Today, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), meeting in Geneva, will vote on the recommendation of its Committee on NGOs to de-accredit a human rights NGO for alleged misconduct during this year’s UN Commission on Human Rights.
Analysis: At this year’s Commission on Human Rights, Christian Solidarity International (CSI) sponsored John Garang, the head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, to speak before the Commission. We take no position on whether this was appropriate behavior or not.
But, last month, ECOSOC’s Committee on NGOs recommended that CSI be de-accredited since Mr. Garang’s statement to the Commission on Human Rights was allegedly unrelated to the agenda item under discussion, and because his statement was not distributed on CSI letterhead, implying that he was, in fact, speaking independently.
According to ECOSOC rules for NGO participation within the UN, an NGO can be de-accredited if it engages in “a pattern of acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the UN, including unsubstantiated or politically motivated acts against Member States of the UN.” In such a case the NGO “shall be given written reasons for that decision and shall have an opportunity to present its response for appropriate consideration by the Committee.”
However, in this case, was the procedure for evaluation followed? First, did the act before the Commission on Human Rights constitute “a pattern of acts,” or was it an isolated incident? Second, it seems that no written reason, nor appropriate chance for defense, was given to CSI – neither before nor after the decision was taken to recommend de-accreditation.
Like any democratic, deliberative body, the UN must guarantee that procedural fairness and due process are followed in all its actions. These rights are owed to the men and women who work within the UN, to NGOs and other organizations dealing with the UN, and even to Member States of the UN.
In the event that due process may not have been extended to CSI, we are hopeful that today, ECOSOC will act fairly and preserve basic principles of conduct.
