By Toby McIntosh
Turkey’s effort to bar four nongovernmental organizations from an international meeting on organized crime has been foiled.
The Turkish move was turned down by a committee of the Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC). The UN body have been meeting in Vienna this week. The decision to allow the four groups to participate was not announced, but EYE heard details from informed observers.
Turkey’s ambassador to the UNTOC meeting made his objection when the meeting opened Oct. 12, stating, “It is unacceptable to invite nongovernmental organizations which support criminal and terrorist organizations.”
See Eyeonglobaltransparency.net article.
The four “criminal and terrorist organizations,” according to Turkey, were:
– Article 19,
– The Japan Federation of Bar Associations,
– The International Institute for Peace, and
– The International Association of Judges.
Ambassadors from Japan, Germany, Canada, Chile and Norway expressed their support during the plenary session for the participation of civil society. The matter was referred to a committee, the “Extended Bureau.”
Although the Turkish ambassador had stressed that a conference consensus is necessary for the groups to be admitted, the Extended Bureau, which meets in private, decided that they could stay.
Interpreting the rules to deny Turkey’s assertion of veto power is procedurally significant, according to one person familiar with the proceedings at UNTOC. “It sets a good precedent,” he said.
This year the UNTOC plenary meeting is being held in person, with fewer national representatives than usual. and webcast. The usual side events, however, are all virtual. Attendance by NGOs is down significantly.
