28. Jun granted Special Consultative Status with the United Nations!

28. Jun is the first humanitarian organization from the Western Balkans to be granted Special Consultative Status with the United Nations. With an estimated 10 million NGOs in the world, less than .0005%, or 4500, have achieved Consultative Status.

After an 18-month long application process, 28. Jun was formally granted the status by the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) NGO Committee’s 19 member states during its May 25, 2018 Coordination and Management meeting in New York.

The ECOSOC serves as the central platform of the UN for addressing global economic, social and related issues. The selection of 28. Jun comes as an acknowledgement of its outstanding humanitarian, social and philanthropic work in the Western Balkans.

The designation will allow 28. Jun to deliver oral statements and submit written statements on areas of expertise to the United Nations to be circulated by the Secretary-General. Other privileges include:

? Provide expert analysis on issues directly from experience in the field;

? Attend international conferences and events;

? Organise and attend parallel events that take place during the session;

? Meet official government delegations and other NGO representatives;

? Participate in debates, interactive dialogues, panel discussions and official meetings;

? Play a major role in advancing United Nations goals and objectives;

? Serve as an early warning agent;

? Help monitor and implement international agreements;

? Help raise public awareness of relevant issues;

? Have opportunities to network and lobby.

Representatives from 28. Jun will hold up to seven United Nations grounds passes; at the New York headquarters as well as in Geneva for the Human Rights Council.

The application process was lengthy and vigorous as noted by 28. Jun President Filip Filipi Jankovic, “The NGO Committee’s UN member state representatives have been thoroughly vetting our application which contains detailed reports of our work in the field, governance and financial regime, since early 2016.”

28. Jun Executive Director for Balkans, Aleksandra Trifunovic, who also attended the session noted that “28. Jun members are doing a tremendous amount of valuable work and our new UN-accredited status will allow us to be involved in UN processes and share our expertise on the regions we operate in.”

The UN Charter established the ECOSOC in 1945 as one of the six main organs of the United Nations. It is the principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as for implementation of internationally agreed development goals.