NGOs face uphill battle to gain access to the UN

For many NGOs, the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council, which began its spring session on Monday, is the ultimate platform for advocacy efforts. But an obscure New York-based body often makes gaining access to the council a complicated task. Meetings of the Human Rights Council in Geneva – the UN's top human rights body – are a crucial opportunity for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to advocate for the causes they support on the international stage. But to be able to attend the council’s sessions in person and make statements to its members, civil society groups must first get an accreditation (called ECOSOC consultative status) from a little-know New York-based body – the UN Committee on NGOs. On paper, its job is to ensure that a wide range of NGOs that can contribute their expertise to the UN’s work are allowed to participate in the organisation’s processes. But many critics, including civil society organisations, independent experts, some diplomats, and even...