Review-2001/8 -  NGLS Handbook - Courtsey United Nations Non Government Liason Service - UN-NGLS

The past few years have witnessed a sweeping change in the attitudes, approaches and policies of the United Nations system with regard to relations with NGOs and their participation in the work of the UN. NGOs are being taken across the entire UN system and in virtually all areas of its activity: policy research and analysis; policy dialogue and normative work; monitoring and advocacy; operational development activities; humanitarian work, particularly responding to emergencies and to the needs of refugees; promoting human rights, democratization, disarmament and peace; and information dissemination and raising public awareness of the issues and challenges on the UN's agenda.

In recent years, and reflecting the upsurge of NGO interest in the UN and vice versa, NGLS has been inundated with requests for information on these UN agencies, programmes and funds. The NGLS Handbook is NGLS's response to this demand.  This handbook provides a consolidated overview of the principal economic and social development institutions of the UN system. Each entry looks at the institutional origins and background, programme activities, and relations with and policies toward NGOs of the agency, programme or fund concerned.

As part of its ongoing programme activities, NGLS provides a wide range of information to the development NGO community on the programmes, policies and activities of those agencies and institutions of the UN system that work in the fields of economic and social development, human rights, and humanitarian and emergency relief.  Drawing upon NGLS's interagency character, and in cooperation with its sponsoring agencies, the handbook seeks to provide a consolidated overview of the principal economic and social development institutions of the UN system. Each entry looks at the institutional origins and background, programme activities, and relations with and policies toward NGOs of the agency, programme or fund concerned.

The handbook's 31 entries cover the UN Organization and 18 agencies, programmes and funds directly related to the UN Organization (ITC, ODCCP, OHCHR, UNAIDS, UNCDF, UNCHS, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNEP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIFEM, UNITAR, UNRISD, UNU, UNV, WFP), eight specialized agencies (FAO, IAEA, IFAD, ILO, UNESCO, UNIDO, WHO, World Bank) and four environmental conventions (CBD, CITES, UNCCD, UNFCCC). These entries were provided by the organizations themselves. The handbook also contains an entry for the United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS), an interagency unit within the UN system. With the exception of the UN Organization, which is the first entry, and NGLS, which is the last, the entries in this handbook are organized in alphabetical order for easy reference.

Today, in a context of UN reform, virtually all UN system departments, agencies, programmes and funds are engaged in fundamental reviews of their relations with organizations of civil society. New forms of management and governance of UN entities are also emerging that involve the participation of NGOs. This handbooks can help the UN Agencies and their Program Officers in Pakistan to cope with the upsurge of NGO interest in the UN. Information about the UN Agencies to provide a consolidated overview of the principal economic and social development institutions of the UN system, the institutional origins and background, programme activities, and relations with and policies toward NGOs of the agency, programme or fund concerned can be obtatined or downloaded online and e-mailed to requesting persons or NGO's.

Availability and Updates:

The NGLS Handbook is available both in Print as well as Online on the Internet. The print copies are available in the UN Common Library, but the Internet version is naturally more recent and current. The current NGLS Handbook of  May 2000, is available on the Internet address:  http://www.unsystem.org/ngls/documents/publications.en/ngls.handbook/index.htm.

Online Internet access to this resource is possible from anywhere. Please visit the URL: http://www.unsystem.org/ngls/documents/publications.en/ngls.handbook/index.htm or visit the UN Common Libray to consult it in print or through our Free Internet Access Terminals. Otherwise, please feel free to use Ask UNCOL, our phone / email-based remote reference service. The information may be printed, downloaded on Floppy discs or saved and delivered electronically to an e-mail address as an attachment.

NGLS Handbook has been made available on the Internet as well as to the UN Common Library for free public use by the courtesy of United Nations Non Government Liason Service - UN-NGLS and the UNDP country office in Pakistan