Month: January 2023

Pope Francis starts a trip on Tuesday to two fragile African nations often forgotten by the world, where protracted conflicts have left millions of refugees and displaced people grappling with hunger.

 

The Jan. 31-Feb 5 visit to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan, takes the 86-year-old pope to places where Catholics make up about half of the populations and where the Church is a key player in health and educational systems as well as in democracy-building efforts.

 

The trip was scheduled to take place last July but was postponed because Francis was suffering a flare-up of a chronic knee ailment. He still uses a wheelchair and cane but his knee has improved significantly.

 

Both countries are rich in natural resources – DRC in minerals and South Sudan in oil – but beset with poverty and strife.

 

DRC, which is the second-largest country in Africa and has a population of about 90 million, is getting its first visit by a pope since John Paul II travelled there in 1985, when it was known as Zaire.

 

Francis had planned to visit the eastern city of Goma but that stop was scrapped following the resurgence of fighting between the army and the M23 rebel group in the area where Italy’s ambassador, his bodyguard and driver were killed in an ambush in 2021.

 

Francis will stay in the capital, Kinshasa, but will meet there with victims of violence from the east.

 

“Congo is a moral emergency that cannot be ignored,” the Vatican’s ambassador to DRC, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, told Reuters.

 

According to the U.N. World Food Programme, 26 million people in the DRC face severe hunger.

 

The country’s 45 million-strong Catholic Church has a long history of promoting democracy and, as the pope arrives, it is gearing up to monitor elections scheduled for December.

 

“Our hope for the Congo is that this visit will reinforce the Church’s engagement in support of the electoral process,” said Britain’s ambassador to the Vatican, Christ Trott, who spent many years as a diplomat in Africa.

 

DRC is getting its first visit by a pope since John Paul II travelled there in 1985, when it still was known as Zaire.

 

UNPRECEDENTED JOINT PILGRIMAGE

The trip takes on an unprecedented nature on Friday when the pope leaves Kinshasa for South Sudan’s capital, Juba.

 

That leg is being made with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields.

 

“Together, as brothers, we will live an ecumenical journey of peace,” Francis told tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square for his Sunday address.

 

The three Churches represent the Christian make-up of the world’s youngest country, which gained independence in 2011 from predominantly Muslim Sudan after decades of conflict and has a population of around 11 million.

 

“This will be a historic visit,” Welby said. “After centuries of division, leaders of three different parts of (Christianity) are coming together in an unprecedented way.”

 

Two years after independence, conflict erupted when forces loyal to President Salva Kiir clashed with those loyal to Vice President Riek Machar, who is from a different ethnic group. The bloodshed spiralled into a civil war that killed 400,000 people.

 

A 2018 deal stopped the worst of the fighting, but parts of the agreement – including the deployment of a re-unified national army – have not yet been implemented.

 

There are 2.2 million internally displaced people in South Sudan and another 2.3 million have fled the country as refugees, according to the United Nations, which has praised the Catholic Church as a “powerful and active force in building peace and reconciliation in conflict-torn regions”.

 

In one of the most remarkable gestures since his papacy began in 2013, Francis knelt to kiss the feet of South Sudan’s previously warring leaders during a retreat at the Vatican in April 2019, urging them not to return to civil war.

 

Trott, a former ambassador in South Sudan, said he hoped the three Churchmen can convince political leaders to “fulfil the promise of the independence movement”.

 

Source: National News Agency

MANZINI, ESWATINI — Hundreds of people, including foreign diplomats and activists, paid homage Saturday to a human rights lawyer who was shot dead in Eswatini, sparking alarm over political violence in Africa’s last absolute monarchy.

 

Thulani Maseko, a political activist and fierce critic of authorities in the tiny landlocked nation, was gunned down through the window of his home last Saturday by unknown attackers.

 

Hours before his murder, King Mswati III had warned activists who defy him not to “shed tears” about “mercenaries killing them.”

 

Mourners from all over the world

 

Diplomatic envoys from the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom and the United Nations attended a somber memorial service on the outskirts of the commercial capital, Manzini.

 

Lawyers and rights activists from several other African countries, as far afield as Kenya, also traveled to the country — sandwiched between South Africa and Mozambique — to pay their tributes.

 

A portrait of Maseko was displayed in front of a cream-colored wooden podium with a spray of white, yellow and red flowers laid out at the bottom.

 

U.N. representative George Wachira said Maseko’s killing was a “loss not only to Eswatini but to the world and humanity. We cannot avoid bitterness because Thulani didn’t deserve to die in this manner.”

 

“His death shall not be in vain,” he told mourners. “Thulani was at the core of that theory that through dialogue this country can be fixed.”

 

Maseko, who died at age 52, had spent most of his life fighting state repression and representing opposition activists in court.

 

In 2014, he was jailed for contempt of court over articles critical of the government and judiciary, but he was acquitted on appeal and released a year later.

 

At the time of his death, Maseko led a broad coalition of political and civic rights and religious groups created in November 2021 to foster dialogue with the king and seek a way out of the political crisis in the country of 1.2 million people.

 

‘Blood on Mswati’s hands’

 

Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, has long cracked down on dissents, with political parties banned since 1973.

 

At least 37 people were killed during weeks of anti-monarchy protests in June 2021.

 

Maseko’s murder drew widespread international outrage and calls for an impartial probe and the prosecution of the culprits.

 

U.K. Ambassador Simon Boyden said, “human rights defenders, like Thulani, must be able to able to depend on institutions of the state to protect them from violence, from intimidation and from death.”

 

The vice president of the Law Society in Eswatini, Sdumo Dladla, bemoaned that Maseko “had to die such a violent death while he was preaching against violence.”

 

EU Ambassador Dessislava Choumelova called for the “safety of all citizens including political activists.”

