UN access

OCA Discussion Series 4 – Participation and Representation: Better Connecting “We the Peoples” to the Multilateral System

Join Baha’i International Community, CIVICUS, Democracy Without Borders, and the Coalition for the UN We Need for part IV of the “Our Common Agenda” Discussion Series, which will focus on:

Participation and Representation: Better Connecting “We the Peoples” to the Multilateral System

Register here!

International decision making is improved when diverse perspectives are welcomed. Participants in this session will provide concrete proposals for new approaches to strengthen democratic participation, representation and inclusion in the multilateral system.

An open discussion will follow lead-off remarks from:

H.E. Mr. Martin Bille Hermann, Denmark • H.E. Ms. Maritza Chan Valverde, Costa Rica (invited) • Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa, Group of Women Leaders for Change and Inclusion • Mr. Jo Leinen, UNPA Campaign • Ms. Emilia Saiz, United Cities and Local Governments • Mr. Mandeep Tiwana, CIVICUS • Ms. Maithili Pai, International Service for Human Rights • Mr. Javier Surasky, CEPEI • Mr. Khaled Emam, Major Group for Children and Youth • Ms. Natalie Samarasinghe, Open Society Foundations

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. For more information on the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at fmhult@umbc.edu or tonkin@hartford.edu. For more information on the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values, and Global Concerns/NY, please visit csvgc-ny.org.

CoNGO Open Mic on UN-NGO Relations (For NGOs in Consultative Status Only)

Dear CoNGO members and NGO Committee leaders,

Greetings. I am sending this message to members of NGOs listed as members of CoNGO (Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations) and/or members of related NGO committees.

By now, if your NGO is in consultative status with ECOSOC, you or someone in your organization would have received the email below which was sent by the NGO Branch of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). If you have not read the email, I encourage you to do so now, including the Concept Note available here.

In response to this UN DESA email–calling on NGOs to send written submissions in preparation for a December 2022 consultation between NGOs and the ECOSOC Committee on NGOs–CoNGO invites CoNGO members to an Open Mic to talk about the questions raised in the concept note.

This Open Mic will help CoNGO prepare its written submission, the deadline of which is August 31. It could also help your NGO prepare its response if you have not already done so. But irrespective of the deadline, the open mic is a venue to talk about common concerns related to UN-NGO relations, not the least about accreditation and access to and at the UN.

Register in advance: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZArdOqurTIpG9VI2Jlu0yiuASaKG4wBRe4zAfter registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

If you are a CoNGO member or NGO Committee officer and want to speak (no more than 3 minutes) during the Open Mic, please email the CoNGO President Liberato Bautista at president@ngocongo.org. Please let me know which NGO in our list you are a member of: ngocongo.org/congo-membership

For some background information about UN-NGO relations, visit:

1. NGO Access and accreditation

2. CoNGO President on NGO Access at ECOSOC meeting

3. NGO access at UN and Covid-19 pandemic

4. https://bit.ly/3pCYyGe

I look forward to your participation.

Best regards,

Liberato C. Bautista | Levi

President, Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in

Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO)

[deadline] Call for submissions to CoNGO consultation on resolution 1996/31

Attention dear NGO partners:

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) will hold consultations with organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC to discuss questions of interest to the Committee or to the organizations relating to the relationship between the NGOs and the United Nations in line with paragraph 61 (a) of ECOSOC resolution 1996/31. The consultations will take the form of written submissions and an interactive hearing which will be held in New York on 9 December 2022 from 10:00am – 1:00pm.

As part of the consultation process, all NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC are invited to submit their contributions and views on four key questions in the Concept Note ahead of the hearing via these instructions.

