MAJOR UN/WTS NEWS- UN LETTER & 1992 Press R...

by hawkaw 589 Replies latest watchtower scandals

MadApostate

Here is the January 2001 UNDPI Press Release to which Hawkaw refers above. It indicates that the NGO Review Process must be relatively new. This PR also sheds a little more light on the internal processes.
-----------------------------------
26 January 2001
Thirty-Two Non-Governmental Organizations Approved for Association With Department of Public Information
NEW YORK, 25 January (UN Headquarters) -- On 17 January, 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).
For the first time, organizations from Madagascar and Iceland joined the family of NGOs associated with DPI. Fianakaviana Sambatra (FISA) from Madagascar works to improve the health of the country's population through distributing information on HIV/AIDS, reproductive health and family planning. The organization has been active for 35 years and cooperates closely with the United Nations Population Fund, the United States Agency for International Development and the European Union.
An NGO from Iceland, Landvernd, National Association for the Protection of the Icelandic Environment, is an umbrella organization for more than 60 groups that are involved in the promotion of sustainable development and international cooperation in environmental protection. It organizes workshops and conferences and distributes information materials on such issues as climate change, ozone depletion, land degradation and desertification. Also it is actively involved in promoting environmental education for households.
Association of seven organizations from Pakistan reflects the important role of the United Nations Information Centre in Islamabad, which actively seeks and identifies NGOs that contribute effectively to promoting United Nations values. Among these NGOs is the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC). The society bases its work on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to raise awareness of children's rights in Pakistan. The Society publishes an annual report "The State of Pakistan's Children", as well as other information materials that cover issues relating to child labour, juvenile justice, health and sexual abuse. The Society has been actively cooperating with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
NGOs from developed countries are historically very active, and many of them work on promoting the goals of the United Nations Charter both in the developed and developing world. Movimiento por la Paz, el Desarme y la Libertad (M.P.D.I.) from Spain also operates in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia. It has been working on a wide range of social and human rights issues, such as assisting and advising immigrants and organizing campaigns against racism and xenophobia, as well as providing humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation services.
The Center on International Cooperation at New York University (USA), in cooperation with officials from government and intergovernmental agencies, as well as corporate and civil society leaders, seeks to clarify the economic, political, legal and institutional foundations of effective international cooperation. Like several other newly associated organizations, it focuses on international justice, humanitarian assistance, development aid and peace-building. The Center works closely with the United Nations and its agencies.
The Committee also reviewed the case of an NGO from Colombia, Juventudes de la ONU ? Youth of the UN, and decided that this non-governmental organization should be disassociated from the Department of Public Information. The Committee based its decision on the reports of activities by persons in leadership positions of Juventudes de la ONU that are inconsistent with the criteria for association with DPI. In particular, those actions include unauthorized use of the United Nations logo, misrepresentation of the organization's relationship with the United Nations and inappropriate activities of certain members of the organization. The Committee also was concerned by the lack of control of the main office of the organization over leadership and activities of its national offices and use of its association with the United Nations for inappropriate political ends. Despite repeated warnings by the NGO Section and other UN offices, Juventudes de la ONU persisted in activities that reflected badly on the United Nations.
The Committee also noted that other NGOs associated with DPI no longer maintain their commitment to disseminate information and raise public awareness about the purposes and activities of the United Nations and issues of global concern. The DPI/NGO Section is instituting a process of review of associated NGOs with regard to their compliance with the criteria for association. It will terminate the association status of those organizations that do not satisfy these criteria. The Committee expects that this process will result in decrease in the total number of NGOs associated with DPI. This measure will at the same time free resources to help NGOs improve their capacity to cover United Nations activities.
Following are the organizations newly associated with DPI, listed alphabetically by region:
Africa: Fianakaviana Sambatra (FISA) (Madagascar)
Asia and the Pacific: Arts Council of Pakistan (Pakistan); DEEPP - Development, Education, Environment, Poverty Alleviation and Population Welfare (Pakistan); Lahore Association of NGOs (LANGOS) (Pakistan); Pakistan Rural Workers Social Welfare Organization (PRWSWO) (Pakistan); PATTAN Development Organization (Pakistan); Senior Citizens Foundation of Pakistan (Pakistan); Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) (Pakistan); Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research (Japan); United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA) (Australia)
Middle East: Association of Iranian Journalists (Iran)
Europe: Ai. Bi. Associazione Amici dei Bambini (Italy); Association Francophone d'Amitie et de Liaison (France); International Telecommunication Academy (Russian Federation); Landvernd, National Association for the Protection of the Icelandic Environment (Iceland); Movimiento Por la Paz, el Desarme y la Libertad (Spain); Order of Discalced Carmelites (Italy); Pour la Non Violence (France)
Latin America: Fundacion Cultural Baur, AC (Mexico)
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)
For further information, please contact the DPI/NGO Section, telephone: (212) 963-6842, e-mail: [email protected]. The periodically updated directory of NGOs associated with DPI is also available on the Web site of DPI/NGO Section at: www.un.org/dpi/ngosection.
hawkaw

