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Tuesday, 28 July 2015 20:57

World Animal Net Receives Special Consultative Status

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The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) recently granted World Animal Net Special Consultative Status. Since 2001, when World Animal Net was first granted consultative status, we have worked to build partnerships and collaborative relations at the United Nations. Our elevated status will increase our capacity to represent animal protection interests through intergovernmental advocacy. We are also pleased that FOUR PAWS International, another animal protection organization, has also recently received Special Consultative Status.

UN logoBy granting consultative status to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as WAN, ECOSOC creates avenues to participate in formal UN deliberations. Organizations with consultative status can designate official representatives to the UN Headquarters in New York, as well as the UN offices in Geneva and Vienna. They can also designate representatives to participate as observers in public meetings of ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies, as well as the General Assembly, Human Rights Council and other decision-making bodies. Currently, there are only a handful of animal protection organizations with consultative status at the United Nations.

There are three types of consultative status at the United Nations: Roster, Special and General. Special Consultative Status is granted to NGOs that have a special competence in certain fields of the activities of the Council. The granting of this status to WAN came after an extensive application and recommendation process by the ECOSOC Committee on NGOs. This committee convenes twice a year to recommend consultative status to select organizations. Among other privileges, this status will allow WAN to submit written statements and deliver oral presentations to the Council on matters of animal protection.

Using our new status, we look forward to working to further advance objectives as we envision a humane world for all. We also look forward to other animal protection organizations seeking and receiving consultative status. To learn more about the application process for consultative status with ECOSOC, visit this link.

Akisha Townsend Eaton

Akisha is World Animal Net’s senior policy and legal resource advisor. Prior to joining the organization, she served as assistant legislative counsel at the Humane Society of the United States. In addition to her role at World Animal Net, Akisha is a legislative consultant, Associate Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, and a member of the American Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee. She received her B.A. from Stanford University, and her law degree from Georgetown University.

 

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