Instructions for submission of of Written Inputs:

Use the name of your organization as the document’s name.
The written submission should address the four questions outlined in the Concept Note.
Your submission to each question should not exceed 500 words.
To submit your written inputs, Log in to your NGO profile and under the “Correspondence tab” click on “New Message.” Attach the document to the email, and use “2022 Consultations with NGOs in consultative status-Written Submissions” as the email title/subject, and “Event/Meeting” as the category.
Please note that we are not able to accept other formats such as PDF, jpeg, etc.
Press “send.” Please note that your submission is final; you will not be able to edit your statement submission or send multiple versions.
Kindly ensure that your written submission is finalized prior to sending the document.

Instructions on registering for participation at the Interactive Hearing will be made available in the coming weeks.

Your contribution is important! We appreciate your participation and commitment to NGO access at the UN.

Improving Civil Society’s Limited Access to The Green Climate Fund

Following the launch of the paper “Improving Civil Society’s Limited Access to The Green Climate Fund” on 28 April 2021, CIDSE is pleased to invite you to the CSO engagement webinar on the topic, to be held on 05 May 2021. The online seminar will present the findings of this report, which include policy recommendations based on an analysis of GCF policies and lessons learned from five case studies.

Please find more information below:

We are excited to have you join us! As a reminder, this is an opportunity for CSOs big and small, including those in countries where GCF projects may happen.

More info & registration:

https://www.cidse.org/2021/04/28/new-study-cidse-publishes-a-report-on-csos-access-to-the-green-climate-fund-an-analysis-of-policies-and-experiences-from-case-studies/

Agenda:

15:00 Welcome & Introduction

15:10-15:30 Keynote by Thomas Hirsch (Climate and Development Advice) on the results of a new CIDSE report on “improving civil society’s limited access to the green climate fund”, along with policy recommendations. This research is based on an analysis of GCF policies and lessons learned from five case studies

15:30 Introducing the Panel for comments

15:35 Lessons from development finance to strengthen climate finance – Leia Achampong, Senior Policy & Advocacy Officer – Climate Finance, Eurodad – Brussels

15:45 Expanding on experiences from Global South partner – Julius Ng’oma, CISONECC – Civil Society Network on Climate Change, Malawi

15:55 Policy perspective from a former GCF board member or expert interviewees (tbc)

16:05 Q&As from the floor to all speakers

16:25 Conclusion

Press contact: Valentina Pavarotti, CIDSE Communications Manager: pavarotti(at)cidse.org

For those of you who don’t know CIDSE, we are an international family of Catholic social justice organizations working for transformational change to end poverty and inequalities, challenging systemic injustice, inequity, destruction of nature and promoting just and environmentally sustainable alternatives.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com.

Applying for ECOSOC Consultative Status

DESA NGO Branch will be conducting a Webinar on “Applying for ECOSOC Consultative Status” for NGOs on 5 May 2021, 11am – 12:30pm (NYT).

Register here! The meeting will provide answers to the following questions:

• What is Consultative Status, which organizations are eligible and what are its benefits?

• How the entire application process works since the application is submitted to the NGO Branch until ECOSOC makes its decision?

• What are the main components of the application package?

After the presentation, the floor will be open to answer questions from participants. Such questions may be raised either by chat or by requesting the floor using the Raise my Hand option. For more information, visit http://csonet.org/index.php?page=view&nr=409&type=230&menu=14.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@gmail.com.

[Webinar] So, you’re curious about the G20?

Sign up here: Invite 2 PDF

Dear friends,

I am pleased to invite you to join me and a few other familiar faces at a Civil 20 Engagement group event: So, you’re curious about the G20? This event will be taking place Friday 24 July at 9:30 EDT via zoom (a link will be sent out to those who RSVP here).

The G20 is increasingly turned to for leadership on global economic concerns, yet the participation of civil society remains opaque to many. There are a number of engagement groups which allow for the participation of various constituencies, one of them being the C20 (Civil Society).

This particular event will be an opportunity to learn about engaging with the C20 and will include some of its history, its major accomplishments, and its objectives this year and into the future.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Warmly,

Dan

—

Representative to the United Nations
Baha’i International Community
866 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
Cell: (860) 670-4093

Office: (212) 803-2500

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