Credit: Tom Weller/HelpAge International
Participation of NGOs at the First Working Session
United Nations Headquarters, New York, 18 to 21 April 2011
1. Participation of NGOs
2. Applying for Accreditation
3. Arrangements for Participation of NGOs
4. Online Pre-registration
5. Visas
At its 1st meeting, on 15 February, 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 pre-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 provides a list of NGOs seeking accreditation to States members of the Open-ended Working Group no later than two weeks prior to the first session and four weeks prior to following sessions of the Open-ended Working Group to receive their comments.
Please note that the deadline for submitting an application for accreditation to the first session is 28 March 2011.
NGOs wishing to be accredited to the Open-ended Working Group MUST follow the three steps below to apply for accreditation.
Step1: Create a New Profile
In order to apply for accreditation, your organization MUST create a new profile in our integrated Civil Society Organizations (iCSO) System by providing your contact details, specifying your areas of activities, the scope of your work and your involvement in ageing issues and the human rights of older persons.
You must select "Open-ended Working Group on Ageing" as Organization Type and select "Social Development" as Main Objective for submitting a profile.
Step2: Fill out the online questionnaire
Once the profile is submitted, we will review the applications (the process might take up to one week) and you will receive an email with instructions on how to fill out the Questionnaire.
Step3: Approval of Accreditation
Once the online questionnaire is submitted, we will review it and send you an email to confirm the approval of your accreditation and further instructions for the pre-registration to the first working session.
If you have any questions regarding Accreditation, please contact:
United Nations Programme on Ageing,
Division for Social Policy and Development,
2 United Nations Plaza,
Room DC2-1324,
New York, NY 10017
Fax: 1 (212) 963 3062
Email: ageing-working-group@un.org
3. Arrangements for Participation of NGOs (PDF)
Accreditation is granted once and applies to all future sessions of the Open-ended Working Group. However, NGOs need to pre-register online for each session of the Open-ended Working Group. An automatic email is sent to the NGO confirming each representative’s participation. NGO representatives should be patient and allow to Secretariat Staff time for the completion of their pre-registration.
Registration is a necessary step for all representatives of NGOs attending meetings organized by the United Nations. Issuance of ground-passes for NGO representatives is conditioned upon registration. NGO representatives in possession of annual ground-passes should also register.
It is strongly recommended that you use the Online Pre-Registration in order to expedite your application, on the link below:
Online Pre-Registration for NGOs in Consultative Status with ECOSOC and NGOs accredited to the Open-ended Working Group
You must click on the Registration link (as shown below) using your assigned username and password. Once logged in, click on the link titled "Click here to Designate Representatives to this Event". An automatic email is sent to the NGO confirming each representative’s participation. Please be advised that the approval process might take up to one week.
You must login again by visiting: http://esango.un.org/irene/?page=viewContent&nr=14762&type=8§ion=8
to download your letter of confirmation. The deadline is 10 April 2011.
Should there be any issues with the Online Pre-Registration and for more information about NGOs Participation at the Open-ended Working Group, please contact:
Civil Society and Outreach Unit,
Division for Social Policy and Development,
2 United Nations Plaza,
Room DC2-1324,
New York, NY 10017
Fax: 1 (212) 963 3062
Email: ngo@un.org
5. Visas
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.