 

Paying tribute to the “fallen, giant baobab,” Mlungisi Makhanya, president of PUDEMO, a political movement that was banned in 2008, said the killing was “one of the most brutal acts in the history of” Eswatini.

 

“There is a lot of innocent blood on Mswati’s hands,” said Makhanya speaking via video link from exile. “For his atrocities, Mswati and his henchmen must be indicted…It is time like this that we must intensify our struggle and exert pressure.”

 

Maseko also was a senior member of PUDEMO, which pushed for the creation of a constitutional multi-party democracy. He will be buried Sunday.

 

Source: Voice of America

Whilst hate speech is nothing new, it has arguably been super-charged by the internet, which has allowed lies, conspiracies, and threats to instantly spread around the world. In a short series of features, based on the new UN Podcasts series, UNiting Against Hate, we look at the effects, and possible solutions, to this growing problem.

 

Hate speech is having a demonstrable effect on society: one of the many similarities between the January attacks on Brazil’s government buildings, and the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, is that each occurred after certain groups repeatedly directed dangerous rhetoric and false claims against others.

 

Concerns over the growing phenomenon have prompted independent human rights experts to call on major social media platforms to change their business models and become more accountable in the battle against rising hate speech online.

 

Recently, the case of divisive social media influencer Andrew Tate captured widespread media attention, following his detention in Romania, as part of an investigation into allegations of human trafficking and rape, which he denies.

 

Tate was previously banned from various prominent social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech.

 

In the new UN Podcasts series UNiting Against Hate, producer Katy Dartford speaks to prominent activists whose work has made them the subjects of online attacks, disinformation, and threats.

 

Hate speech and deadly violence in South Sudan

 

In South Sudan, internet access is limited to a small elite, but activists such as Edmund Yakani, one of the country’s most prominent human rights defenders, are nevertheless targeted by online hate speech.

 

In this episode of the UNiting Against Hate podcast, Mr. Yakani explains how hate speech, both in-country and from the diaspora, is contributing to further violence in the world’s newest internationally recognized country: 60 per cent of deadly violence in the country, he says, is triggered by hate speech.

 

Mr. Yakani says that has often been the victim of online attacks, in which his image, or statement has made, have been distorted. “Some describe me as a type of an animal, a cockroach, monkey or snake, or just call me a murderer.”

 

“This narrative has huge implications. It destroys my social fabric, my relationships with others, and it generates mistrust and a lack of confidence in people towards me.”

 

Hate speech is having a destabilizing influence on his country, worries Mr. Yakani, making violence the primary tool for resolving disputes. The answer, in his opinion, is more investment in effective responses, which include targeted sanctions on those responsible, improved legislation, and education.

 

Despite the many risks to his own security, Mr Yakani continues to strive to ensure accountability, justice and respect for human rights. “Anybody who is standing and demanding accountability, transparency, and fighting against corruption, or demanding democratic transformation, is always a target of hate speech.”

‘Coming out’ as Dalit

When in 2015  Yashica Dutt, publicly described herself as Dalit – a group of people who, according to those who subscribe to the Indian caste system, sit at the bottom of the pyramid – she became another victim of hate speech.

 

“I was very vocal. I was talking about what caste looks like and how we need to identify and acknowledge that it exists and no longer erase it. And obviously that narrative bothered a lot of people, so I have been a part of many troll attacks”.

 

The journalist and award-winning author of the memoir “Coming out as Dalit” says that caste exists within Indian societies, whether in the country itself, or the Indian diaspora. The rise of social media has, she says, led to racism, hate, and verbal assaults making an unwelcome comeback.

 

Her Tumblr blog, “Documents of Dalit discrimination”, is an effort to create a safe space to talk about the trauma of what it comes to be a lower-caste person, but she says she now faces hate speech every day on Twitter and Facebook.

 

“If I give a talk or have a panel discussion, there are always a few trolls,” she says. “I’m told that I’m being paid by a mysterious agency, rather than because I’m truly sick of the discrimination that I face and that people around me face.”

 

Hate speech “truly does have a heinous form online because you can mobilise armies of trolls to swarm on your account and make sure that you never use your voice again. And it’s quite scary,” she says.

 

According to Ms Dutt one prominent right-wing account incited its million or so followers to hurl abuses, slurs, and make threat of physical or sexual assault, and even death.

 

“I had to go offline for a long time. Even though I live in New York, a lot of the threats comes from India. And now we have the rise of fundamentalist Hindu communities in the US as well. It was scary, and over time I’ve learnt how to cope with it.”

 

“Consciously or subconsciously, this affects how we use our voice. Ultimately, you think if I tweet this in this particular way, what is going to be the consequence?”

‘I buried all my hopes’

Another female writer and journalist who has experienced the life-threatening effects of hate speech is writer and journalist Martina Mlinarević.

 

For years, Ms Mlinarević, who is also the ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Czech Republic, wrote about aspects of corruption in her country. For this she faced threats and insults online, but the level of abuse reached a new level, when a photo of her mastectomy scar was published in a magazine, a first for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

“I had to move with a small child to another city due to threats and cyberbullying. The toughest and saddest part for me was fleeing my home town, where I lived for 37 years.”

 

Ms Mlinarević explains how, in 2020, when she came to Prague, a doll created to resemble her was burned at a traditional carnival. “It was a kind of persecution campaign to punish me not only for the exposure of the scar on my breast, but also for daring to comment on politics and to promote gender issues and all other problems.”

 

All these attacks were unpunished at that time, and they escalated into misogynistic, intimidating threats to her safety and family. “For me that was the point when I buried all my hopes regarding the area where I came from”.

 

Despite her experiences, Ms. Mlinarević remains optimistic for the future. “I’m trying to work with young people as much as I can, trying to empower their voice, girls’ and women’s voices, and trying to teach them to stand up for themselves, and for others. Let’s hope the future will bring something better for all of our children.”

 

Source: UN News Center

Papal visit comes as WFP and other humanitarian actors face growing demands and shrinking funds to reach millions facing severe food insecurity.

