NEW YORK – The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations announced in July that Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) has been granted Special Consultative Status.
Special Consultative Status is defined by the UN Charter as a status granted to “organizations that have a special competence in…fields of activity covered by the [UN Economic and Social] Council.” This status allows NP to designate official representatives to UN Headquarters in New York and to the UN offices in Geneva and Vienna.
“A few years ago,” explained NP Strategic Relations Director David Grant, “then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a letter calling for more involvement from civil society groups in the prevention of violent conflicts. In many places civil society was already deeply engaged at the grassroots, but not often with access to UN mechanisms. In the years since that letter, many more individuals and organizations have come to recognize what unarmed civilian intervention is and how important it can be—not only in the prevention, but also in the mitigation, of violence.”
In addition to acknowledging NP’s special competence in the area of civilian peacekeeping, the new status accords NP the right to address and advise the UN and its agencies. This latest development in NP’s close working relationship with the UN will further enhance the voice and profile of unarmed civilian peacekeeping at the highest levels of international decisionmaking.
“As NP continues to grow and to face the demands of becoming ‘large-scale’,” Grant continued, “this official recognition within the UN system will make it easier to open doors of political and financial importance.”