Charter in your own contexts, the CoNGO President would like to know your experience. This will enhance our understanding of the elements of the Charter and enrich them. Email him at president@ngocongo.org. Read more about the Global People’s Summit and CoNGO’s collaboration here.
New York, USA | 24 May 2022 (CoNGO InfoNews) – An NGO Committee on Language and Languages has been established in New York under the auspices of CoNGO, the Conference of Nongovernmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. Some 23 NGOs have joined as founding members of the committee, which aims to give greater attention to language issues in the policies, practice and outreach of the United Nations, especially as these relate to the overall importance of language, linguistic justice, and linguistic non-discrimination.
The by-laws of the new committee were approved at a May 18 meeting and an executive board elected. The meeting featured briefings by UNESCO personnel on the organization’s programmes in the field of languages, particularly multilingual education, the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, and the new World Atlas of Languages.
Francis M. Hult and Humphrey Tonkin, representatives of the Universal Esperanto Association to the UN, were elected as chair and vice-chair respectively. Francis Hult is Professor Education at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), and Humphrey Tonkin is President Emeritus of the University of Hartford.
Elected as secretary was Linda Fitchett, former president of the International Association of Conference Interpreters. Hans E. Becklin, of the Esperanto youth organization TEJO, was elected as treasurer. Daniel LeBlanc, of VIVAT International, and Allison Rodriguez, of the International Federation of Translators (FIT) were elected as at-large members of the board.
The work of the committee actually began before the formal May 18 meeting: in December 2021, the committee founders sponsored a briefing meeting with the UN Coordinator for Multilingualism, Under Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management, H.E. Mr. Movses Abelian, the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh, H.E. Ms. Rabab Fatima, and the Deputy Director of the News and Information Branch of the Department of Global Communications, Ms. Mita Hosali. The committee, along with a number of other organizations, also sponsored a symposium on “Multilingualism and COVID-19: Lessons Learned and Looking Forward” on May 3 and 4, 2022.
_________________
For information about this statement and the work of the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, email its Chair, Francis M. Hult (fmhult@umbc.edu). Visit www.ngocongo.org to learn more about the work of CoNGO and its substantive committees.
Vienna, Austria, 18 May 2022 (CoNGO InfoNews) – Close to 50 non-governmental organizations in consultative relationship with the United Nations Economic and Social Council have joined to endorse a statement that asserted “the imperative for the international community to strengthen the international legal framework and international cooperation in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice”.
The statement was drafted under the leadership of the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development in Vienna (NGO CSD Vienna). It was submitted to the thirty-first Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) now meeting in Vienna, Austria, from 16th to 20th of May. Accredited NGOs participate in meetings of CCPCJ. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, participation in person remains severely limited. Side events to the ongoing session are only online.
In the statement, civil society leaders asserted that “criminal law has a crucial role to play in drawing up and enforcing the legal and moral ‘red lines’ upon which the global population’s very ability to thrive and survive in its planetary home may well depend.”
Ingeborg Geyer, Chair of the NGO CSD Vienna, described the work of the committee, saying that “it started two years ago on topics of crimes that affect the environment and followed up with resolutions which were tabled in previous sessions of UNTOC, Crime Congress and CCPCJ sessions.” This statement reinstates and spotlights once more the need to develop the international legal framework and cooperation in preventing what the statement calls “ecocide”.
The Conference of NGOs (CoNGO) and the NGO CSD Vienna collaborated in gathering endorsements of the statement by NGOs around the world. Many NGOs, including CoNGO members, engage the agenda of CCPCJ through the Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. See their event here. To learn more about the work of CCPCJ, visit https://twitter.com/CCPCJ. Watch the 31st session live, here.
FULL STATEMENT
NGO Statement to the 31st Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (Vienna, Austria, 16-20 May 2022)
Strengthening the international legal framework and international cooperation in the context of crimes that affect the environment
“If crime crosses borders, so must law enforcement. If the rule of law is undermined not only in one country, but in many, then those who defend it cannot limit themselves to purely national means.” (Kofi Annan, address to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, 2000).