Dorati Ndagisa’s loss is achingly familiar in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where fighting has uprooted millions of people, feeding Africa’s biggest hunger crisis.

Chased by armed groups from her farm in DRC’s troubled eastern Nord Kivu province, she and her five children are now destitute. They piece together an existence, with support from the World Food Programme (WFP) and other humanitarian groups, in the sprawling, makeshift Kanyaruchinya displacement camp, outside the provincial capital of Goma.

 

“Before, I was a farmer and I had a stable life,” says Dorati, who once grew beans and potatoes in the village of Rugari, some 35 km away. “Since the war I have nothing, and I don’t know how to feed my three children.”

 

The devastating fallout of conflict, and the importance of building peace, are likely to be key themes for Pope Francis when he visits DRC and South Sudan next week. His five-day visit (January 31-February 5) — three in Kinshasa and two in South Sudan’s capital of Juba — sheds a rare spotlight on two of the world’s most fragile countries, where unrest has helped drive hunger to alarming and sometimes catastrophic levels.

 

In both capitals, the pope is expected to meet with conflict-displaced people.

 

“Think of all those, especially children, who go hungry, while huge amounts of food daily go to waste and resources are being spent on weapons,” Francis said in his Christmas Day urbi et orbi (“to the city and the world”) message, describing how the war in Ukraine had put “whole peoples at risk of famine.”

Addressing the link between conflict and hunger is also central to WFP’s work in DRC and South Sudan, where we are sometimes the only backstop against catastrophic food insecurity—and where we have rolled out peace- and resilience-building activities aimed to bring warring communities together.

 

But as needs in both countries grow, WFP faces multi-million dollar funding shortfalls, forcing us to reduce our support to even the hungriest people.

 

A spotlight on ‘forgotten’ crises

DRC Country Director and Representative Peter Musoko hopes the Pope’s visit will help shed light on the plight of millions of people who continue to face hunger.

 

“I have seen firsthand that this country has so much potential to produce food for its people and give jobs to youth,” Musoko says. “But with an ongoing emergency and limited resources, we are appealing to the international community for US$627.3 million in 2023.’’

 

In DRC, where more than 26 million people face severe hunger, WFP reached 5.4 million of the most vulnerable with food and nutritional assistance in 2022, focusing especially on conflict-hit women and children.

 

Many, like Dorati, are in the country’s northeast, where clashes have forced more than half-a-million people from their homes in recent months.

 

“We have a lot of hunger but we are helpless in this situation,” says Dorati, who is grateful for WFP’s food assistance that includes high energy biscuits, pulses, salt, oil and flour.

Pope Francis is expected to hear many stories like Dorati’s when he meets conflict survivors in Kinshasa, where banners and signs are already up to welcome him. He will also deliver an open-air mass at Kinshasa’s Ndolo airport that is expected to draw a million or more Congolese.

 

“I expect his visit to bring us strength,” says Kinshasa university student Calixte Muluvia, eager for the Pope to bring serenity and hope to his people amid hard times.

 

“It would be good if he can tell the world about the humanitarian situation many families are facing in the East,” she adds.

 

South Sudan: ‘left with nothing’

In South Sudan,  the Pope’s next stop, hundreds of thousands of families are reeling from escalating fighting and four consecutive years of flooding. The country is on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

 

Today, nearly two-thirds of South Sudan’s 12 million people are grappling with hunger, with 43,000 facing famine-like conditions.

WFP reached 5.6 million of them last year, working with communities to provide humanitarian assistance and improve food security. Yet with multiple countries hit by the spiraling global food crisis, funds are in short supply — and we have been forced to scale back support to even South Sudan’s hungriest.

 

“Conflict and food insecurity are closely linked and we hope the Pope’s visit puts some much-needed momentum behind the peace process in South Sudan,” says Mary-Ellen McGroarty, WFP Country Director for South Sudan. “Needs continue to outpace resources and peace is a critical prerequisite to preventing famine, building future food security, and unlocking the full potential of South Sudan.”

 

The Pope’s visit is hugely significant for many in this majority-Catholic country, where the Church has been a powerful and active force in building peace and reconciliation in conflict-torn regions.

 

That includes in Leer County, in central South Sudan, where large-scale violence last year uprooted thousands of families. Many sought WFP food assistance in camps for the displaced.

“It started with the fighting. We were chased up to the rivers and our cattle were taken,” says 28-year-old Leer County native Theresa Nyaluide, a mother of 10, who found temporary shelter in a village called Thonyor. “People were left with nothing.”

 

Along with delivering essential food and nutritional assistance, WFP helps to improve livelihood and long-term food security opportunities for conflict- and climate-affected communities. Through activities that build collective farming assets — such as flood-protective dykes and shallow ponds—we also help to promote social cohesion and prevent clashes between pastoralists and landowners over water and land.

 

But with humanitarian costs mounting sharply and funds in short supply, some South Sudanese worry about their fate if WFP’s assistance dries up.

Already food rations for Theresa and her family, for example — pulses, cereal, oil and salt— have been reduced for lack of funds, despite famine-like conditions in parts of Leer County.

 

“We just look to the World Food Programme to help us,” says Theresa. “We can and will live because of it.”

 

Members of Theresa’s community are traveling to Juba, some 400 kilometers away, for a chance to see the Pope. They plan to join in masses — and pray for better futures.

 

Source: World Food Programme

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen wraps up a 10-day visit to Africa on Saturday that included stops in Senegal, Zambia and South Africa, where she met Friday with philanthropists on climate change.

 

Throughout her trip, Yellen sought to underscore the importance of the growing and youthful continent, saying “the United States’ strategy toward Africa is centered around a simple recognition: that Africa will shape the future of the global economy.”

 

The administration of President Joe Biden has emphasized its commitment to the region, rolling out a new policy for sub-Saharan Africa in August and hosting the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in December.

