Admission process overview

1. Application

• All required documents are submitted through the Online Admission System (OAS).
• Please see the section “Eligibility and required documents” below for further details, including OAS access.

2. Assessment by the UNFCCC secretariat

• The secretariat assesses application documents against a set of eligibility criteria.
• The secretariat will contact organizations for additional information, as well as to notify them on the outcome of the assessment, through the OAS. 
• The number of applications that can be assessed annually is determined by resource availability. At the current resource level, it would take a few years from the date of application until the assessment conclusion can be communicated

3. Provisional admittance by the COP Bureau

• Eligible organizations are recommended by the secretariat to the Bureau of the COP, CMP and CMA for provisional admittance to allow registration for the upcoming COP, with the understanding that formal admission as observer rests with the COP itself. This step is necessitated because the formal admission does not usually take place until the first day of the COP, and it would be too late for eligible organizations to start preparation for travel after this day.
• Provisional admittance allows applicant organizations to register delegates for COP within established timelines and start preparation for travel. Access to the conference venue, the so-called Blue Zone, is limited to duly registered delegates.
• If the applicant organization would not be admitted as observer by the COP, the registration of the organization’s delegation would have to be revoked and delegates would not be able to enter the COP venue. The step of provisional admittance by the Bureau of the COP, CMP and CMA is a measure to mitigate the risk and there has been no precedent for the COP not to grant observer status to recommended organizations, but this does not mean it could not happen in the future.
• Notice on provisional admittance will be communicated through the OAS.

4. Admission by the COP

• The document containing the list of eligible organizations is considered by the COP under organizational matters, "admission of organizations as observers" of the COP agenda.
• The COP usually takes up this item on the first day of the conference. Presence of the applicant organization in the COP plenary or the conference in general does not impact the adoption of the document and granting of formal observer status.
• The admission as observer by the COP applies to CMP and CMA as well. Please see the section “Single admission process for COP, CMP and CMA” below for further details.

The following documents contain important information on the process, eligibility, the required documents that must be submitted, and OAS access:

An application must have a complete set of required documents, as outlined in the standard admission process. Applications should be submitted to the best of the applicant’s knowledge. Reviewers will liaise with applicants through OAS should they have questions or require further information. Eligibility assessment will not commence until all documents are provided. 

The secretariat assesses applications on a continuous basis in order of application date and subject to the availability of resources. At the current resource level, it would take a few years from the date of application until the conclusion of the assessment can be communicated. Please refer to the Message to Parties and observers - Changed timeline for the assessment of applications from organizations for admission as observers to the UNFCCC process for further information.

While admitted organizations do not need to repeat the admission process (see Single Admission Process below), they must register their representatives for every UNFCCC session or meeting they would like to attend. This registration process is carried out through the Online Registration System (ORS).

The registration process for admitted observers and is explained on the respective web pages for admitted IGOs and admitted NGOs.

Observer Admission

Eligible new applicant organizations recommended by the COP Bureau are formally admitted by the Conference of the Parties following the successful completion of the admission process.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Article 7, paragraph 6

"The United Nations, its specialized agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as any State member thereof or observers thereto not Party to the Convention, may be represented at sessions of the Conference of the Parties as observers.  Any body or agency, whether national or international, governmental or non-governmental, which is qualified in matters covered by the Convention, and which has informed the secretariat of its wish to be represented at a session of the Conference of the Parties as an observer, may be so admitted unless at least one third of the Parties present object.  The admission and participation of observers shall be subject to the rules of procedure adopted by the Conference of the Parties."

Eligibility

Further to the Convention article mandating the admission of organizations as observers, additional guidance on eligibility criteria is as follows:

The secretariat informed SBI 20 of its procedures concerning eligibility, which SBI duly noted (see FCCC/SBI/2004/10, paragraph 100). These procedures provide, inter alia, that applicant organizations are required to provide:

• A statement of competence in Convention matters;
• Confirmation of independent juridical personality;
• Confirmation of non-profit and/or tax-exempt status in a State member of the United Nations, or of one of its specialized agencies or of the International Atomic Energy Agency, or in a State Party to the International Court of Justice.

Furthermore, the procedures provide (see Section II. "Admission of observer organizations" of FCCC/SBI/2004/5):

• Multilateral agreements that do not establish an independent juridical entity are not considered eligible for admission;
• Organizations which have been established by, and report to, governments and carry out government-mandated activities, but which cannot provide evidence of independence from government, are not considered eligible for admission. They are encouraged to participate as part of government delegations;
• Organizations which carry out functions on behalf of governments, including activities relating to the flexible mechanisms, provided that they meet the criteria listed [...] above and that their governance structure is independent of governments, are considered eligible for admission.

This admission process was further confirmed by Parties in document FCCC/SBI/2020/INF.8 and FCCC/SBI/2022/10 para. 166.

