Participation of NGOs at the Eleventh Working Session
United Nations Headquarters, New York, 6-9 April 2020
1. Participation of NGOs
2. Applying for Accreditation - Deadline is 10 February 2020
3. Online Registration - Deadline is 25 March 2020
4. Travel and Visas
At its 1st meeting, on 15 February 2011, the Open-ended Working Group adopted a draft decision entitled “Modalities of participation of non-governmental organizations in the work of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing”.
In this regard, the Open- ended Working Group on Ageing decided:
- To invite relevant intergovernmental organizations and other entities that have observer status with the General Assembly to participate in its work;
- That accreditation of non-governmental organizations to the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing shall be granted to all relevant non-governmental organizations enjoying consultative status with the Economic and Social Council;
- That other relevant non-governmental organizations, not falling within the above categories, may apply to the Secretariat for such accreditation, and that their applications should contain all the information on the competence of the organization and the relevance of its activities to the work of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing, as specified in paragraph 44 of Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31 of 25 July 1996, and in respect of those applications;
- To keep in mind the principle of equitable geographical participation of non-governmental organizations in the work of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing;
- That the arrangements outlined above shall in no way create a precedent for other open-ended working groups of the General Assembly. "
Full text available here: A/AC.278/2011/2: English | Français | Español | Русский | عربي | 汉语
Accreditation is the formal process by which NGOs are allowed to participate in the work of the Open-ended Working Group. Accreditation is granted to organizations and not to individuals. NGOs in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) are automatically accredited to the Open-ended Working Group. However, they should register online for each session. All other NGOs must apply for accreditation in order to participate in the sessions of the Open-ended Working Group. Accreditation to the Open-ended Working Group need only be done once and applies for all sessions.
The United Nations Secretariat reviews applications against criteria outlined in paragraphs 44-45 of ECOSOC resolution 1996/31 and circulates a list of NGOs seeking accreditation to States members of the Open-ended Working Group no later than four weeks prior to each session of the Open-ended Working Group on a non-objection basis.
NGOs wishing to be accredited to the Open-ended Working Group MUST follow the three steps below to apply for accreditation.
Step1: Application Form
In order to apply for accreditation, your organization MUST fill out our online form at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/oewg11
Please note that the deadline for submitting an application for accreditation is 10 February 2020.
Step2: Create a Profile
Once the online application form is submitted, we will review the applications (the process might take up to two weeks after you have sent your application) and you will receive an email with instructions to create an online profile in our Integrated Civil Society Organizations System (iCSO).
Step3: Approval of Accreditation
Please let us know once your online profile is created. We will review it and submit it to Member States for their approval.
If your organization is approved, you will receive an email as soon as possible with further instructions to register online .
If you have any questions regarding Accreditation, please contact:
Ms. Shatho Nfila
Focal Point for Civil Society Organizations
Programme on Agening
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)
UN Secretariat Building, New York, NY 10017
Email: ageing@un.org, ngo@un.org
4. Online Registration for NGOs with ECOSOC Status and previously accredited organizations to the OEWG on Ageing
Please note that this year, we are using a platform called "Indico" for managing registration of NGOs with ECOSOC status and Accredited NGOs to the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Please register here: https://indico.un.org/event/33721/
The Deadline is 25 March 2020.
Arrangements for travel, including visa procedures, accommodation and transportation are the responsibility of NGOs and not of the United Nations Secretariat. NGOs need to deal directly with representatives of the host Government. The United Nations will send a confirmation letter to accredited NGOs, once their representatives have completed the process of pre-registration. This may be used to request a visa from the United States authorities. The Secretariat is in no position to assist in the visa process.