UN Clamps Down on NGOs/Pro-Life and Pro-Family NGOs Cry Foul

By Austin Ruse

     (NEW YORK – C-FAM)  The United Nations has announced that participation by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will be heavily restricted at the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Women (Beijing+5) set to begin on June 2. The UN announced in a letter sent to officially recognized NGOs that only three people per NGO will be allowed to attend the UN Special Session. This contradicts a long-standing UN policy that places no restrictions on the number of participants NGOs may send to UN meetings.

     Conservatives believe this is a policy change targeted at them. Conservative NGOs admit they accredited dozens of lobbyists with only a few NGOs, but they point out that they only have access to a small number of NGOs that are allowed to accredit lobbyists. They point out further that while they accredited upwards of 350 lobbyists, feminists NGOs still outnumbered them with more than 1,500 accredited lobbyists. They believe this new policy reflects the effect conservative lobbyists had at the just completed conference.

     Memos produced during the conference and in the days following reveal the level of animus the left feels toward conservative participation at the UN. A "restricted" telegram from the British foreign ministry to their UN Mission complains that "positive NGO participation was blighted by the arrival of around 400 pro-life campaigners who employed heavy-handed, intimidating and disruptive tactics in the NGO forum. Their intensive lobbying of government delegations…resulted in all NGOs being refused access to the floor."

     The European Women's Lobby, a powerful group connected to the European Parliament, warned European delegates of the "large presence of right-wing, pro-life NGO participants." The memo claims the pro-life activities "consist of paralyzing the progressive work being done in the caucuses, taking down names of persons representing a progressive view, and spreading false information."

     A joint statement issued by the International Council of Women, Zonta International and others said, "the NGO community is deeply concerned about the difficulties the presence and methods of this large group have caused within both NGO and Government delegations. It fears the difficulties created may lead to grave misrepresentation of women and their interests worldwide…"

     Some of the wilder charges against conservative lobbyists is that they followed pro-abortion lobbyists to their hotels, called them late at night and threatened them, threw water on them, and even sang to them.

     Peter Smith, chief UN lobbyist for International Right to Life Federation, explains, "this just shows that we on the pro-life side have been effective in our lobbying on behalf of life and family. The other side believes the UN is their own private playground. They have never wanted us here and will do practically anything to keep us out, including using lies and physical intimidation. The fact is that we are outnumbered and outspent here. We have no choice but to follow all the rules to the letter and be as polite as we can be."

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