On October 4,(2021) the May 18 Memorial Foundation was granted special consultative status by the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. This creates an opportunity for the foundation to speak at the United Nations on issues related to democracy and human rights globally and to engage actively with the United Nations in the name of the May 18 Democratic Uprising. In addition, it is now possible for the foundation to attend meetings hosted by the United Nations and present written or oral presentations on the submitted agenda. The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, a standing committee of the Economic and Social Council, comprises 19 member states on the principle of equitable geographic distribution. Three types of consultative status are granted through screening, and NGOs’ rights and duties vary depending on the type.

The May 18 Memorial Foundation has been preparing an application since 2019 and submitted it in 2020 to acquire special consultative status with the UN NGO committee. At the end of May of this year, the qualification was recognized at a regular session in New York, which was reviewed in September, resulting in the foundation receiving special consultative status.

This special consultative status enables the May 18 Memorial Foundation to further promote the value and meaning of the May 18 spirit through participation in international organizations such as the United Nations and to play a more important role in international fora for actively enhancing democracy and human rights.

These achievements resulted from the May 18 Memorial Foundation’s solidarity activities for human rights and democracy globally, conducted with concern as to how to share the May 18 spirit with the world beyond South Korea. It has supported human rights activities worldwide for more than two decades through the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights. It can also be said that the status is the product of such activities in responding to issues related to democracy and human rights by domestic and international activists through the Gwangju Democracy Forum.

The status was also the result of the foundation’s actual and direct solidarity activities in proposing universal standards for human rights in Asia as well as international human rights norms by enacting the Asian Human Rights Charter, and its prompt responses to the recent threats to democracy in Hong Kong, Thailand, and Myanmar.

The foundation having acquired special consultative status is meaningful because it has been officially recognized by the international community for its activities. In the future, the May 18 Memorial Foundation will continue the movement to designate May 18 as a UN-designated day for preventing militarism and authoritarianism, using its activities as a stepping stone, and acting with swift solidarity in global human rights issues. In particular, we will continue to support the internationally agreed Sustainable Development Goals, which form the basis of the United Nations’ agenda for peace and development.

Attachment 1) Introduction of the Economic and Social Council and Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations
Attachment 2) Official letter of approval of special consultative status (in English)

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

• The Economic and Social Council is one of the six major institutions of the United Nations and was established by the UN Charter in 1945.
• It consists of 54 member states elected by the UN General Assembly.
• ECOSOC coordinates the economic, social, and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, functional committees, and five regional committees.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations

• The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations is a standing committee of the Economic and Social Council and was established by the Council in 1946.
• The Committee reports directly to the Economic and Social Council and decides on resolutions to issues that require action by the Council at the annual regular meeting (usually at the end of January) and the reopened meeting (in May).
• It grants consultative status based on the recommendation of the Committee, which comprises 19 member states.

Regarding the Consultative Statuses with the UN Economic and Social Council

• Consultative status: 5,593 (as of April 2021)
• Types of consultative status: Three (general, special, and roster)
   - The rights and duties of NGOs vary depending on the type of status they are granted.
   - General and special-status NGOs are obliged to submit reports every four years.
    ① General consultative status: A fairly large and well-established international NGO with a wide geographic concern, covering most of ECOSOC’s agenda as an area of activity.
    ② Special consultative status: Granted to NGOs that are specially related and are active in some of the areas of activity covered by ECOSOC.
    ③ Roster consultative status: NGOs that have applied for consultative status but do not fall into the above categories.

Privileges and Benefits of Special Consultative Status

• Attendance at meetings and access to the United Nations
• Ability to submit written statements at the Economic and Social Council
• Ability to make oral presentations at the Economic and Social Council
• Ability to consult with the Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary bodies
• Use of United Nations facilities

United Nations. NGO Branch
Working with ECOSOC: an NGOs Guide to Consultative Status

May 18 Memorial Foundation Granted Special Consultative Status with the UN Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations / 2 November 2021