Non-Governmental Organization/DPI

19 December 2006

Press Release
NGO/608
PI/1758

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION
ADMITS 28 NON-GOVERNMENTAL
ORGANIZATIONS TO ROSTER,
DISASSOCIATES 3 OTHERS

The United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) has admitted 28 new non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to its roster, bringing the number of those that work with the Department in the area of communications and information outreach to 1,590.

The Department, together with the Economic and Social Council, is a key focal point in the United Nations Secretariat for non-governmental organizations who wish to work with the Organization. The above resulted from the DPI Committee on NGOs, which held the last of its two annual meetings on 15 December.

The DPI Committee on NGOs noted that the newly associated NGOs represented six different regions of the world –- Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Europe, North America and Latin America. All of them conform to the principles of the United Nations Charter and fulfil the DPI criteria of association. They all operate solely on a not-for-profit basis and are involved in United Nations-related work.

Raymond Sommereyns, Chair of the Committee and Director of the Outreach Division stated that “this biannual meeting is an important process to add new NGOs to the list, disassociate those that no longer meet the criteria and evaluate those that are already associated with DPI. Our partnership with civil society is critical for the UN to achieve the MDGs.”

The 28 newly associated non-governmental organizations are advocates for an array of issues, ranging from human rights, the drive against HIV/AIDS, peace and cultural understanding, early childhood education, democratic values, children and youth, humanitarian issues, assistance to victims of armed conflict, transitional justice and accountability, health care, women’s rights/empowerment, peace education, and counselling and support for underprivileged children and substance abusers.

They include seven from developing regions. Among them: Better Life Organization (BELO) and Safe Haven Rehabilitation Centre, both based in Ghana. The former is an institution in the Kadjebi-Akan District of Ghana that aids the most disadvantaged groups in society such as women and orphans; the latter, is a centre dedicated to counselling and assisting substance abusers and street children. The International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation (IBC), Turkey, is a humanitarian organization actively providing emergency relief and development projects in Turkey, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Far East. The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), Kenya, brings together African women in charge of national education systems to collaborate and create positive attitudes, policies and practices, which promote equity for girls and education quality in order to influence the transformation of education systems in Africa.

Kyung Hee University, Republic of Korea, a major proponent for the establishment of the International Day and Year of Peace adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, is an academic institution promoting global peace and prosperity and civil society participation through its activities in convening the International Conference of NGOs and its efforts in constructing the United Nations Peace Park and Global NGO Complex.

Twenty-one of the approved NGOs are based in developed regions. The Medical Knowledge Institute (MKI), the Netherlands, empowers healthcare providers by disseminating programmes to combat HIV/AIDS and health education to improve the quality of life in Africa and countries in transition. Orphan’s International (OI), USA, actively assists underprivileged children in Togo, Haiti and Indonesia by providing educational opportunities and shelter to facilitate their growth and development in becoming global citizens. The World Association of Early Childhood Educators (AMEI-WAECE), Spain, with an impressive collaboration with the United Nations, has been serving educators of the smallest children by providing information and training in the field of early childhood education to enable every child less than six years of age to exercise his or her right to an early education.

Following are the organizations newly associated with DPI, listed alphabetically by region:

Africa: Better Life Organization ( Ghana), EcoNews Africa ( Kenya), Forum for African Women Educationalists ( Kenya), Safe Haven Rehabilitation Centre ( Ghana).

Asia and the Pacific: Anand Ashram Foundation ( Indonesia), Clean Up the World ( Australia), Kyung Hee University ( Republic of Korea).

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): DUBNA International University of Nature, Society and Man ( Russian Federation).

Europe: HUMANA Global (Portugal), Intervida World Alliance (Spain), International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation (Turkey), Leal Liga Antiviviezionista Onlus (Italy), Medical Knowledge Institute (Netherlands), Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary (Italy), World Association of Early Childhood Educators (Spain).

North America: Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (USA), American Counseling Association (USA), Democracy Coalition Project (USA), Fundacion HHS (USA), Global Family for Love and Peace (USA), Holocaust and Human Rights Education Centre (USA), Judicial Watch (USA), Occidental College (USA), Orphans International (USA), Partnership for Global Justice (USA), Rehabilitation International (USA), World Addiction Foundation (WAF).

Latin America: Image Magica ( Brazil).

Among the approved organizations, two NGOs also have consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council: International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation ( Turkey) and Rehabilitation International ( USA).

In keeping with the DPI policy to ensure that its active roster of affiliated NGOs maintain the level of interest and support which formed the initial acceptance of their applications, the following three NGOs were disassociated due to their failure to meet the criteria for association: Common Heritage Institute (USA), Summit Council for World Peace (USA), Workers Movement for Peace Disarmament (Greece).

For further information, please contact the DPI/NGO Section, tel.: 212 963 6842; e-mail: dpi@un.org. The Directory of NGOs associated with DPI is also available on the DPI/NGO website: www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/.

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