Jewish Group Reaccredit for Consultative Status by United Nations’ Ngo

The United Nations’ Council on Non-Governmental Organizations approved today by a vote of 8-5 to reaccredit the Coordinating Board of Jewish Organizations for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council. Voting for the CBJO were delegates from the United States, United Kingdom, Uruguay, France, Kenya, Ghana, Jamaica and Norway. Opposing the reacrediting were delegates from the Soviet Union, India, Sudan, Bulgaria and Pakistan. During the debate on the status of CBJO, the British delegate, Mrs. Margaret B. Chitty, strongly defended reacrediting the organization and stressed it had conducted serious studies of benefit to the UN. The main thrust of those in opposition was that the CBJO represented a specific group interest–that of the Jewish people and Israel–rather than being concerned with human rights in general. The CBJO was the only NGO denied a definitive status last June when the two-year review ended of consultative arrangements between the ECOSOC and NGO’s.