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Written by Kashi Nath Pandita, Secretary General of Asian-Eurasian Human Rights Forum (AEHRF), and Vice-President of the Geneva Office of AEHRF:

The need and importance of NGOs in promoting good governance has been debated for a long time. A majority of commentators has recommended further empowerment of NGOs as they are the real liaising mechanism between the civil society and the government.

However, formulation of an NGO and its accreditation to ECOSOC remain a complicated process. There is need of changing the broad approach to these aspects. Our experience is that at present an NGO seeking ECOSOC status is generally looked upon with some suspicion. Owing to political differences among member states of the UN, these differences are allowed to percolate down to lower levels and take the toll of good intentions of aspiring NGOs.

A reform in the procedures of granting ECOSOC status to aspiring NGOs is badly needed. It makes little sense that the granting of status is deferred for innumerable number of years. Procrastinating the matter badly affects the working spirit of an NGO. This trend has to be arrested. A decision about granting or not granting status to an aspiring NGO should be tie bound.

Yet one more aspect of the issue needs to be addressed. A free and fair discussion on each new application has not been witnessed in the NGO Committee. The member states are conditioned by mutual political relation syndrome. There is more of escapism rather than initiative for helping the civil society move towards good governance.

This matter needs to be discussed by the civil society with all seriousness. K.N. Pandita.

Linked with our presentation of Julien Florence Mona Saroinsong – Indonesia.

I tried to find material about this Crisis Center SAG SULUTTENG. Google presents some links, and we arrive at this:

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Welcome to the Middle East! – Welcome to a life experience in the Middle East.

This year, 2006 landmarks the tenth anniversary for the establishment of the International Palestinian Youth League (IPYL). Ten years of giving and dedication towards a better world. With the end of this season, IPYL will be finishing 49 international voluntary workcamps. IPYL did not just make workcamps, but also encouraged other organizations in Palestine and the Middle East to do so, in order to triple the number of the volunteers who want to live this experience, taking into consideration the increasing demands from our partners and some individuals to visit the region.
Similar to last year, IPYL together with its twin and partner organizations; Youth Development Department at the Orient House (occupied East Jerusalem), the Baladna Youth Association in Haifa and Gudran for Art Development (Republic of Egypt) are very happy to introduce to you our joint Workcamps Directory for the year 2006.

We hope that this directory and the timetable will enable your volunteers to attend one or more workcamps in order to have a clearer idea about this region and its concerns. Wishing you and us all the best in this season. Middle East Work Camps Coalition, IPYL, Baladna ,YDD and Gudran.

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A Labour Union-busting happens at the banana plantations of the Costa Rican banana company named Desarrollo Agroindustrial de Frutales S.A. (formerly known as Caribana). This Company owns 21 plantations. Most of its production is sold with the Chiquita label. The plantation workers’ union SITRAP started organising in two of these farms – Cahuita and Tortuguero – in mid-2004. They successfully recruited members and set up local committees inside the plantations. This unleashed an anti-union campaign with several members sacked, permanent harassment from supervisors and a manager driving members to the union office to give up their membership. The company also maintains a security gate at the entrance to the two farms and has imposed restrictive conditions on the union’s access. On 5th October 2005, a SITRAP organiser was attacked and robbed on his motorbike on his way out of the plantations. The union attributes this to the fact that the company would not allow access until after 4pm, therefore meaning that union personnel would be likely not to leave before nightfall and have to drive through an area noted for its assaults. SITRAP’s appeal is to ask the company to cease its anti-union campaign, give free access to union officials and reinstate union members who have been sacked. You can help … by going to this page of LabourStart and sign their initiative.

And here the Sitrap appeal on their website.

Linked with the presentation of Sevim Arbana – Albania.

Linked also to the presentation of NGO’s Protest for Women’s Rights in Albania.

Sevim Arbana is working for the Groups ‘Useful to Albanian Women’ (UAW), and the ‘Woman Bridge for Peace and Understanding’. It seems, they have no websites, but they are mentionned by many other NGOs or working groups by running common projects or meetings.

Hereafter all these projects and groups working for Albania.

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