What is a “Written Statement?”

What are written statements and what do they do?

Written statements relevant to the work of United Nations Economic and Social Council may be submitted by organizations in General and Special consultative status, on subjects which the organization has a special competence. Such statements shall be circulated by the Secretary General of the United Nations to the members of the Council.

Written statements have to be submitted in due time for appropriate consultation to take place between the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the organization before circulation.

Certain events may have different procedures for submitting statements, so please make sure to read information regarding specific events carefully. There is a limit on the number of words for submission from each organization, depending on whether you have general or special consultative status.

Written statements by NGOs withgeneral or special consultative status can also be submitted to ECOSOC commissions and subsidiary bodies [the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) holds special consultative status], on subjects that they have specialized knowledge in. The word count for statements is limited to the following: 500-1,500 words, depending on the event.

For example, 90 NGOs submitted written statements during 2010 ECOSOC High Level Segment that took place in New York from 28 June– 2 July 2010. The statements were distributed among all participants and available online as the official ECOSOC documentation.