Take Action: UN System

Dear delegates, colleagues, and stakeholders,

The Financing for Sustainable Development Office of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs is carrying out a short survey to evaluate the reach and impact of its work.

We are pleased to invite you to share your feedback about the 2024 Financing for Sustainable Development Report, the 2024 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development follow-up, the 2024 SDG Investment Fair and FSDO’s website.

Please click on the link below to access the survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/fsdo2024survey

We are very interested in your views and opinions so that we can improve our work. We hope you can take 5-10 minutes to complete this survey by 15 May 2024.

Kind regards,

Sharon Spiegel
Director
Financing for Sustainable Development Office

4^th International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4)
27 – 30 May 2024, St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda

Registration is now open for accredited stakeholders!

The fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) will be held from 27 to 30 May 2024 in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda under the overarching theme of “Charting the course toward resilient prosperity“. The Conference will seek to assess the ability of SIDS to achieve sustainable development, including the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. It will result in an intergovernmentally agreed, focused, forward-looking and action-oriented political outcome document.

Representatives of accredited non-governmental organizations, major groups and other relevant stakeholders can now register to attend the SIDS4 Conference until 26 April 2024. Please note that there will be no on-site registration for stakeholders.

Which stakeholders can register to attend the SIDS4 Conference?

Non-governmental organizations, major groups and other relevant stakeholder organizations that fall under the following categories will be able to request registration for their representatives to attend the fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4):

1. Non-governmental organizations and major groups identified in Agenda 21 and other stakeholders in consultative status with ECOSOC. You can check if your organization has consultative status with ECOSOC here.

2. Organizations that were accredited to any of the following previous United Nations Conferences on SIDS (please click on the individual links below for details):

• Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, 26 April-6 May 1994, Bridgetown, Barbados;
• International Meeting to Review the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, 10-14 January 2005, Port Louis, Mauritius; and/or
• Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, 1-4 September 2014, Apia, Samoa.

3. Organizations that have been granted special accreditation by the Preparatory Committee of the SIDS4 Conference (please check the approved list here).

For a consolidated list of organizations that received special accreditation to attend the SIDS4 Conference, please, check here.

How to register?

Please note:

• There will be no on-site registration for stakeholders. All requests for registration must be submitted by 26 April 2024.
• Organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC whose statuses have been suspended by the UN NGO Committee will not be able to request for registration to the SIDS4 Conference, irrespective of previous accreditation to past UN Conferences.
• If your organization is both in consultative status with ECOSOC and has also been accredited to one of the Conferences listed above, your representatives should register using the dedicated link for NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC.
• Each organization will be able to register up to 10 representatives. If more than 10 are registered under one organization, the Secretariat will approve the registrations in the order that they have been received and up to 10.
• All requests for registration will be reviewed on a rolling basis and approved participants will receive letters of confirmation from the Conference Secretariat. Please, allow between 5 – 10 working days for the review of registration requests.
• The deadline for registration is 26 April 2024 (5pm, EDT/New York Time).
• Interested stakeholders are encouraged to request for registration as soon as possible.
• Participants under 18 years old will need to be accompanied by a Chaperone who must be duly registered to attend the SIDS4 Conference. This information must be included in the affiliation letter to be uploaded onto the registration platform.
• Registered participants are responsible for all necessary arrangements related to their in-person participation, including travel, visa and others, as appropriate.
• For logistical information including accommodation and visa requirement, please check the dedicated host country website.

Please also note that the United Nations does not charge fees for participation in Conferences and events. If you are aware of possible scams, please email us using this email address (sids4@un.org).

For details, please, check: https://sdgs.un.org/conferences/sids2024/stakeholders#participation

For more information about the SIDS4 Conference, please visit : https://sdgs.un.org/smallislands/about-sids4

Dear NGOs representatives accredited at the United Nations Office at Geneva,

We are pleased to share some updates, news and events taking place at the UN in Geneva (and in New York exceptionally this month) in the coming weeks with you.

We would be grateful if you could circulate the September Newsletter with your colleagues.

With very best regards,

NGO Liaison Unit

See newsletter here: 2023.09 NGO Liaison Newsletter – SEPTEMBER

Dear Civil Society Representatives,

The UNODC Civil Society Unit, in cooperation with the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC) is pleased to inform NGOs about the upcoming thematic discussions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), which will take place on 23-25 October 2023, and invites relevant NGOs to express interest to participate as speakers. Deadline for applications is 17 September 2023 at 23:45 CET (Vienna time).

The thematic discussions form part of the comprehensive stock-taking of progress made in implementing all international drug policy commitments to address the challenges identified in the 2019 Ministerial Declaration, that is being conducted by the Commission in preparation of the 2024 Mid-Term Review. The thematic discussions will consist of two intersessional meetings – the first one will take place 23-25 October 2023 and the second one on 4-6 December 2023.

The October meeting will cover the following topics:

• 23 October:

Morning: Expanding & diversifying range of drugs & drug markets

Afternoon: Illicit abuse, cultivation, production, manufacture of & trafficking in illicit narcotic drugs & psychotropic substances

• 24 October:

Morning: Links between drug trafficking, corruption & other forms of organized crime

Afternoon: Low value of confiscated proceeds of crime related to money-laundering arising from drug trafficking

• 25 October:

Morning: Criminal misuse of information & communications technologies

Afternoon: Non-compliance with international drug control conventions & international human rights law

For each topic, up to 3 NGOs will have the possibility to present their work and discuss the progress made. To ensure an inclusive, comprehensive, and meaningful civil society participation, NGO interventions will be coordinated by the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC).