 

Analysts say the reengagement comes after Africa received limited attention from former president Donald Trump’s administration, and as leading trade partner China continues to dominate the region economically, while Russia is working to strengthen military and diplomatic ties.

 

Yellen arrived shortly after a visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to South Africa, which has taken an officially neutral stance on the war in Ukraine and is planning to host controversial joint naval drills with Russia and China off the coast of the city of Durban next month.

Bob Wekesa, head of the African Center for the Study of the United States in Johannesburg, said the timing of the visits shows both Russia and the U.S. are trying to woo Africa.

 

“Is it a coincidence that both Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and U.S. Treasure Secretary Janet Yellen have done their Africa trip early in the year, coinciding, in fact almost meeting together?” Wekesa said. “In my view it’s not a coincidence in itself because there’s a very big geopolitical battle that has just intensified over the couple of months since first Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

 

Brooks Spector, associate editor at South African newspaper the Daily Maverick and a retired American diplomat, echoed that assessment.

 

“The competition now, on the African continent between Russia and the United States and China and the United States has become much more visible and in many ways much more significant than it was a decade or so ago,” Spector said. “With Russia of course, the challenge is geopolitical and security, whereas with China the challenge is largely economic and trade-oriented.”

 

Yellen has used her trip to criticize both Beijing and Moscow. Her remarks in Zambia about China being a “barrier” to the heavily indebted nation’s debt restructuring drew ire from Beijing. She has also blamed “Russia’s brutal war” for raising energy prices and causing food insecurity in Africa.

The U.S. is South Africa’s third-largest trading partner. Yellen has announced a new joint task force aimed at preventing wildlife trafficking, pledged to increase trade and investment, and praised the country for aiming to tackle its current power crisis and reliance on coal through a “just energy transition” partnership with the U.S.

 

But so far on her South Africa visit, Yellen — who had a closed-door meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa — has refrained publicly from talking about the upcoming naval exercises or Pretoria’s stance on Ukraine.

 

Spector said the topics — not usually ground covered by a treasury secretary — would likely have come up “regardless of the brief.”

 

“When Secretary Yellen arrived, she had an entire basket of issues to be tackled, a whole range of things, some of which transcended the more normal topics that a treasury secretary might have wanted to talk about, including, not surprisingly, the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

When South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana met with Yellen on Thursday, he noted her visit was a “momentous occasion” because no U.S. treasury secretary had visited in eight years.

 

Asked whether the minister’s remarks could be seen as a criticism of the U.S. for ignoring Africa, David Feldmann, the mission spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, told VOA, “We refer you to the South African finance minister for any interpretation of what he said.”

 

The South African treasury did not reply to a request for comment.

 

To underscore the importance of the continent, it’s expected that both U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden will visit this year.

 

Source: Voice of America

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations continued its 2023 session today, deferring requests by one entity for special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, while taking note of 527 new and 1 deferred quadrennial reports submitted by groups already in consultative status.

 

The Committee deferred its consideration of 18 newly submitted quadrennial reports, as well as 17 reports previously deferred from past sessions, as members requested further information from those organizations about, among other items, details of their activities, partners, expenditures and sources of funding for the periods under review.

 

The 19-member Committee considers applications for consultative status and requests for reclassification submitted by non-governmental organizations (NGOs).  Once an application has been reviewed and approved by the Committee, it is considered recommended for consultative status.  Organizations which were granted general and special status can attend meetings of the Council and issue statements, while those with general status can also speak during meetings and propose agenda items.  Organizations with roster status can only attend meetings.

 

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 30 January, to continue its session.

 

Review of Quadrennial Reports

 

The Committee first took note of 527 new quadrennial reports for the period 2018 to 2021 — containing submissions by non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council — and deferred 18 reports, as Member States posed questions about them.  Those organizations were as follows:

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.5:  15 non-governmental organizations:  1M1B Foundation; AAINA; AIM Education & Research Society; ANO “Organization” “Vector of Friendship”; ANPAM – Associazione Nazionale Produttori Armi e Munizioni Sportive e Civili; ASPAM Foundation; AWWA LTD; Action for Development (Suisse); Africa Centre for Citizens Orientation; Africa Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW); African Centre for Advocacy and Human Development;  African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes Education Trust;  African Cultural Promotions Inc; African Heritage Foundation Nigeria; and African Hope Committee Inc. 2018 – 2021.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.6:  15 non-governmental organizations:  African Services Committee, Inc.; African Views Organization a NJ Nonprofit Corporation; African Youth Movement; African Youths Initiative on Crime Prevention; Afro-European Medical and Research Network; Agence d’aide a la cooperation technique et au developpement; Agencia Latinoamericana de Informacion (ALAI); Ain o Salish Kendra – Law and Mediation Centre; Akshar Foundation; Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights; Al-Anwar Al Najafia Foundation for Culture and Development; Al-khoei Foundation; All-Russian Society of Disabled People; All-Russian public organization “Russian Public Intstitute of Electoral Law”; and Alliance Defending Freedom.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.7:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Alut – The Israeli Society for Autistic Children; Aman against Discrimination; Amazon Conservation Team; American Psychiatric Association; American Society of Criminology; American Society of Safety Engineers; Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain Inc; Amity Foundation; Amman Center for Human Rights Studies; Anti-Slavery International; Antioch Christian Centre; Aravind Foundation; Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development; Asian Institute of Transport Development; and Asian Legal Resource Centre.

