Economic and Social Justice Council (ECOSOC)
Article 71 of the United Nations (UN) Charter states that “The Economic and Social Council may make suitable arrangements for consultation with non-governmental organizations which are concerned with matters within its competence. Such arrangements may be made with international organizations and, where appropriate, with national organizations after consultation with the Member of the United Nations concerned.”
This paved the way for civil society to engage with the UN and gain consultative status. There are three categories of status: General, Special and Roster consultative status.
ECOSOC accreditation allows us to participate in UN proceedings by:
- Attending UN Forums, conferences, commissions, briefings
- Submitting written statements and delivering oral statements
- Sponsoring events inside and near UN Headquarters
- Meeting with diplomats
- Making formal or informal recommendations on new UN declarations and resolutions during negotiations
- Submitting reports and comments to national review processes (e.g. CEDAW, Voluntary National Reviews on SDGs, Universal Periodic Review at Human Rights Council)
IBVM/CJ NGO was granted ECOSOC Special Consultative Status in 2015.
Feature Image: Cecilia O’Dwyer ibvm, Cynthia Mathew cj, Francesca Torcasio Barberis (intern) and Soria Nongtdu ibvm (Director of Rainbow Homes, Kolkata) at the 2020 Commission for Social Development.