Mad Apostate,
Thanks for bringing this release over here. This release is very important as it shows the DPI actually having the balls to show who they "disassociated" in public.
I am confident that the next time we see a DPI committee press release about new NGOs becoming associates, we shall see those NGOs who recently departed or were "disassociated from the UN's DPI and the reasons for the disassocaietion.
hawk
Tanalyst

Mad Apostate
Your right on, the GB's knew exactly what they were doing signing up "God's Visible Organization" with the "Image of the Wild Beast".
Big Thanks for your hard work and passion for truth, and everyone else involved.
hawkaw

FLAG!!!!!!
PING!!!!!!
This thread shall not fall off page 1.
hawk
Had Enough

Bringing this back to page 1
All NGOs that are associates with DPI must, every year, complete an "annual accreditation form".
I'm glad this info has been made known to us.
It just further proves that the WTS had to know of its position with regards to the UN since they had to fill out this form EACH year. It cannot be said by any JW that the WTS didn't know, or the application is a forgery.
Great addition!!
Had Enough
"Never doubt that a small group of citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."...Margaret Mead
MadApostate

Here is another article which briefly mentions the WTS's participation in a Conference held at the UN headquarters:
---------------------------------------------------
Anti-Discrimination Support Network
N.G.O. to the United Nations
The Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia (FSGP) became a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) to the United Nations in 1995 when President Margaret Downey was invited to attend the Freedom of Religion and Belief conference held in London, England. She was one of only 250 people from around the world who were invited to attend the conference and submit reports.
Downey's 1995 report dealt with discrimination against nontheists at the hands of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). The one-hundred-sixty page report was reviewed by the Human Rights Center at the University of Essex for inclusion in the book, Freedom of Religion and Belief--A World Report.
The book is now available in paperback ($31 postpaid). Call H.H. Waldo Booksellers at 800-669-2536 to place an order. Editors, Professor Kevin Boyle and Juliet Sheen, highlighted cases of intolerance towards particular forms of belief throughout the world. On page 162 under the category of "the Americas" readers will find four paragraphs relevant to the issues of discrimination against Atheists and Freethinkers.
Downey's case against the BSA and favorable ruling is highlighted. FSGP and its committee, the Anti-Discrimination Support Network (ADSN) is given credit for working to persuade the BSA to allow children to join without prejudice.
On January 1, 1998, We were notified that Professor Abdelfattah Amor, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance, would be visiting the U.S. for two weeks. To prepare for his visit, the Rapperteur was soliciting written reports and updates from participating NGO's and their representatives. Downey immediately submitted a two-page update on the Boy Scout discrimination issue staing that the situation had become much worse since the 1995 conference report.
The update described new cases of discrimination in Oregon, Michigan, Maryland and California. The update was trnslated into French and sent to Amor's office in Geneva.
Amor responded to the update with an invitation to participate in a series of public testimony panels on January 28, 1998 at the United Nations building in New York City.
The Council for Secular Humanism's Executive Director, Matt Cherry also received an invitation. Cherry and Downey communicated with each other as they both prepared updates and speeches. They decided that Cherry would present an overview while Downey concentrated on the BSA issue. The january 28 meting opened with a welcome and a statementof pupose from Amor. At the last moment it was dicovered that Cherry was unable to attend. This left Downey as the only spokesperson for the freethought community. Downey was the first speaker on the agenda and she decided to incorporate a portion of Cherry's intended speech with her own.
This is her presentation before the Special Rapportuer, his Commision members and the panel participants.
During the speech, there were gasps and wispers from spectators. Several people who made eye contact with Downey during the presentation had looks of utter astonishment at what she was saying.
They were probably hearing about injustices against the nontheist community for the first time in their lives.
After Downey spoke, Professor Amor commented that he was very sensitive to issues facing nontheists. He acknowledged that nontheist concerns would be reviewed carefully. Baitul Zafar from the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam was the next speaker. Zafar was obviously moved by Downey's presentation. He appeared to change his introduction to specifically acknowledge the presence of nontheists in America as he nodded a friendly greeting to Downey. Zafar's presentation was a compelling account of how Muslim's are wrongly protrayed and characterized in the media. His concerns about stereotyping were a familiar echo. Atheists fight similar injustices. The next two speakers also made sure to acknowledge the presence of nontheists as they opened their discussions.
Downey's speech had made a differnce with a Jehovah's Witness and a Buddhist presentation. Many people approached Downey after the meeting to express their thanks for enlightening them about the Atheist/nontheist community. The ADSN is dedicated to working until we see an end to discrimination against the non-religious.
MadApostate

