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New participatory status for international NGOs a world first, says Daniel Zielinski

The Council of Europe is the first international organisation to offer non-governmental organisations a participatory status, says Daniel Zielinski, Chair of the Council's NGO Liaison Committee. The new status will allow them to be fully involved in the organisation's activities in their areas of competence.

Interview (19.11.2003)

Question: Daniel Zielinski, you are the Chair of the Liaison Committee of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) enjoying consultative status with the Council of Europe. What are these NGOs and why do they want to have a presence in the Council of Europe?

Daniel Zielinski: Today there are four institutions in the Council of Europe: the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe and the Assembly of International Non-Governmental Organisations, which is less well-known but it is, nonetheless, an official body. 380 NGOs are members of it, including some of the major European associations such as ATD Fourth World, Amnesty International, Caritas etc. These NGOs realised that it was important for them to make their voice heard, and consequently to have some influence on what is being done and planned in the Council of Europe. As early on as 1952, the Council of Europe took a very novel and pioneering step in Europe by creating a consultative status for NGOs. The United Nations has this, but not the European Union. In line with this status, as its name indicates, the Council of Europe consults NGOs in each of their specialist fields.

Question: NGOs may be consulted, but are they listened to? Can they really influence decisions taken by the Council of Europe?

Daniel Zielinski: We are not always necessarily listened to, but in practice, if an NGO has some recognised, relevant and effective field experience then generally it is heeded because of the input it can make to the discussions in the Committee of Ministers or the Parliamentary Assembly. Moreover, the way history has changed over the last fifty years has led to NGOs being listened to more and more. Sometimes, they have even been the ones that have initiated certain texts – examples are the Convention on the Protection of Torture and texts in the biotechnological field, to name just a few. All the same, until 19 November 2003, our status was merely consultative. It is now participatory.

Question: What exactly does that mean and what difference will it make to you?

Daniel Zielinski: The change is a fundamental one. I’ll give you a personal example. I was part of a working group along with representatives from the member states tasked with drawing up a recommendation on access to social rights. I was the only NGO representative, appointed by my peers. I can honestly say that the NGOs played a real part in the drafting and improving of this recommendation, drawn up by the whole working party as a team. In an increasing number of areas we are no longer simply consulted or listened to, we are involved in the Council’s activities in a practical way. Participatory status recognises this change and puts it on an official footing. As I said, it is a fundamental change and it is the first time anything like it has been done before anywhere in the world. Nobody, no international institution anywhere has offered NGOs participatory status. NGOs have consultative status with the UN and UNESCO and are listened to to varying degrees. But the Council of Europe, for the first time in history, is offering real participatory status. This puts new responsibility on the shoulders of the NGOs, but it also reflects a change in mode of governance.