In the context of crime prevention and criminal justice as they pertain to the environment, the international community faces two major challenges. The first challenge relates to the urgent need to respond forcefully to the rapid rise in crimes affecting the environment. Eurojust,1 the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, ranks environmental crime as the fourth largest criminal activity in the world – on a par with drug-trafficking. Most regrettably, law enforcement in this sector remains pitifully low and out of all proportion to the threat it poses. The reasons are manifold. The most significant factors are: (i) the failure of the criteria set out in the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime2 to categorize numerous environmental crimes as ‘serious’; and (ii) the inadequacy of training in the law enforcement agencies, whose staff frequently lack the all-essential investigation and prosecution capabilities.
The second challenge relates to the absence of legal provisions addressing the many and varied instances of severe widespread or long-term harm to the environment. All too frequently, the environmental damage caused is a deleterious side-effect of industrial practices which, though patently dangerous, are nonetheless permissible under law. Similarly, those outcomes represent all too common a breach of civil environmental regulations or are attributable to sheer negligence with regard to safety protocols. In many cases, the environmental damage qualifies as a transnational offence as set out in article 3.2 (a) (b) and (d) of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
An offence is transnational in nature if:
(a) It is committed in more than one State;
(b)It is committed in one State but a substantial part of its preparation, planning, direction or control takes place in another State;
(d)It is committed in one State but has substantial effects in another State.
Both of the above challenges arise in the highly perturbing context of the critical global interlinkage between climate change, pollution and nature (biodiversity) loss. Furthermore, recent international reports3 tell us that these crises must be addressed with immediate urgency if we are to maintain the ability to support human civilization without severe, even irreversible loss and damage, mass migration and food crises.4
Moreover, the two challenges above relate both directly and causally to the current global crisis. The destruction or removal of carbon sinks and keystone species (e.g. via deforestation, poaching and trafficking), as well as severe soil, water and atmospheric pollution are all factors that inevitably exacerbate ecosystem collapse and climate change.
In the light of the foregoing, the imperative for the international community to strengthen the international legal framework and international cooperation in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice could not be clearer. Criminal law has a crucial role to play in drawing up and enforcing the legal and moral ‘red lines’ upon which the global population’s very ability to thrive and survive in its planetary home may well depend.
What form should this strengthening of frameworks and cooperation take? Recent meetings of this Commission have pointed in some useful directions, as indicated in the Chair’s summary documents of November 2021 and February 20225. Themes that emerged from those meetings included: ‘a robust legislative framework’; ‘measuring the impact of crime prevention’; and ‘treating environmental crimes as serious crimes.
The types of cooperation suggested are noteworthy in that they involve both international and cross-sector cooperation. They include the need for: ‘alternative sustainable livelihoods’, ‘the involvement of the private sector’; and ‘consideration of a crime prevention and criminal justice perspective within the broader “nature agenda”’.
Public perception and understanding are acknowledged as key elements in the successful enactment of criminal law: impunity was mentioned as a factor that undermined trust and perception of security, while a number of speakers noted that a culture of integrity was of crucial importance to crime prevention.
Inclusion was also a recurrent theme. Emphasis was placed on the importance that ‘governments and the international community as a whole, including the UN, listen [to] and support youth voices and recommendations.’
In this context it is worth focusing on the consistent demand for the recognition of ecocide as a crime before the International Criminal Court that the young as well as citizens’ assemblies6 have voiced in recent years. Criminalizing ecocide would serve several purposes: to hold to account the leaders of criminal organisations and key decision-makers in government and industry alike; remove impunity; and to deter dangerous practices that incur environmental damage, thus strengthening the efficacy of current civil regulations.
We note that an independent expert panel convened by the Stop Ecocide Foundation reached consensus on the legal definition of ‘ecocide’ in 20217. The definition has since gained significant political traction around the world, while the European Law Institute, for its part, is moving ahead on a related EU- specific definition8.
