"It became necessary to register as an NGO"
The letter to the branches reiterates the Watchtower’s original claim that they sought membership as an NGO solely to gain access to the UN’s library. Specifically, the Governing Body stated:
“Our purpose in registering with the Department of Public Information as a non-governmental organization (NGO) in 1991 was to have access to research material available on health, ecological and social problems available at the United Nations library facilities. We had been using the library for many years prior to 1991, but in that year it became necessary to register as an NGO to have continued access.”
Bethel has assuredly made extensive use of the UN library. The Watchtower and Awake magazines are loaded with hundreds of statistics and facts drawn from dozens of UN agencies and officials. Also, there are many photos published in the magazines that are accredited to the UN/DPI archives. So, there is no question that the Watchtower has been making use of the UN archives for many years—as they state. But, upon investigation it turns out that admittance to the United Nations’ library was not restricted to NGOs at all, as the Watchtower claims—at least not before September 11th, 2001.
According to a direct e-mail response from the head librarian's office at the UN's Dag Hammarskjöld Library, temporary passes were originally granted to qualified scholars and researchers without their being representatives of an organization with associateNGO status. Only recently, as a result of increased security in the aftermath of the September 11th terror attacks in New York City has the UN disallowed all but UN officials from accessing the facility—NGO representatives are the exception. Of course, the Watchtowerwas associated with the United Nations as an NGO long before 9-11, and only disassociated itself one month afterwards.
Besides the fact that the Dag Hammarskjöld Library was not restricted to NGOs, there are numerous other ways that individuals and organizations can gather information about the United Nations. One way is through the provision of over 400 UN-sponsored depository libraries around the world. Depository libraries are typically university libraries with a small section devoted to archiving UN materials. In addition to depository libraries the UN also maintains a network of Information Centers (UNICs) around the world; these serve as field offices for the DPI. Their purpose is to make information available to journalists and researchers who do not have access to the Dag Hammarskjöld Library. Not only that, but in recent years the United Nations has made an enormous amount of documents available online. There are also numerous UN publications available for purchase.
The assertion that in 1991 “it became necessary to register as an NGO” is verifiably not true. The Governing Body’s letter to the branches goes on to state:
“Registration papers filed with the United Nations that we have on file contain no statements that conflict with our Christian beliefs.”
The branch overseers have been led to believe that becoming an associate NGO is simply a matter of filling out a few registration papers and that there should be nothing objectionable about it to the Christian consciences of Jehovah’s Witnesses. However, there is much more to becoming an approved NGO than merely signing a few registration forms. This writer contacted the DPI by email and was informed by that office that it was standard procedure in 1992 (the year the Watchtower was accepted as a NGO) for the DPI to send new members a brochure and welcome letter restating exactly what was expected of NGOs. Among other things the letter stated:
"The principle purpose of association of non-governmental organizations with the United Nations Department of Public Information is the redissemination of information in order to increase public understanding of the principles, activities and achievements of the United Nations and its Agencies. Consequently, it is important that you should keep us informed about your organization's information programme as it relates to the United Nations, including sending us issues of your relevant publications. We are enclosing a brochure on the "The United Nations and Non-Governmental Organizations," which will give you some information regarding the NGO relationship."
Contrary to the Watchtower’s denial, the information provided to them by the DPI clearly does contain statements that “conflict with our Christian beliefs”! Are Jehovah’s Witnesses expected to believe that the Watchtower’s Legal Department failed to scrutinize these documents or that the two required signers of the registration application committed the entire organization to a political alliance with the United Nations without any consideration or discussion of the ramifications?
Even more unsettling, the Watchtower implies that the United Nations changed the criteria of association and the language of the application after the Watchtower had originally applied to become an NGO without their knowledge; so that the registration papers they had on file were not up to date. The branch letter states:
“Still, the Criteria for Association of NGOs—at least in their latest version—contain language that we cannot subscribe to. When we realized this, we immediately withdrew our registration. We are grateful this matter was brought to our attention.”
The above statement also appears to be false. If not, then let the Watchtower produce the original documents, which they say they have on file, that supposedly do not contain language that conflicts with the faith of Jehovah’s Witnesses. According to the Department of Public Information the criterion for NGOs was originally established back in 1968. Under the subheading, “When did the DPI Relationship with NGOs begin?” we read:
“In 1968, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), by resolution 1297 (XLIV) of 27 May, called on DPI to associate NGOs, bearing in mind the letter and spirit of its resolution 1296 (XLIV) of 23 May 1968, which stated that an NGO “...shall undertake to support the work of the UN and to promote knowledge of its principles and activities, in accordance with its own aims and purposes and the nature and scope of its competence and activities”.
By innuendo the Watchtower seeks to give the impression that only the “latest version” of the UN’s “Criteria of Association of NGOs” is objectionable. But the facts show otherwise. For an organization that seemingly doted on the UN’s every utterance in recent years to claim to be ignorant of the basic relationship between NGOs and the DPI is simply incredible.
The Watchtower is also neglecting to acknowledge that every NGO must choose at least one category of NGOs with which they wish to be associated, and NGOs are also regularly required to update their NGO application and state their particular field of interest. (For example women’s issues, education, disarmament, environmental, human rights, etc.) And in so doing, in 1997 the Society changed the scope of their interest in the UN to include human rights issues. This indicates that Bethel knew that their association with the DPI meant that the UN and numerous other NGOs recognized the Watchtower as having an interest in promoting specific UN-related issues. And the facts show that the Watchtower did exactly that.
It stretches credulity beyond limit to believe that key officers of the Watchtower naively registered the organization with the United Nations as an NGO, not realizing it was a violation of our political neutral. The Watchtower Society even considers it an act of apostasy for any of Jehovah’s Witnesses to join the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) in order to simply use the exercise facilities. Here is how a question from readers was answered in the January 1st, 1979, issue of the Watchtower concerning membership in the YMCA:
“In joining the YMCA as a member a person accepts or endorses the general objectives and principles of the organization. He is not simply paying for something he receives, such as when buying things being sold to the public at a store. Nor is his membership merely an entry pass, as when a person buys a theater ticket. Membership means that one has become an integral part of this organization founded with definite religious objectives, including the promotion of interfaith. Hence, for one of Jehovah’s Witnesses to become a member of such a so-called “Christian” association would amount to apostasy.”
If becoming a member of the YMCA means that the joiner “accepts or endorses the general objectives and principles of the organization,” and their “membership means that one has become an integral part of [that] organization,” amounting to apostasy, shouldn’t the Watchtower hold itself to the same exacting standard when it comes to becoming political partners with the United Nations—even if it was supposedly just for the purpose of using their library facilities?
On one hand, the Watchtower insists that an individual’s membership at the YMCA is not merely an entry pass but constitutes a general acceptance and endorsement of that organization’s religious principles. But when it comes to the Society itself, the Governing Body maintains that the Watchtower’s membership with the UN/DPI amounted to nothing more than acquiring a library pass.
But did the Watchtower actually engage in a political partnership with the United Nations? To answer that question it is necessary to establish what an NGO is. So, what exactly is an NGO anyway?
