Global Alliance for Justice Education United Nations ECOSOC Consultative Status Policies and Guidelines
Timeline and Approval
In 2022 the GAJE steering committee authorized select GAJE members to produce and submit an application to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for special consultative status. On Aug. 8, 2023 the UN formally approved GAJE’s application. Following this approval the GAJE Steering Committee created the GAJE UN-ECOSOC Committee to develop policies for the organization’s engagement with the UN, monitor the relationship, propose action items for the Steering Committee with respect to this status, and prepare and submit required reports to ECOSOC.
What is ECOSOC?
ECOSOC is a forum for the coordination of the social, economic, and environmental development work of the United Nations. The Council brings together the work of “a diverse family of subsidiary bodies and UN entities dedicated to sustainable development, providing overall guidance and coordination.” ECOSOC at a Glance . The Council includes a variety of regional commissions as well as functional commissions, expert bodies, and specialized agencies focused on particular issues.
What is Special Consultative Status?
ECOSOC is the only UN body with a formal process for consultation with non- governmental entities. The framework for this consultation is governed by ECOSOC Resolution 1996/31 which defines three different kinds of consultative status: General, Special, and Roster. General Consultative Status is reserved for organizations whose work covers “most of the activities of the Council and its subsidiary bodies” (Resolution 1996/31 ¶ 22), meaning that these are usually very large NGOs that engage in a wide variety of social and economic relief and development work. Special Consultative Status may be granted to “organizations that have a special competence in, and are concerned specifically with, only a few of the fields of activity covered by the Council and its subsidiary bodies, and that are known within the fields for which they have or seek consultative status.” Resolution 1996/31 ¶ 23. GAJE has been granted Special Consultative Status (Roster Status is granted to organizations that are granted neither General or Special Status, but whom the
Secretary-General feels can make “occasional and useful contributions” to the work of ECOSOC. Resolution 1996/31 ¶ 24).
The main differences in the rights and responsibilities of organizations in General and
Special Consultative Status are the following: (1) organizations with General Consultative Status may propose agenda items to the ECOSOC high level segment and meetings of ECOSOC subsidiary bodies, while this privilege is not granted to organizations in Special Consultative Status (Id. at ¶¶ 28 and 34); (2) organizations with General Consultative status can submit longer written statements than those in Special Consultative status to ECOSOC (2,000 words v. 500 words) and its subsidiary bodies (2,000 words v. 1,500 words) (Id. at ¶¶ 31 and 37); and
(3) organizations in Special Consultative Status have more limited opportunities to make oral presentations at meetings of the ECOSOC Council (Id. at ¶ 32(a)).
Whatever the status of the organization, Resolution 1996/31 notes that any “arrangements for consultation made with each organization should relate to the subjects for which that organization has a special competence or in which it has a special interest.” Id. at ¶ 20.
Ways to Engage
Grounds Passes for UN Offices in New York, Geneva, and Vienna
Every NGO with consultative status may receive up to 7 annual passes for its representatives to gain access to UN premises in each of its principal locations (meaning 7 persons for New York, 7 for Geneva, and 7 for Vienna). Out of the 7, two of these passes are reserved for the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Administrative Officer of the organizations. Requests for passes that do not include the nomination of at least one of these officers will be denied. UNITED NATIONS, WORKING WITH ECOSOC: A NGOS GUIDE TO CONSULTATIVE STATUS
18 (2018), here . Passes can be requested online here: https://ecosoc.un.org/ en/ngo/ grounds -pass .
Attendance at Meetings
Organizations in Special Consultative Status may “designate authorized representatives to sit as observers at public meetings of the Council and its subsidiary bodies” including UN commissions and other “subsidiary organs of the Council.” ECOSOC Resolution 1996/31, Part IV, ¶ 29 and Part V, ¶ 35.
The Council itself conducts meetings on a July to July cycle including meetings of the following segments: Operational Activities for Development Segment (Late Feb.-Early March), Humanitarian Affairs Segment (June), “a High-level Segment held in July that includes the three- day ministerial meeting of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF)” (July), the Development Cooperation Forum (every other year), the Forum on Financing for Development (April or May), dedicated coordination and management meetings (held periodically throughout the year), the Integration Segment (May), informal Youth Forum (Jan.), and informal Partnership Forum (April). WORKING WITH ECOSOC at 4.
Subsidiary bodies of the Council meet regularly throughout the year. A list and description of many of these subsidiary bodies can be found in WORKING WITH ECOSOC at 9–15.
Written Statements
An organization in Special Consultative Status may submit written statements to the Council and/or to Commissions and other subsidiary bodies of ECOSOC related to “subjects for which these organizations have a special competence.” ECOSOC Resolution 1996/31, Part IV, ¶¶
30–31 and Part V, ¶¶ 36–37. Such statements will be circulated by the Secretary-General after a consultative process between the organization and the Secretary-General’s office. Id. at ¶¶ 31(b– c), 37 (b–c).
A written statement by an organization in Special Consultative Status should be limited to
500 words if submitted to the Council itself, Id. at ¶ (31(e)), and 1,500 words if submitted to a
Commission or subsidiary body, Id. at ¶ (37(e)).
Oral Presentations During Meetings
Organizations in Special Consultative Status may only make oral presentations at meetings of the Council where no subsidiary body of the Council has “jurisdiction in a major field of interest to the Council and to organizations in special consultative status” and where the Council Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations recommends such an oral presentation. ECOSOC Resolution 1996/31, Part IV, ¶ 32(a).
Organizations in Special Consultative Status may initiate oral consultation with one of the Council’s Commissions or subsidiary bodies and may be heard at one of the public meetings of the same. Id. at Part V, ¶ 38(a).