In the light of the foregoing, the undersigned non-governmental organizations in consultative relationship with the United Nations urge the participants in the 31st Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, in particular the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, to strengthen the international legal framework and international cooperation in the context of crimes that affect the environment.
We call on Member States to:
(a) strengthen the sanctioning of crimes incurring severe environmental effects, especially transborder effects, and treating them as ‘serious’ crimes as defined in the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime;
(b) encourage international cooperation between law enforcement agencies so as to improve awareness-building and training related to investigation into and prosecution of transnational offences that affect the environment;
(c) encourage consideration of criminal law frameworks in the context of the broader ‘nature agenda’;
(d) assess current international legal frameworks in the context of the global ‘triple crisis’ and their impact on climate change, pollution and nature loss;
(e) acknowledge and support the recommendations of civil society, in particular the voices of the young, with respect to the international legal framework in the context of the ‘triple crisis’;
(f) ensure participation of local populations and stakeholders in the scope of the Aarhus Convention and Escazú Agreement;
(g) support expansion of existing international legal frameworks for combating crimes affecting the environment, including hazardous legacies, abandoned sites and zones afflicted by war and other belligerent activities;
(h) recognize ‘ecocide’ as a new international crime;
(i) enact policies and enforce legislation with the highest integrity, as well as investigate and punish corruption with respect to crimes that affect the environment;
(j) encourage consideration of the relationship between economic factors and environmental neglect, and its impact on criminal activities;
(k) secure the support of the private sector by providing a reliable framework for combating the destruction of nature and the persistence of corruption, thus enabling those concerned to proceed without incurring existential risks;
(l) strengthen communication with and cooperation between secretariats of the relevant UN agencies so as to sharpen the focus on crimes affecting the environment; and
(m) cooperate with the relevant UN agencies in the implementation of reporting systems so as to facilitate assessment of the impact of crime prevention measures.
______________
ENDNOTES
1 Eurojust, Report on Eurojust’s Casework on Environmental Crime, January 2021 2 UNCTOC Article 2 (b) 3 IPCC WGII & WGIII, 2022 4 In the context of preparations for Stockholm+50 conference, there have even been references to the current mindset of humanity as “war on nature”. 5 https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/commissions/CCPCJ/session/31_Session_2022/docu mentation.html 6 Citizens Climate Assembly, France 2020; Global Citizens Assembly, Glasgow 2022 7 See https://ecocidelaw.com/legal-definition-and-commentary-2021/ 8 See https://www.europeanlawinstitute.eu/projectspublications/current- projects/current- projects/ecocide
_____________________________
Endorsing organizations as of 11 May 2022 were gathered under the auspices of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO) and its NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna which drafted this statement. Endorsements for purposes of showing continued collaboration among NGOs on the issues raised in this statement are still welcome. To endorse the statement, send an email to the CoNGO President atpresident@ngocongo.org.
African Action on Aids (AAA)
American Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (AAPR)
Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP)
CGFNS International, Inc.
Credo-Action (Lomé, Togo)
Criminologists Without Borders
Fracarita International
Graduate Women International (GWI)
Imam Mahdi Association of Marjaeya (I.M.A.M.)
International Alliance of Women (IAW)
International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP)
International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL)
International Council of Psychologists (ICP)
International Council of Women (ICW)
International Federation of Business and Professional Women (IFBPW)
International Federation of Women Lawyers (IFWL)
International Federation of Women in Legal Careers (IFWLC)
International Federation on Ageing (IFA)
International Inner Wheel (IIW)
International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD)
International Progress Organization (IPO)
International Women’s Year Liaison Group, Japan (IWYLG)
Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW)
Japan Asia Cultural Exchanges, Inc. (JACE)
Le Comite Francais des ONG pour la Liaison et l’ Information des Nations
New Humanity
Organization for Defending Victims of Violence (ODVV).
