Editing Consultative status (section)

==Categories of Consultative Status==

There are three classes of Consultative Status defined by 1996/31, General, Special, and Roster. These classes were the equivalent of Category I, Category II, and Roster status that were defined in 1296 (XLIV). Below are the current definitions - paragraph numbers are from '''1996/31'''.

1996/31 grants different rights for participation in ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies - principally ECOSOC's '''Functional Commissions''' - including rights to United Nations passes, to speak at designated meetings, and to have documents translated and circulated as official UN document; e.g. Information Technology, Public Participation, and Global Agreements submitted to the Commission on Social Development in 1998.

===General===

:"22. Organizations that are concerned with most of the activities of the Council and its subsidiary bodies and can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Council that they have substantive and sustained contributions to make to the achievement of the objectives of the United Nations in fields set out in paragraph 1 above, and are closely involved with the economic and social life of the peoples of the areas they represent and whose membership, which should be considerable, is broadly representative of major segments of society in a large number of countries in different regions of the world shall be known as organizations in general consultative status."

===Special===

:"23. Organisations that have a special competence in, and are concerned specifically with, only a few of the fields of activity covered by the Council and its subsidiary bodies, and that are known within the fields for which they have or seek consultative status shall be known as organizations in special consultative status."

===Roster===

:"24. Other organizations that do not have general or special consultative status but that the Council, or the Secretary-General of the United Nations in consultation with the Council or its Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, considers can make occasional and useful contributions to the work of the Council or its subsidiary bodies or other United Nations bodies within their competence shall be included in a list (to be known as the Roster). This list may also include organizations in consultative status or a similar relationship with a specialized agency or a United Nations body. These organizations shall be available for consultation at the request of the Council or its subsidiary bodies. The fact that an organization is on the Roster shall not in itself be regarded as a qualification for general or special consultative status should an organization seek such status."

The three sub-categories of Roster Status - see below - have been supplemented by a fourth category, the definition of whose rights remains somewhat vague, namely "NGOs accredited to the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)":

====ECOSOC Roster====

The primary form of Roster Status, for NGOs with a focus on one or two of the areas of competence of ECOSOC.

====Secretary-General's Roster====

There are special provisions in 1996/31, and before that in 1296 (XLIV) for the UN Secretary-General to recommend NGOs for the Roster.

====Agency Roster====

The Agency Roster refers to accreditation to the Roster of United Nations specialized agencies such - e.g. [[UNICEF]], [[UNESCO]], [[International Labour Organization|ILO]], [[International Telecommunication Union|ITU]], etc.

====CSD Roster====

Although not defined in 1996/31, a fourth category of NGOs accredited to the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was established by ECOSOC decision 1996/302. There are currently approximately 400 NGOs in this status.