Here is an excerpt from the OSCE website, which indicates that the WTS is taking full advantage of the "human rights monitoring" by this organization of governments.
-----------------------------------------------------
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Mission to Georgia
Overview of the Activities of the Human Dimension Office of 2001
MANDATE
The overall mandate of the OSCE Mission to Georgia was endorsed in early 1993.
The mandate of the Mission in the field of Human Dimension (HD) dates back to 1994. It comprises the following:
Promoting respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms;
Assisting in the development of legal and democratic institutions and processes, including providing advice on the elaboration of a new constitution, the implementation of a legislation on citizenship and the establishment of an independent judiciary as well as monitoring elections;
Co-ordinating these activities with the OSCE/HCNM and the OSCE/ODIHR as well as co-operating with the Council of Europe, while keeping in touch with other international organisations active in Georgia in this field.
The Mission's Human Dimension Team has a Human Dimension/Human Rights Office in Tbilisi and a Field Office in Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), both open to the public for the receipt of individual cases and complaints. One Mission Human Rights Officer is seconded to the UN Human Rights Office Abkhazia, Georgia (HROAG). In Tskhinvali, HD activities are restricted to handling of individual human rights cases and complaints, whereas in Sukhumi the focus is on both monitoring and promotion of human rights. In addition, in all three areas the Mission carries out Human Dimension projects.
ACTIVITIES
In 2001, the Mission's Human Dimension Team's (HDT) activities focused on the following areas:
Monitoring the status of religious freedom in Georgia with a particular emphasis on Jehovah's Witnesses
The situation of religious minorities has considerably deteriorated since the beginning of 2001. An increasing number of cases of harassment, insults, defamation and violent attacks against religious minorities, especially the Jehovah's Witnesses (JW), has been reported - to a lesser extent, Baptist, Evangelist, Pentecostals and Krishna groups have undergone similar experiences. The restriction to religious freedom is underlying the decision of the Georgian Supreme Court on 22 February 2001 to revoke the registration of the Union of Jehovah's Witnesses as well as of the Representation of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, USA. In the absence of a law on registration of religious groups, JW could not be officially registered. As a matter of principle, the JW have then refused to be registered as an NGO. However, the Supreme Court's decision by no means constituted a prohibition of JW, their activities, meetings or distribution of literature.
Following a joint declaration of Georgian NGOs dealing with human rights issues, the Supreme Court came out with a supplementary statement on the issue, condemning religious extremism, intolerance and violence, in particular against JW. The Supreme Court appealed to the law enforcement authorities to take appropriate measures against those individuals who believe to be above the law and who - referring to religious motives - make their own kind of 'justice'. Such acts, the Supreme Court wrote, are not only illegal, but also create a serious danger for the public and the State.
In spite of this statement, attacks against JW by a group of religious extremists associated with a defrocked priest, Basili Mkalavishvili, have continued until recently. In many cases, on scenes where violence has taken place, offenders have been reported acting with the tacit approval of representatives of law enforcement bodies. Georgian institutions, including the President, the Parliament and the Orthodox Church, have publicly condemned violence and any form of religious extremism. However, they seem to believe that the situation is mainly due to the legal vacuum in the field of religious confessions. Prominent political figures have also at times made critical statements towards JW's missionary attitude. A draft law to regulate the country's religious life is still under discussion. As a result of patent impunity, JW have filed two applications with the European Court of Human Rights. The HDO maintains regular contacts with JW and other relevant actors in this field.
hawkaw