Production of Special Studies Upon Request
From time to time Commissions or other subsidiary bodies of the Council may solicit organizations in consultative status to produce special studies in an area where the organization has “special competence.” ECOSOC Resolution 1996/31, Part V, ¶ 39. In such instances, the word limits for written statements noted above do not apply. Id.
Consultation with ADHOC Committees of the Council
From time to time certain ad hoc committees of the Council may meet between sessions of the Council. Organizations in Special Consultative Status may consult with these ad hoc committees following the same provisions outlined for consultation with Commissions and other subsidiary bodies outlined above. ECOSOC Resolution 1996/31, Part VI, ¶ 40
Participation in International Conferences Convened by the UN
Upon application and subject to the approval of UN member states, organizations in Special Consultative Status may receive accreditation to attend international conferences convened by the UN. ECOSOC Resolution 1996/31, Part VII, ¶¶ 41–42.
Consultation with the Secretariat (ECOSOC Resolution 1996/31, Part X, Pas. 64–70)
Finally, the Secretariat of the Council is to be organized in such a way that organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC may consult directly with “officers of the appropriate sections of the Secretariat on matters in which there is a mutual interest or a mutual concern.” ECOSOC Resolution 1996/31, Part X, ¶ 65. This kind of direct consultation with officers of the Secretariat may be initiated by either the organization or the Secretary-General. Id.
Policies and Guidelines
- Participation in Events and Meetings: The GAJE UN-ECOSOC Committee shall monitor meetings and events of the Council and its subsidiary bodies and may propose to the Steering Committee attendance by GAJE representatives at those meetings and events that have a particular resonance with GAJE’s mission and purpose. Consistent with its designation in Special Consultative Status, GAJE should only send representatives to meetings and events that pertain to its particular expertise, especially those related to
justice education or “forms of social, economic, political and human rights” that may be addressed through justice education. See GAJE Constitution § 2.
- Nominating Representatives: On an annual basis and on January of every year, The GAJE UN-ECOSOC Committee shall nominate to the Steering Committee members to obtain ground passes for UN Offices and to attend events and meetings of ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies.
- Letters of Support for Third Party Funding to Attend Events and Meetings: GAJE will not provide funding for individuals to travel to and attend UN events on GAJE’s behalf. However, at the request of the GAJE UN-ECOSOC Committee, the Steering Committee may approve the issuing of a letter of support for select GAJE members who have access to other institutional financial support (i.e. academic research/conference participation funding) to attend such events.
- Attending Meetings and Making Oral Statements – All GAJE representatives approved by the Steering Committee and with GAJE UN Passes can attend meetings and events on behalf of GAJE. GAJE UN-ECOSOC Committee members may volunteer to be the GAJE designated authorized representatives to sit as observers at public meetings of the Council and its subsidiary bodies including UN commissions and other subsidiary organs of the Council. GAJE representatives will observe meetings and report observations to the GAJE UN-ECOSOC Committee. If more GAJE UN-ECOSOC Committee members desire to attend than are permitted to attend, the Committee will decide who will attend by majority vote.
- In special circumstances, such as special UN Conferences/meetings that allow individuals without UN Passes to attend, for example, the Commission on the Status of Women, and where additional members need to be invited or provided the opportunity to attend, the
list of members will be reviewed by the GAJE-ECOSOC Committee and approved by the Steering Committee. Such members will not have the mandate to make any ad-hoc comments or statements on behalf of GAJE. Participation shall be restricted to attendance.
- All attendees to all UN events, meetings, and conferences including GAJE representatives and regular members shall submit a report to the GAJE-ECOSOC Committee of the substance of the meeting and make recommendations for next actions.
o Ad-hoc comments and oral presentations at meetings: The GAJE UN-ECOSOC Committee should notify the Steering Committee of an opportunity to make an
oral statement/presentation at an upcoming meeting or event. GAJE UN- ECOSOC Committee shall prepare all intervention/documents/statements and present them to the Steering Committee to approve its final form before it is submitted to the relevant body.
- Written Statements and Special Studies: Only the GAJE Steering Committee may speak on behalf of the organization. Thus, all written statements, oral presentations and/or special studies produced and submitted to the Council or its subsidiary bodies shall be commissioned by a majority of the Steering Committee and the Steering Committee must also grant final approval to any such statements or studies by a majority vote prior to submission to ECOSOC or any of its subsidiary bodies. The GAJE UN- ECOSOC Committee may notify the Steering Committee of opportunities or requests from the UN for the submission of written statements and special studies, or the delivery of oral presentations, and may request that the Steering Committee commission such statements, studies or presentations.
- Submission of Quadrennial Report to ECOSOC: The GAJE UN-ECOSOC Committee shall produce the quadrennial report to be submitted to ECOSOC as a required
component of its special consultative status. The report will be submitted to the Steering Committee which may approve the submission of the report to ECOSOC by a majority vote. The GAJE UN-ECOSOC Committee shall be responsible for ensuring that the report is drafted and submitted in compliance with ECOSOC rules and procedures.
- The Nature of GAJE’s Statements and Engagement with ECOSOC: As an organization focused on the particular issue of justice education, GAJE neither endorses nor condemns political parties, candidates, or platforms, nor will GAJE make general statements on global political issues. Rather, GAJE’s statements and engagements with the UN will be limited to affirmative advocacy of policies and strategies that advance access to justice education or promote social, economic, political and human rights through justice education for legal practitioners and lay persons alike. GAJE Constitution
§ 2; GAJE Mission Statement.
For enquiries email to:
Committee Chair @ gajeungaje-ecosocstat@gaje.org