Pan Pacific and South East Asia Women’s Association (PPSEAWA)
Pax Romana | ICMICA
Servas International
Sisters of Charity Federation (SCF)
Socialist International Women (SIW)
Soroptimist International
Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (OSMTH)
Teresian Association
United Methodist Church-General Board of Church and Society (UMC-GBCS)
Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA)
Universal Peace Federation International (UPFI)
Verein zur Förderung der Völkerverständigung
VIVAT International
WUZDA Ghana
Women’s Federation for World Peace International (WFWPI)
Strengthening the international legal framework and international cooperation in the context of crimes that affect the environment
“If crime crosses borders, so must law enforcement. If the rule of law is undermined not only in one country, but in many, then those who defend it cannot limit themselves to purely national means.” (Kofi Annan, address to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, 2000).
In the context of crime prevention and criminal justice as they pertain to the environment, the international community faces two major challenges. The first challenge relates to the urgent need to respond forcefully to the rapid rise in crimesaffecting the environment. Eurojust,1the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, ranks environmental crime as the fourth largest criminal activity in the world – on a par with drug-trafficking. Most regrettably, law enforcement in this sector remains pitifully low and out of all proportion to the threat it poses. The reasons are manifold. The most significant factors are: (i) the failure of the criteria set out in the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime2to categorize numerous environmental crimes as ‘serious’; and (ii) the inadequacy of training in the law enforcement agencies, whose staff frequently lack the all-essential investigation and prosecution capabilities.
The second challenge relates to the absence of legal provisions addressing the many and varied instances of severe widespread or long-term harm to the environment. All too frequently, the environmental damage caused is a deleterious side-effect of industrial practices which, though patently dangerous, are nonetheless permissible under law. Similarly, those outcomes represent all too common a breach of civil environmental regulations or are attributable to sheer negligence with regard to safety protocols. In many cases, the environmental damage qualifies as a transnational offence as set out in article 3.2 (a) (b) and (d) of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
An offence is transnational in nature if:
(a) It is committed in more than one State;
(b)It is committed in one State but a substantial part of its preparation, planning, direction or control takes place in another State;
(d)It is committed in one State but has substantial effects in another State.
Both of the above challenges arise in the highly perturbing context of the critical global interlinkage between climate change, pollution and nature (biodiversity) loss. Furthermore, recent international reports3 tell us that these crises must be addressed with immediate urgency if we are to maintain the ability to support human civilization without severe, even irreversible loss and damage, mass migration and food crises.4
Moreover, the two challenges above relate both directly and causally to the current global crisis. The destruction or removal of carbon sinks and keystone species (e.g. via deforestation, poaching and trafficking), as well as severe soil, water and atmospheric pollution are all factors that inevitably exacerbate ecosystem collapse and climate change.
In the light of the foregoing, the imperative for the international community to strengthen the international legal framework and international cooperation in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice could not be clearer. Criminal law has a crucial role to play in drawing up and enforcing the legal and moral ‘red lines’ upon which the global population’s very ability to thrive and survive in its planetary home may well depend.
What form should this strengthening of frameworks and cooperation take? Recent meetings of this Commission have pointed in some useful directions, as indicated in the Chair’s summary documents of November 2021 and February 20225. Themes that emerged from those meetings included: ‘a robust legislative framework’; ‘measuring the impact of crime prevention’; and ‘treating environmental crimes as serious crimes.
The types of cooperation suggested are noteworthy in that they involve both international and cross-sector cooperation. They include the need for: ‘alternative sustainable livelihoods’, ‘the involvement of the private sector’; and ‘consideration of a crime prevention and criminal justice perspective within the broader “nature agenda”’.
Public perception and understanding are acknowledged as key elements in the successful enactment of criminal law: impunity was mentioned as a factor that undermined trust and perception of security, while a number of speakers noted that a culture of integrity was of crucial importance to crime prevention.
Inclusion was also a recurrent theme. Emphasis was placed on the importance that ‘governments and the international community as a whole, including the UN, listen [to] and support youth voices and recommendations.’
