The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs has confirmed that the Celtic League has been granted NGO (Roster consultative status) at the World Body.
As outlined on Celtic News in June an application from the League was considered by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and `Roster status' was recommended. The recommendation went for formal ratification this month and has now been approved - as advised below.
The Celtic League looks forward to participating fully within the framework as set down by the ECOSOC.
Welcoming the news the Celtic League Convenor, Cathal O Luain, paid tribute to the General Secretary who undertook all necessary work surrounding the application and subsequent clarifications sought by the UN.
«U N I T E D N A T I O N S
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS
Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination – NGO Branch
DC1-1480, 1 UN PLAZA, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10017
New York, July 2010
Dear Sir/Madame,
I am pleased to inform you that the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), at its Substantive Session of July 2010, adopted the recommendation of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), to grant Roster consultative status to your organization »Celtic League«. On behalf of all staff of the Non-Governmental Organizations Branch please accept my heartfelt
congratulations.
Your consultative status opens the door for your organization to actively engage with the ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies, as well as with United Nations Secretariat, programmes, funds and agencies. I encourage you to actively participate in the work of the Council which will allow your organization to consult with Member States and the UN system and effectively implement the provisions of the consultative relationship.
The consultative status is governed by the United Nations Charter and related resolutions of ECOSOC. Article 71 of the Charter stipulates that »the Economic and Social Council may make suitable arrangements for the 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 consultations with the Member of the United Nations concerned.«
Arrangements for consultations with NGOs are regulated by ECOSOC resolution 1996/31 adopted on 25 July 1996. Please review the resolution from our website which defines the nature of the consultative relationship between the UN and NGOs. Your attention is drawn to Parts II, IV, V and VII of the resolution describing the procedures and mechanisms for engagement with the Council. Also, please note that organizations in General and Special consultative status are required to submit quadrennial reports on their activities (Part IX, paragraph 61c). With regard to the latter, please find on our website ECOCOC resolution 2008/4 on measures to improve the quadrennial reporting procedures, as requested by the Council in para.4 of the resolution. Your Organization's first report covering the period 2010-2013 should be submitted to the Committee in 2014.
To facilitate your engagement with the Council, we refer you to our web portal, CSO Net – the Civil Society Network: < www.un.org/ecosoc/csonet >. This website keeps you informed of news and events about ECOSOC in particular, and of new initiatives and developments related to civil society and the UN system as a whole. In addition, the website highlights the work of NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC, including a repertoire of best practices from around the world and information for networking. We also maintain an online calendar of meetings and conferences pertinent to civil society participation to the United Nations. We would recommend you to visit CSO Net for more information on these meetings.
You may now designate official representatives to the United Nations –to the United Nations Headquarters in New York and the United Nations offices in Geneva and Vienna. Representatives of your organization may now participate in events and activities of the UN. Using the same username and password that are already in your possession, please login to the NGO Branch website at: < www.un.org/ecosoc/ngo > and follow the instructions to designate your representatives for the current calendar year. Please note that designated representatives must pick up their grounds passes, in person, at designated locations. Kindly retain your username and password for your records as you will need this information to designate official representatives to the United Nations for each calendar year (see enclosed instructions), as well as to register for major events and conferences, submit your quadrennial reports, and to update your profile and other relevant information, as may be necessary.
Below please find selected provisions of ECOSOC resolutions 1996/31 and 2008/4 setting forth the arrangements for the participation of NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC and their rights and responsibilities. This information can also be accessed from the website…»
The communication continues with a detailed outline of the rights and
responsibilities of NGOS.
See related links on Celtic News here:
J B Moffatt (Mr)
Director of Information
Celtic League
21/07/10
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