 

The representative of China asked for details regarding the report prepared for the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) by the Amity Foundation and the civil society events organized by the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.8:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Asociación Cubana de Producción Animals; Asociación Española para el Derecho Internacional de los Derechos Humanos AEDIDH; Asociación Nacional de Estudiantes de ingenierías Industrial, Administrativa y de Producción; Asociación de Pedagogos de Cuba; Asociatia Obsteasca “Promo-LEX”; Asociatia Pakiv Romania; Assembly of First Nations – National Indian Brotherhood; Associacao de Mulheres Contra a Violencia; Association ALKHAYR pour le developpement en Mauritanie; Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR); Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism; Association of Medical Doctors of Asia; Association of Presbyterian Women of Aoteaora, New Zealand; Association on sustainable development and investment climate improvement, uniting investors and creditors “World Organization for Development”; and Associazione Comunita Papa Giovanni XXIII.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.9:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Associação Brasileira Interdisciplinar de AIDS; B.C. Aboriginal Network on Disability Society; BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights; Baha’i International Community; Bahjat Al-Baqir Charity Foundation; Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication; Baptist World Alliance; Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic; Batey Relief Alliance Inc; Beyond Beijing Committee; Biofutura, Asociación Civil; Black Alliance for Just Immigration; Board of Certified Safety Professionals; Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University; and British Columbia Council for International Cooperation.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.10:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation; Bufete de Estudios Interdisciplinarios AC; Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Senioren-Organisationen; C-Fam, Inc; CHIRAPAQ – Centro de Culturas Indígenas del Perú; CIBJO – The World Jewellery Confederation; CLAN (Caring & Living as Neighbours) Incorporated; Cameroon Association for the Defence of the Victims of Accident; Canadian Federation of University Women; Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women; Caritas in Veritate International USA; Casa Generalizia della Societa’ del Sacro Cuore; Catholic Organization for Relief and Development Aid; Catholics for Choice; and Caucasus Environmental NGO Network.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.11:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Cell of Alternative Youth Activities; Center for China & Globalization Limited; Center for Constitutional Rights Inc.; Center for Global Nonkilling; Center for Human Rights Studies of Mofid University; Center for Policy Studies; Center for Women and Development; Center of Political Analysis and Information Security; Centre for Gender Justice and Women Empowerment; Centre for Public Health; Centre pour les Droits Civils et Politiques — Centre CCPR; Centro de Promoción y Defensa de los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos; and Child Care Consortium; Childhood Cancer International; and Children of the Caribbean Inc.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.12:  15 non-governmental organizations:  China Association for International Science and Technology Cooperation; China Disabled Person’s Federation; China Education Association for International Exchange; China International Council for the Promotion of Multinational Corporations; China Society for Human Rights Studies (CSHRS); The China Water Engineering Association; Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament;  Church World Service; City2000 Youth Action International; Comite National d’Action pour les Droits de l’Enfant et de la Femme; Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy; Commonwealth Human Ecology Council; Commonwealth Medical Trust; Community Agenda for Peace Ltd/Gte; and Community Development Volunteers for Technical Assistance.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.13:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Community Restoration Initiative Project; Conectas Direitos Humanos; Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations; Consejo de Iglesias de Cuba; Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization Inc; Cooperation and Participation in Overseas NGOs; Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service; Cordoba Peace Institute – Geneva; Corporación Equipo Colombiano Interdisciplinario de Trabajo Forense y Asistencia Psicosocial; Criminologists Without Borders Inc; Culture and Development East Africa; Curia Generalizia Agostiniana; Damanhur Education; Danske Handicaporganisationer; and Daughters of Virtue and Empowerment Initiative.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.14:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Dayemi Complex Bangladesh; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association; DiploFoundation; Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America; Dominican Leadership Conference; Dominicans for Justice and Peace – Order of Preachers; Donne in Rete contro la Violenza – ONLUS; Down Syndrome International; Drug Free America Foundation; EKTA; EUROMIL EV; EURORDIS European Organisation for Rare Diseases; Earth Push ltd/gte; and East-West Management Institute.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.15:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Eastern Sudan Women Development Organization; Eco-Accord – Center for Environment and Sustainable Development; Edfu Foundation Inc.; Educate a Child in Africa; Educational Foundation for African Women; Educators without Borders; Egyptian Organization for Human Rights; End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes, Inc.; Environmental Justice Foundation Charitable Trust; EquallyAble Foundation; Ertegha Keyfiat Zendegi Iranian Charitable Institute; Escuela Cultura de Paz; Ethiopia Africa Black International Congress Church of Salvation; Euro Atlantic Diplomacy Society Association; and European Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Federation.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.16:  15 non-governmental organizations:  European Union of Women; Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians; Excellent World Foundation LTD/GTE; Eşit Haklar İçin İzleme Derneği; F N Forbundet; FSD Fahrzeugsystemdaten GmbH; Faithful Covenant Foundation; Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND); Families of the Missing; Family Africa; Family Development and Samaritan Foundation, Inc.; Family Health Association of Iran; Family Research Council; Farasooye Taaly Institute; and Federación de Mujeres y Familias de Ámbito Rural.

 

The representative of China raised a question about the sources of funding of Families of the Missing.

 

The representative of Armenia raised a question about the details of Government funding received by Eşit Haklar İçin İzleme Derneği.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.17:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Federation of National Representations of the Experiment in International Living, The; Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe; Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya; Flora Tristan Peruvian Women’s Center; Fondation CIOMAL de l’Ordre de Malte (Campagne internationale de l’Ordre de Malte contre la lèpre); Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino; Free World Foundation (FWF); Freehearts Africa Reach Out Foundation; Friends World Committee for Consultation; Friends of Angola; Fundacion Migrantes y Refugiados sin Fronteras; Fundacion Pro Humanae Vitae; Fundacion Teleton Mexico AC; Fundacion para Estudio Investigacion de la Mujer; and Fundación Contemporánea.