FLAG!!!!!
PING!!!!!
hawk
MadApostate

Note how the status of UNICEF is nicely weaved into this Press Release. The propaganda masters mention the UNICEF article in a way that will be interpreted as "positive" by recipients, without actually making direct statements of support for UNICEF.
------------------------------------------------------
JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
OFFICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION
For Immediate Release
February 9, 2001
International readership enthusiastically responds to articles on marriage and children
"My husband is not one of Jehovah's Witnesses, but he'll tell people that our marriage survived because of counsel such as was given through these articles." Susie from California wrote about the January 8 issue of Awake! featuring the series, "Can We Save Our Marriage?"
Commenting on the same series, a New York reader wrote: "Thanks to this article, I have the best outlook for success in my marriage than anything that has ever been written about the subject." The response to this series of articles on applying Bible counsel to solving problems in marriage was especially enthusiastic.
The previous month the cover series of Awake! explored some of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles children worldwide must overcome to have a normal life. The list included poverty, premature death, hunger, neglect and abuse. Work done by UNICEF and other organizations to uphold the basic rights of children was discussed. The efforts of concerned, conscientious parents were lauded. That issue of Awake! also generated appreciative responses, such as this one from Spain: "I am a teacher and I think it would be marvellous if all the parents and teachers of the world could put into practice the useful counsel of this issue—and that of the Bible, which you quote so much."
Jehovah's Witnesses are pleased that they are able to present the practical message of the Bible on such vital issues as marriage, the family, and children's problems in a way that is understood and appreciated. They are heartened at the response to the Bible's counsel, which encourages love within the family and also stresses the need for parents to provide for children physically, morally, emotionally and spiritually. The literature of Jehovah's Witnesses prompts adults and young people to learn about the Creator, to work toward pleasing him and to investigate the Bible hope.
The annual conventions sponsored by Jehovah's Witnesses will begin in May in the United States and will include information for all in the family. Following the theme "Teachers of God's Word" the program will address points of interest to all ages and will stress active involvement in positive activities.
Contact: J. Richard Brown, telephone: (718) 560-5600

Copyright © 2001 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.
All rights reserved.
MadApostate

