(Communicated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesman)
The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) today (Thursday, 11 May 2006) approved Israel's acceptance to the council's committee on non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Membership in the ECOSOC committee is for four years, beginning in January 2007.
This development is a further step in Israel's growing role at the UN, one that is unrelated to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Israel will serve on the committee alongside Western countries such as Britain, Turkey, and the United States, as well as countries from Asia, Africa, the Far East, and Latin America.
The committee is responsible for awarding UN recognition to NGOs throughout the world and overseeing their activities.
At its future meetings the council will be called upon to consider recognition requests from two Israeli NGOs: the Women's Lobby and Shatil, which promotes civil society and putting democratic principles into practice.