Each speaker will have 3 minutes to present their work on the thematic focus of the day, interventions can be made either in person or online.

Note: Interpretation will not be available during the meetings and all abstracts and statements have to be submitted in English.

To apply for a speaking slot please fill out this online form:

https://forms.office.com/e/XQGM6RSEJF

Deadline for applications is 17 September 2023 at 23:45 CET (Vienna time).

When submitting your application please make sure that your abstract is relevant to the topic of the event, and clearly describes what you will be presenting about. Statements focusing on good practice examples and/or showcasing experiences ‘from the ground’ are especially welcome.

Please share this call with your respective partners and networks to ensure wider participation.

Kind regards,

The UNODC Civil Society Unit

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

Vienna, Austria

1. +43 1 26060-5582 or +43 1 26060-4620
2. unodc-ngounit@un.org

Distinguished NGO Representatives,

Further to our first “Information Session for the NGOs in Consultative Status with ECOSOC” held on the margin of “the Consultation with the NGOs” on December last year, you are cordially invited to attend the second “Virtual Information Session for the NGOs in Consultative Status with ECOSOC” on Monday 20 March 2023 at 10:00-11:00 EST via Teams.

*The video of the last Information Session is available here: Consultations with Non-Governmental Organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council | UN Web TV

This meeting will provide an opportunity to review the ECOSOC events of this year, details from the Secretariat, and essential guidance from the NGO Branch.

The tentative program for this event will proceed as follows:

1. Moderator: Mr. Wook-Jin Chang, Chief of NGO Branch

2. Presentation on SDG Summit (Ms. Marion Barthelemy, Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development, DESA)
3. Presentation on the July ECOSOC High-Level Political Forum (Mr. Friedrich Soltau, Chief of Intergovernmental Policy and Review Branch, OISC/DESA)

4. Presentation on the ECOSOC Youth Forum (Ms. Leslie Wade, Chief of Inter-organizational and Inter-institutional Support Branch, OISC/DESA)
5. Presentation on the UN 2023 Water Conference (Ms. Naiara Costa, Senior Sustainable Development Officer, Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG/DESA)
6. Q&A

We strongly encourage all NGOs participated in the Consultation to be present at this upcoming virtual session where key information will be shared, and questions to be answered.

Kindly find below the registration link: https://forms.office.com/e/ScQDQCWU7C (deadline: 14^th of March)

We look forward to welcoming you to the information session.

Best regards,

Chang, Wook-Jin
Chief, NGO Branch

UN 2023 WATER CONFERENCE 

OPEN CALL FOR SIDE EVENTS

Deadline: 13 January 2023 

More information HERE 

Pursuant to General Assembly decision A/RES/73/226 of 20 December 2018, the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action (UN 2023 Water Conference) will be held from 22 to 24 March 2023 at the UN Headquarters in New York. The co-hosts are the governments of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Tajikistan.

Side events can be organized in connection with the UN 2023 Water Conference, either in-person or virtually, by Member States, the UN system, Intergovernmental Organizations and accredited non-governmental stakeholders. The side events will be an opportunity for all participants to share knowledge and solutions to accelerate implementation of SDG 6, identify new and emerging issues, exchange national and local experiences and practices, and showcase voluntary commitments for the Water Action Agenda.

Priority will be given to events organized by Member States and those organized in partnership by several networks/organizations. All interested parties are strongly encouraged to partner with others to organize a side event.

Side events can be hosted (1) in-person inside the UN Headquarters; (2) in-person in other locations in New York; or (3) virtually.

APPLY NOW!  

• To apply for an in-person side event inside the UN Headquarters: https://bit.ly/Water2023SideEventHQ
• To apply for an in-person side event outside the UN Headquarters: https://bit.ly/Water2023SideEventOutsideHQ
• To apply for a virtual side event: https://bit.ly/Water2023SideEventVirtual

For additional details and guidance on how to submit a side event proposal, including Guidelines, please visit the website: https://bit.ly/Water2023SideEvents

The deadline for applications is 13 January 2023. The Conference Secretariat will review submissions and only notify those organizers whose events have been approved.

For more general information on the UN 2023 Water Conference, please visit: https://sdgs.un.org/conferences/water2023

ALERT: The consultation has now been rescheduled to Dec. 13, Tuesday.

Dear NGO Representative,

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) is holding 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 provide an opportunity for NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC to present and exchange views with members of the Committee on the issues outlined in the attached Concept Note.  NGOs in consultative status who can attend the hearing in New York are invited to interact with the Committee during this open session. Organizations who wish to speak at the hearing will be given three minutes to make their intervention.

The consultations will take the form of written submissions and an interactive hearing on Tuesday 6 December 2022 from 10:00am – 1:00pm in Conference Room 4 at the United Nations Headquarters, New York.

Please note the following:

• The deadline for submission of written inputs was 31 August 2022. We are no longer receiving written submissions.
• Venue: The interactive hearing will take place on Tuesday 6 December 2022 from 10:00am – 1:00pm in Conference Room 4 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
• Registration: NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC can register to participate in the interactive hearing through the Indico registration system through this link: Consultations of the Committee with NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC (9 December 2022): Overview · Indico (un.org).

The deadline for registration is Monday, 14^th November 2022.

In addition to registering, each attending representative must have a valid UN Grounds Pass. Instructions for obtaining your grounds pass are available on the following page: https://csonet.org/?menu=86

Please note that the event will also be webcast live on UN WEB TV: https://media.un.org/en/webtv