 

The representative of Armenia raised a question about the staff and activities of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.18:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Fundación Descúbreme; Fundación Multitudes; Fundación ONCE para la Cooperación e Inclusión de Personas con Discapacidad; Future Hope International; Féderation Européenne de la Manutention; Fédération Européenne des Femmes Actives en Famille; GAHT-US Corporation; General Forum of the Arabic and African Non-Governmental Organizations; Generation Initiative for Women and Youth Network; Giving Life Nature Volunteer; Global Alert for Defence of Youth and the Less Privileged; Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women; Global Campaign for Education; Global Dairy Platform, Inc.; and Global Dialogue Foundation Australia Limited.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.19:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Global Empowerment Movement Corporation; Global Forum for Media Development; Global Housing Foundation (GHF); Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Global Network of Sex Work Projects Limited; Global Utmaning; Global Voices; Goodness and Mercy Missions Common Initiative Group; Grail, The; Grassroots Organisations Operating Together in Sisterhood; Green Planet; Greenpeace International; Groots Kenya Association; Grupo de Mujeres de la Argentina – Foro de VIH, mujeres y familia; and Guerrand Hermes Foundation for Peace.

 

The representative of China raised a question about the scholarship programme offered by Global Voices.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.20:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Guild of Service; Hamkkehaneun Sarangbat Corporation; Hamraah Foundation; Hape Development & Welfare Association; Hardwired, Incorporated; HaritaDhara Research Development and Education Foundation; Hawa Society for Women; Hellenic Association of Political Scientists; High Security Newplate Limited; Hiranmoy Das Gupta Foundation; Hope Ek ASHA; House of Jacobs International; Human Life International, Inc.; The Human Resource Development Foundation; and Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team United States Incorporated.

 

The representative of Armenia raised a question about the Human Resource Development Foundation’s refugee support centres.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.21:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Humanity First; Huqooq-ul-Ebad Development Foundation; IBON.International Foundation Inc.; IDPC Consortium; IFENDU for Women’s Development; INTERSOS Humanitarian Aid Organization; IPAS; Idheas, Litigio Estratégico en Derechos Humanos, Asociación Civill; Il Cenacolo; Imam Al-Sadr Foundation; Imam Ali’s Popular Students Relief Society; Indonesian Child Welfare Foundation, The; Ingenieurs du Monde; InnerCity Mission for Children; and Women’s International Peace Centre.

 

The representative of Cuba raised a question about Il Cenacolo’s activities for poverty reduction.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.22:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Insamlingsstiftelsen Kvinna till Kvinna; Institut International pour les Droits et le Développement; Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies e.V. (IASS); Institute for Economics and Peace Limited; Institute for Multicultural Counseling and Education Services, Inc.; Institute of Global Education; Instituto da Criança; Inter-European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development; International Academy of Environmental Sanitation and Public Health; International Association for Human Values; International Association of Lions Clubs; International Association of Ports and Harbors; International Association of Y’s Men’s Clubs; International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation; and International Cable Protection Committee Limited.

 

The representative of Armenia raised a question about grants received by International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation from the Government.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.23:  15 non-governmental organizations:  International Career Support Association; International Center for Research on Women; International Center of the Roerichs; International Centre for Environmental Education and Community Development; International Civil Society Centre: convening capacity-building research gGmbH; International Coastal and Ocean Organization; International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage; International Committee For Peace And Reconciliation; International Confucian Association; International Cooperative Alliance; International Eurasia Press Fund; International Federation of Settlements and Neighbourhood Centres; International First Aid Society; International Food and Beverage Alliance (IFBA); and International Fund for Animal Welfare.

 

The representative of Armenia raised a question about International Eurasia Press Fund’s peace and reconciliation activities.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.24:  15 non-governmental organizations:  International Higher Education Academy of Sciences; International Institute for Non-Aligned Studies; International Investment Center; International Justice Resource Center, Inc.; International MotherBaby Childbirth Organization Inc.; International Network for Sustainable Energy; International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions; International PEN; International Partnership for Human Rights; International Prison Chaplains’ Association; International Psychoanalytical Association Trust; International Public Organization “Sovereign Knightly Order of Christ the Savior”; International Relations Students’ Association of McGill University; International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication; and International Society of Doctors for the Environment.

 

The representative of China raised a question about the countries that International Justice Resource Center, Inc. operates in.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.25:  15 non-governmental organizations:  International Union of Psychological Science; International Women’s Forum, Inc.; International Women’s Peace Group Corporation; International Women’s Year Liaison Group; International Youth Aid Council; Internationale Romani Union (IRU); Internet Society; Interregional Public Charitable Organization of Assistance to Persons with Disabilities “SAIL OF HOPE”; Inwelle Study and Resource, Centre; Iran Human Rights Documentation Center; Iranian Association for United Nations Studies; Italian Association for Women in Development; JMJ Children’s Fund of Canada; Jameh Ehyagaran Teb Sonnati Va Salamat Iranian; and Japanese Association of International Women’s Rights (JAIWR).

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.26:  15 non-governmental organizations:  John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Jssor Youth Organization; Kedner Stiven Foundation, Inc; Keystone Human Services International; Khiam Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture; Khubaib Foundation; Kids First Fund; Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW); Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V.; Korea Center for United Nations Human Rights Policy; Korea Differently Abled Federation; Korea Freedom Federation; Korea International Volunteer Organization (KVO); Korea LOHAS Association; and Korea NGO Council for Overseas Development Cooperation.

 

The representative of China raised a question about Korea Freedom Federation’s anti-poverty activities.

