9 May 2023 - Ever since its inception in 1945, the United Nations has been actively engaged with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and has recognized the importance of partnering with them to advance the organization’s ideals and help support its work. 

These organizations come from all over the world and work in many different areas including education, health, poverty eradication, human rights, gender equality and indigenous issues.

Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, NGOs have played a fundamental role as partners on the ground  ̶  something that was recognized by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in a town hall meeting with NGO representatives, when he said, “Recovering better goes beyond governments. The private sector, academia, institutions of all kinds and civil society must be fully engaged. It is essential to protect and expand civic space so that civil society organizations can play their full part.”

As the 2023 SDG Summit in September will be the mid-point review of the implementation of the SDGs, different stakeholders will be brought together  ̶  including civil society  ̶  to assess their progress and to provide major guidance on substantial actions leading up to the 2030 deadline for achieving the SDGs.

Back in 1946, only 41 NGOs were granted consultative status by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). This number has grown, and today, 6,343 NGOs enjoy this status with the Council. Consultative status is a formal relationship between NGOs and the United Nations that allows NGOs to participate in the organization’s work. The ECOSOC is the main entry point into the UN system for NGOs and it has a formal framework for their participation.

And what are the benefits for NGOs having this status? NGOs that are accredited with ECOSOC consultative status can participate in many events, including, but not limited to, regular ECOSOC sessions, its functional commissions, and its other subsidiary bodies. In addition, they can also attend official meetings; submit written statements prior to sessions; make oral statements; meet official government delegations, UN officers and other NGO representatives; organize and attend parallel events that take place during the session; and participate in debates, interactive dialogues and panel discussions.

The NGO Branch of UN DESA is inviting all interested NGOs that are willing to work in close collaboration with ECOSOC to apply for consultative status. Deadline to submit applications for the 2024 ECOSOC session is on 1 June 2023.

For more information, please visit UN DESA’s NGO Branch website. Click here on instructions on how to apply.