F. NGO written statements
Summary notes for NGO communications concerning human rights situations
Subject terms for NGO
communications concerning human
rights situations: geographic linkage
Sessional
or conference documentation of Ãå±±½ûµØbodies may include written
statements,
communications or contributions by non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) on
subjects of interest or concern to them, submitted in conformity with
the
applicable rules of procedure.
The
document symbols for NGO written statements in some document series
include the
acronym NGO.
Assign the Content Code B21 to NGO communications
or statements issued as individual documents, and to documents
compiling
communications from non-governmental organizations. Do not assign the code B21 to applications
for NGO consultative status.
Assign Content
Code A20 in
addition to
code B21 when NGO written
statements
transmit text of adopted declarations, and assign the topical subject (tag 650) DECLARATIONS (TEXT). Uniform
title authority records are not systematically established for
declarations of
non-governmental organizations, but they are generally established for
declarations with distinctive titles adopted at conferences or seminars.
If
the fact that a document contains an NGO communication is not evident
in the
document title (tag 245), add a note (tag 520)
identifying
the organization responsible for the document contents (see example 2).
Phrases
concerning the consultative status category of
organizations are generally omitted from statements of responsibility
transcribed in tag 245
subfield $c, by customary
UNBIS practice (see
examples 3 and 4).
Do not assign the
topical subject (tag 650) NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS when non-governmental organizations are the authors, but
not the
subjects, of documents.
Example 1:
Compilation of NGO communications
089 $b B21
191 $a CAT/C/GC/2/CRP.1/Add.4 $b CAT/C/
245 10 $a Convention
against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment : $b general comment no. 2 :
compilation of comments / $c
submitted
by non-governmental organizations
630 07 $a Convention
against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment
(1984)
650 17 $a TORTURE
AND OTHER CRUEL TREATMENT
650 17 $a TORTURE
PREVENTION
650 17 $a TREATIES
650 17 $a INTERNATIONAL
OBLIGATIONS
650 17 $a TORTURE
AND OTHER CRUEL TREATMENT
650 27 $a DEROGATION
650 27 $a INTERNATIONAL
LAW
710 2_ $a Amnesty
International
710 2_ $a Association
for the Prevention of Torture (Geneva)
710 2_ $a Human Rights
Law Resource Centre (Melbourne, Australia)
710 2_ $a International
Women's Human Rights Law Clinic
etc.
Example 2:
Single NGO communication
089 $b B21
191 $a E/C.19/2004/6 $b E/CN.19/ $c 3
245 10 $a Information
received from non-governmental organizations : $b note / $c by the
Secretariat
520 $a Transmits
statement received from Franciscans International regarding indigenous
women.
650 17 $a INDIGENOUS
PEOPLES
650 17 $a WOMEN
650 17 $a GENDER-BASED
VIOLENCE
650 17 $a DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE
650 27 $a TRADITIONAL
KNOWLEDGE
710 2_ $a UN.
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Secretariat
710 2_ $a
Franciscans
International
In Example 2, the
indexer's note identifies the
non-governmental organization transmitting the written statement, since
it is
not specified in the document title.
Example 3:
Single NGO communication
089 $b B21
191 $a
A/HRC/1/NGO/7 $b A/HRC/ $c 1
245 10 $a
Aplicación de la resolución 60/251
de la Asamblea General, de 15 de marzo de 2006, titulada "Consejo de
Derechos Humanos" : $b escrita
/ $c presentada por la
Asociación
Americana de Juristas
520 $a Concerns
the draft International Convention on the Protection of All Persons
from Forced
Disappearance.
546 $a Spanish
only.
630 07 $a
International
Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced
Disappearance (2006)
650 17 $a
DISAPPEARANCE
OF PERSONS
650 17 $a TREATIES
710 2_ $a American
Association of Jurists
991 $a A/HRC/1/1 $b 4 $c Implementation of General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006 entitled "Human Rights Council".
