Abstract
AbstractThe main vehicle in the UN-NGO dynamic is the consultative status program within the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Existing literature addresses UN efforts in facilitating formal collaboration with international civil society, but little research has been undertaken to examine macro-scale patterns of NGOs within such collaborations. This study sought to partly address the latter gap in the literature by examining NGO goals and goal/benefit attainment within the UN-ECOSOC consultative status program. The results of a survey sent to a random sample of 10% of all NGOs holding consultative status revealed that (1) a varied range of both extrinsic and intrinsic considerations motivated NGOs to acquire consultative status; (2) NGOs commonly were not achieving their initial goals or otherwise not deriving benefit from the collaboration; and (3) the degree/sense of goal or benefit attainment correlated strongly with the level of accreditation afforded to NGOs, with lower levels of consultative status usually corresponding to lower reported levels of goal/benefit attainment.
Highlights
The main vehicle in the UN-non-governmental organizations (NGOs) dynamic is the consultative status program within the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
This study proposes that the expansion of the number and role of NGOs in consultative status with the UN (ECOSOC) does not necessarily equate to the attainment of goals/benefits on the part of the NGOs participating in the collaboration
A component element of broader dissertation research into the UN-NGO dynamic, this study is framed by three research questions: (1) why do NGOs seek consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council; (2) are the NGOs’ goals in pursuing the association being realized; and (3) what, if any, other benefits do the NGOs derive from the association? Hypotheses were generated specific to the research questions: (1) a diverse range of factors including both altruistic/extrinsic as well as more intrinsic motivations motivate NGOs to pursue consultative status with the UN; and (2) many NGOs within the consultative status framework are not realizing the goals they had
Summary
This research is significant for several reasons. The UN practice of establishing formalized association with international civil society has expanded exponentially in recent years and has been described as perhaps the most dynamic area of evolution within the UN (Alger 2002). When the practice of formal collaboration with international civil society was initiated in 1946, a mere 41 NGOs held consultative status with the UN, but the practice has expanded exponentially in recent decades with the status afforded to over 5,000 organizations at the time of writing, representing a highly diverse range of issues and locales (USAID 2019). It is not entirely clear why NGOs are incentivized to pursue consultative status with the UN. It may be among the first such studies which seeks to identify and explain specific reasons for engagement and the benefits derived from the latter by NGOs within the dynamic
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