WASHINGTON - The United Nations' Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) has recommended consultative status for the International Paint and Printing Ink Council (IPPIC), an alliance of coatings and ink manufacturing associations from around the world.

The NPCA, which serves as Secretariat for the IPPIC, said the UN committee's approval will be submitted to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for final endorsement. The NPCA said obtaining NGO status before the UN will allow the council "to act as an advocate for the paint and printing ink industry on a myriad of global safety, health and environmental issues."

The association said it views the committee's decision as a "significant validation of IPPIC's mission, as well as its prior accomplishments and future initiatives." The UN committee's action capped a three-year effort by the NPCA and the IPPIC.

The IPPIC was approved as a "Roster Category NGO," under which the council can "make useful contributions to the work of ECOSOC or its subsidiary bodies," the NPCA said. The NPCA said the IPPIC will begin to plan how it will initiate and expand its work with the ECOSOC and its agencies as an official NGO.

The IPPIC is an alliance of paint and printing-ink industry associations from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, Japan, Mexico and the United States. The council was established to provide a forum for the industry to fully discuss and coordinate the development of global industry policy on critical international issues.