In Example 3,
statement of responsibility
appears on document as: Exposición escrita presentada por la Asociación
Americana de Juristas, organización no gubernamental reconocida como
entidad consultiva
especial. The phrase concerning consultative status of the organization
is
omitted from 245 $c.
Transcribe agenda item titles in the title field (tag 245$a)
as they appear on NGO statements of the Commission on Human Rights and
Human Rights Council, as well as in the agenda item field (tag 991).
Example 4:
NGO communication transmitting a declaration
089 $b B21
089 $b A20
191 $a E/2008/NGO/1
$b E/ $c 2008-S
245 10 $a Statement / $c submitted by Sulabh International
520 $a Transmits
"Delhi Declaration on Sanitation" adopted at the World Toilet Summit
held in New Delhi, 2007.
630 07 $a Delhi
Declaration on Sanitation (2007)
650 17 $a SANITATION
650 17 $a
DECLARATIONS
(TEXT)
710 2_ $a Sulabh
International
711 2_ $a World
Toilet
Summit (2007 : New Delhi)
991 $a E/2008/100 $b 2c $c
Annual ministerial review : implementing the internationally agreed
goals and commitments in regard to sustainable development. $d SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT--MINISTERIAL REVIEW $z I0196822
In Example 4,
statement of responsibility
appears on document as: Statement submitted by Sulabh International, a
non-governmental organization in consultative status with the Economic
and
Social Council. The phrase concerning consultative status of the
organization
is omitted from 245 $c.
Agenda item titles are not transcribed in the title field (tag 245$a) of NGO written statements of the Economic and Social Council, but only in the agenda item field (tag 991).
Example 5:
Applications for NGO consultative status
089 $b B19
191 $a
E/C.2/2004/R.2/Add.6 $b E/C.2/
$c 2004
245 10 $a New
applications for consultative status : $b
memorandum / $c by the
Secretary-General
610 27 $a UN. Economic and Social Council
610 27 $a FIA
Foundation for the Automobile and Society
610 27 $a
International
Electric Research Exchange
etc.
650 17 $a
CONSULTATIVE
STATUS
650 17 $a
NON-GOVERNMENTAL
ORGANIZATIONS
710 2_ $a UN.
Secretary-General
In Example 5,
non-governmental organizations are subjects but not authors of the
document.
NGO
written statements are often issued under an agenda item title that is
more
general than the specific topic of the written statement (see, for
instance,
example no. 3 above). Usually, neither a specific title for the written
statement nor a summary appears on the document title page. In that
case, the
indexer should analyze the written statement and summarize the subject
matter or
describe the contents in a summary/annotation note (tag 520). Since NGO written
statements
are usually issued unedited, and without summaries or specific titles,
analysis
of their contents is sometimes challenging; it is helpful to focus on
introductory paragraphs and closing statements in determining the
specific
subject.
In
some cases a specific title for the written statement may be provided
by the submitting
organization, as part of the submitted text. If the title of the
written
statement is precise and specific, the indexer may choose to quote it
(preceded
by an introductory phrase such as Transmits
communication entitled "…") or reformulate it in the summary note.
Titles
of NGO statements are generally not recorded in a Contents Note
(tag 505) or variant title
field (tag 246).
Formulating
a clear summary/annotation note to describe the specific subject or
contents of
a written communication is helpful in selecting appropriate subject
terms. As a
general rule, the subject terms selected should reflect the
summary/annotation
note and not necessarily the more general agenda item title appearing
on the
title page.
Summary
notes describing the contents of written statements commonly begin with
the
word Concerns but other
introductory
verbs are used if appropriate, e.g.:
Addresses, Affirms, Alleges that,
Asserts that, Calls for, Calls upon, Charges that, Condemns, Discusses,
Draws
attention to, Expresses, Presents, Recommends, Requests, States that,
Transmits, Urges, etc.
