12 February 1993

3rd plenary meeting

International Conference on Population and Development and its preparatory process

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling its resolutions 1989/91 of 26 July 1989, 1991/93 of 26 July 1991 and 1992 37 of 30 July 1992, in which it decided on the convening, mandate and preparatory process of the International Conference on Population and Development,

Recalling also General Assembly resolution 47/176 of 22 December 1992, in which, inter alia, the Assembly recognized the importance of ensuring an adequate intergovernmental preparatory process for the Conference, as well as the importance of the participation in the Conference and its preparatory process of all relevant non-governmental organizations from developed and developing countries,

1. Decides that the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the International Conference on Population and Development should be rescheduled to take place from 10 to 21 May 1993 in New York;

2. Also decides to convene the third session of the Preparatory Committee from 11 to 22 April 1994, within the overall resources of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1994-1995, to be approved by the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session, taking fully into account the budget outline approved by the Assembly in resolution 47/213 of 23 December 1992, and without prejudice to the utilization of resources available through voluntary contributions to the trust funds for the Conference, taking fully into account the need to ensure the su Conference in fulfilling its mandate and the need to ensure an adequate intergovernmental preparatory process for it;

3. Further decides, within the overall resources of the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1994-1995, to be approved by the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session, taking fully into account the budget outline approved by the Assembly in resolution 47/213, to postpone the twenty-seventh session of the Population Commission until 1994 and to consider at the Council's substantive session of 1993 the possibility of scheduling it in conjunction with the third session of the Preparatory Committee;

4. Adopts the modalities for the participation in and contribution to the Conference and its preparatory process of non-governmental organizations, as set out in the annex to the present resolution;

5. Decides that, in order to support developing countries, in particular the least developed among them, in participating fully and effectively in the Conference and its preparatory process, each least developed country, to the extent that extrabudgetary funds are available, may be provided, from the voluntary fund for the Conference, with travel expenses and, on an exceptional basis, daily subsistence allowance for one representative attending the sessions of the Preparatory Committee and the Conference itself;

6. Recognizes the importance of non-governmental participation in the preparatory process and the Conference itself and encourages all support to enable representatives of non-governmental organizations from developing countries to participate fully.

Annex PARTICIPATION OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT AND ITS PREPARATORY PROCESS

1. Non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council which express their wish to attend the Conference and its Preparatory Committee meetings shall be accredited for participation. Others wishing to be accredited may apply to the Conference secretariat for this purpose in accordance with the requirements of the present resolution.

2. The secretariat of the International Conference on Population and Development shall be responsible for the receipt and preliminary evaluation, in accordance with the provisions of this resolution, of requests from non-governmental organizations for accreditation to the Conference and its preparatory process.

3. All such applications must be accompanied by information on the organization's competence and relevance to the work of the Preparatory Committee, indicating the particular areas of the Conference preparations to which such competence and relevance pertain, and should include, inter alia, the following:

(a) The purposes of the organization;

(b) Information on its programmes and activities in areas relevant to the Conference and its preparatory process and in which country(ies) they are carried out;

(c) Confirmation of its activities at the national and/or international level;

(d) Copies of its annual reports with financial statements, and a list of members of the governing body and their country of nationality;

(e) A description of its membership, indicating the total number of members and their geographical distribution.

4. In the evaluation of the relevance of non-governmental applications for accreditation to the Conference and its preparatory process, it is agreed that their background and involvement in population issues or population and development issues, including those mentioned in paragraph 4 of Council resolution 1991/93, will determine their relevance.

5. Non-governmental organizations seeking accreditation shall be asked to confirm their interest in the goals and objectives of the Conference.

6. In cases where the Conference secretariat believes, on the basis of the information provided in accordance with the present resolution, that the organization has established its competence and relevance to the work of the Preparatory Committee, it will recommend to the Preparatory Committee that the organization be accredited. In cases where the Conference secretariat does not recommend the granting of accreditation, it will make available to the Preparatory Committee its reasons for not doing so. The Conference secretariat should ensure that its recommendations are available to members of the Preparatory Committee at least one week prior to the start of each session.

7. The Preparatory Committee will decide on all proposals for accreditation within twenty-four hours of the Conference secretariat's recommendations having been taken up by the Preparatory Committee in plenary meeting. In the event of a decision not being taken within this period, interim accreditation shall be accorded until such time as a decision is taken.

8. A non-governmental organization that has been granted accreditation to attend a session of the Preparatory Committee may attend all its future sessions.

9. In recognition of the intergovernmental nature of the International Conference on Population and Development, non-governmental organizations shall have no negotiating role in the work of the Conference and its preparatory process.

10.Relevant non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council may be given an opportunity to briefly address the Preparatory Committee in plenary meeting and its subsidiary bodies. Other relevant non-governmental organizations may also ask to speak briefly at such meetings. If the number of requests is too large, the Preparatory Committee shall request the non-governmental organizations to form themselves into constituencies, each constituency to speak through one spokesperson. Any oral intervention by a non-governmental organization should, in accordance with normal United Nations practice, be made at the discretion of the Chairman and with the consent of the Preparatory Committee.

11.Relevant non-governmental organizations may, at their own expense, make written presentations during the preparatory process in the official languages of the United Nations as they deem appropriate. Those written presentations will not be issued as official documents except in accordance with United Nations rules of procedure.