In this context it is worth focusing on the consistent demand for the recognition of ecocide as a crime before the International Criminal Court that the young as well as citizens’ assemblies6 have voiced in recent years. Criminalizing ecocide would serve several purposes: to hold to account the leaders of criminal organisations and key decision-makers in government and industry alike; remove impunity; and to deter dangerous practices that incur environmental damage, thus strengthening the efficacy of current civil regulations.
We note that an independent expert panel convened by the Stop Ecocide Foundation reached consensus on the legal definition of ‘ecocide’ in 20217. The definition has since gained significant political traction around the world, while the European Law Institute, for its part, is moving ahead on a related EU- specific definition8.
In the light of the foregoing, the undersigned non-governmental organizations in consultative relationship with the United Nations urge the participants in the 31st Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, in particular the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, to strengthen the international legal framework and international cooperation in the context of crimes that affect the environment.
We call on Member States to:
(a) strengthen the sanctioning of crimes incurring severe environmental effects, especially transborder effects, and treating them as ‘serious’ crimes as defined in the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime;
(b) encourage international cooperation between law enforcement agencies so as to improve awareness-building and training related to investigation into and prosecution of transnational offences that affect the environment;
(c) encourage consideration of criminal law frameworks in the context of the broader ‘nature agenda’;
(d) assess current international legal frameworks in the context of the global ‘triple crisis’ and their impact on climate change, pollution and nature loss;
(e) acknowledge and support the recommendations of civil society, in particular the voices of the young, with respect to the international legal framework in the context of the ‘triple crisis’;
(f) ensure participation of local populations and stakeholders in the scope of the Aarhus Convention and Escazú Agreement;
(g) support expansion of existing international legal frameworks for combating crimes affecting the environment, including hazardous legacies, abandoned sites and zones afflicted by war and other belligerent activities;
(h) recognize ‘ecocide’ as a new international crime;
(i) enact policies and enforce legislation with the highest integrity, as well as investigate and punish corruption with respect to crimes that affect the environment;
(j) encourage consideration of the relationship between economic factors and environmental neglect, and its impact on criminal activities;
(k) secure the support of the private sector by providing a reliable framework for combating the destruction of nature and the persistence of corruption, thus enabling those concerned to proceed without incurring existential risks;
(l) strengthen communication with and cooperation between secretariats of the relevant UN agencies so as to sharpen the focus on crimes affecting the environment; and
(m) cooperate with the relevant UN agencies in the implementation of reporting systems so as to facilitate assessment of the impact of crime prevention measures.
______________
ENDNOTES
1 Eurojust, Report on Eurojust’s Casework on Environmental Crime, January 2021 2 UNCTOC Article 2 (b) 3 IPCC WGII & WGIII, 2022 4 In the context of preparations for Stockholm+50 conference, there have even been references to the current mindset of humanity as “war on nature”. 5 https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/commissions/CCPCJ/session/31_Session_2022/docu mentation.html 6 Citizens Climate Assembly, France 2020; Global Citizens Assembly, Glasgow 2022 7 See https://ecocidelaw.com/legal-definition-and-commentary-2021/ 8 See https://www.europeanlawinstitute.eu/projectspublications/current- projects/current- projects/ecocide
_____________________________
Endorsing organizations as of 11 May 2022were gathered under the auspices of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO) and its NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna which drafted this statement. Endorsements for purposes of showing continued collaboration among NGOs on the issues raised in this statement are still welcome. To endorse, send an email to the CoNGO President at president@ngocongo.org.
African Action on Aids (AAA)
American Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (AAPR)
Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP)
CGFNS International, Inc.
Credo-Action (Lomé, Togo)
Criminologists Without Borders
Fracarita International
Imam Mahdi Association of Marjaeya (I.M.A.M.)
