New York, July 2011. The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations Organization, in the General Session of July 2011 in Geneva, adopted the recommendation of the Committee for Non-Governmental Organizations based in New York to grant the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George under the Grand Master of HRH The Duke of Castro, Consultative Status starting 1 August 2011.
This move followed the United Nation’s committee’s appreciation of the many humanitarian activities undertaken by the Order throughout the world in favour of those less fortunate in society. These include the assistance given by the Order to hospitals and care institutions such as the Hospital “Bambin Gesù” in Rome, the Civil Hospital in Nice, Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco, and projects now being finalised for the construction of a molecular biology laboratory in the American Hospital of Paris and a pioneering initiative at the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic in Rome. In addition, particular appreciation was given to the construction of the Hospital of the Catholic Diocese of Hoima in Uganda, thanks to the important contributions of the Constantinian Delegations of Sicily and Switzerland.
Apart from the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, which has a special international status, the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George is the only Italian Order of Chivalry to be awarded this special recognition by the United Nations which authorises it to entertain relations with the Secretary General of the United Nations, the General Assembly and all other U.N. Agencies and Institutions in the world and the 193 UN Member States.
The special status granted by the United Nations authorises the Constantinian Order to appoint official representatives to the UN institutions in New York, Geneva and Vienna, and to grant them the power of access to the centres of project developments with written and oral interventions, acquisition and distribution of documents and the use of any conference or meeting rooms.
The Constantinian Order will have to draw up its own report on the activities undertaken, which must be presented no later than January 1, 2015, which is the end of the renewable four year term, 2011-2014.
The Grand Master of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order has appointed John Leopold Fiorilla di Santa Croce, as Head of the Constantinian Delegation in New York with the new Delegation Office being situated at 555 Park Avenue.
H.E. Ambassador Giuseppe Balboni Acqua, Secretary General of the Order, was appointed Deputy Head of the Delegation, who is in turn charged with the Order’s relations with the institutions of the UN in Geneva, where he previously served for more than three years as Ambassador of Italy and Head of the Italian Delegation to the Conference of Disarmament. The Grand Master will make further appointments to the Constantinian Order Representation at a later date.