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Download
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Application
package:
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Application
form *
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Appendix
(summary) *
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Constitution/charter
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Statutes/by-laws
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Certificate
of registration
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Recent
financial statement
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Publications
samples
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*
Application and appendix must also be submitted by e-mail (.doc or
.rtf files) to desangosection@un.org.
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Please
submit applications in English or French only.
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Supporting
documents in other languages must be translated.
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If a
document is too long a translated summary may be accepted.
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Publications
can be submitted in their language of origin.
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1
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First a letter of intent:
To begin the process of
applying for consultative status, an organization must submit a letter
of intent to the NGO Section. of the Department of Economic and Social
Affairs (DESA), also known as the Secretariat. The letter should be on
the organization's letterhead and signed by its secretary-general or
president.
This letter of intent is important! Please send the letter to:
DESA NGO Section
One UN Plaza. Room DC1-1480
New York, NY 10017
tel: (1-212) 963-8652
fax: (1-212) 963-9248
desangosection@un.org
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2
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The Application: Questionnaire + Summary +
Supporting Documents:
Once the NGO section
receives the letter of intent, it will mail the application package containing
the questionnaire and all the background materials to the organization.
The application and questionnaire is then completed by the NGO applying
for status. Questions regarding the correct completion of the
application and questionnaire should be directed to the NGO Section.
The applications forms are also available for download at the documents
section of this site.
Applications are only accepted in one of the UN Secretariat working
languages: English or French.
Completed applications must be received by the first day of June of the
year preceding the year the NGO wants to be considered for
recommendation by the Committee. For example, complete applications,
(which include a completed questionnaire and all the required
supporting documentation) received by the NGO Section before 1st June
2008, will be taken up by the Committee on NGOs in the year 2009.
Applications received between the 1st June 2008 and 1st June 2009 will
be taken up in the year 2010.
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3
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NGO Section screening of applications:
The period between 1st June
and the date the Committee meets is dedicated by the NGO Section to
review the applications. During this time the NGO may be contacted and
asked for more information or clarifications. Only after reviewed by an
officer and considered complete, an application is submitted to the NGO
Committee.
When an application becomes part of the agenda of the NGO Committee a
letter is sent to the NGO informing them of the upcoming session and
inviting to send no more than two representatives to be present during
the session. The presence of NGO representatives in the room is in no
way mandatory and it does not imply any advantages. NGOs simply have
the right to be present when their applications are being considered.
Considering the cost involved in traveling to New York most NGOs do not
attend the first time they are being considered. If the application
raises many questions from member countries and gets deferred to
another session, NGOs might consider useful to be present at the following
session in order to be able to reply in person and avoid being deferred
again.
Among other requirements for obtaining consultative status are the
following:
- Applying
organization's activities must be relevant to the work of ECOSOC;
- The NGO must
have been in existence (officially registered) for at least 2
years in order to apply;
- The NGO must
have a democratic decision making mechanism;
- The major
portion of the organization’s funds should be derived from
contributions from national affiliates, individual members, or
other non-governmental components.
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The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations:
The Committee meets twice a
year to decide which NGOs applying for consultative status it will recommend
to the ECOSOC Council. At any time, the Committee may ask questions to
the NGO. Such questions are immediately faxed to the NGO by the
Secretariat and should be replied by the NGO as fast as possible in
order to help the Committee make a decision and avoid getting deferred
to future sessions.
The main tasks of the Committee are:
- The
consideration of applications for consultative status and requests
for reclassification submitted by NGOs;
- The
consideration of quadrennial reports submitted by NGOs in General
and Special categories;
- The
implementation of the provisions of Council resolution 1996/31 and
the monitoring of the consultative relationship;
- Any other issues
which the ECOSOC may request the Committee to consider.
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The Committee only recommends:
The Committee
recommendations are published in a report and submitted to the next
ECOSOC meeting for final approval. Official notification is sent to all
reviewed NGOs, informing them about the Committee's recommendation.
The Committee may recommend a different category than the status
requested by the NGO. Also, the Committee may decide to defer an
application review until the next session, waiting for clarifications
and answers to questions asked to the NGO.
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ECOSOC final decision:
When the Council finally approves the Committee
recommendation to grant consultative status to an NGO, official
notification is sent by the Secretariat. NGOs granted General or
Special consultative status must submit to the Committee on Non-Governmental
Organizations, every fourth year, a brief report of their activities,
in particular regarding their contribution to the work of the United
Nations (Quadrennial Report).
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