Update contact details

In order to ensure timely communication, admitted NGOs are to inform the secretariat of any change in their contact details by completing a Contact Details Form for already admitted NGOs and sending it to cool@unfccc.int. Please note the following:

• TIP: Please send us typed forms with text / characters that are optically recognized when selected, i.e. editable text, in Word or PDF format. This will allow for a quicker process of your data. Photos and scans of unrecognizable text are not unacceptable. However, the processing time will be longer and the data will be prone to error.
  In case your browser does not support the filling of form fields, you may try a different browser or open the form in a PDF reader supporting this feature.

• Only provide the information which needs to be changed. If information is not changed, please tick "No changes" and leave the respective fields empty.

• Our database cannot carry multiple email addresses for one person.

• Provide the names of persons exactly as indicated on the person's passport.

• A digital signature or a scanned copy are sufficient.

• In case the head of organization changes, please provide official communication to that effect. Please also note that the highest ranking official in an organization should be registered as head of organization.

• In case the name of your organization has changed, please provide official supporting documents (e.g. a new registration certificate issued by a government authority as well as scanned copies of the amended articles of association/statutes of your organization).

• The processing of the form usually takes around 5 working days. As changes to the contact details might affect your access to the online systems for registration and side events and exhibits, kindly ensure submission of the form well in advance of relevant deadlines.

• Contact Details Form: English/ Français (This form is not for registering for conferences. It is only used to update contacts of organizations that already have observer status!)

Constituencies  

Constituencies in the UNFCCC are loose groups of NGOs with diverse but broadly clustered interests or perspectives. Please see the following document for more details including the benefits of belonging to a constituency:
Constituencies and you (version as of May 2014)  English Español Français

Constituency contacts

If your organization already belongs to a constituency is indicated on the list of admitted NGOs.

Since 2016 the UNFCCC secretariat also recognizes the following groups as informal NGO groups:

• Faith Based Organizations (FBOs);
• Education and Capacity Building and Outreach NGOs (ECONGO);
• Parliamentarians.

Contacts for informal NGO groups

These informal NGO groups do not enjoy all privileges of an official constituency, but their morning coordination meetings can be announced on CCTV and in the Daily Programme (DP) and they receive a certain amount of tickets to limited access meetings such as opening ceremonies

Who can register

In accordance with Article 7, paragraph 6 of the Convention, Parties to the Convention, United Nations and related organizations and agencies, media and non-profit observer organizations with observer status may attend the sessions of the Convention. Consequently, everyone wishing to enter the conference must be registered accordingly and in possession of a conference badge.

How to register

Information for UN organizations is available here. Organizations without observer status and individuals can find further information here.

IGOs and NGOs with observer status

Registration is managed through the Online Registration System (ORS). The secretariat’s usual practice is to post official information for upcoming sessions, including registration timelines, on the UNFCCC website well in advance of the start date of the sessions. You can find current information on the Notifications page of the UNFCCC website.

ORS will open upon issuance of the notification/information note which contains the nomination and confirmation deadlines. Designated Contact Points (DCP) of admitted NGOs must nominate and confirm representatives through ORS by the given deadlines. Late nomination and confirmation of representatives after these deadlines will not be accepted.

For further information and guidance on the nominations and confirmation process and using the system, please refer to the ORS User Manual.

For technical assistance when using the system, please contact onlinereg@unfccc.int.

For other issues relating to registration, please contact the secretariat through the communication field within the ORS.

Information notes and notifications are published here.

Registration on-site (for duly registered observers)

Disclaimer

The UNFCCC secretariat has become aware that certain admitted observer organizations are using commercial business model packages to solicit business. As an inducement to sell these packages, potential clients are assured participation at UNFCCC conferences, sessions and meetings through quotas of admitted observer organizations. The UNFCCC secretariat would like to make clear that it does not endorse such practices nor does it charge any fees to anyone for participating in the UNFCCC process. Eligible participants are accredited only by the UNFCCC secretariat who upon issue of badges by the UNFCCC secretariat can enter conference, sessions and meetings venues and participate, subject to the relevant rules and regulations, in the activities organized by the UNFCCC secretariat including the UNFCCC side events and exhibits.

• Guidelines for participation
  • Minor Participant Release and Waiver of Liability, Assumption of Risk and Indemnity Form
• Use of cameras and audio/video recording devices
• UN security guidelines
• Code of conduct for UNFCCC conferences meetings and events

• UN Administrative instruction on Authority of United Nations security officers

Intervention opportunities are provided by the presiding officers of the respective negotiating bodies. Such opportunities are communicated by the secretariat to the Constituency Focal Points. NGO constituency members are encouraged to work with the Constituency Focal Points to develop statements. The list of admitted NGOs indicates the constituency of an admitted NGO.

New! The application period for COP 26 side events and exhibits will open on Tuesday, 29 June 2021, 10 AM CEST and will close on Friday, 2 July 2021, 5 PM CEST.

Applications for side events and exhibits can only be received through the Side Events and Exhibits Online Registration System (SEORS) during this period. The timeline for the selection process can be found here.

Convention bodies often request written input, called submissions, on views and information on various issues under negotiation. These mandates are extended to observer organizations. Information on how to make submissions is available here.

Workshops and meetings are mandated by the COP or subsidiary bodies as vehicles for informal advice and inputs from experts, information sharing among delegates, and promoting consensus-building on strategies outside the political negotiations. They are normally small, with restricted numbers of participants to allow them to function effectively and to fulfill the task assigned to them. The chairs of the subsidiary bodies, advised by the workshop/meeting chairs, have key roles in deciding the format of, and participation at, a workshop/meeting, including deciding whether and how many observers will be invited. This number will be determined by the nature of the workshop/meeting and the resources available, and will take into account the level of interest among the observer organizations, with the ultimate aim of allowing an effective working atmosphere with an appropriate balance of participants.

Participation of non-governmental organizations is facilitated through the constituencies (see above), so as to aim for a balanced representation of the admitted non-governmental organizations. The secretariat contacts constituency focal points for them to nominate constituency representatives based on the expertise required for respective workshops/meetings. Constituency members interested in, and suitably qualified in the matter of, a particular workshop/meeting, should contact the respective constituency focal point. Please note that selection of representatives will be at the discretion of the relevant constituencies and the secretariat has no involvement or influence on this.

• The schedule of workshops and meetings can be found here.

• Related documentation regarding observer participation at workshops is accessible through MAS Observers