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The Growth in the Number of NGOs in Consultative Status
with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
© Peter Willetts May 2015. The graph and the text on this page may be freely used for non-commercial purposes, provided that a reference is made to both to the author and to this web page http://www.staff.city.ac.uk/p.willetts/NGOS/NGO-GRPH.HTM It may also be used for commercial purposes, if in addition the author is informed, but no charges will be made.
CONTENTS Graph of the Numbers of NGOs in Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council for each Year from 1945 to the latest available year for which data has been published.
Note on the Roster of NGOs attending the Commission on Sustainable Development
Changes in the Names of the Three Categories of NGOs
The Raw Data on the Numbers of NGOs
Top Graph Note Categories Data
Graph of the Numbers of NGOs in Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council for each Year from 1945
The Growth in the Number of ECOSOC NGOs
Reference for the original source
The graph was first published in P. Willetts (ed.), "The Conscience of the World". The Influence of Non-Governmental Organisations in the UN System, (London: Hurst and Washington: Brookings Institution, 1996), p.38. It has also been included in the first to the sixth editions of J. Baylis, S. Smith and P. Owens, The Globalization of World Politics. This web version is updated, when further data becomes available.
Top Graph Note Categories Data
Note on the Roster of NGOs attending the Commission on Sustainable Development
If the graph shown above is compared with the original version in the book, it is readily apparent that the data for 1994 shows a significant change for the number of NGOs given as being on the Roster.
By ECOSOC Decision 1993/215 of 4 March 1993 any NGO accredited to the UN Conference on Environment and Development "could apply for and should be granted Roster status" with ECOSOC. The Secretariat failed to implement this decision and created a separate category of NGOs that were on the Roster solely for the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development. A total of 550 NGOs – listed in UN document E/1993/65 – applied for "CSD Roster status" and were endorsed by ECOSOC Decision 1993/220 of 26 May 1993. At its next session, the CSD objected to the exclusion of these NGOs from the other ECOSOC bodies. Then ECOSOC, by Decision 1994/300 of 29 July 1994, endorsed the Commission's recommendation to give them full Roster status. On this basis, the 550 NGO were included in the graph, when the book was published.
However, the Secretariat continued with not implementing these decisions. The matter was finally disposed of by Decision 1996/302 of 26 July 1996 that overturned decisions 1993/215 and 1994/300. The practice of having a CSD Roster was endorsed explicitly for the first time, but these NGOs from Rio were also given a fast-track procedure for inclusion on the main Roster. Thus, in this version of the graph the extra CSD NGOs have not been included, unless they have gained full Roster status for all ECOSOC subsidiary bodies.
Top Graph Note Categories Data
Changes in the Names of the Three Categories of UN Consultative Status for NGOs 1946-50 1950-68 1968-96 1996 - ... Type of NGO Category A Category A Category I General Status Global, large membership and work on many issues. Category B Category B Category II Special Status Regional and general or specialist and high status Category C Register Roster Roster Small or highly specialist or work with UN agencies
Top Graph Note Categories Data
The Raw Data on the Numbers of NGOs in Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council for each Year from 1945
Data for the Graph Year I,II+R Cat I+II Cat I 1945 0 0 0 1946 4 4 4 1947 41 39 7 1948 69 65 9 1949 90 86 9 1950 197 87 9 1951 217 101 9 1952 222 109 9 1953 239 115 9 1954 269 118 9 1955 282 120 10 1956 292 120 10 1957 299 122 10 1958 302 122 10 1959 327 127 10 1960 334 129 10 1961 331 130 10 1962 332 134 10 1963 338 132 10 1964 355 141 10 1965 361 141 10 1966 368 147 12 1967 377 155 12 1968 377 155 12 1969 377 132 16 1970 419 153 16 1971 469 173 16 1972 519 185 17 1973 581 200 19 1974 615 212 20 1975 651 218 24 1976 686 220 24 1977 731 230 26 1978 764 230 27 1979 593 236 30 1980 608 235 30 1981 646 246 31 1982 646 246 31 1983 692 270 31 1984 712 268 32 1985 760 303 34 1986 762 301 34 1987 827 334 35 1988 827 334 35 1989 893 367 36 1990 893 367 36 1991 928 395 41 1992 928 395 41 1993 969 414 41 1994 969 418 42 1995 1068 505 69 1996 1226 580 80 1997 1356 690 88 1998 1517 848 103 1999 1701 1029 111 2000 1995 1123 120 2001 2089 1204 121 2002 2236 1328 131 2003 2379 1448 131 2004 2531 1608 134 2005 2720 1776 136 2006 2869 1917 137 2007 3051 2091 136 2008 3183 2208 137 2009 3287 2304 138 2010 3382 2357 139 2011 3536 2552 144 2012 3735 2756 148 2013 3900 2921 147 2014 4045 3068 142 Please note: the figures given above include some NGOs in the General and the Special categories that have been suspended for one year for not submitting their quadrennial reports on their activities. In 2012-13, there were eight suspended NGOs with General Status; in 2013-14, there were three; and, in 2014-15, there were five. In 2012-13, there were 194 suspended NGOs with Special Status; in 2013-14, there were 154; and, in 2014-15, there were 105. While most of those suspended were small NGOs, a few were large global NGOs.
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© Peter Willetts 2015. The graph and the text on this page may be freely used for non-commercial purposes, provided that a reference is made to both to the author and to this web page http://www.staff.city.ac.uk/p.willetts/NGOS/NGO-GRPH.HTM It may also be used for commercial purposes, if in addition the author is informed, but no charges will be made.
Page maintained by Peter Willetts [ P dot Willetts at city dot ac dot uk ]
Emeritus Professor of Global Politics, City University, London
Page created on 28 September 2001.
Last amended and updated on 2 June 2015.
