CONGO's mission is to facilitate collective efforts by NGOs to participate in the work of the United Nations. NGOs played an essential role in the discussions leading to the founding of the United Nations, and the United Nations Charter itself made provision for formal participation of NGOs through the mechanism of consultative status granted through the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). From the beginning, a combination of independence from, engagement with and support for the United Nations has been the hallmark of the Conference of NGOs.

CONGO has drafted a voluntary "code of conduct" for NGOs as well as a draft set of "Rules and Procedure for NGO Participation at UN Conferences."

In this section, you can explore the various mechanisms through which NGOs participate in the work of the United Nations, in its deliberations and activities. You will also find gateways to different aspects of the UN system - its departments, commissions, and deliberative bodies. We hope that this information will help your NGO become a more effective participant in the United Nations process.

Links

• ECOSOC Resolution 1996/31: Consultative Relationship between the United Nations and non-governmental organizations
• Reference document on participation of civil society in UN conferences and special sessions of the General Assembly in the 1990s prepared by the Office of the President of the Millennium Assembly
• The Global Compact: formally launched in July 2000, the Compact "...calls on companies to embrace nine universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour standards and the environment."
• Global Policy Forum more information about NGOs and global policy making at the UN