UNITED NATIONS

A
General Assembly
Distr. GENERAL A/CONF.211/PC.4/3 13 February 2009 Original: ENGLISH

DURBAN REVIEW CONFERENCE Preparatory Committee Third substantive session Geneva, 15-17 April 2009 Item 2 of the provisional agenda ORGANIZATION OF WORK Accreditation of non-governmental organizations to the Durban review process Note by the Secretariat* 1. The present note by the Secretariat provides information on the process of accreditation of non-governmental organizations since the second substantive session of the Preparatory Committee for the Durban Review Conference, held from 6 to 17 October 2008. 2. In accordance with decision PC.2/12 of the Preparatory Committee, the following procedure will be applied to the accreditation of non-governmental organizations participating in the Durban Review Conference: (a) Non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council are invited to participate fully in all sessions of the Preparatory Committee, pursuant to Council resolution 1996/31, which governs the consultative relationship between the United Nations and non-governmental organizations; (b) Non-governmental organizations that are not in 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 observations have been made by Member States; * The information in the present note reflects the process of accreditation of non-governmental organizations as at 6 February 2009.

GE.09-10815 (E) 170209

A/CONF.211/PC.4/3 page 2 (c) In the event of observations by Member States, the secretariat will request further information from the non-governmental organization and submit it to the Preparatory Committee, which will then take a decision regarding the accreditation of the organization; (d) Non-governmental organizations interested in the processes and wishing to participate in the sessions of the Preparatory Committee for the first time should submit an application to the secretariat, in accordance with the criteria established by the Economic and Social Council in its resolution 1996/31. Accreditation of non-governmental organizations not in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and that did not participate in the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in 2001 3. Since the second substantive session of the Preparatory Committee, the secretariat has received information from the following non-governmental organizations, which are not in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and did not participate in the World Conference against Racism, requesting accreditation to participate in the Durban Review Conference and preparatory process: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Independent Jewish Voices Asociación AKUAIPA WAIMAKAT Caribbean Policy Development Centre Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union (UCSJ) Public Advocacy Initiatives for Rights and Values Humanitarian Organization for Poverty Eradication (HOPE) Universal Empowerment Mission Ebukhosini Solutions Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation Association for Child Health La route des abolitions de l'esclavage et des droits de l'homme East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project Equal Rights Trust Lawyers for Constitutional Rights and Freedoms (JURIX) Coalition for Justice and Accountability

A/CONF.211/PC.4/3 page 3 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. Zivilcourage und Anti-Rassismus-Arbeit The Migrant Rights Centre, Ireland (MRCI) NGO Monitor Tamil Centre for Human Rights TransAfrica Forum Society for Rural Education and Development Organización para el desarrollo de las mujeres inmigrantes Haitianas y sus familiares Secrétariat international permanente droits de l'homme et gouvernements locaux Conseil représentatif des institutions juives de France Pakistan Community Peace Foundation

4. Applications from the above non-governmental organizations were transmitted to Member States on 31 October, 17 and 27 November 2008 and on 22 and 29 January and 10 February 2009. As at 6 February 2009, no observations on the above organizations had been received from Member States within the established 14-day deadline. Accreditation of non-governmental organizations not in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council that participated in the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in 2001 5. By its decision PC.2/2, the Preparatory Committee decided that 33 non-governmental organizations that were not in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council but that 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. 6. The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, one of the above-mentioned non-governmental organizations, subsequently submitted further information to the secretariat, which was forwarded to all Member States. The Secretariat received comments on that information from the Government of China which were forwarded to the organization for its reply. As at 6 February 2009, the secretariat had not received a reply from the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy. A decision on the accreditation of the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy will be taken by the Preparatory Committee at its third substantive session. -----