The long wait is over. After three years of review by the Committee on NGOs and lobby on our part, we finally received the desired letter from the United Nations confirming that our new status as an NGO (non-governmental organization) has been granted. The letter, signed by the Officer-in-Charge of the NGO Branch, begins:
I am pleased to inform you that the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at its Coordination and management meeting in July 2014 adopted the recommendation of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to grant special consultative status to your organization ...
In a forthcoming article, we will give more information about what this new NGO status means for the Society of the Sacred Heart, and what new opportunities are open to us.
Cecile Meijer, rscj
September 2014