 

The representative of Cuba asked a question about Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V.’s offices in Latin America and the Caribbean.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.27:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Kulturverein — IDEA Society; Kuwait Society for Human Rights; LGBT Denmark — The National Organization for Gay Men, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgendered People; Labour, Health and Human Rights Development Centre; LatCrit; LatinoJustice PRLDEF; Leadership Watch; League of European Research Universities (LERU); Lebanese American Renaissance Partnership, Inc.; Leonard Cheshire Disability; Liberians United to Expose Hidden Weapons; Lotus World; Maharat Foundation; Majlis Kanser Nasional; and Malteser International e.V.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.28:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Management Sciences for Health, Inc.; Mar Adentro de México A.C.; Martin und Gerda Essl Sozialpreis gemeinnützige Privatstiftung; Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers; Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic, Inc.; Media Foundation for West Africa; Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP); Medico International; Mednarodni Inštitut za Bližnjevzhodne in Balkanske Študije; Mennonite Central Committee; Mental Disability Rights International; Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) Inc.; Mines Advisory Group; Mobility International USA; and More Trust.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.29:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Mothers Pride and Development Initiative; Movimento Italiano Casalinghe; Movimiento Manuela Ramos; Mujer para la Mujer A.C.; Murna Foundation; Muslims for Progressive Values; N3tsp4rk3rRef; NIGH World; Nation Builders Organisation; National Assembly of Youth Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (NaYORA); National Association of Vocational Education of China; National Rural Support Programme; Native American Rights Fund; Nazra for Feminist Studies; and Neighbour Organization Nepal (NEO-Nepal).

 

The representative of Armenia raised a question about the sources of funding received by the National Assembly of Youth Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (NaYORA).

 

E/C.2/2023/CRP.30:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Netherlands Centre for Indigenous Peoples (NCIV); New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties; Nigerian Association of Commercial Commuters; Nobel Laurate Mother Teresa Charitable Trust; North Indian Educational Trust; OIPA — Organizzazione Internazionale Protezione Animali; ONG Kala Geneve International; Ohaha Family Foundation; Operation HOPE Inc; Operation Smile, Inc.; Operation Underground Railroad Inc; Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil Conselho Federal; Organisation Européenne des Radioamateurs (EURAO); Organisation internationale pour les pays les moins avancés (OIPMA); and Organization for Defending Victims of Violence

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.31:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Otro Tiempo México, Asociación Civil; OutRight Action International; Oxfam International; PECB (Professional Evaluation & Certification Board — Educational & Welfare Society); Pace University; Pacific Women’s Watch (New Zealand); Pak Women; Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development And Transparency (PILDAT); Pakistan Youth Organization; Parliamentarians for Global Action; Pars Non Trading Development Activists Co.; Participatory Rural Development Society (PRDS); Paryavaran Mitra, Thaltej Ahmedabad; PathFinders Justice Initiative, Inc.; and Patiala Foundation.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.32:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Patriotic Vision; Peace Boat; Perkins School for the Blind; Personhood Education; Pew Environment Group; Physicians for Social Responsibility; Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants; Prahar; Pramacare; Presbyterian Church (USA); Presbyterian Women in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Inc.; Proslavi Oporavak; Public-Private Alliance Foundation; Queensland Advocacy Incorporated; and Raad Rehabilitation Goodwill Complex.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.33:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Radha Soami Sat Sang Beas; Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini; Reach Out (REO) “N.G.O.”; Reachout and Smile Initiative for Social Empowerment; Real Women of Canada; Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, Inc.; Red Dot Foundation; RefugePoint, Inc.; Rehabilitation International; Rehabilitation International – Arab Region; Reprieve; Research and Development Centre, Nepal; Reyada for Capacity Building Studies & Consultations; Right Livelihood Award Foundation; and Rissho Kosei-kai.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.34:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Rooftops Canada; Rozan; Réseau Océan Mondial; SDSN Association, Inc.; Samaj Kalyan Unnayan Shagstha; Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc.; Save Cambodia; Save the Climat; School Sisters of Notre Dame; Secure World Foundation; Self-Help Association for Rural people through Education and Entrepreneurship; Semilla Warunkwa; Sewa Development Trust Sindh; Shalva – The Israel Association for Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (R.A.); and Shola Mese Foundation.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.35:  15 non-governmental organizations:  Shorab Ali Dewan Cultural Society; Sierra Leone Campus Civitan International; Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc; Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association; Singapore Children’s Society; Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations; Sisters of Mercy of the Americas; Social Development & Management Society; Sociedade Filantropica Maria de Nazare; Sociedade Maranhense de Direitos Humanos; Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior; Soroor Mehr Andishan Rastin Institute; Soroptimist International of the South West Pacific; Soulforce, Inc.; and Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (OSMTH).

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.36:  15 non-governmental organizations:  SpellAfrica Initiative; Standing Voice; Stichting Chinese Initiative on International Law; Stichting Forest Peoples Programme; Stichting Global Forest Coalition; Structural Analysis of Cultural Systems; Sunny Trust; Support Women Initiatives to Transform Children; Sylvia Earle Alliance; Synergy Care Development Initiative; Teresian Association; Terra Renaissance; The Arab Council for Supporting Fair Trial; The Athena Fund –Laptop Computer for each Teacher; and the Bahrain Young Ladies Association.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.37:  15 non-governmental organizations:  The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women; The Children’s Project, Inc.; The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Foundation Inc.; The Entrepreneurship Development Foundation for Women and Youth; The Environmental Law Institute; The Foundation for AIDS Research; The Girls’ Brigade International Council; The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, Inc.; The International Automotive Lighting and Light Signalling Expert Group; The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan; The National Association of Familial Security; The PsySiP Project; The Rainforest Fund, Inc.; The Simons Foundation; and the Task Force for Global Health Inc.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.38:  15 non-governmental organizations:  The Vision for Teenagers Adolescents and Youths Wellbeing Initiative; The World Justice Project; To Love Children Educational Foundation International Inc.; Together for Safer Roads Inc; Trust for Youth Child Leadership (TYCL); Trybe Limited; Turkiye Kadin Girisimciler Dernegi; UCP Wheels for Humanity; UNESCO Association, Guwahati; UNESCO Center for Peace; US Committee for Human Rights in North Korea; Udayan Care; Uganda Youth Development Link; Union Internationale des Transports Publics; and Union de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba.

 

The representative of Armenia asked a question about grants received by Turkiye Kadin Girisimciler Dernegi.

 

The representative of China asked about the World Justice Project’s rule of law initiative, as well as the US Committee for Human Rights in North Korea’s financial statements.

