Author Topic: Christian NGOs dominate UN  (Read 4236 times)

icy

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Christian NGOs dominate UN
« on: January 01, 2014, 12:36:31 PM »


A recent study has found that Christian non-government organisations (NGOs) dominate the UN while Hindu and Buddhist voluntary organisations remain under-represented at the 193-member organisation, a British daily reported Wednesday.

The study, undertaken by Jeremy Carrette with colleagues from the University of Kent's department of religious studies, underlines the need to increase non-Christian representation in world peacemaking, The Guardian reported.

The Religious NGOs and the United Nations report said that more than 70 percent of religious NGOs at the UN are Christian, and that there is historical privilege in allowing the Vatican a special observer status, as both a state and a religion, the daily said.

It calls for greater awareness, transparency and equality in the way religious NGOs operate within the UN, and more emphasis on religious tolerance.

The report also asks for greater understanding of how religions enhance and constrain human rights and provides evidence that funding limits other religious traditions from establishing NGO work at the UN.

Islam is represented more significantly through the collective of states (the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation) rather than civil society NGOs, which are dominated by Catholic groups, according to the report.

Funding is major issue in preventing Asian religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, equal access, it said.

"The report highlights that while all religions are represented in some way in the peacemaking system of the UN, there are structural and historical differences that need to be addressed," Carrette said.

The report says the number of inter-faith and New Age NGOs is very small, and religious NGOs in total form only 7.29 percent of the total of consultative status NGOs at the UN.

But despite their small size, some religious NGOs can have a far greater influence, the research suggests. Among the most active religious NGO groups are Catholics, Quakers and the Baha'i faith, which have some of the highest number of meetings with UN diplomats.

Kim Hyun Jae

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Re: Christian NGOs dominate UN
« Reply #1 on: January 02, 2014, 02:27:31 AM »
Quote "Hindu and Buddhist voluntary organisations remain under-represented at the 193-member organisation of the United Nations" is SHOCKING!

I have a number of questions to ask here. How does the UN select and elect representations  in world peacemaking? Were these NGOs representations based on financial status, political muscle, world influence or strong religious parties? Why were the Buddhist under represented in the UN when there are numerous Buddhist religious figures who are well known for their peace work in the world like Tzu Chi?


Freyr Aesiragnorak

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Re: Christian NGOs dominate UN
« Reply #2 on: January 12, 2014, 04:57:28 PM »
If ones reads the history of the UN, as a replacement for the League of Nations, one can clearly see that it's origins and major contributors were and continue to be so-called "Western" governments and organisations. It was because of their power and reach, that other countries joined them due to their power and backing. As most of these governments/organisations are "Western" I am not at all surprised to read that this is the case. Christianity is so ingrained in these cultures, that it would extremely hard to promote NGO's from other religions in having a bigger say in world peacemaking.

And let's face it, the article mentions Hindu's and Buddhists, as being under represented, probably due to the lack of political maneuvering and financial backing that some of these well represented and institutionalised NGOs have. 

Q

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Re: Christian NGOs dominate UN
« Reply #3 on: January 12, 2014, 05:41:35 PM »
hmm... although I do agree that Buddhist and Hindu faiths are rather under represented in the UN, but I believe it is not due to any reason either than Buddhists are probably just not interested in being a representative in organizations such as the UN.