Article 7, paragraph 6, of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change provides for the admission of non-governmental organizations to attend sessions of the Convention bodies as observers. New applicant organizations are formally admitted by the Conference of the Parties following the successful completion of the admission process.

Non-governmental organizations interested in being admitted to sessions of the Convention bodies may follow the link below for further information:

Article 7, paragraph 6
Admission process English Español Français
Deadlines for applications English Español Français
(Calendar of sessions of the UNFCCC and deadlines for applications for admission as observer organizations)
Contact details form English Español Français

The participation of representatives of non-governmental organizations in the proceedings of meetings, and of open-ended contact groups, is governed by rules 7 and 30 of the draft rules of procedure of the Conference of the Parties being applied, contained in: FCCC/CP/1996/2, and by decision 18/CP.4.

FCCC/CP/1996/2
Decision 18/CP.4

The secretariat has prepared informal guidelines for participation of representatives of non-governmental organizations at sessions, which may be particularly useful for newly admitted organizations. These guidelines reflect current practice and seek to encourage interaction between non-governmental organizations and the secretariat during sessions, as well as intersessionally. These guidelines may be accessed by following the link below:

Guidelines for the participation of representatives of non-governmental organizations at meetings of the bodies of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (version as of March 2004)

Over time similar interest groups of admitted organizations have worked together to increase the effectiveness of their participation. These loose groupings are known as constituencies. For more information follow the link below:

Non-governmental organization observer constituencies English    Español    Français(version as of April 2004)

Workshops are normally small and informal, with limited attendance. Participation is decided by the chairs of the subsidiary bodies, with the advice of the chair of the relevant workshop. The constituency focal points play an important role in assisting the secretariat in defining demand for attendance, circulating information, and communicating the names of qualified individuals, and thereby promoting a balanced representation from admitted non-governmental organizations at workshops. For more information on attendance at workshops follow the link below:

Constituencies and observer participation at workshops English    Español    Français (version as of April 2004)

How can I contact the constituency focal points?

Constituency focal points contact information (version as of March 2004)