 

Report E/C.2/2023/CRP.39:  15 non-governmental organizations:  United Methodist Women; United Nations Association of Australia Incorporated; United Nations Watch; United Nations of Youth, Network – Nigeria; United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY Peacebuilders); Universal Esperanto Association; Universal Peace Federation; University College Dublin; VIKALP; Verein zur Forderung der Volkerverstandigung; Vital Voices Global Partnership; Voice of Animal – Nepal; WWT (Wespak Welfare Trust); Washington Office on Latin America; and Waterkeeper Alliance, Inc.

 

The representative of Cuba asked for more details on how the United Nations Watch promotes the Charter.

 

E/C.2/2023/CRP.40:  15 non-governmental organizations:  We Yone Child Foundation Sierra Leone; Welfare; West Africa Network for Peacebuilding; Wildlife Conservation Society; Women Empowerment and Human Resource Development Centre of India; Women Graduates – USA, Inc.; Women Power Connect; Women United for Economic Empowerment; Women and Law in Southern Africa Research and Educational Trust; Women’s Right to Education Programme; Women’s Welfare Centre; Women@TheTable; WomenNC-NC Committee for CSW/CEDAW; Word of Life International, Inc.; and World Federalist Movement.

 

E/C.2/2023/CRP.41:  15 non-governmental organizations:  World Future Council Foundation; World Information Transfer; World Leisure Organization, Inc.; World ORT Union; World Organization of the Scout Movement; World Protection for Dogs and Cats in the Meat Trade; World Shelter Organization; World for World Organization; Yayasan Wafaa Indonesia Gemilang; Yemen Family Care Association; Young Adult Institute, Inc.; Young Global Leadership Foundation, Inc.; Young Women’s Christian Association of Australia; Youth Empowerment Alliance, Inc.; and Youth Foundation of Bangladesh.

 

E/C.2/2023/CRP.42:  5 non-governmental organizations:  Youth Reformation and Awareness Centre; Zanjireh Omid International Charity Institute; Zomi Innkuan USA Inc.; iuventum e.V.; and Österreichischer Bundesverband – Österreichische Lebens — und Rettungs — Gesellschaft.

 

The Committee then took note of one deferred quadrennial report — that of the non-governmental organization Freedom Now — and deferred 17 reports, as Member States posed questions about them.  Those organizations were as follows:

 

Academic Council on the United Nations System — as the representative of China requested that the organization file a new registration and asked for a list of its leadership and information regarding a certain workshop held by the organization;

 

Amnesty International (2012-2015) — as the representative of Cuba asked for more information on activities carried out by the organization’s regional centre in Mexico City and on sources of funding for projects led by the organization;

 

Amnesty International (2016-2019) — as the representative of Cuba asked for more information on the countries in which its branches are involved in activities;

 

CIVICUS – World Alliance for Citizen Participation — as the representative of China asked whether the organization operates in countries other than Switzerland, and if so, for a list of relevant projects;

 

Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe — as the representative of Armenia asked for information regarding the staff posted in its office in Brussels;

 

Front Line, The International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders — as the representative of China asked for information on what measures the organization has taken to ensure the accuracy of its data;

 

Fundacion Pro Humanae Vitae — as the representative of Türkiye asked for certain information regarding its youth internship programme;

 

Human Rights Watch (2009–2012) — as the representative of Cuba asked for more information regarding its contribution to United Nations field work, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean;

 

Human Rights Watch (2013–2016) — as the representative of Cuba asked about the criteria the organization uses to determine in which countries it works;

 

Human Rights Watch (2017-2020) — as the representative of Cuba asked for more information on the organization’s working group on the COVID-19 pandemic;

 

International Bar Association — as the representative of China asked for information regarding the data-collecting model and outcome of the organization’s global survey and report on bullying and sexual harassment;

 

Islamic Relief USA — as the representative of China asked for more information regarding the organization’s cooperation with United States Government;

 

Lawyers for Lawyers — as the representative of Türkiye asked for information regarding its partnerships with other institutions or entities and their joint activities;

 

Omega Research Foundation Limited — as the representative of Türkiye asked for more information regarding its cooperation with certain United Nations bodies;

 

Open Society Institute (2017-2020) — as the representative of Cuba asked for more information regarding the organization’s funding of certain activities;

 

The RINJ Foundation — as the representative of Türkiye asked for information regarding its cooperation with certain specialized agencies; and

 

The Smile of the Child — as the representative of Türkiye asked for more details regarding its support activities for refugee and migrant children.

 

The Committee then took note of the name-change requests of the 10 non‑governmental organizations listed in document E/C.2/2023/CRP.3.

 

The Committee then heard from a representative of the Mwatana Organization for Human Rights (Yemen), who, noting the important role played by United Nations bodies, expressed hope that his organization will be given a “fair shot” at being granted special consultative status.  To clarify an earlier response, he said that his organization has no obligations to donors, who have no influence on the impartiality with which the organization conducts its work in Yemen.  The organization submits regular reports to donors that include independently audited financial statements, progress reports, information on its activities, narrative reports and closing reports following a project’s conclusion.  Recalling that his organization has provided detailed answers to the Committee in response to a number of questions, he expressed hope that the information given thus far will satisfy Committee members.

 

The representative of Bahrain then asked for the names and nationalities of the organization’s board of trustees.

 

The representative of Pakistan asked whether donors give the organization a list of priorities to follow and objectives to achieve, and if so, for the organization to provide the same.

 

The organization’s representative then provided the names of those on the board — including the founders of the organization and those who lead its different departments — adding that he will submit a list in writing if the Committee so desires.  He then said the organization receives funding from different entities that provide the organization with what it needs to conduct its work, but stressed that the organization sets its own priorities and then communicates the same to potential donors.

 

The Committee then deferred the organization’s request for special consultative status.

 

Source: United Nations