International Alliance of Women (IAW)
International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP)
International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL)
International Council of Psychologists (ICP)
International Council of Women (ICW)
International Federation of Business and Professional Women (IFBPW)
International Federation of Women Lawyers (IFWL)
International Federation of Women in Legal Careers (IFWLC)
International Federation on Ageing (IFA)
International Inner Wheel (IIW)
International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD)
International Progress Organization (IPO)
International Women’s Year Liaison Group, Japan (IWYLG)
Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW)
Japan Asia Cultural Exchanges, Inc. (JACE)
Le Comite Francais des ONG pour la Liaison et l’ Information des Nations
New Humanity
Organization for Defending Victims of Violence (ODVV).
Pan Pacific and South East Asia Women’s Association (PPSEAWA)
Pax Romana | ICMICA
Servas International
Sisters of Charity Federation (SCF)
Socialist International Women (SIW)
Soroptimist International
Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (OSMTH)
Teresian Association
United Methodist Church-General Board of Church and Society (UMC-GBCS)
Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA)
Universal Peace Federation International (UPFI)
Verein zur Förderung der Völkerverständigung
VIVAT International
WUZDA Ghana
Women’s Federation for World Peace International (WFWPI)
New York, 5 March 2021 (CoNGO InfoNews) – “Women enable a just, equitable and peaceful world,” said the presidents of Soroptimist International (Sharon Fisher), International Alliance of Women (Cheryl Hayles), and Associated Country Women of the World (Magdie de Kock) in a joint statement they issued on the occasion of the 2021 International Women’s Day on March 8.
“Women and girls of all ages deserve a seat at the table in public life, leadership and decision-making. Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. To make that a reality, all states, the private sector, civil society, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders must work in collaboration,” the women leaders asserted.
The statement also called on the sixty-fifth session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65) to take leadership in the development and implementation of new laws, regulations and social justice programmes that respond to women’s and girls’ under-participation and under-representation in leadership. The theme of CSW65 is focused on women in public life and equal participation in decision-making.
The joint statement was warmly received by Liberato Bautista, the president of the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO), who helped produce it. The three organizations issuing the statement are full members of CoNGO. Soroptimist International and International Alliance of Women are current members of the CoNGO Board.
“Joint statements are an effective means of conveying to the United Nations our collective understandings of, and agreements and unities, as segments of civil society, on substantive issues that are on the UN agenda,” Bautista said. “Consultation and collaboration are valued good NGO practices,” he added.
NGO concerns on the overall agenda of gender equality, equity and justice are highlighted once again this year at the NGO CSW FORUM65 with varied program offerings starting on March 14 and ending on March 26.
See related story by International Alliance of Women here and by Soroptimist International here.
The International Council of Women (ICW-CIF) wholeheartedly embraces the theme for International Women’s Day, 2021 promoted by UN Women: “Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”. ICW-CIF stands, since its inception some 133 years ago, for women’s empowerment and leadership by helping women to help themselves, to take initiatives, to promote their status and wellbeing and to promote understanding between women everywhere, irrespective of race, color or creed.
On International Women’s Day, 8th March 2021, Sharon Fisher, President of Soroptimist International; Cheryl Hayles, President of International Alliance of Women; and Magdie de Kock, World President of Associated Country Women of the World,
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”.
Africa Network of People Who Use Drugs (AfricanPUD)**
Agora of the Inhabitants of the Earth**
Alcohol and Drug Foundation
Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice*
American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA)*
American Psychological Association
Amman Center for Human Rights Studies (ACHRS)
Appui Solidaire pour le Renforcement de l’Aide au Developpement
Arab Society for Academic Freedoms (ASAF)
Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD)**
Asociación Latinoamericana de Derechos Humanos (ALDHU)**
Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE)
Association for Farmers Rights Defense (AFRD)
Association for Promotion of Sustainable Development
Association Montessori Internationale*
Basel Peace Office**
Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation
CGFNS International, Inc.
