06/01/2023
The UN Economic and Social Council is the main forum for the discussion of international socio-economic issues within the United Nations. As a Consultant, Alana will seek to expand and bring forward demands and particularities to guarantee the rights of children in Brazil and in the global south
In December 2022 Alana obtained the status of Special Consultant at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations (UN). For a civil society organization, this status allows it to engage with the UN in a variety of ways, one of which is by participating in the Human Rights Council and, under specific conditions, in some meetings of the General Assembly.
By becoming a Special Consultant, Alana starts to strengthen ties with the main organization coordinating the economic and social activities of 14 UN agencies, including UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). “When civil society organizations obtain consultative status with ECOSOC, they have the right to actively participate in the work of the Council”, explains Ana Claudia Cifali, Alana’s legal coordinator.
The granting of consultative status marks the recognition of a work of political advocacy and technical contribution to the UN that Alana has been building and expanding over the years, especially in bringing demands and particularities to the international debate which guarantee the rights of Brazilian children and of the global south.
As a Special Consultant, Alana can now also send representatives to UN headquarters in New York, in the United States, and Geneva, in Switzerland, and present written and oral statements at meetings and conferences, among other actions that strengthen the relationship with the UN itself.
At the same time, Alana becomes part of a list of other Brazilian entities already recognized internationally for their contributions, such as Conectas Human Rights, the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI), Geledés – Black Women’s Institute, Instituto Igarapé, the Sou da Paz Institute, the Federal Council of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) and the Engajamundo Youth Association.
“In other words, we can now play an even more effective role in the international community, with the possibility of helping to apply and monitor international agreements, contributing technically, working as an alert agent and carrying out specialized analyzes in the defense of the rights of children. and adolescents, including issues related to the environment and the health of the most vulnerable populations”, concludes Cifali.
