NGO Research Guide

The United Nations and Civil Society

The United Nations is both participant in and a witness to increasingly global civil society. The United Nations system has significant informal and formal arrangements with civil society organizations, collectively known as non-governmental organizations (NGOs). More and more, NGOs are UN system partners and valuable UN links to civil society. NGOs are consulted on UN policy and programme matters. CSOs play a key role at major United Nations Conferences and as indispensable partners for UN efforts at the country level. At the same time, the UN is helping to promote the emergence of Civil Society Organizations in the developing countries.

UN NGO Database

The searchable Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Database is compiled by the NGO Liaison Office of the Director-General's Office at UNOG. It contains information about the organizations that have Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

Global NGO Community

This site is the home page for our global NGO community (Non-governmental organizations associated with the United Nations). Its aim is to help promote collaborations between NGOs throughout the world, so that together we can more effectively partner with the United Nations and each other to create a more peaceful, just, equitable and sustainable world for this and future generations.

List of Accredited UN NGOs

The non-governmental organizations that are in consultative status as at 31 August 2006, including those added as a result of action taken by the Economic and Social Council at its organizational session for 2006 and its substantive session of 2006, are listed in this document. The year in which organizations were granted consultative status is given in parentheses.

The U.N. Non-Governmental Liaison Service

The United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS) promotes dynamic partnerships between the United Nations and non-governmental organisations. By providing information, advice, expertise and consulting and support service, NGLS is part of the United Nations effort to strengthen dialogue and win support for economic and social development.

Non-governmental Organizations helped to found the United Nations and Article 71 of the United Nations Charter embeds arrangements for UN consultations with NGOs.  NGOs interact with the UN Secretariat, programs, funds, agencies, and UN Member States.  NGOs work with the UN comprises a number of activities including information dissemination, awareness raising, development education, policy advocacy, joint operational projects, and providing technical expertise.  This work is completed through formal and informal channels, both at the national level and at the UN.

Official UN Secretariat relations with NGOs fall into two main categories:

1. Consultations with governments (Department of Economic and Social Affairs)
2. information servicing by the Secretariat (Department of Public Information)

However, broadly speaking, NGOs may cooperate with the UN in at least four ways:

1. NGOs may receive accreditation for a conference, summit, or other event organized by the UN.
2. NGOs may establish working relations with particular Departments, Programmes or Specialized Agencies of the United Nations System, based on shared fields of interest and potential for joint activities complementing the work of the United Nations office in a particular area.
3. International NGOs active in the field of economic and social development may seek to obtain consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
4. NGOs that have at their disposal regular means of disseminating information, either through their publications, radio or television programs, or through their public activities such as conferences, lectures, seminars or workshops, and that are willing to devote a portion of their information programs to dissemination of information about the United Nations, may apply for association with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI).