UN General Assembly Special Session, 3-4 December 2020 – What are the implications for CSOs?

The arrangements for the General Assembly Special Session in response to the COVID‑19 pandemic (as discussed in the previous posting: UN General Assembly Special Session on COVID-19 pandemic) could potentially have serious implications for civil society organizations (CSOs) and other stakeholders.

NGO / CSO participation

Insofar as non-governmental organizations do not have consultative status with the UN General Assembly, special arrangements have to be made for their participation in special sessions. The resolution for this session says: 

• representatives of NGOs in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council are invited to participate in the special session “in accordance with the roles of procedure and established practice of the General Assembly.” (para 3 (d)). 
• In addition the President of the General Assembly will draw up a list of “other relevant representatives of non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions and the private sector who may participate… taking into account the principles of transparency and equitable geographical representation, with due regard for the meaningful participation of women.” He will then submit the list to Member States “for their consideration on a non-objection basis.” (para 3 (e)).

There is a footnote which states that “the list will include proposed as well as final names. The general basis of any objections, if requested by one or more States Members of the United Nations or States members of the specialized agencies, will be made known to the Office of the President of the General Assembly and the requester.”  

Three Member States spoke on this during the explanation of vote: 

• Germany, on behalf of the European Union, noted the crucial importance of civil society and relevant stakeholders participation in both the  general debate and the interactive dialogue.  Any objections, moreover,  should be clearly explained in a transparent manner. He also expressed concern that non‑objection clauses have been abused in the past, stating that concrete reasons must therefore be provided for objecting to the participation of civil society in the discussion with the final decision on the list of civil society organizations being made by the Assembly itself, and not by a single Member State. 
• The United Kingdom  also expressed concern about the lack of transparency on the language used to exclude civil society participation, stressing that concrete reasons must be supplied, especially as the Assembly President has said that diverse voices should be heard in the Assembly Hall.
• The United States stressed the fundamental role of civil society in the collective response to the pandemic and that language that elevates the participation of one organization is not acceptable. They also disagreed with the use of the non-objection clause to prevent participation of some CSOs and called for transparency in the case of any objections.

“…if time permits…”

There are also two references to “time permitting” in connection with NGO and other stakeholder participation in the resolution:

• In the context of the interactive dialogue which will be led by the Head of the World Health Organization, relevant stakeholders will be included “if time permits”. (para 3 (a) (iiii)).
• In the general debate there is a reference to “time permitting” for relevant organizations with due regard for geographical balance and gender equality. (para 3 (c)).

Questions unanswered

In the past months stakeholders have been very active in the fight against the coronavirus from the scientists who have been working to develop vaccines and therapeutics to the front-line health workers who have cared for those infected, as well as others in many other fields. They have unique experiences and lessons learned and  lessons learned to share. According to the resolution, the General Assembly President, in consultation with Member States, will decide which stakeholders will be invited to make statements should time permit. It is, however, unclear as to ‘How’  CSOs and other stakeholders will be involved in the selection process, if at all.

This is a crucial question that needs to be answered in the coming weeks.