Dispute over Christian group seeking observer status with the UN
Dispute over Christian group seeking observer status with the UN
By Ecumenical News International 2 Aug 2009  A United Nations
group that vets non-governmental organizations applying for
accreditation to observe the international body, has rejected an
international Christian group after it refused to divulge
members' names in China, citing fears about religious freedom -
writes Peter Kenny.  UN Watch, a Geneva-based advocacy and
monitoring group, condemned the UN's decision to reject the
Dynamic Christian World Mission Foundation application as an NGO
observer due to its refusal to accede to China's demands that it
disclose member addresses in the People's Republic.  Russia,
Egypt, Cuba, Pakistan, and Sudan had expressed concerns about
"the organization's ability to contribute" to the United
Nations.  At a meeting in Geneva on 27 July 2009, the 54-member
of the U.N. Economic and Social Council, known as ECOSOC that
vets which NGOs get observer