USUN PRESS RELEASE #147 July 25, 2011
The United States applauds today’s decisions at the United Nationsan international organisation comprising 193 member States. It has the mission of maintaining peace and security, protecting human rights, providing humanitarian aid and ensuring economic and social development across the globe. It is a network of many different bodies and agencies, each of which has a particular role and responsibility. More Economic and Social Council to overturn the Committee on NGOs and grant consultative status to three organizations: the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) , the International Lesbianadjective/noun to describe a woman whose enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction is to other women. Women and non-binary people may use this term to describe themselves. More and Gayadjective to describe people whose enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional
attractions are to people of the same gender. Men, women and non-binary people may use this
term to describe themselves. More Association (ILGA), and the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression. We are pleased to have worked with a broad coalition of like-minded countries, including France and Belgium, as well as civil society representatives, to help bring about today’s results.
IFES is a U.S.-based organization that aids governments around the world in conducting free and fair elections. The Belgium-based ILGA is committed to combating discriminationunequal or unfair treatment which can be based on a range of grounds - such as age, ethnic background, disability, and diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions or sex characteristics, amongst others. More based on sexual orientationrefers to a person’s capacity for profound emotional, affectional and sexual attraction to - and intimate and sexual relations with - individuals of a different gender or the same gender or more than one gender. More and gender identityrefers to a person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth. More, as well as to promoting the universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression works to promote freedom of opinion and expression in Syria and throughout the Arab world, and now holds the distinction of being the first NGO from Syria to be welcomed through the doors of the UN. Its director, Mazen Darwish, is a brave human rights advocate who continues to work for the realization of freedom and dignity in Syria. We look forward to the day when a just and democratic Syria is home to scores of vibrant NGOs like the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression.
All three of these organizations should have been granted consultative status by the Committee on NGOs, but we are pleased that the full Council took appropriate action to reverse these rejections.