UN Authority Figures

Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations: Cuba


Three Cuban artists went on hunger strike in protest at a Cuban law, described as "dystopian," that will require all artists and musicians to apply for government-issued licences.
Source: The Guardian, December 8, 2018. Photo: Cuban police officers (Wikimedia Commons)

Mission of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations: "The main tasks of the Committee are...The consideration of applications for consultative status and requests for reclassification submitted by NGOs; The consideration of quadrennial reports submitted by NGOs in General and Special categories; The implementation of the provisions of Council resolution 1996/31 and the monitoring of the consultative relationship; Any other issues which the ECOSOC may request the Committee to consider." (Committee on NGOs website)

Cuba's Term of office: 2019-2022

Cuba's Record on NGOs:
"The government routinely denied citizens freedom of association and did not recognize independent associations. The constitution proscribes any political organization not officially recognized. A number of independent organizations, including opposition political parties and professional associations, operated as NGOs without legal recognition... The government did not recognize domestic human rights groups or permit them to function legally... The government subjected domestic human rights advocates to intimidation, harassment, periodic short-term detention, and long-term imprisonment on questionable charges. No officially recognized NGOs monitored human rights. The government refused to recognize or meet with any unauthorized NGOs that monitored or promoted human rights. There were reports of explicit government harassment of individuals who met with unauthorized NGOs."
(U.S. State Department Country Report of Human Rights Practices in Cuba, 2018)