CONGO - Services for UN Accredited NGO's


The Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations

Millennium Development Goals & Millennium+5

57th Sub- Commission on Human Rights

WSIS

CONGO Board Meetings & General Assembly

LAC Consultation on MDGs

Asian Civil Society Forum 2004

High Level Panel

Sub-Commission on Human Rights

Commission on Status of Women

CONGO contribution to ECOSOC

CONGO Newsletters

President's page

ASSISTS a great variety of nongovernmental organizations in consultative status to promote their common aim of supporting the United Nations Charter
WORKS on behalf of nongovernmental organizations in consultative status to develop that status and improve their relationship and cooperation with the United Nations and its various organs
PROVIDES a forum for nongovernmental organizations with common interests to come together to study, plan, support, and act in relation to the principles and programmes of the United Nations

CONGO's mandate is to:

Safeguard the rights of NGOs to speak, and have their voices heard at the UN

Assist its members with access and participation at UN legislative processes

Facilitate dialogue between the UN and NGOs

Inform CONGO members of UN and NGO activities and initiatives

Disseminate information on CONGO members' activities

Strengthen NGO activities through the presence of CONGO NGO Committees

Create NGO partnerships and networks in and among regions

For over 50 years, CONGO (The Conference of NGOs in consultative relationship with the United Nations), has been actively promoting the involvement of NGOs in the working of the United Nations. Today, we are reaching out to NGOs around the world, in particular from developing countries, both to be strengthened ourselves by their presence at the United Nations, and to facilitate and strengthen their efforts to relate more effectively to the important matters treated in United Nations forums. We hope to be able to strengthen national NGO voices at both global and regional levels, to help build a stronger civil society, in support of the consensus that emerged from world conferences of the past decade and in many ways exemplified in the Declaration of the Millennium Summit. These collective voices will also help to build regional partners for CONGO, reflecting diversity of issues, culture, ethnicity and geography, looking forward to a 21st century of social justice, equality and peace.

Following the recommendations of the Millennium Forum Declaration and Agenda for Action, CONGO has decided to put the spotlight on Africa, Asia and Latin America and focus its activities on NGOs in these regions. CONGO helped to initiate a process to have African NGOs, in particular African women's voices heard during a series of roundtable/panel discussions on topics such as Sustainable Development, HIV/AIDS, Armed Conflict and Women as Peace Brokers, and racism. The objective was to give high visibility to the work done by African NGOs at local and regional level and to collect their recommendations for input into UN deliberation, including into the ECOSOC High level Segment.

For more information about CONGO, go to Who We Are

Join CONGO by filling out the CONGO membership application form for 2005 in English and French

Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations

11, Avenue De La Paix, 1st Floor, 1202 Genéve, Suisse • Post: CP 50, 1211 Genéve 20, Suisse
Tel: +41 22 301 1000 • Fax: +41 22 301 2000 • email: congo@ngocongo.org

The Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations is an independent, international, not-for-profit membership association of nongovernmental organizations that facilitates the participation of NGOs in United Nations debates and decisions. CONGO is most active in the major UN centers of New York, Geneva, and Vienna, but extends its work to all regions of the world.

Since its founding in 1948, CONGO has worked to ensure that NGO voices are heard throughout the international arena. CONGO's role in mobilizing NGOs to form the first worldwide NGO forum on human rights in 1968, its role in conceiving forms of NGO participation in UN world conferences and its advocacy on behalf of NGOs at UN Headquarters highlight CONGO's major objectives: to ensure that NGOs are present when governments discuss issues of global concern at the United Nations and to facilitate NGO discussions on such issues.

CONGO does not take positions on substantive matters. However, the Conference does provide, through special and ad hoc NGO Committees, fora for discussion of substantive matters by its members and members of the UN Secretariat, UN delegations, and other experts.

CONGO's membership comprises national, regional and international nongovernmental organizations in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). CONGO associate membership is open to NGOs associated with the United Nations system but not holding consultative status. Members represent a vital range of interests, including human rights, gender, peace and disarmament, social justice, governance, environment and sustainable development. CONGO and its members collaborate with the larger community of nongovernmental organizations through standing NGO committees, which follow issues of key substantive interest to NGOs.

CONGO 2004 Annual Report: Click here to download. (7.7 Meg PDF file.)

CONGO LOGO GRAPHIC: CONGO's logo can be used in publications with proper attribution. Higher resolution versions of the logo are available in TIFF and JPG formats. (Right click or use "ctrl"+click to save image to your computer.)