UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs,
with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
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| UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) |
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PrepCom Dates and NGO Accreditation Set by ECOSOC Dates for the remaining two PrepComs (sessions of the Preparatory Committees) for the 1994 Conference, as well as NGO accreditation rules, have now been finalized. At its 12 February 1993 meeting, the UN Economic and Social Council approved resolution 1993/4 on the International Conference on Population and Development and its preparatory process. This action resolved several key issues affecting preparations for the Cairo Conference. PrepCom Dates PrepCom 11 has been moved to 10-21 May 1993, and will be held at UN headquarters in New York. It had been originally scheduled for mid August. In view of the major work this session must tackle, the original four-day period has been expanded to a full two weeks. PrepCom 111 is scheduled for 11-22 April 1994, and will also take place in New York. As these dates fall within the next UN programme budget cycle (1994-95), final confirmation is subject to approval by the 48th session of the General Assembly. The message from delegates was nevertheless clearÑkeep these dates free for ICPD business. NGO Accreditation Last year's UN General Assembly gave a clear signal on the place of NGOs in the ICPD process. In resolution 47/176, the General Assembly recognized "the importance of the participation in the Conference and its preparatory process of all relevant non-governmental organizations from developed and developing countries." The Assembly gave ECOSOC the job of setting criteria and formalizing procedures for NGO accreditation. The annex of ECOSOC resolution 1993/4 provides criteria for NGO accreditation to the PrepComs and the Conference. The annex is reproduced in full on pages 4 and 5 of the newsletter. NGOs interested in accreditation to the Conference and its preparatory process and which consider they meet these criteria are invited to submit the following details to the Conference Secretariat: 1. Name of organization 2. Full address (street, postal and E-mail, if applicable), telephone and facsimile numbers, and name of contact person 3. Year of establishment and purpose of the organization 4. Information on programmes and activities of the organization in areas relevant to the Conference (see paragraph 4, ECOSOC resolution 1991/93), indicating in which countries they are carried out. Include confirmation of activities (i.e. newspaper clippings, correspondence, etc.) at the national and/or international level(s) . 5. Copy of the latest annual report with financial statement, or a copy of the articles of establishment, including whether or not the organization is a legally registered nonprofit organization 6. List of members of the governing body and country of nationality and a description of the membership of the organization 7. Statement confirming interest in the goals and objectives of the Conference. The ICPD Secretariat will acknowledge receipt of each NGO application as well as convey to each applicant the recommendation it proposes to the Conference Preparatory Committee at its second session. Particular care should be taken by NGO applicants to ensure that all necessary information is included with the application - failure to do so may result in substantial delays . Deadline for Applications To enable the ICPD Secretariat to fulfill its obligations under paragraph 6 of the Annex to ECOSOC resolution 1993/4, Friday, 16 April 1993 has been set as the deadline for receipt of NGO applications. Applications received after that date will be processed as rapidly as possible and, if practicable, will be submitted to the Preparatory Committee during its second session. All NGO applications for accreditation should be sent to: ICPD Secretariat NGO Accreditation Section c/o United Nations Population Fund 220 East 42nd Street New York, N.Y. 10017 U.S.A. Annex to ECOSOC Resolution 1993/4: Participation of Non-Governmental Organizations in the International Conference on Population and Development and its Preparatory Process 1. Non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council which express their will to attend the Conference and its Preparatory Committee meetings shall be accredited for participation. Others wishing to be accredited may apply to the Conference secretariat for this purpose in accordance with the requirements of the present resolution. 2. The secretariat of the International Conference on Population and Development shall be responsible for the receipt and preliminary evaluation, in accordance with the provisions of this resolution, of requests from non-governmental organizations for accreditation to the Conference and its preparatory process. 3. All such applications must be accompanied by information on the organization's competence and relevance to the work of the Preparatory Committee, indicating the particular areas of the Conference preparations to which such competence and relevance pertain, and which should include, inter alia, the following information: (a) The purposes of the organization; (b) Information as to the programmes and activities of the organization in areas relevant to the Conference and its preparatory process and in which country(ies) they are carried out; (c) Confirmation of its activities at the national and/or international level; (d) Copies of its annual reports with financial statements, and a list of members of the governing body and their country of nationality; (e ) A description of its membership, indicating the total number of members and their geographical distribution. 4. In the evaluation of the relevance of non-governmental applications for accreditation to the Conference and its preparatory process, it is agreed that their background and involvement in population issues or population and development issues, including those mentioned in paragraph 4 of Council resolution 1991/93 (see below), will determine their relevance. 5. Non-governmental organizations seeking accreditation shall be asked to confirm their interest in the goals and objectives of the Conference. 6. In cases where the Conference secretariat believes, on the basis of the information provided in accordance with this resolution, that the organization has established its competence and relevance to the work of the Preparatory Committee, it will recommend to the Preparatory Committee that the organization be accredited. In cases where the Conference secretariat does not recommend the granting of accreditation, it will make available to the Preparatory Committee its reasons for not doing so. The Conference secretariat should ensure that its recommendations are available to members of the Preparatory Committee at least one week prior to the start of each session. 7. The Preparatory Committee will decide on all proposals for accreditation within twenty-four hours of the Conference secretariat's recommendation having been taken up by the Preparatory Committee in plenary meeting. In the event of a decision not being taken within this period, interim accreditation shall be accorded until such time as a decision is taken. 8. A non-governmental organization that has been granted accreditation to attend a session of the Preparatory Committee may attend all its future sessions. 9. In recognition of the intergovernmental nature of the International Conference on Population and Development, non-governmental organizations shall have no negotiating role in the work of the Conference and its preparatory process. 10. Relevant non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council may be given an opportunity to briefly address the Preparatory Committee in plenary meeting and its subsidiary bodies. Other relevant non-governmental organizations may also ask to speak briefly at such meetings. If the number of requests is too large, the Preparatory Committee shall request the non-governmental organizations to form themselves into constituencies, each constituency to speak through one spokesperson. Any oral intervention by a non-governmental organization should, in accordance with normal United Nations practice, be at the discretion of the Chairman and with the consent of the Preparatory Committee. 11. Relevant non-governmental organizations may, at their own expense, make written presentations during the preparatory process in the official languages of the United Nations as they deem appropriate. Those written presentations will not be issued as official documents except in accordance with United Nations rules of procedure. Paragraph 4 of ECOSOC resolution 1991/93 outlines the overall theme of the Conference and identifies the Conference's priority issues. The full text of resolution 1991/93 may be found in Issue No.l of the Conference newsletter. ECOSOC Resolution 1991/93, Paragraph 4 Emphasizes that population, sustained economic growth and sustainable development will be the overall theme of the Conference and identifies within that theme the following groups of issues, which are not listed in any order of priority, as those requiring the greatest attention, during the forthcoming decade, from the international community and from the Conference: (a) Population growth, changes in demographic structure, including aging of population, and the regional diversity of such changes, with particular emphasis on the interaction between demographic variables and socio-economic development; (b) Population policies and programmes, with emphasis on the mobilization of resources for developing countries, at the international and national levels by each country according to its capacity; (c) The interrelationships between population, development, environment and related matters (d) Changes in the distribution of population, including socio-economic determinants of internal migration and the consequences for urban and rural development, as well as determinants and consequences of all types of international migration (e) Linkages between enhancing the roles and soci-economic status of women and population dynamics, including adolescent motherhood, maternal and child health, education and employment, with particular reference to the access of women to resources and the provision of services (f) Family-planning programmes, health and family well-being.