Eligibility

NGOs without ECOSOC accreditation can, however, organize and attend parallel events held outside UN premises, for example in the Church Center. To do so, they should contact the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, which is a group of New York-based women’s NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC.

Invitation

Invitations to ECOSOC-accredited NGOs were sent out by e-mail on 20 October 2008. Should an e-mail not reach its destination, DAW sends the invitation by fax or regular post.
Please note that DAW only sends invitation and confirmation letters to the organization’s e-mail or postal address or fax numbers that appear in the DESA NGO Section database of ECOSOC-accredited NGOs. The DESA NGO Section should be notified of any changes to an organization’s official e-mail or postal address, or fax or telephone number at: desangosection@un.org.

In addition, the invitation is included in the DESA NGO Section’s package that is mailed out in November to all NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC.

Pre-registration and registration

Pre-registration

• Organization login ID and passwords are strictly confidential. NGOs should not give their organization login ID or password to any other organization. Giving an organization login ID and password to another organization would allow the recipient organization to tamper with the data.
• When pre-registration has been done online, please do not send any duplicate pre-registration forms by fax or regular post as this will only delay the processing of the information.
• It may take up to three business days to process pre-registrations as well as subsequent changes.

Instructions for changing / editing names of representatives who have already been pre-registered

Organizations can review and change the names of their pre-registered representatives on-line by logging-in on the login page.

Names and contact details of representatives can be edited by clicking on the relevant name.

Organizations can also "un-register" representatives by clicking on the (unlist icon) button.

Substitutions/corrections can also be made through a faxed request to DAW. Please note that a faxed request will only be processed by DAW if the request is made on stationery with the official NGO letterhead AND includes the organization login ID and password. Please note that delays in processing requests made by fax may be unavoidable.

Pre-registration questions

All pre-registration-related questions should be sent to the official CSW e-mail address. The subject line should read “CSW pre-registration.”

Travel and visa arrangements

Pre-sessional roundtable discussions

Written statements

Written statements to CSW may be submitted by ECOSOC-accredited NGOs on the thematic issues considered by CSW in accordance with ECOSOC resolution 1996/31. These statements are submitted months prior to any session in order to allow time for processing and issuance of the statements as official United Nations documents for the Commission.

• Written statements shall be submitted in one of the official languages of the United Nations (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish). Organizations wishing to submit their statement in more than one official language must specify which language version is the original, and which other language versions are to be used as references for translation;
• Statements by organizations in general consultative status should not exceed 2000 words; statements by organizations in special consultative status should not exceed 1500 words;
• Please note that the word count should include the required title and agenda item;
  
  Please use attached sample
• The list of signatories (all of whom must be ECOSOC-accredited organizations) should appear in alphabetical order;
• The names of organizations should be written as they appear on the DESA NGO Section’s database;
• Statements should be submitted in their final form. Once submitted they will immediately enter the processing procedure;
• Statements should be written in a Times New Roman text font, size 12.
• Statements should be submitted as Word documents with ‘NGO name written statement’ as the filename; and
• Statements should be e-mailed to the official CSW e-mail address, with 'Written statement / Name of NGO' in the subject line.

Oral statements

• the topic(s) covered by the statement (in summary form)
• the organization(s)
• the name of the speaker
• the speaker's e-mail contact address
• the speaker's local (New York) telephone contact number

Procedural details will be posted at a later date.

Interventions should not exceed three minutes.

These interventions should NOT be in the form of prepared statements and NGOs are therefore not required to submit copies of such interventions. Interventions must be focused on the issue being considered. Inputs on other issues will not be accomodated. Theses interventions may take the form of comments or questions to the experts on the panels.

Parallel events

Parallel events held in the Church Center and other locations

Parallel events organized by NGOs take place outside UN premises, usually in the Church Center (located at the intersection of 44th Street and First Avenue, across from the UN Secretariat building). NGOs, both with and without ECOSOC accreditation, may organize and attend these events. No equipment (computers, projectors, etc) will be provided. NGOs organizing the events can however bring their own equipment.

The procedure to request a parallel event differs depending on whether an NGO is accredited with ECOSOC or not.

ECOSOC-accredited NGOs wishing to organize a parallel event during the CSW session should do so via the Parallel Event Request System for NGOs, using the organization login ID and password indicated in the invitation letter.

Non-ECOSOC-accredited NGOs should send their requests directly to the NGO Committee on the Status of Women.

Calendar of parallel events

A calendar of all parallel events organized by Permanent Missions, UN entities, and NGOs is posted on the DAW web site one week prior to the CSW session, and updated regularly.

If NGOs organize parallel events in venues other than the Church Center, the organizer is encouraged to inform both DAW and the NGO Committee on the Status of Women in order to have the events listed in the calendar of events.