UN Recommends Adalah for Consultative Status

20/05/2005

On 5 May 2005, the United Nations' Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) recommended Adalah for consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Consultative status is granted by ECOSOC upon the recommendation of the ECOSOC Committee on NGOs, which is comprised of 19 Member States. Twenty-seven other NGOs, including the Palestinian women's rights organization in Jerusalem, the Women's Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC), also received recommendations for consultative status at the same time as Adalah.

Consultative status enables Adalah to attend and circulate statements at meetings of ECOSOC, and allows Adalah to gain accreditation for participation in relevant international conferences convened by the UN and in the meetings of their preparatory bodies.

Chairman of Adalah's Board of Directors, Dr. Marwan Dwairy, commented that:

“Attaining UN consultative status is an important milestone in Adalah's efforts to further its international advocacy on behalf of the Palestinian minority in Israel. The recommendation not only recognizes Adalah's valuable contribution over the last nine years to the promotion of Palestinian rights, but also affords us the opportunity to seek Israel's compliance, to the greatest extent possible, with international human rights treaties.”

According to the UN, "The 19-member Committee on NGOs uses various criteria to recommend consultative status with the ECOSOC, including the applicant's mandate, governance and financial regime." Moreover, "Special consultative status is granted to NGOs which have a special competence in, and are concerned specifically with, only a few of the fields of activity covered by the ECOSOC."

The UN describes ECOSOC as, "The central forum for discussing international economic and social issues, and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to Member States and the United Nations system." Among its responsibilities is, "Encouraging universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms."