Civil Society

You can check the status of your request by logging into your NGO profile in the iCSO database at www.csonet.org. If your name is listed under “Geneva designations”, it means we have approved the issuance of your grounds pass. If your name is still listed as "pending", it means we have not approved it yet. Please verify that you have finalized all required steps as outlined on our web page. When the NGO Liaison Unit approves your request, you will receive an automatic confirmation sent to the email address registered in your profile in the iCSO database, stating when and where to pick up your grounds pass.

Once your UNOG grounds pass has been approved by the NGO Liaison Unit, you are welcome to pick up your grounds pass (entry badge) on weekdays, from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. at the Pregny Gate, Building F, 8 - 14 Avenue de la Paix, 1211 Geneva 10, upon presentation of a valid picture ID.

From the moment your grounds pass has been approved, there is no deadline to collect it prior to the expiration date. 

When accredited with UNOG, NGO representatives will own grounds passes to enter the Palais des Nations, to attend and organize events, to network, to participate in activities, etc.

Learn more about civil society at United Nations Office at Geneva

Should there be any change with regard to the presidency of your NGO during the calendar year, you are to inform the NGO Branch of DESA in New York first through the "Contact us" section of the www.csonet.org while uploading the relevant documentation for the recognition of the new president. The NGO Liaison Unit will only be able to recognize the new president of the NGO once the request has been accepted by the NGO Branch of DESA. If the change of president occurs at the beginning of the year, at a time when an NGO is renewing its annual accreditation, the NGO should simply register the new president in the iCSO database and send us the designation letter signed by the new president.

Only representatives of NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC can be accredited with the United Nations Office at Geneva. Accreditation needs to be renewed evey year. To learn more about consultative status, please consult the brochure at this link. To learn more about accreditation with UNOG, please visit our web page at this link.

No. Please make sure you enter correct information (spelling as in ID/passport, date and year of birth, etc.).

Congratulations! Once an NGO is granted consultative status with ECOSOC, its representatives can be accredited with UNOG and receive grounds passes to enter the Palais des Nations. You will need to follow these three steps in order to receive UNOG annual grounds passes (valid until 31 December of the ongoing year):

1. The President/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of your NGO should be registered in the iCSO database at www.csonet.org;
2. Other annual representatives of your NGO should be registered in the iCSO database;
3. A designation letter should be sent to the NGO Liaison Unit at UNOG. Consult template designation letter and user guide. Once the above steps have been completed and the request has been sent to the NGO Liaison Unit, we need three working days to process and approve it.

1. The President/CEO or Chief Administrative Officer of an NGO should send a signed letter to the NGO Liaison Unit with the request for cancellation;
2. If the grounds pass has already been withdrawn from the Pregny gate, it needs to be returned to us - either to the Security officers at the Pregny gate or to the NGO Liaison Unit, in person or by mail to:
   NGO Liaison Unit
   Office of the Director-General, Rooms 143/145
   Palais des Nations
   CH-1211 Geneva 10

Every year, an NGO can designate up to seven representatives to obtain UNOG annual grounds passes (valid until 31 December).

An NGO can have:

1. One (1) designation as “President/ Chief Executive Officer” (Head of the NGO);

2. One (1) designation as “Chief Administrative Officer” (Second Head of the NGO who can act on behalf of the President/CEO);

3. One (1) designation as “Main representative” (who can act on behalf of the President/CEO and CAO, with limited or without accrediting rights);

4. Maximum four designations with the representative type as “Additional representative”. NGOs need to attribute these designations to their representatives who might have different functional titles within the NGO (e.g. an NGO’s Executive Director could be designated as “Chief Administrative Officer” or an NGO’s Project Officer could be designated as “Additional representatives”).

When communicating with the NGO Liaison Unit, NGO representatives are invited to refer themselves to the four representative types recognized by the UN mentioned above and as designated in the iCSO database.

It is compulsory to designate the President/CEO or the Chief Administrative Officer at the beginning of each year. There can only be one President and one Chief Administrative Officer for all three duty stations (New York, Geneva and Vienna). Main and additional representatives may vary from one duty station to another.

An NGO can also request temporary grounds passes for a maximum duration of three months, renewable once. The NGO Liaison Unit reserves the right to apply limitations to the number of temporary grounds passes requested based on capacity or security constraints, and NGOs may be requested to provide relevant justifications.

Find more information about the UN Geneva NGO Liaison Unit

Please visit the website for the NGO Branch, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UN DESA.

http://csonet.org/

• The President/ Chief Executive Officer can request the issuance and cancellation of annual and temporary grounds passes, reserve meeting rooms as well as participate in meetings.
• The Chief Administrative Officer (who can act on behalf of the President/CEO) can request the issuance and cancellation of annual and temporary grounds passes (with the exception of the cancellation of the President/CEO’s grounds pass), reserve meeting rooms as well as participate in meetings.
• The main representative (who can act on behalf of the President/CEO and CAO, with limited or without accrediting rights) can request the issuance and cancellation of temporary grounds passes, reserve meeting rooms (provided he/she has been granted accrediting rights by the NGO through the iCSO database), as well as participate in meetings.
• The additional representative can participate in meetings.

