Global Launch of the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC)
Participation of Cooperatives and NGOs in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at the Global Launch of the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC)
The United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/65/184 sets out the schedule of events for the global launch of the International Year of Cooperatives, namely an informal, interactive round-table discussion among Member States, observers, organizations of the United Nations system, cooperatives and non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council followed by the official launch of the International Year of Cooperatives during a plenary session of the 66th UN General Assembly .
The full resolution is available here: English | Français | Español | Русский | عربي | 汉语
The following information sets out the procedures of how cooperatives, and other NGOs can participate in the Launch of the International Year of Cooperatives at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Organizations MUST be accredited to participate in the IYC Launch by 5 October 2011
Specific procedures and deadlines for accreditation and pre-registration are outlined below.
Member organizations of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) are encouraged to be accredited and pre-registered through the ICA. Please contact ICA.
Participating organizations may also wish to hold events in conjunction with official UN launch. These are known as side events and can be held outside the formal meeting times of the official launch events. An official request form, deadlines for requests and further information is found below.
1. Applying for Accreditation of Cooperatives: NEW DEADLINE 5 October 2011
2. Arrangements for Participation of NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC and Other Accredited Cooperatives
3. Online Pre-Registration of the Names of Representatives attending the Launch: Deadline 20 October 2011
4. Side Events: Deadline 30 September 2011
5. Important Notes
1. Applying for Accreditation
Accreditation is the formal process by which Cooperatives* are allowed to attend the Global Launch of the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC). Accreditation is granted to organizations and not to individuals. Once an organization is accredited will it need to provide the names of the representatives attending the launch. Cooperatives will find the accreditation procedure below.
NGOs in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) are automatically accredited to the Global Launch of the IYC. However, they are required to register the names of their representatives online and in advance of the meeting to be able to attend the meeting.
The United Nations Secretariat reviews applications against criteria outlined in paragraphs 44-45 of ECOSOC resolution 1996/31.Please note that the deadline for submitting accreditation requests is 5 October 2011.
Cooperatives not members of the ICA wishing to be accredited to the Global Launch of the International Year of Cooperatives 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 the cooperative movement.
Your organization MUST answer the questions under the category listed in the profile called “Social Development --> Additional Information”.
Please note that you MUST select "Cooperative" as Organization Type (in the first page) and select "Social Development" as Main Objective (in the last page) for submitting a profile.
Please note that you MUST send us by email (at coopsyear@un.org) a scanned copy of:
- The constitution and/or by-laws of the organization
- The most recent annual or other reports of the organization
To start creating a new online profile, please visit this link:
http://esango.un.org/civilsociety/showNewProfile.do?method=add
Step2: Send us an Email
Once you have submitted your profile, you MUST inform the IYC Secretariat of your submission by sending an email to coopsyear@un.org with the subject “IYC Online Pre-Registration”, indicating the name of the organization, country and date of submission.
Step3: Approval of Accreditation
We will review the accreditation request and once approved will send an email to confirm the approval of your profile/accreditation and provide you with a password and username to enable you to use the online facility to pre-register your representatives for the event. Please note the processing of accreditations can take up to one week.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at coopsyear@un.org if you do not hear from us within one week of the submission of your accreditation.
Please note that the approval of your profile does not mean that your organization is accredited.
If you have any questions regarding Accreditation, please contact:
IYC Secretariat
Division for Social Policy and Development
2 United Nations Plaza
Room DC2-1348
New York, NY 10017
Fax: 1 (212) 963 3062
Email: coopsyear@un.org
2. 
Arrangements for Participation of NGOs with Consultative Status with ECOSOC and Other Accredited Cooperatives.
3. Online Pre-Registration of the Names of Representatives attending the Launch
Online Pre-registration is a necessary step for all representatives of Accredited Cooperatives, and NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC who wish to attend the meeting. Issuance of grounds-passes for representatives is dependent upon pre-registration. NGO representatives already in possession of annual UN grounds-passes MUST also pre-register.
It is strongly recommended that you pre-register your representatives using the Online Facility available via the link below:
http://esango.un.org/irene/?page=viewContent&nr=17012&type=8§ion=8
You must click on the Registration link (as shown below) using your organization’s assigned username and password. Once logged in, click on the link titled "Click here to Designate Representatives to this Event".
Please note that each Cooperative can pre-register a maximum of Five (5) Participants. The deadline for the submission of the names of participants is 20 October 2011.
An automatic email is sent to the organization confirming each representative’s participation. Please be advised that the approval process can take up to one week.
The deadline for pre-registration of participants is 20 October 2011.
To download your Letter of Confirmation, you will need to login again by visiting the following URL: http://esango.un.org/irene/?page=viewContent&nr=17012&type=8§ion=8
Should there be any issues with the Online Pre-Registration and for more information about NGOs’ participation at the Global Launch of the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC), please contact:
Civil Society and Outreach Unit,
Division for Social Policy and Development,
2 United Nations Plaza,
Room DC2-1324,
New York, NY 10017, USA
Fax: +1 (212) 963 3062
Email: ngo@un.org
4. Side Events
Side events are events that take place in the margins of the official United Nations Meetings, organized for the purpose of sharing experiences and increasing opportunities for informal dialogue among the meetings’ participants.
- All side-events held within United Nations Headquarters MUST be organized by, or in collaboration with, an NGO in consultative status with ECOSOC, a Member State or a United Nations entity.
- Member States and UN Agencies are invited to inform the IYC Secretariat of any planned side events in order to facilitate effective coordination and publicity of the event. Please contact us at coopsyear@un.org to provide event information.
- Due to limited space, we cannot guarantee that all requests will be honoured.
- To request a side-event, participating organizations are invited to use the Online Form, or to email the MS Word file to coopsyear@un.org with the subject "Side Event Request: Launch of the International Year of Cooperatives”. The deadline for submission is 30 September 2011.
The online form is available here:
http://social.un.org/absolutefp/2011iyc-side-events.html
The MS Word file is available here:
http://social.un.org/coopsyear/documents/iyc-side-events-form.doc
Organizers of selected events will be informed of their selection no later than 7 October 2011, and MUST confirm their event no later than 12 October 2011.
5. Important Notes
- Please note that we encourage Cooperatives seeking accreditation to the Launch of International Year of Cooperatives to apply for consultative status with ECOSOC with the United Nations. To apply, please visit this link: http://csonet.org/index.php?menu=34
- The meeting is open to all representatives of Member States. However, only those Cooperatives and NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC that have been approved and pre-registered online before the deadline will be able to participate;
- Accreditation is granted once and is applicable to UN events planned for the closing of the International Year of Cooperatives in late 2012. However, Accredited cooperatives MUST pre-register online for each meeting related to the International Year of Cooperatives;
- Pre-registration does not mean that your representatives have been approved . Only representatives that receive a letter of confirmation by email will be able to participate.
- Each participant to the launch event is required to make his/her own travel and visa arrangements. The UN does not provide any financial or travel assistance to the Launch. Further, it is the policy of the United Nations Department of Economic Affairs, Division for Social Policy and Development to not send letters to United States Consulates to support a request for visa. Requests to send letters to US consulates or visa offices to support visa applications will be denied;
- The letter of confirmation is often used by participating representatives as proof of their pre-registration to a meeting organized by the United Nations, This can be provided for visa purposes to United States authorities. If necessary, the Civil Society and Outreach Unit of DSPD will assist in providing information regarding the status of accredited cooperatives and NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC at the request of United States authorities;
For cooperatives that are members of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), Please contact ICA for information on how to participate in the launch events.
*Include cooperative enterprises and cooperative organizations