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Summary notes for NGO
communications concerning human
rights situations
In
formulating summary notes for NGO written statements that concern human
rights
issues in specific countries, the indexer should use language that is
as
neutral as possible, especially since titles and contents of NGO
communications
may contain language that is strongly negative or critical. Accusations
of
human rights violations such as torture, summary or arbitrary
executions, arbitrary
detention, etc., should either be (a) referred to with neutral language
in
summary notes (prisoner treatment,
treatment of detainees,
human rights situation in…,
situation of ….,
etc.;
(b) qualified with terms or phrases such as alleged, allegedly, allegations of, reports of, reported cases of, issue of, problem of, question of, etc.; or (c) it should
be clearly indicated that the language
is that of the submitting NGO either by citing text between quotation
marks or
by using introductory phrases such as Asserts
that…, States that…, Charges that…, etc.
The
standard summary note for a written statement concerning a human rights
situation in a country, without evident focus on a particular aspect or
aspects, is:
520 $a Concerns
human rights situation in [country].
When
a written statement concerns a general human rights situation, but then
focuses
on a specific aspect, a useful formulation for summary notes is:
520 $a Concerns [general
human rights issue], with particular reference to [specific aspect].
If a
written communication transmits a statement
bearing a distinctive title (e.g. Statement
on…, Declaration on…)
consider citing the transmitted statement between
quotation marks instead of formulating a summary note.
Example: A/HRC/11/NGO/48
245 10 $a Human
rights situation in Palestine
and other occupied Arab territories : $b written statement
520
$a Transmits "Joint
statement on Israeli war
crimes in Gaza".
Instead of:
520
$a Concerns Israel's
military offense in Gaza and requests the
Human Rights Council to take action on the issue.
Examples of summary notes
for NGO
communications on human rights issues
520 $a Concerns
human rights situation in Uzbekistan.
520 $a Expresses
deep concern over the situation of human rights and security in Darfur,
Sudan.
520 $a Alleges that
violent crimes are committed by state officials in Myanmar as a result
of absence of
rule of law.
520 $a Transmits
communication entitled "Religious freedom and political prisoners in
Tibet".
520 $a Concerns the
right to housing in China,
with particular reference to the human rights impact of forced
evictions.
For more examples, please follow this .
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Subject terms for NGO
communications concerning human
rights situations: geographic linkage
Since
many NGO communications concern human rights situations in specific
countries,
indexers should refer to the for
guidance concerning linkage of primary subject terms (tag 650 first
indicator 1)
with geographic subject terms for countries.
In general, "negative"
terms for
human rights violations (HUMAN
RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL TREATMENT, SUMMARY
EXECUTIONS,
ARBITRARY EXECUTIONS, ARBITRARY DETENTION, RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE,
RACIAL DISCRIMINATION,
etc.) are not
linked with geographic terms for countries.
"Neutral"
terms are linked with geographic terms for countries: HUMAN
RIGHTS, PRISONER TREATMENT, DETAINED PERSONS, ADMINISTRATION OF
JUSTICE,
ARMED
INCIDENTS, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, RACE RELATIONS, etc.
Examples
of geographic linkage:
650 17 $a PRISONER
TREATMENT
650 17 $a DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
650 17 $a TORTURE
AND OTHER CRUEL TREATMENT
650 17 $a MINORITIES
650 17 $a RELIGIOUS
GROUPS
650 17 $a HUMAN
RIGHTS
650 17 $a IRAN
(ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF)
650 17 $a HUMAN
RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
650 17 $a RELIGIOUS
INTOLERANCE
650 17 $a ARMED
INCIDENTS
650 17 $a THAILAND
650 17 $a EXTRALEGAL
EXECUTIONS
650 17 $a MILITARY
ACTIVITY
650 17 $a BLOCKADE
650 17 $a ISRAEL
650 17 $a GAZA
STRIP
650 17 $a HUMAN
RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
650 17 $a TERRITORIES
OCCUPIED BY ISRAEL
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Last updated: 16 October 2009
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