UNITED NATIONS A General Assembly Distr.: GENERAL A/CONF.211/PC.3/7 24September 2008 Original: ENGLISH DURBAN REVIEW CONFERENCE Preparatory Committee Second substantive session Item 2 of the provisional agenda ORGANIZATION OF WORK Accreditation of non-governmental organizations to the Durban Review process Note by the secretariat( In accordance with decision PC.2/12 adopted on 21 April 2008 by the Preparatory Committee for the Durban Review Conference at its first substantive session, the following procedure is applied to the accreditation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to participate in the Durban Review Conference. Non-governmental organizations with consultative status with the Economic and Social Council are invited to participate fully in all the sessions of the Preparatory Committee, pursuant to resolution 1996/31 of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which governs the consultative relationship between the United Nations and non-governmental organizations. Those NGOs that do not have consultative status with the Economic and Social Council but that were accredited to participate in the 2001 Durban World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance are invited to participate in the Durban Review Conference and its preparatory process, unless there are observations made by Member States. In such cases, the secretariat will request further information from the NGO and present this information to the Preparatory Committee. The Preparatory Committee will then take a decision regarding the accreditation of the NGO. Non-governmental organizations interested in the processes for the first time and wishing to participate in the sessions of the Preparatory Committee should submit applications to the secretariat, in accordance with the criteria established in resolution 1996/31. Accreditation of non-governmental organizations not in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and which did not participate in the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in 2001 Below is a list of NGOs not in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and which did not participate in the World Conference against Racism in 2001 that have applied to participate in the second substantive session of the Preparatory Committee, in accordance with resolution 1996/31. Applications received from these NGOs were transmitted to Member States on 9 July and 1 September 2008. Gherush92 Committee for Human Rights (Italy) Bexley Council for Racial Equality (United Kingdom) Humanrights.ch / MERS (Switzerland) Brazilian Association of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals (Brazil) People for Peace and Defence of Rights (Uganda) Terre Nouvelle (Switzerland) Nepal National Dalit Social Welfare Organisation (Nepal) Bilaal Justice Center (United States of America) No requests for further information on these NGOs were received from Member States within the established 14-day deadline. The Secretariat recommends that the above-mentioned eight NGOs be granted accreditation to the Durban Review process. Accreditation of non-governmental organizations not in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council which participated in the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in 2001 At its first substantive session, the Preparatory Committee decided not to accredit the NGO Peoples Forum for Human Rights and Development, which is not in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council but participated in the World Conference against Racism in 2001, given that it had not responded to requests made by the secretariat for further information following the concerns raised by the Government of Bhutan, and that there are not sufficient grounds to establish its competence and the relevance of its activities with regard to the work of the Preparatory Committee (decision PC.2/1). The Preparatory Committee also decided (PC.2/2) that 33 NGOs that are not in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council but participated in the World Conference against Racism in 2001, having failed to provide the required information demonstrating their compliance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31, would not be invited to participate in the first substantive session of the Preparatory Committee for the Durban Review Conference. Further information was subsequently received by the secretariat from one of the 33 NGOs that were not invited to participate in the first substantive session, the People’s Education for Action and Liberation. This information was forwarded to Member States on 9 September 2008. As no comments were received from Member States concerning the further information received from this NGO, the secretariat recommends that this NGO, having participated in the World Conference Against Racism in 2001, be accredited to participate at the Durban Review process. At its first substantive session, the Preparatory Committee decided to provisionally accredit the new NGO Swadhikar to the Durban Review Conference and its preparatory process pending the reception of further information that demonstrates that it fully satisfies the criteria for accreditation contained in ECOSOC resolution 1996/31 and in accordance with Preparatory Committee decision PC.1/2 (decision PC.2/5 A). The secretariat subsequently received further information from this NGO, which was transmitted to Member States on 8 September 2008. No comments were received from Member States regarding the further information received from this non-governmental organization. As no comments were received from Member States concerning the further information received from this non-governmental organization, the secretariat recommends that this NGO be accredited to participate at the Durban Review process. At its first substantive session, the Preparatory Committee decided, in decision PC.2/5 A, to provisionally invite to the Durban Review Conference and its preparatory process the below mentioned NGOs that are not in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council but participated in the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance of 2001, pending the reception of further information that demonstrates that they fully satisfy the criteria for accreditation contained in resolution 1996/31 and in accordance with Preparatory Committee decision PC1/2: Centre for Community Economics and Development Consultants Society Rural Development Centre National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights Buddha Smriti Sanathan The secretariat subsequently received further information from the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, which was transmitted to Member States on 4 September 2008. No comments were received from Member States regarding the further information received from this NGO. As no comments were received from Member States concerning the further information received from this NGO, the secretariat recommends that this non-governmental organization, having participated in the World Conference Against Racism in 2001, be accredited to participate at the Durban Review process. 16. As no further information was received from the other three NGOs that were provisionally accredited pending the reception of further information, the secretariat recommends that they not be accredited to the Durban Review process. 17. At the first substantive session of the Preparatory Committee, a decision on the accreditation of the NGO International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN) was postponed to allow Member States to review their application and make comments on the same. No comments were received from Member States. 18. The secretariat recommends that this NGO be granted accreditation to the Durban Review process. - - - - - ( The information in the present note reflects the process of accreditation of non-governmental organizations as at 24 September 2008.   A/CONF.211/PC.3/7 Page 2 A/CONF.211/PC.2/6 Page 3