Collaborative projects / External relations

International Organization Information / Research: 2003 (Part #9)

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• UN: No current developments relating to the UIA's consultative relationship or CONGO. The Secretariat noted the report of the UN Joint Inspection Unit on UN-NGO relations. The Secretariat has been informed concerning the new high-level UN panel that is reviewing the relationships between the UN and Civil Society. This focuses solely on the long-standing quantitative embarrassments on the UN side regarding the desires of increasingly numerous NGOs to have physical access to UN meetings. The UN Secretariat does not make any mention of the web-based solutions to these issues of access (or the more vital undiscussed issues of substance). The latter were the subject of reports by the UIA in 1999. The specialized agencies and units of the UN which had subscribed to the UIA online service in 2002 (as a result of the initiative of SAUR) have renewed their subscription for 2003 resulting in a total of 26 such agency users.
  
  
• UNESCO: Discussions with the Secretariat, in association with the 6- year review of the UIA's consultative relationships, had opened the possibility of a more fruitful interaction. In an increasingly difficult international context, this has not yet materialized As yet the possibility of concrete collaboration has not become evident.
  
  
• European Commission: No further steps have been taken with respect to the EU's Sixth Framework because of previously explained uncertainties with regard to: the budgetary commitment to proposal preparation, the lengthy time cycle before any response is forthcoming, the administrative work if successful, and the strong possibility of having to act as banker in anticipation of receipt of funds. This cycle involves a degree of long-term commitment which it is difficult to guarantee at this time.
  
  
• London School of Economics (LSE): This collaboration has so far resulted in production of tables in the 2001 and 2002 editions of the LSE's Global Civil Society Yearbook. The timing of the work required is however extremely inconvenient in that the deadline is very close to that of final editorial work on Volume 1 of the Yearbook. This makes it very difficult to manage the data selections for LSE whilst the latter is being finalized. Various awkward compromises have been explored for the work currently underway for 2003. This income remains financially important for the viability of the statistics initiative as a whole.
  
  The situation has been further complicated by the move of the director of the LSE project to a California-based university, with the requirement that contractual relationships be made with a US-based entity under conditions where the UIA would be at a severe disadvantage in case of contractual disagreements. Arrangements have been made for the contract to continue to be made via LSE.
  
  
• Strategy with respect to IGOs Malheureusement, le Conseil n'a pas été à même, lors de sa dernière session, d'aborder ce sujet et tous les corollaires qui en découlent sur le plan des ressources financières et humaines. Ce point devrait être considéré comme prioritaire lors du prochain Conseil. Aussi, les Membres sont, dès maintenant, invités à faire part de leurs commentaires et suggestions.
  
  
• Actualité internationale Dans le débat relatif à l'Irak, le Secrétaire général, en accord avec la Présidente du Conseil, a publié un éditorial, en termes mesurés, pour le premier numéro 2003 de la Revue des Associations Transnationales 6 consacré à Paul Otlet.
  
  
• "Competition" Many initiatives continue to be taken that could be perceived as increasing the vulnerability of UIA's ability to fund its activities through information activities. These include development of database initiatives by intergovernmental agencies, by other international associations, and by multinational commercial bodies, and by national initiatives. For example, presumably in partial response to security issues relating to charities following 9/11: GUIDESTAR http://www.guidestar.org is being launched in the UK. Guidestar already provides information on 850,000 nonprofits in the US, their operations and finances. In the UK it will be funded by a GBP2.85 million grant from the UK Treasury and it w ill be free for the public and for charities to consult. It will provide information from the Charity Commission and additional information from the charities themselves.

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