Within a matter of days, the Watchtower Society preemptively withdrew from the UN to avoid a formal investigation. A spokesman for the Society, Paul Gillies, issued an official response to The Guardian , claiming the newspaper had "substantially misrepresented" the facts. He offered two main explanations for the affiliation:
The internal letters sent by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses to branch offices explaining the UN association were leaked to the public shortly after the event. Within a matter of days, the Watchtower Society
During these nine years, the organization was formally listed as an NGO associated with the UN. To maintain this status, the NGO was required to: Support the principles of the UN Charter. During these nine years, the organization was formally
To understand the depth of the controversy, one must examine what was required of an NGO to maintain status with the UN DPI during the 1990s. According to official UN documentation from that era, accredited NGOs were expected to meet specific criteria: According to official UN documentation from that era,
The revelation that the parent corporation had willingly held an active partnership with the UN for nine years caused many members to experience a crisis of faith, leading to a wave of voluntary resignations and excommunications. 5. Free Download: Access the Exclusive NGO Documents
Jehovah's Witnesses have several reasons for not engaging with the United Nations: