UNEP is committed to partnering with civil society actors to ensure transparency and inclusiveness in the intergovernmental decision-making process at UNEP. Supported by UNEP’s Civil Society Unit, UNEP has been mandated to collaborate with non-governmental and non-for-profit civil society organizations and networks through the Major Group and Stakeholder modality to ensure effective, broad and balanced participation and representation. Organizations accredited to UNEP provide long-term, broad-based and essential support for UNEP’s mission and mandate, and are valuable partners to the organization.
The interaction between UNEP and civil society has grown significantly in the past decade and over 1000 organizations now have formal consultative status through UNEP accreditation.
How to become accredited to UNEP?
UNEP’s Major Groups and Stakeholders approach
UNEP engages with the nine Major Groups as defined in the Agenda 21 , which recognizes in its Chapter 23 the important role of civil society and the need to strengthen the role of Major Groups. On this basis, UNEP engages with accredited organizations in the following nine Major Group categories:
- Business and Industry
- Children and Youth
- Farmers
- Indigenous Peoples and their communities
- Local Authorities
- Non-governmental organizations
- Scientific and technological community
- Women
- Workers and Trade Unions
More on Major Groups categories
Major Groups and Stakeholders as strategic partners
Knowledge and expertise
A principal mandate of UNEP is to monitor and assess the global environmental situation to ensure that emerging environmental problems of wide international significance receive appropriate and adequate consideration by governments. Major Groups and Stakeholders play a central role in providing expertise and relevant knowledge and bring valuable research and advocacy functions to the table.
Perspectives
Working on the local and regional level, UNEP accredited organizations bring experiences and new perspectives into the decision-making space. They report on living realities and bring attention to emerging issues.
Leave No One Behind
Major Groups and Stakeholders channel voices of those most likely to be directly affected by environmental problems and related policies and advocate that no one will be left behind.
Transparency and accountability
Having an observer status to the United Nations Environment Assembly and its subsidiary bodies, Major Groups and Stakeholders have not only the ability to influence outcomes but can also hold governments accountable. Their presence creates transparency and the possibility to inform a wider public on processes and outcomes.
Implementation
Major Groups and Stakeholders are crucial partners for implementation. Intergovernmental decisions have a stronger and broader recognition and support by the public if governments take Major Groups and Stakeholders’ views into account. As researchers, think-tanks and advocates and by using their expertise, capacity building, outreach abilities and their local and regional presence, Major Groups and Stakeholders contribute to the implementation of UNEP’s Programme of Work. They can adapt UNEP’s global work to national or local realities and liaise between UNEP and local communities.
Raise public awareness
Major Groups and Stakeholders are well-placed to raise public awareness and engage the general public in an informative and educative manner, creating a multiplier effect.
To ensure that Major Groups and Stakeholders can carry out these pivotal roles, there are numerous engagement and participation opportunities at the global and regional levels.
