By Yuting Xiao
When we think about the United Nations, we often think about organizations such as the United Nations Peacekeeping Force, or United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). However, one part of the United Nations that is often overlooked are the civil societies. According to the United Nations, civil societies are “ ‘the third section’ of society, along with government and business. It comprises of non-profit organizations and non-governmental organizations” [1]. Civil society is extremely important to the United Nations and the UN Charter requires their inclusion in UN work. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs or NGOs) often provide specialized expertise and consult on certain issues.
NGO Major Group (https://www.ngomg.org/) is a coalition of NGOs/CSOs focused specifically on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs; https://sdgs.un.org/) along with 17 other Major Groups and Stakeholder Groups representing non-member organizations and global constituencies such as unions, local governments, businesses, academia, etc., which are guided in participating with member-states in the Sustainable Development High Level Process focused on implementing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
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