United Nations NGO Status
Thirty-Two Non-Governmental Organizations Approved for Association With Department
of Public Information
NEW YORK, 25 January 2001 (UN Headquarters) -- On 17 January 2001, the Department
of Public Information (DPI) Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) selected
32 applicants from 13 countries for association with the Department, which brings
the number of NGOs associated with DPI to 1,672. The Department also decided to terminate
the association of one organization that consistently violated the terms of association.
The newly associated organizations include one from Africa, nine from Asia and the
Pacific, seven from Europe, one from the Middle East, one from Latin America, and
13 from North America. These organizations work on a wide range of issues, including
human rights, education, children, youth, women, ageing, economic and social development,
sustainable development and environment, labour, health care, humanitarian relief,
peacekeeping, disarmament and law.
All the organizations conform to the principles of the United Nations Charter, operate
solely on a not-for-profit basis and demonstrate a long-standing involvement with
United Nations issues. In addition, they have well-developed information programmes
to reach large or specialized audiences and have demonstrated the commitment and
means to disseminate information about the United Nations. This information dissemination
capacity is a unique criterion for association with DPI.
Among the newly associated NGOs, 21 are from developed countries (12 from the United
States, two each from France and Italy and one each from Australia, Canada, Iceland,
Japan and Spain), 10 from developing countries (seven from Pakistan and one each
from Iran, Madagascar and Mexico) and one from a country with economy in transition
(Russian Federation).
North America: Applied Research Center (USA); Association Francophone Internationale
des Directeurs d’Etablissements Scolaires (AFIDES) (Canada); Center on International
Cooperation (USA); Dayton Peace Accords Project (USA); ECPAT-USA (End Child Prostitution,
Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) (USA); International
Child Art Foundation (USA); New York Metropolitan Martin Luther King, Jr. Center
for Nonviolence (USA); Sister Fund (USA); South Bronx Mental Health Council (USA);
State of the World Forum (USA); United Religions Initiative (USA); Women’s Bar Association
of the State of New York (USA); Zeta Phi Beta Sorority (USA).
What is an NGO?
A non-governmental organization (NGO) is a not-for-profit, voluntary citizens’ group,
which is organized on a local, national or international level to address issues
in support of the public good. Task-oriented and made up of people with a common
interest, NGOs perform a variety of services and humanitarian functions, bring citizens’
concerns to Governments, monitor policy and programme implementation, and encourage
participation of civil society stakeholders at the community level. They provide
analysis and expertise, serve as early warning mechanisms and help monitor and implement
international agreements. Some are organized around specific issues, such as human
rights, the environment or health. Their relationship with offices and agencies of
the United Nations (UN) system differs depending on their goals, their venue and
their mandate.
About 1,400 NGOs with strong information programmes on issues of concern to the UN
are associated with the Department of Public Information (DPI), giving the UN valuable
links to people around the world. DPI helps these NGOs gain access to and disseminate
information about the issues in which the United Nations is involved so that the
public can better understand the aims and objectives of the world Organization and
support its work.