Single admission process for COP, CMP and CMA

Admission as an observer organization to the UNFCCC is a one-off process. In accordance with FCCC/CP/1995/7, paragraph 22, organizations, once admitted, are eligible to attend future UNFCCC sessions and do not need to reapply for admission.

Decision 36/CMP.1 (paragraph 2c)
"A single process would be used for the admission of observer organizations to sessions of the Conference of the Parties and of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, with decisions on admission of observer organizations being taken by the Conference of the Parties."
Full text: Arabic Chinese English French Russian Spanish

Decision 2/CMA.1
The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA) decided that when applying the draft rules of procedure of the Conference of the Parties, pursuant to Article 16, paragraph 5, of the Paris Agreement, with respect to draft rules 6 and 7, a single process would be used for the admission of observer organizations to sessions of the COP and the CMA, with decisions on the admission of observer organizations being taken by the COP.
Full text: Arabic Chinese English French Russian Spanish

Prioritization of admission applications

"To ensure open, inclusive and meaningful observer engagement in the face of an increasing number of admitted observer organizations, while fully preserving and respecting the Party-driven nature of the UNFCCC process and ensuring alignment with the draft rules of procedure being applied, the SBI [...] highlighted the following existing and additional practices and steps for engaging observers, subject to the availability of financial resources and while increasing the participation of observer organizations from underrepresented regions:

[...]

(d) Requesting the secretariat to:

[...]

(iv) Prioritize assessment of applications for admission of observer organizations from the regions of the incoming COP Presidencies, taking into consideration observer organizations from underrepresented regions."

FCCC/SBI/2024/13, para. 201(d)(iv)

• My organization has consultative status with ECOSOC or other UN organizations and agencies. Can it be exempt from the COP admission?
  • No, the UNFCCC admission process is independent from any other admission process under ECOSOC or other UN organizations and agencies.
• My organization is a for-profit company. Can it be eligible for admission by the COP?
  • No, for-profit companies are not eligible for admission (as indicated in standard admission process document available above).
  • For entities classified as coalitions of companies or initiatives wishing to engage in the UNFCCC process, please refer to the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action.
• Are documents submitted to support an application treated with confidentiality?
  • Yes. All documents and information submitted are kept confidential, and are only accessible to reviewers in the Observer Relations Team at the UNFCCC secretariat.
• Should the English translation be notarized?
  • If your organization is located in a non-UN language speaking country, the documents for items 2-5 (as indicated in standard admission process document available above) must be submitted in the original language along with a full translation in one of the official UN languages. Translation must be certified or notarized.
• Do the documents need to be certified by the public office?
  • The documents for items 2-4 (as indicated in standard admission process document available above) must be scanned copies of original documents.
• My country does not require incorporation from an NGO to operate as such. Can we skip the document required for proving incorporation?
  • No, in line with the established eligibility criteria, the required documentation includes a certificate of incorporation/registration/establishment of the organization issued by a government authority in the country where your organization’s headquarters is located as well as a certificate of the non-profit and/or tax-exempt status of the organization issued by a government authority in the country where your organization headquarters are located.
• When would I receive the results of my application? How would we know when the secretariat reached my application?
  • The secretariat assesses applications on a continuous basis in order of application date and subject to the availability of resources. At the current resource level, it would take a few years from the date of application until the conclusion of the assessment can be communicated.
  • The secretariat will announce on this webpage which batch of applications is being assessed.
• How to reach the secretariat staff overseeing admission?
  • Please use the communication log in your account in the OAS for any questions relating to the observer admission process.
• Do I need to apply for admission every year?
  • No, admission to the UNFCCC process as an observer organization is a one-off process. However, once formal observer status is granted, admitted observers must register participants through the Online Registration System according to respective deadlines for SBs or COP every year.
• Does admission automatically grant us access to climate change conferences?
  • No, organizations with observer status or provisional admittance must register their delegates within established timelines communicated to the designated contact points. Access to the conference venue, the so-called Blue Zone, is limited to duly registered delegates.
• If my organization is provisionally admitted, can I participate in UNFCCC sessions or meetings before the admitting COP?
  • No, participation at sessions or meetings outside of the SB or COP sessions is limited to those organizations that have been duly admitted by the COP at its previous COP sessions.
• Can I reapply to be an observer to the UNFCCC process if my application is unsuccessful?
  • Should your application be unsuccessful, we welcome you to reapply at a point in the future when your organization meets all the eligibility criteria for observer status. Further information on eligibility criteria can be found above.
• How to engage in the UNFCCC process without observer status?
  • An organization’s representatives can be nominated through already admitted NGOs to engage at UNFCCC sessions. Further information on engagement opportunities for organizations without observer status is available here: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/parties-non-party-stakeholders/non-party-stakeholders/overview/how-to-engage-without-observer-status