UK pressed on Treaty consultation issue

The General Secretary of the Celtic League has asked the UK Prime minister, David Cameron, to ensure that the Celtic League is included in UK government consultations in respect of UN Treaty reporting.

The move follows an exchange of correspondence, earlier this year, between the Celtic League Director of Information and the Ministry of Justice.

The Celtic League was accorded NGO roster status by the UN this year and the GS says that "as an organisation our membership is keen to use our new Roster status to make more of a significant contribution to the work of the UN".

The League is hoping to send its first NGO delegate to the 16th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva early next year.

"Dear Prime Minister Cameron

United Kingdom (UN) Treaty Consultations

The Celtic League has facilitated contact with United Nations (UN) accredited bodies on a number of different issues over a significant period of time and in July 2010 the United Nations Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) voted to grant the Celtic League Roster status.

As an organisation our membership is keen to use our new Roster status to make more of a significant contribution to the work of the UN. As a relatively small organisation the Celtic League nevertheless actively campaigns on a broad number of issues ranging from the socio-economic, cultural and environmental to the monitoring of human rights and military activity. We have branches in all six Celtic countries and pan-jurisdictional representation across the area of the United Kingdom government and have commentated extensively on issues that involve the UK Government from a local to international level.

In November 2010 we were pleased to receive an invitation from the Government Equalities Office to attend the Government's Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women event, but we were unfortunately unable to make it on this occasion. We have also been placed on the (UK) Ministry of Justice contact list for NGO's to be consulted on matters relating to UN Treaties. We would therefore appreciate it if your Office could instruct its different departments that have responsibility for UN Treaties, to also add us to their contact lists for consultation purposes. In order to fulfil our commitment as an organisation with Roster status with ECOSOC, the Celtic League would like to be added as to the list of members of Civil Society invited to consult on all UN Treaties, including ILO, UNAEA etc.

I would also like to add that the League has been dissatisfied in the past about the low priority the UK Government seems to have given to UN Treaty information dissemination. I would like to urge you therefore, as a matter of urgency, to review this procedure so that democratic accountability is ensured.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Rhisiart Tal-e-bot

General Secretary

Celtic League"

This article prepared for Celtic News by Rhisiart Tal-e-bot General Secretary Celtic League. For follow-up comment or clarification contact:

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gensec@celticleague.net

J B Moffatt (Mr)

Director of Information

Celtic League

09/12/10