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
CREDO-ACTION
Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHRDI)
Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
Centre for Social Research (CSR), India
Childhood Education International (CEI)*
Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI)
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd
Observatory of Crops and Cultivators Declared Illicit (OCCDI Global)**
Congregation of the Mission
DRCNet Foundation, Inc
Dianova International
Dominican Leadership Conference
Drug Policy Australia
Election Network in the Arab Region (ENAR)
End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT-USA)
Environment Liaison Centre International (ELCI)
European Union of Women (EUW)
Families of the Missing
Fédération Internationale des Associations de Personnes Âgées (FIAPA)
Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas (FAWCO)
Feminist Task Force**
Fondazione PROCLADE Internazionale-Onlus*
Fondazione Villa Maraini**
Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC)**
Fundacion Latinoamerica Reforma (LAR)
Fundacion para Estudio e Investigacion de la Mujer
Fundamental Human Rights & Rural Development Association (FHRRDA)
Global Distribution Advocates, Inc.
Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD)
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime*
Grupo de Mujeres de la Argentina – Foro de VIH Mujeres Familia
Guild of Service, The
Haiti Cholera Research Funding Foundation, Inc. USA
Initiative for Peace and Innovation (IPI)**
Institute for Research and Development “Utrip” (UTRIP)**
Inter Press Service (IPS)
Intercambios Asociación Civil
International Alliance of Women (IAW)
International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP)
International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG)
International Association of Judges (IAJ-UIM)
International Centre for Environmental Education and Community Development (ICENECDEV)
International Council of Nurses (ICN)
International Council of Women (ICW-CIF)
International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC)
International Federation of Business and Professional Women (IFBPW)
International Federation of Settlements and Neighborhood Centers
International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW)
International Federation of Women in Legal Careers (IFWLC)
International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA)
International Federation on Ageing (IFA)
International Inner Wheel
International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD)
International Peace Research Association (IPRA)
International Public Relations Association (IPRA)
International Presentation Association (IPA)
International Real Estate Federation, The (FIABCI)
International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA)
International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD)
International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS)
International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations (ISMUN)
Koalisi Rakyat untuk Hak atas Air (KRuHA) (People’s Coalition for the Right to Water)*
Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP)
Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada
Make Mothers Matter (MMM)
Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic, Inc.
Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA)
Middle East & North Africa Harm Reduction Association (MENAHRA)**
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI)*
Moms Stop the Harm**
NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, Inc.
Narconon Nigeria Initiative
National Campaign for Sustainable Development, Nepal**
New Future Foundation, Inc.
New Humanity
Nonviolence International
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF)
Pan Pacific and South East Asia Women’s Association (PPSEAWA)
Passionists International
Peace, Education, Art, Communication (PEAC) Institute
Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM)
Planetary Association for Clean Energy, The
Red Dot Foundation
Salesian Missions Inc.
Save Cambodia
Servas International
Seventh Day Adventist Church
Sisters of Charity Federation
Soka Gakkai International (SGI)
Socialist International Women (SIW)
Soroptimist International (SI)
Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (OSMTH)
Sri Swami Madhavananda World Peace Council (SSMWPC)
TalentPlus Resources International (TRI)**
Tanzania Peace, Legal Aid and Justice Center (PLAJC)**
The Brazzaville Foundation for Peace and Conservation
Tinker Institute on International Law and Organizations
To Love Children Educational Foundation International
Tribal Link Foundation, Inc.
Tripla Difesa Onlus
Trust for Youth Child Leadership (TYCL)
UNANIMA International
UNIDOS – Rede Nacional Sobre Droga & HIV**
Union of International Associations (UIA)
Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA)*
United Methodist Church—General Board of Church and Society (UMC-GBCS)
United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA)
Universal Esperanto-Association (UEA)
Universal Peace Federation (UPF)
VIVAT International
Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund (DBA Women First International Fund)
WUZDA Ghana
West Africa Drug Policy Network*
Women for Peace and Gender Equality Initiative*
World Development Foundation (WDF)
World Organization for Early Childhood Education (OMEP)
World Student Christian Federation (WSCF)
Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa
Yayasan Wadah Titian Harapan (Wadah Foundation)
Young Global Leadership Foundation, Inc. (YGLF)
Youth Foundation of Bangladesh
Zenab for Women Development
Zonta International
Photo courtesy of Globalt Fokus.
________________
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.
