Joint Statement Delivered by Oliver Hoehne, Deputy Permanent Representative of Switzerland, on Behalf of 35 Member States, at the ECOSOC Management Segment, Item 17: Non-Governmental Organizations, New York, 10 June 2026
Mr. President,
It is my honor to deliver this statement on behalf of a group of 35 Member States* and my own country, Switzerland.
At the outset, let me recall ECOSOC resolution 1996/31, which affirms the indispensable role of NGOs in the United Nations system – bringing expertise, strengthening our evidence base, and ensuring that our work remains grounded in the realities faced by people and communities worldwide.
A well-established culture of collaboration between Member States and NGOs contributes to effective multilateralism. But for that partnership to function, it must be grounded in mutual respect and trust: trust in fair procedures, consistent application of rules, and transparent decision-making.
While accredited NGOs are rightly expected to uphold the principles governing their consultative status, the Committee on NGOs carries an equal responsibility: to ensure that its processes are credible, predictable, and fair.
In this context, we take note of the Report of the Committee on NGOs on its 2026 regular session submitted to ECOSOC with the recommendation to withdraw the consultative status of one NGO – as per draft decision III – and to suspend the status of another – as per draft decision IV. These are among the most serious measures available to the Committee, being applied for the first time since 2021. It is important to note these decisions were not reached by consensus.
We note with concern that the NGOs in question did not receive clear written reasons for the decision to suspend or withdraw their status and did not have an opportunity to present their response for appropriate consideration by the Committee.
The NGOs were given only four days – from 26 to 30 January – to respond to questions, and the Committee had only a few hours to consider those responses. Such a timeframe is exceptionally short, particularly when compared to the usual timeframes for accreditation and examination procedures in the CNGO.
At the time, these procedural concerns were raised by some members of the Committee as well as Switzerland as an observer before the CNGO.
Such decisions risk undermining confidence in the Committee’s processes. Decisions of this gravity must be transparent, well substantiated, and grounded in procedures that are both fair and consistently applied.
Going forward, we – those of us who are members of the committee and those who are not – call on all committee members to avoid any type of politization and to ensure that any recommendation concerning suspension or withdrawal of status is based on a rigorous and sufficiently substantiated assessment, after all other steps have been considered, demonstrating that the applicable criteria for suspension or withdrawal under resolution 1996/31 are fulfilled.
Looking ahead, we see clear value in working collectively – with all Member States – to strengthen the Committee’s working methods to reinforce transparency, consistency and fairness.
I thank you.
* Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Malta, Montenegro, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
