Apply For Consultative Status

Please follow the steps below to complete your application for consultative status online.

1. Profile registration

Your organization must have a registered profile before starting the application for consultative status. It is important to note the name of your organization must match as is to the name on the certificate of registration of your organization if you are applying for ECOSOC consultative status.

• Add your organizational profile
• Login here with your existing profile

The profile registration will take about 10 minutes. Please fill out all mandatory fields. Once completed, your profile will be reviewed by a substantive officer of DESA NGO Branch. You will be informed by email when your registration has been accepted. As it might take few days for your profile to be approved, please refrain from submitting your profile more than once.

2. Complete the online application

Once you have been notified that your profile registration was accepted, your organization has to fill out the online application form that comprises 22 questions. The online application form can only be accepted in the two UN Secretariat working languages: English and French. All required documents should be submitted on its original language and translated in either of the two above languages if applicable.

Before applying you are strongly advised to check the following link that will provide you with some hints to fill out the form:  
Questionnaire of the Application for Consultative Status

3. Required Documents

The below three mandatory documents are evaluated for conformity with ECOSOC resolution 1996/31 and the Charter of the United Nations before consultative status is obtained:

• Copy of constitution/charter and/or statutes/by-laws and amendments to those documents (pursuant to paragraph 10 of ECOSOC resolution 1996/31).
• Copy of certificate of registration. According to resolution 1996/31 an organization "should attest that it has been in existence for at least two years as at the date of receipt of the application by the Secretariat". Please provide a copy of the registration paper issued by a governmental authority or, if your country does not require registration, please provide another proof of existence issued by a governmental authority.
• Copy of the most recent financial statements.

In addition to the mandatory documents, the following elements are required for attaining consultative status:

• The organization's activities must be relevant to the work of ECOSOC;
• The NGO must have been in existence (officially registered) for at least two years as at the date of receipt of the application by the Secretariat;
• 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.

Complete applications (which include a complete response to all 22 questions and submission of all the required documents) must be received by June 1st of the year before the NGO wishes to be considered for recommendation by the Committee. For example, applications submitted by 1 June 2023 will be taken up by the Committee on NGOs in 2024. Applications received between 2 June 2023 and 1 June 2024 will be taken up in the year 2025.

Login here to submit your application online.

• Click on the Consultative Status tab to start filling out the application form.
• Required documents can be uploaded by using the Documents tab.

4. NGO Branch screening of applications

The period between 2 June and the date the Committee meets is dedicated to an internal review process of all applications received. During this time, the NGO Branch may contact organizations to request further information or clarifications. Once the review is completed, the application is scheduled to be sent to the NGO Committee. The applicant is notified accordingly before the corresponding session begins.

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 them to send no more than two representatives to be present during the session. The presence of NGO representatives is not mandatory nor implies any advantages, they simply have the right to be present when their applications will be considered and are responsible of all costs involved.

5. The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations

The Committee meets twice a year to decide which NGOs applying for consultative status it will recommend to ECOSOC. During its Session, the Committee may ask additional questions to the NGO. Such questions are sent by the NGO Branch. In order to help the Committee to make its decision and avoid getting deferred to future sessions, questions should be replied as soon as possible.

The Committee Recommends

An official notification is sent to all reviewed NGOs, informing them about the Committee's decision. The Committee recommendations is also published in an official report which is submitted to the next ECOSOC meeting for its final approval. The Committee may also decide to defer an application until the next session waiting to receive pending clarifications or answers to questions posed to the NGO.

6. 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).