It appears that JWs were well represented at the United Nations Conference on National Minorities, held in Geneva, in May 1999, which was where the Macedonian Human Rights Movement of Canada hooked up with the WTS. (see previous post)
------------------------------------------------------
5. The session was attended by the following independent experts of the Sub-Commission as decided by the Sub-Commission at its forty-seventh session (decision 1995/119) and at its forty-ninth session (decision 1997/111): Mr. Miguel Alfonso Martínez (Mr. José Bengoa's alternate), Mr. Asbjørn Eide, Mr. Vladimir Kartashkin, Mr. Mustapha Mehedi and Ms. Deepika Udagama (Mr. Soli Sorabjee's designated alternate).
6. The following States Members of the United Nations were represented by observers: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Uruguay.
7. The following non-member States were represented by observers: Switzerland.
8. The following United Nations bodies and specialized agencies and intergovernmental organizations were represented at the session: United Nations Children's Fund, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Labour Organization, World Health Organization.
9. The following non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council were represented by observers:
General consultative status
International Association for Religious Freedom
Special consultative status
Baha'i International Community, Canadian Human Rights Foundation, Caritas Internationalis, Federal Union of European Nationalities, Fraternité Notre Dame, Indian Movement "Tupaj Amaru", International Association against Torture, International Centre for Ethnic Studies, International Council of Jewish Women, Interfaith International, International Federation of Human Rights Leagues, International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, International Service for Human Rights, National Society for Human Rights and World Muslim Congress.
Roster
Association of World Citizens, Caucasians United for Reparations and Emancipation, Minority Rights Group, International Human Rights Association of American Minorities, International Movement against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism and Soka Gakkai International.
10. The following other non-governmental organizations were represented by observers: Adalah-Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, African Americans in the United States of America, African Bureau of Educational Sciences, African Indigenous and Minority Peoples Organization, Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, American Friends Service Committee, Arab Association for Human Rights, Association culturelle berbere, Association of Jehovah's Witnesses, Association of Western Thrace Minority Graduates, Assyrian Universal Alliance, Bahrain Human Rights Organization, Black Reparations Commission, Canadian-Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, Centre for the Advancement of Women, Centre for the Coordination of Non-Governmental Tribal Development Organizations, Centre for Documentation and Information in Europe, Centre for Human, Civil and Autonomous Rights, Centre for International and Comparative Law, Centre for the Protection of Minorities and Against Racism and Discrimination in Bhutan, Centro de Derechos Humanos, Ciudadanos y Autonómicos, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Delhi Forum-Banjara People, Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania, Droit des minorités indigènes au Cameroon, Espacio Afroamericano, European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses for the Protection of Religious Freedom, European Centre for Minority Issues, Fafan Development Organization, Ford Foundation, High Commissioner Consultant for Minority Groups in San Andreas, Human Rights Alliance, Human Rights Commission of Northern Ireland, Human Rights Committee-World Wide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Human Rights Defence Group, Indo?American Kashmir Forum, Indo-Canadian Kashmir Forum, Indo-European Kashmir Forum, Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, Kurdish Human Rights Project, Kurdish Reconstruction Organization, Legal Centre for Arab Minority in Israel, Legal Information Centre for Human Rights, Ligua Pro Europa, Macedonian Human Rights Movement in Greece, Macedonian Human Rights Movement of Canada, Mécs Laszlo Association, Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, Million Youth March Organisation, Minelres, Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, National Commission for Minorities, National Commission for Reparations, N'COBRA-The National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, National Movement for the Human Rights of the Afro-Colombian Communities-Cimarron, National Society for Human Rights of Namibia, Pan African International Nationalist Movement, Proceso de Comunidades Negras de Colombia, Rescue Ethiopian Pastoralists, Research and Support of the Indigenous Peoples of the Crimea Foundation, Romani Centre for Social Intervention and Study, Romanian Institute for Human Rights, Sikh Human Rights Group, Solai Program, Southern Cameroon Peoples' Conference, Summer Institute of Linguistics, Swiss Federal Commission against Racism, Uganda Land Alliance, Universal Defender of Democracy, Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation, Vedika-National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, Western Thrace Turkish Muslim Minority in Greece, World Federation of Hungarians and Zentralrat Deutscher Roma und Sinti.
11. The following scholars participated in the meetings of the Working Group: Ms. Sophie Albert (University of Paris), Ms. Monica Castelo (University of California), Ms. Jane Cowan (University of Sussex), Ms. Elizabeth Craig (Queen's University of Belfast), Mr. Gyula Csurgai (Geneva Peace Research Institute), Mr. Edward Chaszar (University of Pennsylvania), Ms. María Amor Martín Estebañez (University of Oxford), Mr. Markus Fritzschen (University of Zurich), Mr. Geoff Gilbert (University of Essex), Ms. Marie-Hélène Giroux (University of Québec in Montreal), Ms. Nadja Goetz (University of Ljubljana), Ms. Christine Gosden (University of Liverpool), Mr. Stephan Grigolli (University of Cologne), Ms. Sara Gustafsson (Raoul Wallenberg Institute, University of Lund), Mr. Hurst Hannum (Tufts University), Ms. Christiane Hoehn (Max Planck Institute for International Law), Ms. Irena Ilesic (University of Ljubljana), Ms. Verena Klemenc (University of Ljubljana), Mr. Silis Muhammad, Mr. Javaid Rehman (University of Leeds), Mr. Thomas V. Simon (University of Ljubljana), Ms. Jane Sugarman (Weslyan University), Ms. Li-Ann Thio (University of Cambridge), and Mr. Zhou Yong (Norwegian Institute of Human Rights).

MAJOR UN/WTS NEWS- UN LETTER & 1992 Press R...

Share this