Special Session on COVID 19: Update 26 November

NGO participation in Special Session

The deadline for applying for participating or for speaking in the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) for consultative NGOs has now closed.

There are a number of questions for which we have asked for clarification from the Office of the President of the General Assembly. They include:

• whether the UNGASS will be available generally on UN Web TV
• whether ECSOC consultative status NGOs, who have indicated by checking relevant box that they wish to make a statement in the general debate, should also fulfil any other requirement and whether the process will be the same for consultative and non-consultative NGOs (on the approved list) in the selection of the organizations made by the President of the General Assembly, in consultation with Member States, with due regard for geographical balance and gender equity
• whether the same procedure will be used for the interactive dialogues as well as the general debate
• given the restrictions on access to the UN building for NGOs during the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that many organizations do not have NGOs who are based in New York, whether it would be possible to relax the requirement of an organization’s representative being in the General Assembly Hall to introduce the statement.

Any further information will be made available ASAP

Insofar as the number of speakers may be limited, if you have specific points that you would like to be proposed, please add them to the google doc as soon as possible and by 09.00 (New York time) on Friday 27 November at the latest.