Christian Solidarity Worldwide has been granted NGO status after Britain’s UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft called for the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to step in and review their application after repeated turndowns.
According to Rycroft’s request, the United Nations Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, the body that decides which groups are eligible to participate in UN activities, again denied the group’s application in February 2017 after eight years of deferrals.
Rycroft pointed out that the organization originally applied for UN accreditation in 2009. In the end, the committee denied Christian Solidarity Worldwide NGO status despite the group responding “fully and promptly” to more than 80 questions posed by committee members and meeting all requirements for accreditation. Rycroft observed “there has been repeated discrimination against NGOs with a human rights focus in particular” by the committee.
In his opening remarks to ECOSOC members, Rycroft observed, “When a serious and credible NGO such as Christian Solidarity Worldwide is kept waiting in limbo for seven years, the system is clearly not working as it should… Its work is directly relevant to ECOSOC. It is in full compatibility with the aims and purposes of the UN Charter, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other United Nations human rights covenants. CSW works actively to promote the aims and purposes of the Charter. It even trains other civil society partners to work within the UN system and fully utilize UN mechanisms. The conclusion we draw is that the NGO Committee’s decisions have not been based on the merits of CSW’s application.”
In addition to reviewing and approving Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s application, ECOSOC also approved a resolution to have the NGO Committee webcast its sessions.
