Information for NGO participation

NGO participation in the sessions

NGOs in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) can be accredited to participate in the sessions of the Commissions as observers. As observers, NGOs can:

Attend and observe proceedings of the Commissions with the exception of informal meetings for Member States only
Submit written statements
Make oral interventions
Participate in special events and panel discussions
Organize side events and exhibitions

Accreditation

To register a delegation, NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC must issue a letter of request for accreditation. Representatives need to attach this letter in the online registration. The letter must contain the following elements:

Submitted on the official letterhead of the organization;
State the title and duration of the session the organization wishes to attend, e.g. "[Name of NGO], in consultative status with ECOSOC, wishes to send the following members to attend the Xth session of the Commission (dates of session) …";
Up to 10 in-person participants maximum can be accredited to the session per NGO (no limit for online participation, if available)
List the name/s (FAMILY NAME, First name) and email addresses of the person/s who will represent the organization. Names must appear exactly as they appear in the passports.
The letter must be signed by the President or Chief Executive Officer of the organization.

Useful Resources

Practical Guide for NGO Participants

Contacts

UNODC Civil Society Unit

Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs

Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

Attending the sessions

The Commissions meet for their annual regular sessions in the M-building of the Vienna International Centre, Vienna, Austria. NGO representatives must obtain a photo identity badge upon arrival at the United Nations and before attending the session at Gate 1 of the Vienna International Centre. Representatives accredited to the session as described above can pick-up their badges in person, upon presentation of an identity document (i.e. passport) and a copy of the letter of request for accreditation from the concerned NGO.

NGO representatives in possession of an annual grounds pass for the Vienna International Centre and valid for the duration of the session, will have access to the conference rooms, but will not be included in the list of participants unless accredited to the session. To be included in the list of participants, representatives must be registered and get a pass for the duration of the meeting.

All travel-related expenses, accommodation and medical insurance are the responsibility of the NGO or its representatives.

NGO representatives accredited to the session can attend the plenary meetings, the meetings of the Committee of the Whole and side events. At the plenary meetings, the Commissions discuss the issues that are contained in the provisional agendas (the agenda is contained in document number 1 of the session, please see the documentation sections of the Commissions' websites). In order to examine draft decisions, draft resolutions and specific technical issues, a Committee of the Whole is convened in parallel with the plenary meetings of the Commission. NGO representatives can participate in the Committee of the whole as observers, but cannot take the floor. Informal consultations conducted by Member States are not open to NGO participation. Audio and video recordings of sessions and live transmissions of the meetings are not permitted, except for accredited media.

Submitting written statements

NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC may submit written statements to the Commissions. NGOs in general consultative status may submit written statements of up to 2,000 words. NGOs in special consultative status may submit written statements of up to 1,500 words.

A written statement is issued, unedited, in the language(s) as received (English, French or Spanish) from the submitting NGO. NGOs assume full responsibility for the content of their statements, which should fully uphold UN standards and avoid abusive language.

The deadline for written statements is two weeks prior to the session.

Checklist for inclusion in the submission:

Contact information for the representative submitting written statements (name, mobile, email)
Agenda item number under which the statement is submitted
NGO's name as it appears in the ECOSOC NGO database, indicating consultative status in brackets (general, special), names of co-sponsoring ECOSOC NGOs
List all non-ECOSOC NGOs supporting the statement (which will appear as a footnote to the statement title)
Statement in MS WORD document format (Font Times New Roman 10 point)
Submissions are final

Making an oral statement during the plenary sessions

NGOs can inscribe an accredited member of their delegation to the speaker's list to deliver a statement on behalf of their organization on any of the agenda items. To inscribe in the list of speakers, NGOs need to send the name of the organization as well as the name (FAMILY NAME, First name) and function of their speaker as well as the agenda item under which they wish to speak to the Secretariat to the Governing Bodies.

The list of speakers for the general debate has an application period. The application period is decided by the Bureau of the Commission and it is usually open a month before the meeting and closes in the week before the meeting.

Remote participation by video statement

NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC which are not present in Vienna may participate in some meetings by submitting a pre-recorded video statement.
To enable the Secretariat to duly verify the credentials of the NGOs and the identity of individuals delivering a video message, please submit the following:

Letter on the NGO's official letterhead and signed by its President or Chief Executive Officer
Indication of the session concerned, agenda item and specific segment of the programme of work in which the oral statement through video-messaging will be made;
Indication of the full name (FAMILY NAME, First name) of the person who will deliver the statement as a designated representative. A telephone number at which a representative of the NGO may be reached at the time of the oral statement by video message should also be included;
Colour copy of the passport or of formal identity document of the person who will deliver the statement

Oral statements delivered by video message are subject to the same rules as oral statements delivered in person, as laid out in ECOSOC resolution 1996/31. The video messages are subject to the same time limits as statements delivered in person. A transcript of the video statement must be submitted in advance. In particular, the following rules must be strictly observed:

The video statement must consist of a single shot of one individual delivering a statement, seated against a neutral, monochrome background;
The camera should be focused on the person's face, and should not move during the shot;
No symbols, flags, banners or other images are permitted in the shot, either in the background or on the clothing of the person delivering the statement. The minimum technical specifications for the video are as follows:

Video resolution min 640x480, frame rate 30 fps
Audio resolution 44100 Hz, 16 bits, stereo
AVI/WMV/MOV/MPEG with standard coding formats

The sound must be properly recorded, in a quiet environment and at appropriate sound levels.
Professional interpretation requires above average acoustics to allow for speaking, processing content and listening at the same time. Remote participants should be in an indoor facility; to reduce noise, doors and windows should be closed, air-conditioning switched off. Interpretation services will determine whether the sound provided is suitable for interpretation.

Organizing side events

NGOs in consultative statues with ECOSOC may organize a side event of relevance to the work of the Commissions. Side events can be organized in according to the guidelines for side events for the respective session of the Commission.

Documentation and Resources

Copies of all official documents issued as pre-session or in-session documentation for the sessions of the Commissions, including reports, annotated agenda, journals and draft resolutions are published through the United Nations documents system (ODS).

For ease of reference and as a service to delegations, the Secretariat in addition posts those documents also on the websites of the Commissions.

Use of UN emblem and Commissions' logos

Use of the United Nations emblem and the logos of the Commissions on non-official documents and publications, including NGO material, is expressly prohibited. The United Nations flag may not be displayed in meeting rooms where NGOs organize events.

United Nations

Office on Drugs and Crime