If you leave the NGO, ask your President/CEO or CAO to inform us via a signed letter and return your grounds pass to the Security at the Pregny gate or to the NGO Liaison Unit, in person or by mail (NGO Liaison Unit, Office of the Director-General, Rooms 143/145, Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10). If you do not return your grounds pass, we cannot guarantee that your successor will receive his/her grounds pass. Once the grounds pass has been returned, your NGO can accredit your successor as follows:

1. Register him/her in the iCSO database at www.csonet.org;
2. A designation letter should be sent to the NGO Liaison Unit at UNOG. Consult template designation letter and user guide.

1. Immediately inform the Security at the Palais des Nations – call +41 (0) 22 917 2900;
2. Go to the Pregny gate with a valid picture ID, and you will receive a new UN grounds pass. (Address: Avenue de la Paix, from Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm).

Follow the steps as outlined on our web page. Tip: In the iCSO database, you may select “Copy” next to the name of your representative, update his/her details, and press “Submit”. This can only be done when the existing pass has already expired. If not, create a new profile for yourself by clicking on “New Designation” twice, and then fill out the boxes and press “Submit.”

Most likely, your request for accreditation with UNOG has not been finalized. Make sure to finalize your request (follow steps as outlined on our web page). We need 3 working days to process and approve your request, so make sure not to leave this till the last moment or you may not be able to get to Palais des Nations in time for an event.

Check the list of NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC at the csonet web page (E/2018/INF/5) or the list of NGOs accredited at the UN Office at Geneva.

Learn about the benefits of establishing a consultative relationship with ECOSOC – download the brochure.

Follow these steps:

1. Check here if your NGO is eligible;
2. Register your organizational profile here in the iCSO database;
3. Submit your application online by 1 June. The Committee will review your application the following year. 

Consult on the next steps here (see also points 3, 4, 5 of the brochure Working with ECOSOC: an NGOs Guide to Consultative Status).

You will receive a letter from the NGO Branch of DESA informing you of the review date for your application. You may also consult the agenda of the committee here.

The NGO Liaison Unit at UNOG is the focal point for relations between the United Nations and NGOs. The Office maintains liaison with NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC and facilitates their participation in United Nations activities. Through our Unit, NGOs may receive assistance with their request for consultative status with ECOSOC, guidance on their contribution to the work of the United Nations, participate in NGO joint briefings, request UNOG grounds passes, and reserve conference rooms at the Palais des Nations.

Learn more about the NGO Liaison Unit. Call us from 9 to 11 am and from 2 to 4 pm at +41 (0)22 917 2178 or (0)22 917 1304. Visit us from 9 to 11 am or on fixed appointments. Our Offices are located at the Palais des Nations, H building.

Yes! The NGO Resource and Service Center is located in Room E-2 (close to the main Cafeteria). It has several computers with Internet connection, a printer (bring your own paper) a Wi-Fi, a reading area, a small library, and a meeting area for groups of up to 15 persons (upon reservation).

Yes. Accredited NGOs can reserve the NGO Resource and Service Center for smaller gatherings up to 15 participants:

1. Check out our webpage on the NGO Resource and Service Center and fill out the form;
2. Send us a signed form at least 3 working days prior to the desired date of meeting;
3. We will revert as soon as possible.

Yes.

1. Check out our webpage on available facilities;
2. Send us the signed form and a draft agenda at least 6 weeks prior to the desirable date;
3. We will check for availability of rooms and revert within 3 working days.

The NGO Liaison Unit does not provide funding or financial support of any kind. Please visit the website of the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) at http://www.un.org/democracyfund.

1. Visit the UN Geneva meetings and events page on the website
2. Consult the calendar. It is searchable by day, week or month. Click on the title of the event to see if it is public or private. Public events can be attended by NGOs.
3. Sign up to mailing lists from the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNCTAD, etc.

With a valid UNOG grounds pass, you are entitled to participate in any public UN Conference at Palais des Nations. However, we always recommend that you check for any additional registration requirements with the secretariat organizing a meeting you are interested in.

Please check with the meeting organizer. You may also consult indico.un.org, the registration platform for UN meetings in Geneva.

1. Consult OHCHR’s Handbook for Civil Society- a guide on how the various UN human rights mechanisms work and how to engage with them.
2. Visit the webpage of OHCHR Civil Society Section
3. Register in Indico for an OHCHR event.