Sudan derails application from Anti-Genocide NGO for UN accreditation

The UN Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, in charge of granting NGOs UN-accreditation, is currently meeting in New York. UN accreditation provides NGOs with various benefits, such as the ability to attend and sometimes to speak at UN meetings.

On January 28, 2014 the Committee had before it an application from the International Association of Genocide Scholars, based in the United States. The organization's stated goal is to "further research and teaching about the nature, causes, and consequences of genocide, and advance policy studies on genocide prevention." China and Sudan, both members of the UN NGO Committee, responded to the application by taking steps to impede its accreditation.

The Chinese delegate was "not satisfied" with the organization's explanation regarding information posted on its website about Falun Gong and Tibet and objected to its website featuring "inappropriate information."

The representative of Sudan was worried about "genocide and Darfur" and demanded to hear "directly on those issues". He also demanded more information on conferences that the International Association plans to conduct in Africa.

As a result, decision on providing this organization with UN accreditation was postponed, possibly for years.